How Much Does Cremation Cost

Cremation Service is Catching On
Do You Want Fries With That?

With half of the population now choosing cremation over traditional burial, it is important to know some important facts about this valuable service provided by funeral directors. A common question is how much does cremation cost? It seems like such a simple question that should have a straightforward answer. But, most people have no idea what actually is involved in cremation. If you consider all the factors that affect the price of cremation, you would understand that the answer to that question is not that cut and dry. Consumers should really think about the kind of funeral or gathering they want and if they want to spend time with the deceased either privately or publicly. Let’s consider some of the factors that will affect the cost of cremation.

Who You Gonna Call

Funeral Homes – Mortuaries – Cremation Societies – Crematories – Cremation Brokers

Don’t wait till the death has occurred to try and figure out which professionals you will hire to assist with funeral and cremation arrangements. Who you call might depend on what kind of services your families needs. Your local funeral home is always a good place to start. Many funeral homes also own their own crematory and more important they are trained to explain the many options available when it comes to cremation. Understand that when you ask a funeral director “How much for cremation” He or she will need more information to understand what and if you know what you want. They are not trying to Up-Sell you they just need to better understand the unique needs of your family and what you expectations are. Cremation is just a final disposition like burial is a final disposition. You wouldn’t expect an answer to “How much for a funeral” They might give you a price range but ultimately YOU will has to make some decisions and pick some options to determine a realistic price quote. It’s okay to negotiate! I recently was helping a friend choose a professional. They liked the people they met at the local funeral and received a price quote for a direct cremation for $2850.00 we told them about a cremation Society that was 30 miles away that would do it for $1500.00 and the local funeral matched the price!  Beware of Google search results that often have online discounters disguised as local cremation clubs or societies. These companies are usually just cremation brokers that do not own any facilities anywhere and simply connect you with real professionals that you could have dealt with directly! Many funeral homes have their own so called “Cremation Societies” Sort of an alter ego that funeral homes have online to compete on price. For direct cremation these can be the best option. I worked at Hanson Walbridge funeral home in Bennington Vermont. If someone called the funeral homes phone number they would get a price quote from the funeral home BUT if you called their Cremation Society of Vermont phone number (Same phone different button) same people same service much cheaper price!

TransportationHearse For Funerals

The cost of cremation is affected by the transportation costs. You have to consider the transporting of the body from where the person passed away to the funeral home or the crematory of choice. Is the funeral going to be held at a church or other location besides the funeral home or will you prefer a memorial type gathering following the cremation. Will the ashes need to be mailed somewhere? All of this affects the price.

Storage of the Body

A body isn’t always cremated upon arrival to the crematory. The reasons for this can vary. Some states have laws stating a certain amount of time must pass before a body can be cremated and a funeral home may charge for refrigeration (by the day). Families may delay making final decisions or need to wait for someone to arrive from out of town that wants a chance to say their final goodbyes. If the death involves a criminal investigation extra storage fees may be applied. All of this affects the price.

 

Cremation

The cost of the actual cremation stays relatively consistent.This is the actual charge from the crematory and crematories generally do not deal directly with the public. Some factors, such as an unusually large person, might increase the cost of the cremation.

Disposition of The Ashes

How the family chooses to handle the cremated remains. The family may choose to bury the remains in a burial plot. In this situation, the cost of cremation is fairly expensive because burial plots can be expensive. A headstone marker will also likely be purchased if a burial of the cremated remains is selected. Another option that the family might choose is to store the remains in a cremation urn or use special urns for scattering ashes called scattering urns. Urns can cost as little as $100 or more than $1,000. People may choose to have the ashes become part of a piece of memorial art or cremation jewelry or even shot out of a hand held cannon called “The Loved One Launcher”! All of this affects the price.

Based on the factors discussed above, it is easy to see why cremation costs can vary greatly. There is no straight answer as to how much a cremation will cost. An experienced funeral director will discuss all the options that come with cremation and help the family decide what is best for them and their loved one. “Direct Cremation” is a term used for the most very basic of cremation services that simply gets the job done and does not involve any special arrangements for viewings, funeral memorials or burials. If you ask about the cost of a basic direct cremation you should get an instant price quote! And depending on who you call prices vary wildly for $595.00 to $4,595.00 with about $1500.00 – $2500.00 being about average. It should include all of the arrangements and permits for getting legally cremated in a cardboard box and receiving the ashes in a temporary cardboard or plastic container. For any special request beyond these basics, expect to pay more. If a funeral director quotes a price for direct cremation that does not include the cost of the actual cremation by a third party crematory or transportation……RUN! Because a direct cremation quote should include everything to get the job done and to not is a deceptive practice know as price baiting or the old bait and switch!

Freedom

Cremation offers freedom to choose how to handle the service. There can be a very simple service where family and friends gather to fondly remember their loved one. Perhaps the family wants to remember the deceased in a big way and elect to have an elaborate, fancy service. When the time comes, the family has the freedom to keep the ashes in a beautiful urn or to scatter the ashes. They may decide that burying the ashes would be beneficial so that all of the loved ones have a place to visit and remember the deceased. They can choose to bury the ashes in a cemetery or a private lot. The possibilities of how to handle the cremation ashes are endless.

Time

Cremation TimeWith a traditional funeral service, time is of the essence. Because the service must take place within a matter of days, plans may be made in haste, adding to the stress of an already grieving family. But, with cremation, there is no urgency to bury the body. The family will have ample time to plan a lovely memorial service to remember their loved one. Maybe the service needs to be delayed due to out of town family members and friends. On a personal note from my 30 years of experience there is such thing as waiting too long to conduct a memorial service. The sooner the better! Funerals are for the living and serve as the best way to let friends and family support each other in their grief so they can have a healthy transition from the loss. People sometimes wait months, for example waiting until spring when inconvenienced by a winter death. Think days and weeks but don’t stretch it out for more then a month, or it defeats the whole purpose.

