I have to do a report on the funeral customs and afterlife beliefs on pagans and i was hoping someone could help me out. Thanks! It would be great if you could.
2007-10-20 05:03:11 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I should be a little more specific about this question. sorry, so what are the funeral customs of neo-pagans if thats better? Im not really familar with the religion at all.
2007-10-20 05:33:01 · update #1
Okay again someone helped me word it better like you already know im doing a report on the funeral customs and afterlife of pagans if you could could you tell me what type of pagan you are and what your funeral customs and belief on after life are?
2007-10-20 06:28:37 · update #2
Even if you narrowed your question down to a specific Pagan group such as Wicca you would still get 100 different view of what the "after life" is and 1000's of different funeral customs.
In Wicca you can be a member of a coven and still have a different belief system separate from the main group.
EACH person is responsible for themselves, their beliefs and their relationship with the Divine. This is also true with the individuals belief of what the afterlife is and how they want their funeral conducted.
Your asking for an answer to be given to you in a neat little package and THERE is not one!
Other than "DO WHAT YOU WILL !"
My personal wish is to be cremated and my ashes put in a Quaker Oat box. Duct tape is to be used to seal the box. On the tape I would like one of my daughters to write "^ This end up ^" and "Handle with care, Mother inside".
Under no circumstance do I want a funeral or any other ceremony after I die. If anyone has anything to say to me I would like them to say it to me before I die.
And as far as the "After life", I really have no belief as to what it is. I want it to be a surprise, I love surprises!
Blessings!
2007-10-20 10:35:16 · answer #1 · answered by DrMichael 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
As mentioned, there are many different pagan religions, each with their own funereal customs & afterlife beliefs. The Reconstructionist pagans are the easiest to research--they're the ones based on historical pre-Christian religions, and they try to keep to as many of the old customs as they can. Some Kemetic (egyption) recons want to be mummified; Hellenistic (greek) recons believe in Hades, an afterlife place that's much like here, only darker and a bit gloomy, except for heroes that might wind up being constellations or other natural phenomena, and so on.
In a lot of the Neo-Pagan and Wiccan groups, the focus is on an individual understanding of divinity and your place in the world. There are no religion-wide beliefs, because it's understood that each person & their family must decide how to relate to the end of this life, and possibly the beginning of another one.
Funerals tend to focus on cherishing the person's life, rather than sadness at their loss--wakes are common.
I've been to or heard of several post-death parties where a person's possessions are handed out to the community after death. Their family hosts the event and tells people to take whatever small items best remind them of their friend. Friends come away with a hat, a pin, a coffee mug that will remind them of the time they shared together.
This allows the family to get rid of a whole bunch of what may be "worthless junk" to them (or clothes that nobody in the home wants, or items that will just make them sad), without the creepy feeling of selling it to strangers at a garage sale. This way, there's a sense that the person is still active in the community.
There's an understanding that family members choose first, then close friends, then more distant members of the community. But everyone who knew the person is welcome, even if they'd never been close--it's okay to come away with "the t-shirt she was wearing on the night she gave that speech about women's rights at the city hall protest, which inspired me to start my own activism blog." Or even, "one of his quill pens, because his calligraphy was so beautiful to me."
2007-10-20 08:47:58 · answer #2 · answered by Elfwreck 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
What are the funeral customs of pagans?
I have to do a report on the funeral customs and afterlife beliefs on pagans and i was hoping someone could help me out. Thanks! It would be great if you could.
2015-08-20 15:11:15 · answer #3 · answered by Debi 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Funeral customs will depend on which brand of Paganism, Neo-Paganism, Tradition of Paganism or Neo-Paganism, Group/Coven or Individual within the Tradition.
2007-10-20 05:47:03 · answer #4 · answered by Black Dragon 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
It's a personal choice not a religious one. There just isn't any specific funeral customs for pagans.
2007-10-20 06:32:29 · answer #5 · answered by River 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I would suggest that you ask something like this:
Pagans, I am doing a report on the funeral customs and afterlife beliefs on Pagans. Those of you who feel you can do so, could you please let me know what type of Pagan you are and any funeral customs and afterlife beliefs you can share.
Or something like that.
2007-10-20 06:13:51 · answer #6 · answered by Darkwoken 2 · 5⤊ 0⤋
There is no one size fits all funeral customs for Pagans. Most, but not all, tend to believe in reincarnation or some form of afterlife (consider Vallhalla, Avalon, etc). If you would like the details of my preference, you can contact me through my profile.
2007-10-20 06:06:27 · answer #7 · answered by Keltasia 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
pagan=neo-pagan=about 2000000 different paths.
You have to realize that pagan is an umbrella term. With in paganism you have Wicca, Asatru, Kemetic, Hellenistic, Romana,Native American Shamaanism, Celtic, Celtic Recon, Druid, eclectic....
In the end though it generally boils down to the person. I will be cremated, but that was a choice made far before I became Asatru. Just happens to jive with the beliefs is all. LOL
2007-10-20 10:12:36 · answer #8 · answered by ~Heathen Princess~ 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I'm not aware of any specific Wiccan funeral customs. I personally plan on being cremated and returned to the earth - being preserved seems unnatura to me and being buried in a box feels suspiciously like littering. Once I die I don't need my body, so why leave it lying around somewhere taking up space?
Wiccans traditionally believe in reincarnation from human life to human life.
2007-10-20 07:39:04 · answer #9 · answered by Nightwind 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Interesting question. There's no particular custom for funerals, but covens have been known to have "farewell" rituals after one of their members has died.
There's a good description of one in "A Witches Bible" by the Farrars. A lot of libraries have that book if you care to look for it.
2007-10-20 10:25:08 · answer #10 · answered by xx. 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