The Ceremonies Of Death

FRI., NOV. 17, 2000, 8:05 PM
FARM, STUDY

Tonight you went to a Visitation, one of the ceremonies your culture has developed to remember the life of one who dies. It is reasonably familiar to you, though, in this case, you didn’t know many of the people who were there… when you were.

It is not an organized “service,” but merely a chance to visit with the family and other friends of the deceased… and, in this one, but not all, a chance to see the body of the deceased, “prepared for viewing.” You know this is the major “art” for funeral directors – preparing the body to look as “life-like” as possible.

You really didn’t know Pauline, but she is/was the mother of Charles Wallace, quite a good friend to two of your sons. So there was no real sadness for you… she died in her sleep at nearly 90 years of age… a good death after a long life.

You organized and taught a course, Death Education, for, what was it, 20 years!? So you are familiar with how funerals and visitations can be. This one was certainly well-attended, evidencing respect for her life. You saw not much emotion, for she did have a long life, and it was quite evident that she would not recover from this “occurrence.” Also her reputation was one of being tough and acerbic, not a completely beloved elderly woman.

“Naturally” (I say, for I have assured you that your life will not be much longer) you had some thoughts about ceremonies that might come after your heart really stops beating (not just skipping a few beats!) your intent is to offer your body to Mortuary Science, the department that assisted you each semester in helping your students understand “the American Way”… and variations thereof. It would, after special preparation, be a cadaver that students would dissect and learn from, practicing for the “physical” part of the job of funeral director and embalmer.

Thus… if you follow through with this “plan” there would be no body to view, like unto the ceremony tonight, “featuring” Pauline. You assume (and hope) there will be a Memorial Service, but with no actual body to view. As you talk with Lenore and your sons about this… and you should… if you want it “your way”… you must tell them that the preparation for “being a cadaver” must be done rather quickly after death and does not leave the body “looking natural.”

Since you got such fine help from Greg and Cyd, the folks in Mortuary Science, you should want to “be” this “gift,” so that some future funeral directors might learn, with a real body, what they would have to do, as a professional, with the bodies of “clients.” You like the idea of becoming a useful cadaver… and so do I. (And there’s a chance, at least that you, in spirit, could observe “you”, in the role of a “helpful cadaver.”)

As a human you realize the value of your physical body, but as a professional you also realize the value that dead body can have, as part of the learning process, for medical of funeral service students. There eventually would be cremains. They just would not be available soon after the death, as with (Michael and) your parents.

So, in one sense (a good one) you, whose career was Teacher, can BE one last “lecture,” a quite realistic one, for some future professional. The body would not be “wasted,” but would have one last “appearance.”

When your family would receive the cremains you would hope they would do as you wish… a “scattering” rather than a single burial, like those of your parents. You feel good about the four places on this Farm where you’d like to be “scattered” – your meditation garden, the picnic table area (that now looks pretty ratty and “deserted”), the far southeast corner of the pasture, and, of course, Peters Park. Naturally your family would not have to carry out this plan, but let them know that there were four important “places” for you, and you’d like to continue to be part of them. I tell you now, in this Teaching, that I, Holy Spirit, approve of this “plan,” and am in no way bothered by it.