 

Is Embalming Needed?

NO! But if you request a public viewing almost all funeral homes will require embalming. If you want a short private family viewing in the immediate days following a death embalming should not be required but a simple clean up and sanitization type of preparation should be done to make a nice final presentation to say the goodbyes. Most people don’t want to think about the embalming process and may look to alternatives such as cremation just to avoid this.

Instead of having a formal funeral service with a viewing, the family can choose to have a simple memorial service. with photographs of their loved one.  It can be a time to share stories and celebrate their loved one’s life and how they lived. A cremation can be as simple or elaborate as the family wishes. Perhaps the deceased was a simple person who led a simple life. Therefore, the family may want to choose cremation and have a simple service to reflect their loved one’s life.

Cremation PlanningIs cremation really what you want? This question can cause a lot of stress and they may wonder if they are making the right decision. This really should have been answered before the death occurred but if you are still not sure then consider all of the options. This is when a funeral director will step in and assist in answering questions and helping a family decide if cremation is right for their deceased loved one. While death remains an uncomfortable subject for most people, loved ones can be comforted in knowing that they are making the right choices when it comes to handling their loved one’s remains. A funeral director knows that family members are at their most vulnerable when making the funeral arrangements. With this in mind, he or she will explain all of the options available so that the family can make informed decisions.

Cremation Solutions on TV to Help Joan Rivers with her Dog’s Funeral

Dog Funeral
Joan and Her Beloved Max

Sometimes life–and death–surprises you. I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear from the producers of the “Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best?” reality TV show when they called me. It turns out that comedian, Joan Rivers is aware of our pet funerals and the urns, cremation jewelry and keepsakes we offer for people who have lost a beloved pet. Joan’s 12-year-old rescue Pekingese, Max had died and she wanted to do a show about a funeral for the dog. Of course, I said we would help, although I had no idea what to expect.

Planning a dog’s funeral

We started the funeral for Max by finding a location that worked well for Joan as well as hiring a New York celebrant to write and officiate at the service, Chris Shelly rose to the occasion. My friend Nancy Burban help us search for a location in New York City. One of the things Joan was most concerned about, and one of the reasons she called us, was the many options we have for displaying Max’s ashes. One of the scenes in the show takes place in Joan’s New York City apartment, where I’ve brought several of our urns, cremation jewelry and pet keepsakes to show her. Of course, with Joan, even funerals can be funny and she makes jokes about the different options. It was perfect blend of fun and serious.

Farewell to Max

Love Urns
Max’s Round Simplicity Urn

Joan decided on an urn during the segment and also wanted to get some jewelry to hold a few of Max’s ashes. She choose one of our Pandora-style cremation beads that matches the colors of Max’s coat, a charcoal, almost black hue.

She also decided to use our new “Loved One Launcher” to blast Max’s ashes all over his favorite stomping grounds. This piece of equipment can blast your loved one’s ashes up to 70 feet. The ashes can be mixed with confetti to give the launch a festive, party-like atmosphere. It’s a perfect salute to a being, like Max, who loved life.

We ended the show with Max’s funeral.

Admittedly, the funeral was a little bizarre, but the grief was real. As the owner of a rescue dog myself, I can relate.

You never know what you’re going to encounter in this business. I had fun doing the show. I think Joan and I had a little chemistry and the spontaneous jokes were streaming. This really was reality TV; nothing was rehearsed.

About “Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best”

Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best” is a reality

Scattering Ashes
Joan Holds The Loved One Launcher Ash scattering  Cannon

series on WEtv, featuring comedian, Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa as they try to keep the peace while living under one roof. The 30-minute show debuted in 2011 when Rivers moved from Los Angeles to New York City and moved in with her grown daughter, Melissa. The show is just beginning its fourth season.

About Cremation Solutions

Although all of the attention and excitement of doing a TV show is nice (and kind of rare in our business), Cremation Solutions doesn’t just cater to celebrity dogs. We

Dod Funerals
Jeff Staab, Joan, Melissa and Padfoot

have a whole range of affordable pet funeral services as well as cremation urns, jewelry, keepsakes and art to help you remember all of your loved ones and keep them close to you even when they have passed. Check out the beautiful tapestry behind Joan and Melissa. It was a gift from Funeral Home Gifts.

Our episode on the “Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best” show airs on WEtv on April 12, 10 PM EST on the WE TV network. We hope you’ll tune in.
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Invisible Competition From The Internet Threatens All Funeral Homes

Invisible Force Steals Profits From Funeral Homes

Funeral homes deal with the dead, but there’s a even darker, more invisible force sneaking up on funeral homes. It erodes the profitability of the funeral homes with stark efficiency. Even though funeral homes serve a localized group of people doesn’t stop this force, because it’s everywhere. It’s the Internet. It’s used to find cremation services, funeral planning and find funeral products. Competition from the Internet can easily destroy funeral homes. More specifically, it’s your competition that uses search engine optimization in their funeral home websites and internet based wholesalers. The Internet is the address of your competition and they are right in the living rooms of your future families. Yes you can compete, but funeral home owners can stop their competition with the power of SEO.

Cremation Discounters
You May Have Never Heard of Them But Their Parked Out Front

The Invisible Force

The wholesale and retail Internet based companies are popping up all over the web. They use effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on their sites to make their websites the first one funeral product or service seekers see. This ruins the average funeral home’s ability to obtain customers via the web. The Internet steals local customers by ranking higher in web search results then actual regional and local funeral homes. It is even more devastating to funeral home profitability. These optimized sites reel in your funeral homes potential customers and snatch them out of your grasp with professionally written SEO website copy that target your area.

