BY: JESSICA BEUKER It’s that time of year again. Where kids and adults alike scrounge together old curtains and bedsheets to try and fashion their last-minute costumes. Where houses deck their doors in cobwebs and adorn their steps with glimmering,…
Saying goodbye to my father after his death
Try as he might, my dad never could teach me how to fish. He was an avid fisher himself, organizing trips throughout the year to fishing holes around the state. He didn’t have a preferred method either; he owned a…
Eight unconventional things to do with your body after you die
If you are at all as morbidly curious as I am, you’ve thought about what’s going to happen to your body after you die. A traditional burial is expensive. The average funeral today costs anywhere from $5,000-$15,000, and around $2,000…
The health effects of sleep deprivation are so scary they may keep you up at night
BY: SAMANTHA TAPP Pulling all-nighters to hit a deadline, only getting three hours of sleep due to too many drinks last night, or simply just so really into that new Netflix show that you must stay up all night to…
How your tattoos can last forever and live on after you’re dead
BY: SAMANTHA TAPP It’s almost more rare to find someone without a tattoo than with one these days. We spend money, time, thought and endure a bit of pain to keep these images on our bodies forever. But, until now…
Philosopher Alan Watts will both inspire you and help you overcome your fear of death
By: Kassandra Dzikewicz Death and dying can be a touchy subject, we don’t want to face the fact that we won’t live forever, that there will come a time where there is no tomorrow. Even though we all know the…
How funerals can literally cost the earth
At present, the world generates almost 1.2 billion tonnes of waste every year; and only 1-2% of it is composted or recycled. We’re a wasteful bunch, and it seems to be no different when it comes to the environmental impact of…
Bringing your departed loved ones back from the grave has finally become possible.
By: Lauren Ali ALL IMAGES BY MURRAY BALLARD Death is a frightening concept for some, being cut off from the world and left to live in a black abyss for all eternity. For others, death is just the beginning and…
The world’s first app-enabled urn sees your deceased loved one return to life through nature
BY: DANIKA MOIR Ever thought about what happens to your body after you die? I have. If you choose to be buried, you end up rotting in the ground in a box. If you’re cremated, you could either be put…
This tattoo trend will literally leave a deceased loved one under your skin
BY: CAROLINE ROLF After the loss of a loved one, it’s common to keep a belonging of theirs to cherish the departed forever. Some choose to express their sympathy with a memorial tattoo. Dedicating a piece of ink to the…
These alternative burial methods will use your body to heal the environment long after death
BY: CAROLINE ROLF It’s never too early to start thinking about our death. If you practice the traditional Tibetan sky burial in which the deceased are carried to a remote location in the mountains where the body is left for…
These stories of dying people experiencing their final wish will tug on your heart strings
BY: JESSICA BEUKER “Would you like to have the opportunity to sail again?” Kees Veldboer asked Mario Stefanutto. The terminally ill retired seaman replied, “impossible.” Stefanutto was restricted most of the time to a hospital bed, only ever leaving when…
These moving portraits capture people before and directly following death
BY: THE PLAID ZEBRA Photographer Walter Schels refused to see his mother after she died. Like most, he was petrified of death. So he sought to conquer his fear in a way he knew how. Confront death with his lens. Walter Schels…
Aldous Huxley’s wife wrote this letter about injecting him with LSD right before he died
BY: TYLER FYFE On the same day President Kennedy was assassinated, the world lost a second giant in time. Aldous Huxley, the author of Brave New World and other stunning works of literature died after a 3-year battle with cancer.…
I spent an evening at a Death Cafe to lose my fear of dying
BY: JESSICA BEUKER It’s a rainy Wednesday evening and in the far west end of Toronto, where things are quiet and slow, the Belljar Cafe is buzzing as people begin to gather in the corner of the shop. The lights…
Photographer captures the face of remote cultures on the brink of extinction (Photos)
From blistering semi-desert to the frigid tundra, Photographer Jimmy Nelson travelled across five continents to document the distinctive cultures that continue to live in harmony with nature. Due to globalization and implied cultural homogenization, cultures like these have become a…
This pod that lets you turn into a tree when you die will change graveyards forever
BY: ZOE MELNYK Instead of being placed in a barren abandoned cemetery, the creators of the Capsula Mundi Project came up with the idea to burry the deceased in an organic pod, to use their remains as nutrients to grow…
This company will turn your loved one’s corpse into a diamond after they die
BY: DANIEL KORN My uncle had this dog, a King Charles cavalier spaniel, who died when I was a kid. The next time we visited him at his house in Ottawa, my mom noticed he had this urn on his…
This amazing urn will turn you into a tree after you die
BY: LISA CUMMING Bios Urn is the first biodegradable urn that has been engineered to convert the ashes of a person or pet into a tree. The Bios Urn, according to their website, has no expiration date and can support…
A neuroscientist invents a program that allows you to send emails after you’re dead
BY: AYA TSINTZIRAS “If I could just hear their voice one last time,” we often think to ourselves in the wake of a loved one’s death. Unfortunately, the rise of social media has introduced a whole new level of tragedy—the…