Top places to spread your ashes

Grand Canyon: courtesy of pdphoto.org

According to Unspun on Amazon, the most popular place to have your ashes spread is the ocean. If you haven’t heard of Unspun, it is a community to rank lists. Four of the top five places people pick are in the ocean. The only other place picked in the top 5 is space. Of all the places on land, not leaving the Earth, the Grand Canyon was number one, followed closely by the beach, your own backyard, and Hawaii. If you want to vote, you can see the whole list here. According to Cremation associations, water is the most popular place to scatter ashes but places on land are also growing in popularity.

Places to spread your ashes can be grouped according to the 3 basic areas: Land, Air, and Sea. The most popular way to spread your ashes at sea is to charter a boat and spread the ashes along with other members of your group. Using an airplane to spread your ashes is the most popular way in the air. This is also a charter with less people on board to witness the spreading since it is done in a small airplane. The most popular spot on land to spread your ashes is at a national park but is followed closely by many diverse places. The places on land that people select vary according to their life style.

What we see most about these places is not enough creativity. We think you can do much better at picking a great place to go out in style. Don’t just join the crowd and jump off the nearest canyon or into the nearest ocean. We know all you individuals out there have some great places that you have visited while you are alive. All those great places that made you long to be there and never go home. So it is time to break away from the crowd and select somewhere that makes you the leader instead of the follower. Let us know what you chose and we will put it here on PyreFyre.

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Unusual ways to Scatter your ashes

Some of these may give you ideas for what you would like to do. Others will think these people have lost their mind long before their body was cremated. You might have read about the guy who has money in an account to pay for a stripper to lie there while they pour his ashes on her breasts. It makes you wonder what happens after wards. Will he end up in the dustbin? A woman decided to keep her husband in the kitchen with her by making an egg timer from his ashes. This could be a very good weight loss aid if anyone knew what she used to prepare the food for him or her. I know I would lose my appetite.

 A deceased drag racing fan had his ashes packed into a parachute for a race. When the race was over, the chute deployed and he was scattered at the end of the drag strip. An animal lover wants his ashes attached to a black bear like one of those tracking collars. Hopefully, he won’t ask one of his relatives to put it there for him.

Ashes can be mixed with a variety of things and made into art. One example is the person who had their ashes mixed with ink and made into a comic book. Now, some of these may never have happened or ever will happen. Whichever way you choose to scatter your ashes, be sure and show respect for the person being scattered. As we have discussed before at PyreFyre, it is about going out in style not just as a pile of ashes somewhere.

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Deciding a green burial for someone else

Arizona

If you end up with someone’s ashes and they haven’t said what to do with them, what comes next? You don’t expect something like this to happen but the truth is that it does happen. Do they live forever on your mantle? If you get tired of them in your house, do you pass them around like a Xmas fruitcake each year? How about just putting uncle Harry in the backyard garden.

Sometimes a friend or relative will decide to be cremated when they die but only express vague references to a good view, somewhere nice, or tell you to decide what is appropriate. So if this happens to you, where do you turn? How do you decide what is right and respectful of their wishes? Are you ready to take on this task or do you put it off until tomorrow?

Well, here at Pyrefyre, we have some suggestions to help you decide where their final resting spot will be. You have a lot of options in what you decide to do. Some are virtually cost free while others will be a sizeable expense. So task number one is to look at your budget. The least expensive scattering is done at public places where it doesn’t cost except the transportation to get there. You can even make a vacation out of it. If you plan on flying to the destination, have a look at our information on problems you might incur due to security restriction.

Task number two is to determine some aspects of your friend or relative’s life that you think would help you decide which place to put them. Were they an avid outdoor person, fisherman, hiker, loved a particular sports team, pilot, loved animals, etc. You get the idea. Try to form a image of them that represents their passion in life. You can then check this against the list of suggested scatterings we have here. If you can’t figure out a place you would like to scatter them. You can look into a more expensive option which is to place their urn in a memorial park or green burial site.

Give it some thought and pick a nice ending for them that allows them to go out in style.

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Bucket List: Chock Full of Nuts

Mt. Everest: Courtesy of pdphoto.org

A discussion of placing your ashes somewhere with a view or going out in style would not be complete without mentioning The Bucket List. It is a movie where the two stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman get cancer then try some of the things that they have missed in life. In the end they are cremated and placed side by side in a Chock Full of Nuts coffee can up on Mount Everest. The last thing on their list was a majestic view.

The coffee can was selected because Morgan Freeman had an aversion to the word URN. So if you are think you don’t want to go in an URN, any old Coffee can would do or you could just spread your ashes as we here at PyreFyre think you should do.