S.C.I Does a Good Job Competing Online

Effects On Your Business

The Internet is an gigantic, invisible force that snatches and steals your business’s future. You may already be feeling the effects of the invisible competition from the Internet. Perhaps, fewer individuals are buying your urns, coffins, and printed commemorative pieces. You might not have a potential customer for days or even weeks. That’s the Internet sending your potential business to competing funeral homes with SEO websites that aren’t even in your area.

Decrease in Volume is a Decrease in  Sales

Perhaps, the first time funeral home owners see when the Internet starts messing up their business is the decrease in product sales. Individuals seeking your services have already bought the urn or casket. They turn down printed commemorative bookmarks or something similar. They’re bringing their own and doing funerals themselves, with the help of online discounters. The Internet may even play apart in them finding another funeral home that associates with he online discounters to take their business elsewhere. Yes they are willing to drive long distances to reach into your neighborhood.

Decrease In Customers

The younger generation is increasingly using the Internet to find and vet funeral homes. They are also using it for funeral planning and finding cremation services. These leads to fewer customers overall for funeral home, getting the beat down by Internet based wholesale and competitors with stronger website SEO. These customers are all going to funeral homes and wholesalers that use SEO or websites with stronger SEO.

Lay Offs and Mounting Bills

The loss of sales and customers leads to laying off your staff and mounting bills. The results are horrible. Funeral home owners face the stress of a failing business and often it isn’t pretty and has nothing to do with how good a job the funeral home does. It may affect your family. The mounting bills become a burden; your business has operating costs, such as building rent, staff, electric and other monthly expenses.

Closing Your Doors

The funeral home cost more to maintain, then it’s bringing in financially. Because of the invisible competing from the Internet, the business fails. Even, funeral homes in operation for 30 years have and can succumb to the force of the Internet on businesses. That’s the end of a business, which may have been in a family for generations.

The Solution

There’s only one answer to the business killing forces of discount stores and funeral homes with SEO websites. That’s to become one of them. Piling on the SEO on your funeral home’s website will help. Hiring a professional Funeral Home SEO strategist is even better. They’ve got insider knowledge of how to use the Internet to your business’s advantage and you won’t have to spend precious time in researching SEO techniques.

Vermont Cremation Services
Can't Beat Em Join Em

Moreover, your competition certainly has a SEO strategist and your funeral home needs the same advantages as your competition. Otherwise, your funeral home can’t compete with the power of the Internet. The effects in the section above will certainly happen to your funeral home. It might be slow. It might be fast, but it means 10, 15 or even a 100 years of you and your family serving your community is down the drain.

It’s such a simple solution, but it’s the future of your business. You can hire a professional SEO strategist and listen to them. They’ll do the work of getting a business site, filling it with your products, services and business details and optimizing it for search engines. All you have to do is, watch as your funeral home regains its profitability as more funerals take place and more products are sold. SEO is your invisible super power. Or you can just let your invisible competition force you to hang a “Gone Out of Business” sign on the front door of your funeral home.

Funeral Home SEO
Learn More Here

Consumer demands and social innovations are changing the funeral home business. Funeral Home SEO has the technology and know-how to assist you in developing your funeral home business to meet those evolving demands. Contact us today to discover how your funeral home business can benefit from our services and expertise. #877-365-9474 or info@cremationsolutuions.com and I will connect you with the experts!

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Funeral Directors VS Zombies

It seems like zombies are all the rage right now. From hit television shows to blockbuster movies, everyone is fascinated with the undead. While most people enjoy their fix of the undead and then turn off the television or leave the theater, for a small group of people, when it comes to death there is no escape.

The funeral service industry isn’t a glamorous career, but it’s a necessary one and can be most rewarding helping people through a difficult part of life. So how do those that deal with death on a daily basis handle the popularity of zombies? For a funeral director, a zombie infestation is a nightmare for several reasons. It’s the absolute worst possible situation in your industry and watching Zombies in action can conflict with job performance. Just like an airline pilot wouldn’t want to watch a films about a plane crashes, a cruise ship captain wouldn’t want to watch Titanic and a foodie wouldn’t want to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, it’s just not good for your overall health!

Youg Zombie
My Daughter Jena is a Real Heart Breaker!

Let’s face it – zombies are bad enough on the general population. It’s a messy affair with the dead ambling around, blood gushing everywhere and just lots of general gore. But zombies are even worse on the funeral directors and embalmers. Why? Let’s take a look. All Zombies start out as dead people. Funeral Directors work hard to make the dead look peaceful and then BAM!. Freaking Zombies mess up all our hard work. Not knowing when they will change just keeps us on edge all the time. Some complain that Zombies are driving the cremation rate even higher!. Progressive funeral director in Pennsylvania, Caleb Wilde now ties the deceased shoes together, making them even slower when the change comes while providing a more entertaining Zombie experience.

Outside of a cemetery, a funeral home or mortuary has the highest concentration of deceased bodies. So should zombies start rising from the dead, you’re at an immediate disadvantage because you’re outnumbered.

Casket For Cremation
Where Did He Go!

How’s this for nightmare fuel for a mortician: imagine your working with the dead and then one starts that irritating moaning from inside a casket you just positioned perfectly! Then you hear it from the one next to it. Then, the one beside it. When the locks start breaking and bodies start crawling out, that job at Home Depot is looking good.

Or imagine a family is having a service for a loved one when the dearly departed sputters to life, shuffles out of their casket and starts terrorizing the family? I’d imagine that family member screaming and running out of your funeral home in terror isn’t exactly the image you’re looking to project. Can you say lawsuit!. It’s just not good for business.

Cremation Information
The Fat One's Are The Worst

But aside from just the “nightmare” scenarios, there are actually practical reasons a zombie apocalypse would be a death knell for the funeral industry. “But you’d still need funerals once the zombies are killed!” you say. That’s just not the same  – for several reasons!

