Crafting Meaningful Funeral Rituals: A Practical Guide

by Jeltje Gordon-Lennox, Margaret Holloway (Foreword by)

Overview

Funerals are among the most important life events in Western society, and fashioning a personalized ceremony for yourself or for a loved one is often the most meaningful way to celebrate the life of the deceased. For those wanting non-religious or secular funeral ceremonies, this step-by-step guide begins by identifying what you want from the funeral and showing how you can make it happen.

With sections on society's views of mortality, our need for rituals and crafting the actual ceremony, this guide provides the tools and philosophy to understand, plan and tailor a funeral for individuals. Includes all the tools necessary for the creation of a ceremony, such as a Ritual Profiles, checklists, and many other handy resources.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785923890
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	11/21/2019
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.91(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Jeltje Gordon-Lennox is an author, psychotherapist, and founder of the Ashoka Association (Ashoka.ch), where she trains secular celebrants in the craft of secular ritualization. Jeltje lives in Switzerland.

Margaret Holloway was a Social Care Lead of the National End of Life Care Programme (NEoLCP) team, the NHS programme set up to implement the UK Department of Health's End of Life Care Strategy, which ran between 2008 and 2013. Margaret is also Professor of Social Work at the University of Hull, UK.

Table of Contents

Ritual Toolbox: List of Tools with Their Icons; List of Figures; Foreword by Margaret Holloway; Acknowledgements; Preface; Part I - MortaliTy; 1. My Death Waits; a) Notes on last wishes; 2. Gone Too Soon; a) Notes on ritual profile and strategy; Part II - our need for ritual; 3. The Sense of Ritual; a) Notes on repackaging ritual; 4. Preplanning Makes Sense; a) Seven destressing techniques; b) Questionnaire on my ritual profile; c) Coronach will; d) Inventory on ritual profilefor funerals; Part III - Crafting theceremony; 5. Planning the Ceremony; a) Toolbox for the planning phase; b) Notes on the pillars of ritual design; 6. Creating the Ceremony; a) Toolbox for the creating phase; b) Notes on rules for ritual design; 7.Realizing the Ceremony; a) Toolbox for the realizing phase; b) Notes on funerals for sensitive situations; Part IV - the FUTURE OF THE DeaD; 8. New Mourning; Glossary; Resources; a) Notes on mortality, illness and dying; b) Notes on solace for the bereaved; References; Index

Editorial Reviews

Jeltje Gordon-Lennox has captured every conceivable aspect of what makes a meaningful funeral ritual, and condensed it into an easily digestible and enjoyable format to read. It's hard to imagine you would need another resource than this one. It has everything, and it's so well done.

Kyle Tevlin

A modern and comprehensive guide for navigating the complex emotions and multitude of tasks related to the death of a loved one. Jeltje's practical approach includes a "ritual profile" and other thoughtful tools that help mourners bridge the gap between the past and the future by creating meaningful, healing and authentic experiences through the power of ceremony and ritual.

Linda Stuart

I find this book incredibly helpful as I return to parish ministry after a decade away. I can throw away my antiquated funeral resources and just use the creative process offered by Jeltje Gordon-Lennox.

Rev. Sara G. Armstrong

Inevitably, we all pass away. Whether the funeral we need to prepare is 2 months or 20 years away, or for ourselves or someone who died leaving no instructions, most of us are at a loss to know what to do. Jeltje slips her hand into yours and accompanies you, step by step, through the process of crafting rituals that honour life and relationships. This guide fills a huge void. It is equally useful for the deeply religious, those who claim no religion and those somewhere in-between.

Suzanne P. de Boer

Even young children understand the importance of commemorating a death with others. A friend and I once buried a baby bird that had fallen from its nest. We marked the spot with a lily and precious drops from our ice cream cones. With humility and care, this book brings us back to the authenticity of early funeral rituals.

Mia Mohr