The Alternative Ways Your Body Can Be Laid To Rest

1. Get mummified!

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When you think of mummification you're probably thinking right back to ancient Egypt when it was a very common method of burial. Today, it is FAR less heard of. But that's not to say that it is not done, nor that you cannot do it if you choose! The practice has been altered to modernize it. The body is submerged in a liquid to preserve the body.

2. Become a true tree hugger

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Tree burials are very uncommon in many countries and not even allowed in some places. But they are still common in places such as the Philippines. It involves the body being put inside the tree trunk, either covered in material or a coffin first and then places inside the trunk for a more natural and spiritual kind of burial. Or, your ashes being put into a tree pod which will turn into a tree.

3. Donate your body to a body farm

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A body farm is technically known as an outdoor forensic anthropology lab. Here information is gained for law enforcement. So they use these places to investigate what happens to bodies in different contexts. And they train cadaver dogs here.

4. Frozen in death!

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There's definitely something scary about the thought of having your body frozen. Some very wealthy people and celebrities have chosen to have their bodies frozen in the hope that future technology will allow them to be unfrozen and restored back to health. This is a kind of alternative for some instead of a burial - to be frozen before death or after death and hope for a resurrection one day.

5. Grow into a tree

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Having a tree planted as a burial method is becoming more and more popular because it is a more environmentally friendly form of burial. Not only this, but the tree becomes a symbol of life, marking a place for loved ones to gather and remember. And...it doesn't harm the tree at all!

6. Disintegrate into liquid...

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Resomation is a fairly modern technique of body burial. It was created as an eco friendly alternative to traditional burials. What happens is the body is placed into water mixed with alkali. Then, high pressure is added so that the body breaks down until nothing but the ashes of the bone is left.

7. Submerge your body in water

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Aquamation is a less known process. It involves the body being submerged in water, this speeds up the breaking down of the body making it a more efficient form of burial in comparison to others such as being cremated. It is a less popular form, as the thought for many people is less appealing and symbolic.

8. Have your ashes rocketed into space

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Space burial is of course a much more appealing idea simply because it sounds so cool. But of course this comes with a HUGE price tag. This is where the ashes of a person will be launched in a ricket into space. It's definitely not the normal kind of burial we hear of. But it has to be one of the most extraordinary methods.

9. Get dissolved by chemicals

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On the other hand one of the methods that sounds the most disturbing or unappealing has to be dissolution. This is where the body is simply placed in a tank full of very string harsh chemicals which will decompose and disintegrate the body super quickly.

10. Or become plant feed!

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Promession is one of the best forms of burial in terms of being eco-friendly. This is because it consists of the body being turned into fertiliser for the ground, to help plants grow. The body is frozen into liquid nitrogen and then it is turned into a powder and spread onto the earth.

11. Have your body turned into a plastic mannequin

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Plastination sounds like a little bit of a gory process...with an even creepier result. First, they suck all of the liquid out of the body, which means that the body does not decay at a fast rate. Then, the body is turned into a plastic mannequin so that it can be used for teaching and education!

12. Be left as animal feed

  

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Sky Burial is also called exposure. It is most common in countries such as Tibet, where ground space for burial is hard to come by. Instead, the body is simply left in the wild so that it is available for natural decay as well as feeding wild animals. Sometimes they even cover the body with food to attract animals to eat the body. The process may seem callous in some ways, however, it can also be viewed as the most natural way to restore the body back to nature.

13. Have your body turned into a vinyl record

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Another very modern method of burial - ashes can also be compressed into a vinyl record. This burial method is perfectly suited for someone who was a great lover of music. Then, the vinyl will play either your or their favourite tune as a great way to remember a deceased loved one.

14. Or placed in a hanging coffin

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Hanging coffins is a historical burial technique that we rarely see in the modern world. Bodies in some countries were hung in coffins off the edge of the cliff. It is thought that this helped the spirits from the bodies enter heaven as they were physically closer to God.