First off, the whole “viewing” part of a funeral couldn’t happen. Often times, people at a funeral will say, “He looks so peaceful” or “She looks so natural”?  But the fact that you have to kill zombies with a head shot or decapitation pretty much renders that useless. It can look “just like her” with a pair of holes in her head!

Embalming does not kill Zombies and that’s a problem!. Since zombies keep moving around, normal embalming becomes a pain in the ass. Embalmers for the first time are having to implore restraining straps. One skilled embalmer told me she has been adding a step of cutting the trac and removing the voice box. This has completely stop purge from the mouth and nose as well as stopped all that annoying moaning!. This triggered me to consider teeth removal to inhibit all that messy biting!  Without preservation, a zombie’s body (which as mentioned in the last paragraph, probably isn’t in good shape) would deteriorate far too quickly to have any sort of service. Of course, that assumes you’d provide services to a zombie in the first place! No restoration and no preservation? Another strike for funeral homes.

And since you’ve got several layers of “death” in the zombie universe (the initial person’s death, the death of a zombie, etc.), how do you handle a situation where someone passes away, but the becomes a zombie? They don’t exactly need their casket, and your services were useless, so can the family ask for a refund?

Cremation is the Solution
Always Looking For Handouts!

As anyone who works in a funeral home knows, we don’t like it when bodies start to twitch or make a sounds. With the resurgence of zombies in popular culture recently, I’m sure it’s given more than one person a brief heart attack. Josh Slocum of the Funeral Consumers Alliance has been warning the public that funeral directors should avoid the whole zombie phenomenon because Zombies don’t need funerals and have no known negative effects on the public.

So if you someone in the industry does choose to partake in a little undead entertainment, how do they deal with it? For starters, know that since zombies are (hopefully) relegated to the small screen, your industry is going to be around for a long, long time. Also, be happy that people are fascinated with death. That’s good for business. And as I mentioned above, if you institute a “no refunds” policy, you’ll get to double dip. You’ll have a service for the initial passing, and then another one when they take a shotgun blast as they’re trying to gnaw on a cousin’s leg. I recommend Cremation services and a nice urn as a zombie solution!

But what’s the best thing someone in the funeral industry can take away from the zombie resurgence? I’m sure The Walking Dead can offer you some pretty good survival tips, should…. well, you know.

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How Your Funeral Home Can Benefit From Local SEO

Cremation Services in Vermont
What Good is a Website if it Can't Be Found

If you’re involved in running a funeral home, you’ve probably already created a website. This is a step in the right direction, but there are other things that need to be done. If no one knows about your website because it does not rank in local search results then your website won’t be drawing in any business.

One of the best ways to ensure that your site gets found, in addition to publicizing the URL in print promotional materials, is to ensure that your site shows up in local searches. You’ll need to focus on local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies, like other entities that are doing business in a specific regional area. There are several steps involved in the process.

Register Your Site With Major Search Engines

Ensuring that your website is registered with major search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo is essential to your website SEO strategy. With Google, this is as simple as adding your URL to their database and verifying your listing by phone or postcard. You’ll also need a Google account to do this. Bing’s process is similar; you’ll have the option to add or claim your listing with the search engine, and then you’ll be required to verify your listing by phone or mail. You’ll also need a Windows Live ID to complete the process as well. The process is nearly the same through Yahoo, but you have the option to obtain a basic or enhanced listing with this search engine.

Make Sure Your Business Goes Social

You won’t want to ignore other methods of listing your funeral home business either. You may want to establish listings with Yellow Pages, YP.com, and City Search. You may want to add listings to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. These profiles can assist you in ensuring that your business has a better chance at obtaining higher rankings in search engines, because in many cases, these profiles will show up first in search engine results.

Find Cremation Services
Get On The Map!

Get Listed With Local Sites

Don’t ignore regional portals when you’re listing our business. Many of these sites are run by various media institutions. Many local newspapers and news stations offer local businesses an opportunity to have a listing on these sites. Obtaining a listing on these sites can definitely increase your search engine rankings significantly.

Consistency is the Key

While you’re creating these listings for your funeral home you’re going to want to make sure that you maintain consistency in your listings. Your business should be listed under the same name each time. You don’t want to list your business as Your Business, LLC in one area and then have it listed as Your Business in another. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that the same address and contacts are listed under each registration. This is critical in getting recognition from major search engines as a local business entity. Even slight variations can cause your efforts to fizzle and affect your rankings.

Perform Competitive Research on the Competition

When you are researching keywords for your website, you’ll need to look at other local businesses that rank highly with that keyword. Pay attention to the place that these businesses occupy in ranking. Search for these businesses by the names and addresses in the search bar of whichever site you’re previewing and find out what sites these businesses are listed at. This will let you know where your business needs to be listed at in order to get the highest possible rankings. One simple test is to just Google some terms relevant to your services and location to see how your website is ranking and see where you need to be. Type in Funeral Homes or Funeral Providers and the town and state you are located in. Also type Cremation Services or Cremation Providers and learn about where you rank for these key terms as well. For example type cremation services in Arlington Vermont and see where your website comes up. Ideally you want to be in the first top three of search results. If you not on page one your not going to attract much new business.

Review All Your Business Reviews

Assuming that you’ve got your site listed at various places, you’ll want to check out those listings regularly. Check out any reviews about your business. Find out if any of your clients have had frustrating experiences with your business. You’ll also want to find out if your clients have been pleased with your service. You can use this as a springboard for ensuring that your funeral and cremation services are the best in the area. You’ll also get more positive reviews with this type of effort. Additionally, it wouldn’t hurt to check out competing reviews for other businesses. Find out what these entities are doing right, and what customers believe could be better. This kind of insight will help you deliver better service, and positive reviews will obviously increase your rankings.

