As a general rule, it is disrespectful to open an urn contrary to the decedent's wishes or beliefs, or for your own curiosity or benefit. You can be confident that you are treating your loved one with proper respect if you are opening the urn to follow their instructions (for scattering, etc) or to honor their memory.
Is it OK to Open an Urn? Yes, it is generally okay to open an urn. Most say that cremated remains are sterile, so you shouldn't have to worry about your health or safety from opening an urn. There are no legal reasons why an urn can't be opened either unless there is a question of who legally owns the cremains.
How to unseal a metal urn. If the metal urn is sealed with wax or adhesive, try to open it by soaking a cotton swab in fingernail polish remover or an epoxy solvent. Repeatedly run the swab along the sealed portion of the urn. You might have to wiggle the lid several times or use a flathead screwdriver to open the urn.
Do I need to seal the cremation urn? Sealing the cremation urn is a personal decision and there are no rules that say that you have to seal the urn or that you don't have to seal the cremation urn for ashes.
Ash Scattering References in the Bible
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.
No, it is not a sin to separate ashes. The Bible does not specifically mention cremation or the scattering of ashes, so there is no ruling on this matter. However, some people may have religious or spiritual beliefs that say cremation and the scattering of ashes are not acceptable.
You certainly can! There are several regulations governing ash spreading, but none governing ash division. Following a loved one's cremation, some families prefer to split the ashes.
They will generally last for years and years if no damage occurs to the container or urn. Would you like to keep the ashes in your home while you decide which is best: to bury, keep or scatter?
The ash as a material thing may be spoiled and scattered everywhere when no one will take care of them. So the catholic authorities are right in saying don't keep it in your house. For sanitation purposes.
What's really returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissue, organs, skin, hair, cremation container/casket, etc., what you're left with is bone. When complete, the bones are allowed to cool to a temperature that they can be handled and are placed into a processing machine.
The average cremated adult will produce about five pounds of pulverized bone fragments, a coarse powder that is sterile and safe to touch, even if the person died of a communicable disease.
A sealed urn has a lid that is secured with screws or threads and is held in place with a sealant such as an adhesive, silicone, or wax.
The 'Yes' From a scientific standpoint, cremated ashes do contain a little energy (energy here being “the ability to do work or cause change”). Let's look closer at that “little energy.”
Cremation myth #10: Human ashes are a biohazard.
Cremation remains consist of bone matter, which includes dry calcium phosphates and other minerals, such as potassium and sodium. Rather than being toxic, cremated remains are considered a natural, sanitary substance.
When teeth survive the cremation process, they're ground down with the remaining fragments. Ashes are always processed before they're given to the family. All of the cremation remains are ground together, mixing the fragments into ash.
A deceased loved one, said Father Salsa, should be in a place “accessible to everyone, where they can be venerated,” so a cemetery is preferable to a home. And scattering ashes can be “misunderstood as a sort of religion of nature, while we believe in resurrection,” he said.
Can two people's ashes be mixed together? Yes. Mixing ashes is a common process known as “commingling.” Commingling means that the couple's cremated remains are mixed, or “mingled” together in an urn, most often a companion urn.
Human ashes are like sand and they do not float. They will not dissolve in the water; instead, they will descend into the ocean until they hit the floor. Can we have a service or a mariner's farewell ceremony before we scatter ashes?
There's nothing bad about keeping cremated remains at home. Even though the practice is legal, those from specific faith communities may object to the practice. Some religious faiths, such as followers of Islam, Eastern Orthodox, and some Jewish sects forbid cremation.
Some families choose to place their loved one's urn in a foyer or living room, while others will put it in a bedroom or even the kitchen. You should try to locate an out-of-the-way spot where the urn is unlikely to be disturbed by kids, pets, or other people.
Do teeth burn during cremation? Teeth usually burn up during the cremation process. Tooth fragments that are not burnt up will be ground during the ash processing.
If you are concerned that the ashes will smell after the cremation, the answer is no. There is no odor emitted from ashes that have been properly cremated. Even over time, you shouldn't expect any particular smells to develop. If anything, certain cremation containers will simply emit a slight incense-like smell.
If you decide to cremate and scatter ashes, nothing in the Bible prohibits you from doing so.
While there is no time limit to how long you can store ashes in your home, you may want to consider having the ashes buried in a cemetery or use them to make a piece of jewelry as a keepsake.