My husband, or then partner Jim and I set up our first business, Natural
Fencing, two years ago in Northamptonshire. The core of our work is to supply
and make traditional hand woven hurdles from sustainable British woodlands,
using hazel, willow and Norfolk reed.
It was shortly afterwards that a dear and beloved friend sadly died. Although
his family were fairly traditional Christians, Tom had been a Druid. He
had met Gerald Gardner in his youth and had practised his craft and religion
in quiet but devout solitude for most of his life. His burial was nearby,
at a green burial site. It was the first time I had witnessed a truly green
burial and from there, the idea of making natural coffins was hatched. Jim
of course thought that I had gone mad, especially when I enthused about
the broad possibilities of human and pet caskets, but I persisted with the
idea.
It was when I began studying the history and practises of burial along
the way, that I saw how intriguing and relevant it was to us, now. Making
coffins from willow follows a long line of tradition and sentiment.
Willow is sacred to Hecate, Circe, Hera and Persephone, all death aspects
of the triple Moon Goddess, to all deities of the underworld and in particular,
the Triple Goddess in her Crone aspect; the Cailleach or Old veiled one.
It couldn’t be more apt in its use as a funerary herb. Druidic sacrifices
were made at the full moon in willow baskets and funerary flints were made
in a willow shape.
Ancient burial mound situated near to water were often lined with willow,
perhaps to keep them being damaged by water and also because of the association
with Underworld deities. Willow wood has long been used to ward off evil,
for protection and to overcome the fear of death. For safe life in another
life, it was customary to plant a willow during one's lifetime so that its
life would continue after ones death. It is a tree of death and rebirth.
Even the handles of the coffins took on meaning. Some believe that hemp
was the nepenthe of Homer, the magic potion enabling unhappy mortals to
forget their grief.
Critics of green burials are being silenced by a growing number of supporters.
Whether they are pagan, environmentally minded or merely wish to have more
of a say in their own death and burial, people want to create something
new and vibrant to mark their lives. This most often comes in the form of
a tree. There are now over 140 green burial grounds belonging to the Association
of Nature Reserve Burial Grounds. These aim to unite farmers and local authorities
in producing wildlife habitats and forests from green burial sites, where
native trees, wild flowers and protected animals are encouraged. There is
the potential for meadow brown butterfly colonies, grasshoppers, insects,
bats, voles and owls to multiply in these areas where the mechanical mower
does not prey on a regular basis and a self supporting eco system can evolve.
It may surprise you to know that this is very much in accord with current
government thinking. Policies like Local Agenda 21, and the white paper
entitled “A Better Quality of Life” stress the need for more
trees and native meadowland. Local councils and even the Roman Catholic
Church have expressed interest in green burial sites now that the traditional
churchyards and burial sites are bursting at the seams.
The standard practise of burying MDF coffins covered in a thin veneer has
a hazardous effect on the earth, polluting the ground potentially for 200
years. Undertakers preserve the body with formaldehyde as a matter of course.
The chemical, which is again very damaging to the earth and watercourse,
is pumped at high pressure into the body, replacing the blood, despite it
having a very short-term effect as a preservative measure. The Egyptians
were undoubtedly more knowledgeable, using tansy and other herbs to preserve
the dead much more effectively, on a long-term basis. More recently, however,
some of the main funeral firms now use the natural antiseptic sandalwood
to preserve the body of burn victims, and in cases where formaldehyde cannot
be used.
Burials in a woodland setting are far closer to the surface of the earth
than traditional burials, which means that the body, and with it the natural
willow coffin, decomposes at a much faster rate, with less opportunity for
the “mechanical” removal of body tissue into the watercourses.
With no tree cover over the grave, rain passes immediately over the body,
removing material to nearby watercourses. The pollution due to formaldehyde
in the watercourse is not hard to imagine.
Over 390, 000 wooden coffins are burnt in the UK each year. The burning
of sustainable willow caskets or coffins is preferable from an environmental
point of view.
As more people demand a better say in the way they live and die, it follows
that the environmentally minded will choose to honour the earth in death
as in life. Personally, anything else in terms of honouring my body and
the body of Mother Earth would be an abrogation.
Abi Holmes
Samhain 2002
Natural Fencing
The Barn, Low Farm, Easton Maudit, Northamptonshire NN29 7NR, England
Tel : 01933 665 666
web site : http://www.naturalfencing.com
(Offers a 24 hour delivery service)