Audit Your Site’s Usability

This is extremely important. Before you waste time promoting your site, you need to make sure your site is easy to navigate. You’ll also want to ensure that the site looks appropriate in a variety of browsers. It won’t do your business any good to get a high ranking, if leads visit your site and leave because the site is poorly designed. Your visitors should see how to contact your easily. If you maintain guestbooks for clients, these applications should function properly. Don’t forget that mobile usage is increasing, you may want to invest in having a mobile website created so mobile users can navigate your site easily.

Funeral Home SEO
Learn More Here

Consumer demands and social innovations are changing the funeral home business. Funeral Home SEO has the technology and know-how to assist you in developing your funeral home business to meet those evolving demands. Contact us today to discover how your funeral home business can benefit from our services and expertise. #877-365-9474 or info@cremationsolutuions.com and I will connect you with the experts!

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Funeral Ceremony Circles Are Cool

Ceremony CirclesWith people being more spiritual than religious today, funeral ceremonies are taking on a new schematic. There’s a lot more room for creativity to make funeral ceremonies more meaningful. Funeral celebrants are introducing the concept of circle ceremonies. Unlike the traditional rows found in most church services, the whole ceremony can take place with attendees in a circle. Native Americans have long used the healing powers of ceremonies in the formation of a circle.

Think about it for a moment. When in a circle, we are all equal.

There is no one below, above, behind or in front of you. A circle has innate healing power with the ability for us all to connect.

The sacred circle is designed to create unity. It is the hoop of life with a place for every species, race and plant. The ideas of a sacred circle and the hoop of life have been inspired by Native American traditions and beliefs that everything is connected, and we are all connected to each other. When we are connected, spiritual healing can truly take place. I have conducted a couple of services set up in a circle for native Americans here in Vermont. In the funeral home chapel and in the cemetery. It really made it special and I can truly say it added a sense of healing and more active participation was observed.
Funeral or Cremation Services

We can also take the Native American tradition of healing drum circles and apply it to today’s funeral ceremonies. All across the country drum circle groups have been forming and growing in popularity. Everyone can participate in the drumming activities, even young children. Native Americans believe that drumming up the spirits of the land enhances personal healing with its vibrations. It’s like awakening our hearts with the heartbeat of the Earth. Attendees can take turns standing in the middle of the circle with eulogies and prayers along with drumming. While bodies are never physically touched, the spiritual energy is channeled by mental intention and physical vibration. With Cremation services the urn to be tastefully placed in the center of the circle. Now as an experienced funeral director I know that drumming in a circle is just way to outside the box for some families and congregations. But for some situations its perfect. All around, drumming circles for funeral ceremonies are social, healing, musical and fun.

The aboriginal people are another culture that has a strong affinity with the circle. They believe the power of the universe works in circles such as the shape of the planets, birds making their nests and the wind whirling in circles. Like Native Americans, the circle is a symbol of equity where no one person has an elevated position over another.

Pagan funerals or transition rituals are also held in a sacred circle with offerings to Nature. Often, there is a sharing of stories and chanting. They believe that the circle ceremony is a way to help the soul on its journey to the afterlife. Because of this belief, the circle ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate the life that has passed instead of mourning.

With over 40 percent of Americans choosing cremation services for their final farewell, the philosophy goes hand-in-hand with circle funeral ceremonies. Many people view cremation as a natural way of returning to the Earth. It is a sacred way to continue in the hoop of a spiritual life. Even in death, we all remain connected in spirit. Whether you choose a ground burial for your ashes, a sea scattering of ashes or a land dispersal of ashes, we’re all set on the same plane for a spiritual life.

Funeral celebrants also go hand-in-hand with both cremation services and circle funeral ceremonies. These professionals can help you plan ceremonies from beginning to end. A celebrant is certified and trained to provide personalized funeral ceremonies that reflect the lifestyle and personality of the deceased. They can be used as an alternative to a clergy person or in conjunction with one. In addition, funeral celebrants are an excellent choice for those who are spiritual but not religious. These professionals have a large library of resources for music, readings and the development of eulogies. They also work closely with you so that all of your wishes are adhered to and ensure complete confidentiality.

Ideas for Circle Ceremonies

Come One Come All, Gather Round!

Circle Ceremonies for funeral services can take place outdoors in a natural setting. Funeral Celebrants can help you select a mountaintop, a place in the woods, a beach or a meadow. You can even elect to have the ceremony in someone’s backyard. Typically, an altar to the deceased with photos and flowers are set up. The funeral celebrant can be the officiator or you can act as your own. You can arrange for a circle of chairs for the attendees. Attendees can take turns sharing stories about the deceased and expressing their heartfelt feelings. Music can be played before, during and after the ceremony. Memory or prayer beads made from crystals and natural stones can also be passed around in the circle. They are beautiful keepsakes for comfort and remembrance.

Even if you are having a funeral service in a church setting, arrangements can be made for a circle ceremony with attendees standing in a circle together or seated in a circle. You can work with a funeral celebrant or make arrangements with clergy yourself. If you work with a funeral celebrant, they can assist you with choosing music that is appropriate for this type of setting.

Today, the style and tone for funeral ceremonies is wide open. There are some who like to go out with a bang in a party style. They may even prefer to have a ceremony in a country-club setting or a bar. Funeral celebrants are very versatile and can help you make all the arrangements for food, lively music and engaging eulogies. They will work closely with you to ensure that all of your loved ones favorite tunes are played, including rock.

As we move forward in the 21st century, the etiquette for funeral ceremonies is constantly evolving. No longer are the somber funerals with sad music taking center stage. Survivors and the deceased are moving to funeral ceremonies that truly reflect a celebration of life and the personality of the deceased. People are searching for new ways to create a unique and meaningful funeral ceremony, and circle ceremonies are just another avenue for change.