As far as the bucket list goes, it is always a good idea to sit down and think about what you want to do in this life. It is never too late to write that list. The more you do, the less regrets you will have in your last days. One of the things you will find about your bucket list is that it will change as you age. So be prepared to adjust it as you go through life. Don’t do away with the old one but use it to see how your goals in life change over time.

It is important that you spend some deep thought on your bucket list. Don’t make it a list of a current whim or something that could take the joy out of the rest of your life. It should never hurt anyone or anything. It can be long or short but if you stick to the things you really want to do then the list will be manageable. Really think it through and make it consistent with your personality and Going out with Style.

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Funeral Reading: Stay with Me

Sumwapta Falls: Courtesy of pdphoto.org

When we lose a loved one, we always have thoughts of wanting to keep them here with us. But often we realize that we just miss them and they have truly gone to a better place. It is expected that your Spirit Whisperer will scatter your ashes and have some kind of reading. So we shall offer a few here at Pyrefyre that you can use.

Stay with me

If for a moment, I could be God
Arise and stay with me
Then I could hug you all day long
Just like it used to be.

And you would never have to go
To sing an angel’s song
And I would never have to grieve
For nothing would be wrong

But far away from hurt and pain
In Heaven you are now
So I shall cherish all you were
And carry on somehow

For even if I could be God
I’d let you go my love
I’ll spread your Ashes on this earth
Your soul with God above

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Transporting Cremation Ashes

Grand Canyon: Courtesy of pdphoto.org

One of the most frequent questions asked about scattering ashes is can I legally transport them to that beautiful mountain place. Sure you can. Some issues may arise depending on the type of transportation you choose. Travel by car if you can but if you need to fly, you must consult with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) if you have any questions about the transport of the cremated remains on an airplane. Their current number is 1-866-289-9673 and their email is TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov.

It is also recommended that you call the airline before you purchase a ticket because each one will have their different rules. The ashes must be carried in a container that can be x-rayed in order for them to be carried on board. A cardboard box or one of these style boxes will work. Security agents are not allowed to open the urn of cremated remains.

Do not check your ashes! Some have come up missing. You certainly don’t want them staying in baggage claim with all that lost luggage.

If you intend to place anything in the box along with the ashes, wait until after the flight. In Miami, someone found a box of ashes filled with cremated remains and a watch to be buried with them. It triggered a bomb squad alert. So be careful what you place in the box. It is best to just transport the ashes alone and add the extra items at your destination.

If you plan on international travel, it gets more complicated because you have to get the specific country regulations. Do your homework. Don’t leave it to your relatives to do after you are gone. They should have very good instructions on what they need to do.

If all this seems like too much. There are companies that will ship the remains for you.

Just don’t let any of this make you decide to skip the spreading of you ashes in a truly wonderful place. Go out in style.

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Fireworks: Going out with a bang

Several companies are offering to send your ashes up in fireworks and www.heavensabovefireworks.com is an example of once such company. Hunter S. Thompson's selected this method of scattering his ashes. These organizations split your ashes up into individual fireworks and when the fireworks explode your ashes are scattered everywhere. The intent of the display is to celebrate the life not the death. These fireworks can be shot over the ocean for a modified at sea scattering or anywhere you can receive permission to launch them. Some companies will even send you the fireworks for you to launch yourself.

Setting off fireworks isn’t exactly a green way to go but we list it here for those who choose this method of scattering. Disney has developed a greener method of fireworks launching. So if you are worried about the pollution, see if anyone is offering this method. It uses compressed air instead of gunpowder to launch the rockets. Check out DMDSystems. Their fireworks use nitrocellulose, which is inexpensive and plentiful, and they emit water, nitrogen and carbon dioxide instead of smoke and per chlorate. This has reduced the heavy metal content by 90%. They are not inexpensive and cost 10 times what normal fireworks cost.

Spirit Whisperer

You may be asked to actually light the fireworks and do the display. In then case, you should seek out someone who knows the best way to do it. Check into local ordinances before you select a place. If you pick this method, please select a place that will make it easy for your spirit whisperer to do the fireworks show. Don’t leave it to them to do all the legwork for you. Check into it yourself before you document your plans. A photo remembrance is always a good idea.

Wake

Of course, the wake should take place in the evening so when the party is over, the fireworks can begin. A fireworks display is to punctuate the celebration of a life well lived by the one recently passed away. The type of party can vary based upon what your guests might remember most about you. If you plan on music, the 1812 overture or God bless America would be appropriate selections to play during the fireworks. An alternative would be to just have silence and let them remember a life well lived. Either way, a beverage should be served so toasts can accompany the display.

Memorial

Consider planting a tree as a living memorial instead of a stone somewhere. Check out living memorials to see what others have done. Online memorials as always are a good idea. You should keep a backup of everything you submit there. The digital memorial, either online or using a digital picture frame will become more popular over time.

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