Some people like to plan their own funeral before they die so it can be exactly the way they want it. If this is you and you do not like the traditional way your body is handled after death, you have other options, three of which are listed below.
Be a Mummy
Ancient Egyptians often mummified their loved ones after they died. You can now find mummification services in the United States. The thought is it will preserve the DNA to enable scientists in the future to clone the body to give the genes a second life. This type of service was founded by Claude Nowell, also known as Corky Ra. He is the founder of a religious organization called Summum. The current cost of being mummified is $67,000.
Choose Plastination
Plastination is a preservation technique that involves dissecting a body into small bits, embalming the bits with hardening fluid, and then putting the bits back together to place the body into various positions for educational purposes. The bodies are used for anatomy labs and in medical schools to preserve organs so they can be studied.
Plastination was invented by Gunther von Hagens, an anatomist. Besides providing these bodies for educational purposes, Mr. Hagens has created exhibits of the bodies with them posed as if they were frozen while doing everyday activities. Many people have already signed up to have their bodies donated for display and education.
Be Turned into Water
A process called aquamation disposes of a body with water instead of traditional fire. It is known to be more ethical and natural when compared to burial or cremation, and some people consider it Eco-friendly. This is because it uses much less energy and there are no air emissions. No organic matter is discharged through cremation chimneys, and no toxic chemicals are used.
The body is placed in a stainless steel, clean vessel, and heat, alkalinity, and water are applied to speed up the natural process of tissue breakdown. The process turns the body back into water and natural components. Once the process is over, some bones may remain. If so, they are generally ground down into ashes, if preferred. Many people return the water back to the earth.
No matter how you choose to deal with your body after death, you can still have a traditional funeral at a funeral home, like Michels & Lundquist Funeral Home, if you prefer. You can have a coffin or casket for people to view your body. Once the funeral is over, the process you chose is started.