15. Get buried in the sea

Sea

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Sea burials are common throughout the world for a variety of purposes including religious reasons as well as cultural. In fact, many sailors prefer this method of burial as they return back to the sea in death, as they have spent it in life. The sea is wrapped up in natural materials and tossed into the sea over the edge of a wooden boat.

16. Have your body buried in your back garden

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Home burials are sometimes preferable to people who like the idea of having their deceased loved one buried nearby. So, they have their loved one buried in their own garden at home. But, this is still not a common method by any means. In fact, in many places this is simply not allowed by law!

17. Donate your body for science

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Donating your body has become increasingly popular in the modern world because of the increasing importance put upon scientific research and discoveries. So, for some people who wish to do something for the greater good they allow their healthy organs or even their body to be used to medical experiments.

18. Become a 3D printer ornament

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Yeah, this one is completely as obscure as it sounds. It turns out that a guy named Weiki Somers has invented a new technique of being able to turn ashes into an ornament by using a 3D printer. And it can be any ornament you like. Each to their own I guess!

19. Become a part of the Coral Reef

Image source: University Of Essex 

One way to feel like you are giving back to nature in death is to have your ashes put into the coral reef as a kind of burial. It will attract new sea life and help the coral reef. Which, humans are steadily destroying in their lives. It's a helpful alternative to the traditional burial.

20. Turn into a painting

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So I bet you never thought of this alternative burial before. Once a body has become ashes, the ashes can be mixed with paint. An artist can then make a beautiful piece of artwork with the ashes so that for the loved one, this piece of art is a symbol of the deceased.

21. Become a firework display

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Now, this one is certainly not for everyone. This method of burial totally depends on the personality of the person who has died. This method involves putting the ashes into a firework. So the ashes are dyed into a bright colour and then displayed in a very beautiful but brief appear in the sky.

22. Or turn into a diamond

Image source: The Fancy Color Research Foundation 

A beautiful way to remember your deceased loved one is to have their ashes turned into diamond with a man-made diamond machine. This is where very high pressure is created to create the diamond. And for memorial diamonds the ashes are used to compress into the diamond.

23. Become part of a tattoo

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Tattoo's are common ways in which we remember out loves ones, many people get a tattoo in honour of someone. Now, certain tattoo parlours will mix the ashes of a loved on in the ink so that the person feels they are a part of the tattoo and a part of them.

24. Use your body to generate electricity

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There are now facilities where you can get cremated to have your body turn into electricity in both Sweden and England. So instead of your body being cremated for no purpose, you can instead generate electricity throughout this particular cremation process.

25. Have your ashes kept in a replica of your head

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There's something that doesn't feel quite right about this. You can have your urn shaped and moulded into a realistic replica of your head. It can even include your facial features. Then you can store the ashes inside as a clear symbol and representation of yourself.

26. Float into the sky in a balloon

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Another alternative way for those who are looking for something a little different, is to have you ashes sent up to the sky in a biodegradable balloon. This way a ceremony can be held where the balloon is released. when, your ashes will land unknown somewhere in the world.

27. Get buried above ground

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this rarely still happens. Burials above ground were usually associated with ancient practices where very important or wealthy figures at the time would have their body put inside a mausoleum. It's probably still available somewhere for the right price.

28. Be buried in a mushroom suit

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Traditional burials and cremation are becoming less popular due to the impact that they have on the earth. There are chemicals involved and these have a bad impact on the environment. A mushroom suit is a fabric made of totally natural materials. It is wrapped around the body and put into the ground like a traditional burial, but the body will have no negative effect on the earth.

29. Have your body cremated

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Cremation consists of the deceased being burned at a very high temperature in a furnace and then being turned into ashes. Some people prefer this as the ashes can be kept in an urn or they can be scattered at a place which means something to that person.

30. Or traditionally buried in the ground

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During a traditional ground burial the body is placed into a coffin and then placed into the ground. The ground is then filled in and the site is marked so that loved ones can visit the burial site where the body of their deceased loved one remains in the ground.