Jeff Staab is a funeral director in southern Vermont. A certified Life Cycle Celebrant. He owns and operates www.cremationsolutions.com and is a cremation memorial and ash scattering specialist. When he’ not dreaming up the next cool cremation product he enjoys adventure in the mountains and on the sea, cooking for friends, social responsibility and green living. He can be reached at jeff@cremationsolutions.com

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The Hottest Dr. Oz Weight-Loss Technique to Date: The Crème Diet (Parody)

End Those Cravings For Good!

Inspiration for the Crème Diet
Many of the weight-loss plans Dr. Oz has created have required intense concentration, will power and organization. With rules governing what people could and could not eat as well as when they were allowed to have meals, most dieters ended up incredibly confused and frustrated. They eventually found themselves weeping into a bag of potato chips and wondering where everything went wrong in their lives.

Dr. Oz heard about these massive failures and decided to concoct the ultimate fat-burning method. The challenge he gave himself was to get his viewers to lose 100% of their body fat without ever having to watch what they eat or submit to painfully rigorous athletic activities like petting a dog or peeling an orange.

Likewise, since he had only released two impeccable diet plans that morning and it was nearing noon, he was just about due to release another best diet in the history of all diets.

Getting the Word Out

Cremation Service is Catching On
So Easy, Hot and Sexy

After spending a full fifteen minutes in his laboratory, which consists of a solid gold elliptical machine and a Mr. Potato Head doll, he emerged shouting, “I’ve figured it out! I now know the way we can burn fat faster than ever before!” Dr. Oz grabbed the closest intern and dragged the lucky individual by the hair to the closest cremation service facility while the rest of Dr. Oz’s staff waiting in anticipation for their return.

When Dr. Oz and the intern came back to the facility, the staff of 43 unpaid interns was speechless. However, this time it was not because of Dr. Oz’s 462nd weight loss technique of removing the tongue; the interns were not even signing amongst each other. In his hands, Dr. Oz held the intern who had previously been close to 150 pounds but was now situated comfortably in a beautifully hand crafted cremation urn. A handful of interns began to weep quietly and Dr. Oz saw one sign the word “escape” to another intern with a sadly inquisitive yet promising expression glazed across her eyes.

The New You. Completely Fat Free!

Dr. Oz took his own interpretation of the meaning of this witnessed exchange and proclaimed, “Yes, intern, that is correct! You can finally escape the cumbersome diets of watching what you eat! The Cremation Diet was born! Interns signed that the word cremation was harsh and thought about a softer alternative. Quick, someone get the camera we need to share this news with the world immediately!”

Before the camera was even brought to his location, Dr. Oz was well into a discussion with himself about the incredible new fat-burning technique while tongueless interns swirled around him applying a heavy coat of makeup. With the cameras rolling and an estimated 125 million people watching live from the comfort of their ice cream stained couches, Dr. Oz described the numerous advantages of what he had by then deemed the crème diet.

Diet is Really Catching On Fire!

How the Crème Diet Can Help You
The disadvantages of the crème diet —if any exist at all— are far overshadowed by the incredible amount of weight you are guaranteed to lose. You will be able to fit into the most beautiful designer cremation urns, which will leave friends and family speechless with jealousy. All those too-tight clothes from years past can join in your new weight-burning adventure, and even jewelry that you haven’t been able to wear since your high school days will fit better than ever before. After losing around 95% of your body weight, even a dehydrated Calista Flockhart will be jealous of how little you weigh.

The New Cremation Urn You
Your New Sleek Look

As if that wasn’t enough, research has also shown that those who have gone through the crème diet also face far less stress in their day-to-day lives and have also been found to scatter themselves and travel the world with their families more often than those who haven’t undertaken the life-changing cremation technique. Just imagine yourself in a new, gorgeously ornate cremation urn and leaving your presence on sandy beaches and all your favorite cities across the globe. Finally with the use of cremation jewelry your family and friends can have you with them wherever they go.

All this and more can be yours with Dr. Oz’s new, proven weight loss method. Now all you have to do is pick which designer cremation urn you want to be shown off in then sit back and enjoy your new 4 -6 pound lifestyle.
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Funeral Ceremonies and The Healing Power of Music

Music for a FuneralIn all societies, music is collective and communal. It is a medium that brings and binds people together. Although we often think of music as entertainment, we often overlook its power to evoke emotions. Beethoven was well-known for being able to evoke the emotions of joy, sadness, loss and return in his famed sonatas. Obviously, music has an emotional hook, and there’s a lot more going on besides sound waves and the synapses firing in the human brain. Music and mood are connected in a manner that science has not been able to explain. To date, studies have only determined that the auric field surrounding people progresses into a calm state when listening to music. It certainly suggests that music has the power to heal the body, mind and spirit. That being said, music therapy has been used to treat Alzheimer’s, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and cancer. Anecdotal evidence suggests that music can reduce anxiety, pain and heart rate. It can also tap long lost memories and increase social interaction.

Live Funeral Music
Live Funeral Music "Even Better"

When it comes to funeral ceremonies, music plays a vital role. It is an important part of celebrating the life of a lost loved one. Music is embedded in our souls and can stir up long forgotten memories that can only be brought to the surface with music. Playing cherished songs enjoyed together, such as “My Girl” or “I Will Always Love You”, can rewind the clock for a memory of happy times shared together. Such trigger songs are healing music that instantly connects us to memories of times, places and people connected with a loved one. Healing music helps bereaved ones go through the grieving process. It touches the soul in a manner that is comforting and almost unexplainable. The sounds of music give everyone a medium that all can share and relate to at funeral ceremonies. The power of music enhances the experience of funeral ceremonies in a positive and appropriate way.

