“Education & Support for Conscious Dying and Family-Directed Funerals”
Home Funerals
A Home Funeral is a non-commercial, family centered response to death that involves the family and its social community in the care and preparation of the body for burial or cremation. A home funeral may include a vigil for one-to-three days; the planning and carrying out of rituals and/or ceremonies, and in the burial or cremation itself. Depending on the specifics of each state’s law, families may play a key role in: Preparing the body for burial or cremation (bathing, dressing, anointing) Planning and carrying out after-death rituals or ceremonies such as laying out the deceased for visitation and holding a funeral service in the home Preserving the body with dry-ice Filing of death-related paperwork such as the death certificate and disposition permit. Transporting the deceased to the place of burial or cremation Facilitating the final disposition such as digging the grave in natural burial If you choose a Home Funeral, you will assign a trusted friend or family member (usually the next-of-kin) to be the designated funeral director. This person will work closely with a Sacred Crossing Guide who will educate and guide you through the entire process from the time of death until cremation or burial. One call to Sacred Crossings is the only call you will have to make. An in-home consultation is recommended as the first step. This is an opportunity for family members and friends to ask questions, review paperwork and to determine whether this is the right option for you. While we can...
Ideas for Caskets, Shrouds & Urns
Sacred Crossings does not sell funeral products, we encourage families to make their purchases directly from the supplier. These are some examples for your inspiration… CREMATION CASKETS A simple, cardboard cremation box can be decorated by family and friends to commemorate the loved-one PINE BOX This elegant pine box is made without metal or toxic glue and meets both Jewish regulations and green burial standards. The box can be delivered to the home for a home vigil ALTERNATIVE ‘Ec0-CASKETS’ These ‘Green’ caskets are made from bamboo, banana-leaf and other environmentally friendly materials. TRADITIONAL CASKETS A traditional hard-wood casket can be delivered to the home (not suitable for green burials) SHROUDS Exquisite silk or cotton shrouds by Kinkaraco can be delivered to the home in 24 hours URNS Beautiful hand-crafted urns can be made-to-order Please call for more details:...
Burials & Cremations
Sacred Crossings works closely with alternative funeral directors to assist a family in making all arrangements for the cremation or burial of a loved one. One call is all you have to make, a Sacred Crossing Guide will help you every step of the way. Our final disposition services include: BURIAL locating a cemetery in your area that can meet your family’s personal wishes and religious needs assistance with the purchase of a burial container (see Caskets, Shrouds & Urns for options) Securing a celebrant to officiate a graveside service to meet the family’s needs CREMATION Securing a reputable, low-cost crematory that will accommodate your family’s personal or religious wishes Coordinating ‘witness’ cremations (viewing the insert of the cremation box into the retort) Officiating a simple ceremony at the crematory to meet the family’s needs Returning the cremains to the family GREEN BURIAL Traditional burials in almost all cemeteries require a casket to be contained in a concrete or fiberglass vault. A green burial is one that follows the strict guidelines set forth by the green burial council (www.greenburialcouncil.org) The body is not embalmed the casket or shroud is made of 100% biodegradable materials the grave has no liner or vault graves are marked with natural rocks, trees or shrubs graves are not maintained but left as natural parkland GPS coordinates are used to locate the exact location of the graves Regretfully, there are few green burial cemeteries in the U.S. today – Sacred Crossings is investigating the purchase of land and looks forward to bringing this natural alternative to Southern California in the near future. Meanwhile, we are happy...
Advance Planning
When parents await the birth of a child, they create a birth plan. They choose where they would like to give birth, they set guidelines as to which procedures they would like to have followed, and where they want to spend those first few precious days as they adjust to life with their newborn. In the same way, we can create a death plan. By completing Advance Heath-Care and Death-Care Directives we can assign advocates to speak for us when we can no longer make decisions for ourselves. We can outline our wishes regarding when to let go of life support and accept death support; the after-death care of our body and the elements we wish to include in our funeral and final disposition. By writing our wishes down and talking about them with family and friends we can relieve our loved-ones of having to make these difficult decisions for us. Sacred Crossing Guides are trained to assist you in all aspects of advance planning. A private consultation in your home will provide you and your family all the information you need to understand your choices and complete your documents so that you can relax and let go peacefully when the time comes. Some of the many questions that can be answered in your Death Care Directive include: Would you like to be buried, cremated or interred in a crypt? How would you like your body cared for between death and disposition? What clothing would you like to wear? Would...
Classes
The following classes are offered throughout the year and facilitated by Rev. Olivia. Please join our mailing list via the link at the bottom of this page for information regarding class dates and locations If you would like to host a class in your area please write to Olivia or call: 310-968-2763. Thank you for your interest. We look forward to sharing this sacred journey with you. Classes...
Pet Funerals
Our pets offer us a profound opportunity to selflessly love and be unconditionally loved in return. The daily routine of caring for their needs, helps us to feel grounded in our everyday lives and gives us a sense of purpose and belonging. When a pet dies, the loss can be very traumatic – not only has our source of affection and attention gone, but our daily routines are upturned and we lose our footing until we learn how to navigate the world without our companion. Caring for a pet through the dying process and ceremoniously preparing their body, creating a casket and taking them to the grave or crematory helps us to integrate the loss into our lives with grace, peace and a sense of fulfillment. Children especially benefit from participating in the funeral and burial rituals for their pet. SACRED CROSSINGS ANIMAL COMPANION SERVICES We offer services at each step of your animal’s transition, supporting you and your beloved companion on your last journey together Initial Consultation: Either in person or on the phone, we offer in-depth guidance for all aspects of your animal’s transition including euthanasia or pet hospice; after death care; in home vigils and funeral, memorial and grave-side ceremony options. Pet Hospice: We offer ongoing support and guidance for families wishing to provide hospice care and allow a natural death for their pet. This includes...
Mission
To educate and support individuals toward a conscious, peaceful transition and to empower families to reclaim the healing ritual of a home funeral.
Did you Know…?
- In almost every state, it is legal for a family member to act as the funeral director when a loved one dies
- The body of your loved one can lie in honor at home until burial or cremation
- Embalming is not required by law
- A family member can complete all necessary end- of- life documentation
- You can create, decorate and transport a casket to the place of disposition