As you can see, dividing ashes after cremation is actually a fairly common practice. It can be a way to help each family member grieve, remember, and honor their loved one in a special way. It can help avoid conflict or settle disagreements. And it can simply be what the departed loved one wanted.
Your loved one's ashes don't have to stay together either. Families can choose to split the ashes of the deceased among the wider family, where the individual families can choose what they want to do with them.
In the Bible, there are no passages that prohibit or encourage cremation and scattering of ashes. However, many Christian sects believe a burial funeral aligns with best end-of-life practices.
The law considers ashes to be the same as a body, so is unwilling to rule for separating them amongst different parties.
No, it is not illegal to mix the ashes of two people. Commingling remains is both legal and common practice. However, you will certainly want to be respectful and only combine the cremains if the two individuals would have welcomed it.
Because the cremated remains (a.k.a, "ashes") are a coarse, dusty material, just like sand or gravel they can be divided after cremation. This means that you are not limited to just one disposition option. Instead, you can divide the remains and: Keep the larger portion at home and scatter some at a favorite location.
There are no set implications of keeping ashes in the house. By keeping ashes in the house, you will be allowing the psychic connection between the deceased loved one and the remaining family members to continue, which often helps grieving families come to terms with their loss.
The most common reason to divide ashes is that family members all want some of the ashes to remember the deceased and they feel comfort in knowing that they will be held close to them.
Nor can the ashes be scattered in the air, land or sea since doing so would give the appearance of "pantheism, naturalism or nihilism," the guidelines said. It repeated church teaching that Catholics who choose to be cremated for reasons contrary to the Christian faith must be denied a Christian funeral.
Most of the time unclaimed ashes are scattered. But the funeral home has to get approval for the scattering just like the family would. Other funeral homes will bury the remains. They'll usually wait until there are a certain number of remains then bury them together in a mass grave.
The Church no longer opposes cremation, but it does offer guidelines on how the ashes should be cared for following cremation. To preserve the sanctity of the body, the Church says ashes cannot be scattered or divided among family members.
Here are the top cremation myths and what the Catholic church has to say about them. Cremated ashes can be scattered. Though the Pope and the Church approve of cremation, scattering of one's ashes is strictly prohibited.
For many people, the act of scattering a loved one's ashes brings peace and closure. It can symbolize the return of the individual to nature, or the release of their spirit to heaven.
How to divide cremated remains. Most crematoriums return the ashes in a plastic bag, placed in a "temporary urn" made often from cardboard. This will work fine to divide ashes. If the funeral provider is dividing for you, you would ask them beforehand and provide the urns or containers you have selected.
Cremation occurs at such a hot temperature all micro-organisms are destroyed, and the remaining ashes are inert. After cremation there are no public health risks associated with handling ashes.
In most cases, there is little to no DNA found in ashes. This is because of the conditions the body is exposed to during the cremation process. With flame cremation the body is placed in a chamber and exposed to extreme heat, with temperatures ranging from 760 to 980 Celsius.
On Ash Wednesday, Catholics and many other Christians will have ashes applied to their foreheads in the shape of a cross. People generally wear the ashes — which symbolize penance, mourning and mortality — throughout the day to publicly express their faith and penance.
There is no requirement to keep ashes on the forehead all day or for any period of time after they are given, but many Christians choose to keep them on their foreheads throughout the day on Ash Wednesday.
As we scatter his (her) ashes, we commit his(her) body to you and pray that he finds eternal rest for the glory of your holy name. Lord, forgive us where we have strayed during this grieving season. Fill us with thanksgiving for his well-lived and full life. In Jesus' name, we believe and pray, Amen.
The idea of putting the ashes in the Ganga or in the ocean is to disperse them as widely as possible so that you do not develop runanubandha with one who has departed.
While a memorial service is crucial, cremation offers an easy way to remember the passed loved one long after the memorial. Keeping urns at home or wearing urn jewelry provides comfort to many people through the knowledge that they're keeping their deceased loved ones close at all times.
Keeping ashes in the home can be a comforting and meaningful way to still feel connected to a loved one for many people. The key point to remember is that you decide what feels right for you; there is no right or wrong way to grieve.
Is there energy in cremation ashes? The truth is, there is an essence of your loved one that lingers with the cremation ashes. While it may not be a consciousness, it is a little of their energy that stays behind, almost like someone's perfume that lingers in the air even after they have left the room.
Are you clothed when you are cremated? Cremation of a body can be done with or without clothing. Typically, if there has been a traditional funeral (with the body) present, the deceased will be cremated in whatever clothing they were wearing.
Cremains contain what is known as rest energy, sometimes referred to as free or dormant energy. This type of energy is still subject to the restraints of natural law, and can have no physical or spiritual impact on those around it.