When people think about death, many have expressed the wish to go back into the lap of nature. The thought in itself is beautiful and calming. Trees represent life and provide us with many things essential for human survival.
So, it is natural to want to be a tree after death. However, it is easier said than done. While the visual of your body feeding and nourishing a tree and your soul living through its leaves, fruits, and flowers are overwhelmingly beautiful, you might want to rethink your strategy.
While it is possible to be a tree after death, there are specific steps and decisions you need to make and options you need to consider before that happens. In this article, we will explore in detail how to reserve your place in a memorial garden and what options you have regarding that.
Breaking Some Myths
People’s biggest misconception about memorial trees and gardens is that the human body helps the tree grow. People steadfastly believe that their ashes provide nourishment to the tree through the roots.
Unfortunately, that is not what happens. Cremated human ashes are not the same as wood ashes due to the high alkaline level. Untreated human ashes have a high salt concentration and will harm the tree and the soil in which it is mixed.
However, you need not lose hope so quickly. You can still become a tree after death. Some companies have successfully treated human ash to make it more organic to grow a tree. These treatments detoxify the compound in human ash and bring forth the hidden nutrients to help the tree grow.
So, you can contact any of these companies to choose a tree that will memorialize you in a memorial garden.
How to Become a Tree After Death?
There are two ways to handle this process. First, you can pre-plan your memorialization and make all the necessary arrangements beforehand. Second, you can express your wishes to your loved ones and direct them to choose a memorial garden to place your ashes.
There are certain advantages of pre-planning your green memorialization. Let us explore them a little. With pre-planning, you will enjoy the following benefits:
- Lower costs but great value in the long run
- No hidden costs
- Fixed rates that will not be changed even if inflation hits the economy
- Peace of mind knowing that your memorialization will be taken care of as you wanted
- Saving your family and loved ones from financial burden
- Eco-friendly
Taking care of your memorialization and funeral will give your friends and family time to grieve rather than forcing them to make overwhelming decisions and financial stress. They will need time to grieve to move on in life.
Now, let us consider the second option. Express your last wishes to your loved ones only if you think they can handle it emotionally and financially. You can also save up for your funeral and let your close ones off the hook. So they will only need to make the arrangements and contact the memorial garden in such cases.
Regardless, pre-planning is the first step to becoming a tree after death.
Choose a Tree
The next step is to choose a tree that matches your behaviour, personality, and traits. Just like humans, trees also have unique characters of their own. Trees have their own life and personality that we might not always notice. Here are some of the popular trees people often choose from for memorialization.
- Flowering Crab Apple
- Cherry Blossom
- Tulip Magnolia
- Ornamental Pear
- Crepe Myrtle
- Jacaranda
- Flame Tree
- Flowering Gum
- Sweet Gum
- Flame Tree
- Japanese Maple
- Ginkgo
- English Oak
- Japanese Maple
- Yellow Gum
- Queensland Kauri
- Magnolia
In Conclusion
Memorial trees and gardens take out the darkness from death and fill it with positivity and hope. Death does not have to be scary. You can rest assured knowing that your friends and family will have something tangible to remember you.
They will watch you grow and make happy memories with you beyond life and death. Some memorial gardens even allow family members to sustainably arrange for picnics and high tea parties around your memorial tree. Or you can stroll around the peaceful gardens for some calm and serenity.