Funeral planning and funeral music go hand in hand. Simply put, all funeral ceremonies should use healing music to both pay tribute to a lost loved one and to create an atmosphere where healing can begin for survivors. Funeral planning entails using funeral music at many times during a funeral ceremony. With so many planning cremation services, we have more time to plan and select appropriate funeral music. Funeral music can be played before, during and after the ceremony. It’s really up to those planning the ceremony to decide when music should be played. Just keep in mind that the funeral music you choose will create a mood for both yourself and attendees.

Choosing Healing Music for Funeral Ceremonies

There is no one-size-fits-all when choosing funeral music. For those who prefer to stick with tradition and a solemn funeral experience, popular hymns like “Amazing Grace”, “Ave Maria” and “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” are both powerful and rousing. These types of songs allow people who are at a loss for words to express heartfelt feelings. They unveil a dimension of feeling and meaning that words cannot do. Even though these hymns are Christian, they evoke feelings regardless of race or culture.

Selecting Funeral Music
Let The Music Take You There

If you’re not particularly religious, choosing classical and popular songs may be a better fit. This type of funeral music is ideal for playing during times of intercession and moments of silence. Here’s a list of some classical songs that are both soothing and reflective:

-“My Heart Will Go On”- Celine Dion
-“Hero”- Mariah Carey
-“Tears In Heaven”- Eric Clapton
-“Always On My Mind”- Elvis Presley
-“The Rose”- Bette Midler
-“Candle In The Wind”- Elton John
-“Imagine”- John Lennon
-“What A Wonderful World”- Louis Armstrong
-“Yesterday”- The Beatles
-“Stairway To Heaven”- Led Zeppelin

Playing a loved one’s favorite songs at a funeral ceremony is also an option that helps capture the essence of a loved one while leaving a legacy. For example, if your loved one was a huge fan of the Beatles or Beach Boys, playing tunes like “Surfer Girl” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” will make you feel like your loved one is right there with you enjoying the music. Keep in mind that it is completely appropriate today to play upbeat music at a funeral service. As a matter of fact, many people today are embracing a funeral service with a whole new paradigm. In celebrating the life of a loved one, playing vibrant music at a funeral service is a good match for a true celebration of life.

All in all, the funeral music that you choose as a tribute to your loved one is truly a personal choice. It’s entirely up to you to choose the music that you see most fit to celebrate the life of a loved one. Learn more about funeral music here.

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Today is Tomb Sweeping Day in China And Burning Iphones and I Pads is “The Latest Tradition”!

Sweeping The Ashes
Qingming Festival

In China, the traditional belief is that a person’s soul can only rest in peace if their body is buried underground in a coffin. Those that were cremated or opted for another method would have restless souls. However, as time moves on, more and more Chinese are finding this belief to be antiquated. The younger generation in particular believes that a soul may rest in peace regardless of what happens to their body, and that it’s more important to respect the wishes of the deceased than it is to follow tradition. This has lead to an increase in the amount of people who choose to have cremation services, followed by their friends and family scattering ashes.

Ipads Get Cremation Service
Like In The USA Traditions Are Changing

Tomb Sweeping Day

Every April 4th, the Chinese participate in the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day. During this festival, the relatives of the deceased gather around their grave and celebrate the life of the departed by leaving offerings of liquor, food, and burning fake money. The Chinese government made Tomb Sweeping Day an official holiday in 2008.

Tradition encourages them to remember their ancestors by laying out food at their grave sites, and burning paper replicas of daily necessities, such as clothes, money, cars, and houses. This year a few new items have been added to that list of necessities: the iPad and the iPhone.

IpaCremation Service
Dead Ancestors Catch Up With The Death Ap!

The tradition – which dates back thousands of years – dictates that the paper goods can be used by their ancestors in the afterlife, and the offerings have evolved to fit in with modern life. As such, paper replicas of iPhones and iPads – which are hugely popular in China – have become all the rage.

British broadsheet The Telegraph reports that paper replicas of Apple’s hugely popular iOS devices are selling “like hot cakes” in China, as millions of people prepare to honor their ancestors by burning paper goods that they believe can be used in the afterlife

Read more at http://www.cultofmac.com/156833/china-gives-its-ancestors-paper-iphones-ipads-to-use-in-the-afterlife/#0SdVDvMkHempSAUV.99

Culture Shift

Cremations are becoming more popular in China as the culture changes. While traditionalists still hold to their desire for a more traditional coffin and burial, others see cremation as a way to help out future generations. Cemetery overcrowding is a growing concern, especially among the more developed areas near the coast. By holding cremation services and scattering ashes, the surviving relatives save money. Another benefit of cremation is that it’s much more environmentally friendly, as ashes are nothing more than minerals purified by the heat of fire. Regular caskets are left in the ground to erode over time and can potentially pose a health hazard if not cared for properly. Cremation has none of these risks.

The Chinese government encourages cremation in the form of subsidies offered to those who opt for cremation services. As cremation is an eco-friendly option, the government wants people – traditionalists and otherwise – to seriously consider it as a viable alternative to burial. While traditional burial has the potential to hurt others in the future, cremation leaves no impact.

The Decision

People are chooseing cremation over traditional burial for many reasons. The most common reason is that it’s the request the deceased left in their will – and no one wants to risk being haunted by an angry loved one. New trends like biodegradable urns make cremation more and more to the environmentally friendly, those concerned about the future of the planet like the low impact cremation has on the environment as compared to traditional burial. A third reason is the expense. By the time all is said and done in China, a traditional burial can cost a small fortune, leaving the surviving relatives with a hefty bill that they may struggle to pay off. Cremation costs much less, and in some places – like China – governments may even subsidize the cost of the both the urn and the cremation services.

Chinese Scattering Ashes
New Traditions

Scattering Ceremony

A scattering ceremony has a lot in common with a traditional burial, but a lot of differences as well. As with a traditional funeral, loved ones will gather at a central location and share their memories of the deceased. A priest may or may not be in attendance, depending on the beliefs of the family and the deceased.

A location is chosen early in the process. This place may be requested in the will of the deceased, or it may hold some significance in their life. For example, someone who spent their entire life on a farm may choose to have their ashes scattered over their wheat field. A golfer may opt to have their ashes spread at their favorite golf course. Note that in certain circumstances (like the golf course), a permit will be required to hold the scattering ceremony.

After the ceremony is conducted, the ashes are released. A few final words may be spoken, then those gathered watch as the ashes fly into the breeze. Unfortunately, for those not prepared, the process can be quite messy. That’s where a scattering urn comes in.

Scattering Urns

Traditionally, those wanting to spread the ashes of a deceased loved one were forced to carry the ashes in a plastic box or a bag not too different from a garbage bag with a twist tie. Naturally, this removed some of the beauty from what should be a beautiful process. A scattering urn isn’t designed just to hold ashes, but to help spread them as well. Scattering urns can be symbolic – an avid bird watcher could find themselves with an urn for scattering ashes that converts into a bird house. Some urns are biodegradable and can be set out to sea or buried in one of the deceased’s favorite spots.

Scattering Services

There was nothing the deceased liked more than waking up before the sun did then heading out for a long day of sailing on the ocean. In their will, they’ve requested that their ashes be spread over the rolling waves of the Pacific. Unfortunately, their loved ones don’t have access to a boat. That’s where a scattering service comes into play. A scattering service will help the loved ones fulfill the wishes of the dearly departed. If the family of the deceased doesn’t have the means to complete the scattering request, they can hire a scattering service.They can do anything from helping with the whole ceremony to hiring a small plane to spread the ashes over a forest while loved ones watch from the ground.

Tomb sweeping day remains popular in China as a way of respecting and honoring the dead. It is much like Memorial Day in the U.S.A. Cremation services followed by a scattering of ashes continues to grow both in China and the United States as it becomes an increasingly popular method of memorializing the deceased. Join The Author Jeff Staab On Google Plus

Thai Man Marries Dead Girlfriend

On January 4, 2012, an extraordinary Buddhist wedding ceremony transpired in Surin, Thailand. On that day 28-year-old Chadil Deffy, a television director also known as Deff Yingyuen, took his girlfriend of ten years, 29-year-old Sarinya Kamsook, also known as Anne, as his wife.

Cremation Services
Death Till We Part?

The bridegroom, clad in a black tuxedo complete with top hat and tails, was debonair and charming. The bride was a vision in a white satin strapless bridal gown featuring a miniskirt and ornamented with lace and pearls. Fishnet stockings embellished her legs, and in her hands, she held a red and white bridal bouquet.

The bride remained silent and did not object to the marriage. As the groom proclaimed his undying love for his bride, he slipped a diamond ring on her finger as a symbolic representation of his eternal love. This touching and endearing demonstration of everlasting love broadcasted on nationwide television in Thailand.

The unconventional issue concerning this romantic and charming marriage ceremony was not the bride’s unusual attire. Instead, it was the undeniable fact that the wedding ceremony had taken place posthumously and that the new bride was actually deceased at the time that the consolidated marriage/funeral service occurred.  The groom purportedly betrothed her out of tremendous despair and remorse.

In a typical love scenario, the happy couple became acquainted with each other and fell in love a decade earlier at Eastern Asia University in Thailand. The couple had previously planned to get married, but had postponed the wedding repeatedly because of their hectic schedules. Yingyuen had been pre-occupied with completing his degree and Kamsook was focusing on her career.

Regrettably, destiny intervened. On January 3, 2012, the couple found themselves in an automobile accident that resulted in catastrophic injuries to Anne. She was then rushed to an overcrowded emergency room of a nearby hospital. Rather than sending her to an alternative hospital that would be able to treat her injuries immediately, the workers reportedly waited six hours to attend to her, during which time she succumbed to her injuries and perished.

Jewelry To AshesThe matter at hand is whether the groom was a truly a grieving sweetheart, or rather an opportunist searching for a claim to fame. The bridegroom who had the ceremony videotaped also uploaded it to the social networking website Facebook, where he entitled the video, Corpse Bride. Subsequently, he published the video to YouTube where it ultimately proceeded to go viral.

Despite the fact that it’s apparent that he regretted that he had not married the woman he dearly loved while she was still living, his ulterior motives for videotaping the ceremony remain ambiguous. Tremendous grief can make people do abnormal things, but to use a publicity stunt to benefit from the demise of a loved one is excessive.

Regardless of the indisputable fact that he kept his commitment to his bride, he would potentially have been better thought of if this had been a private display rather than a televised event. Irrespective of his motives, from this fiasco you will discover lessons that we all can gain knowledge from. Our lives are way too short, and we should never delay until tomorrow what we could do today. Tomorrow could be too late, as this young man has learned all too well.

Kamsook’s burial occurred immediately following the ceremony and students carefully placed death wreaths throughout the grounds of the university that the couple attended in honor of the deceased bride. On the upside, a couple of things relating to this union are certain. The bride and groom will never argue, and if things don’t work out, the groom won’t be required to hand over half of his possessions.

This particular wedding is a perfect illustration of why funeral planning is so crucial. The bride undoubtedly would not have desired to have her deceased body exhibited for the entire world. However, if your loved ones don’t know what you want, despair and grieving can lead to unconventional funeral arrangements.

Many people these days are opting for cremation over burial. Cremation services offer family members additional time to organize the funeral service or memorial service. With additional time to prepare you can notify more family members, which frequently generates a significantly better turnout for the funeral.

Cremation urns for ashes are an excellent way to keep your loved one with you as you safeguard their earthly remains. In exactly the same way, cremation jewelry for ashes, which is either filled with the ashes or made from the ashes of your loved one, is an excellent solution for keeping your loved one in close proximity to your heart.
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