Brian Parsons

The second edition of From Dust to Ashes brings up-to-date this classic text investigating the replacement of burial by cremation in England and Wales. Cremation was promoted seriously in 1874 but the first cremation did not take place until eleven years later. The response by the public was cautious. Despite the provision of crematoria, by 1939, less than 4 percent of deaths were followed by cremation. The Second World War and the immediate post-war welfare state period brought drastic change to the extent that by 1967 the number of cremations first exceeded burials. Today, the proportion is just over 80 per cent. The final chapter addresses the enormous changes in the last twenty-five years in the disposal of our dead This book discusses the activities of the Cremation Society, the establishment of early crematoria, and the promotion of cremation against the background of social and economic change before outlining the reasons why bereaved families chose to accept it and, finally, the social, economic and religious pressures that facilitated its adoption. The book will therefore be of use to scholars of death studies, anthropology, sociology, health and medicine and church history, as well as members of the funeral professions.

The town of Friday Lake has seen a heavy increase in boat and tourist traffic as their recreational lake has become less regulated. The nearby town of Friday Station patrols the lake area and tries to keep things peaceful. During the height of summer, a series of murders has created chaos as fear runs amok. The murders point toward the possibility of a local mythological creature being the perpetrator. A sheriff's deputy teams up with a local monster seeker to help unravel the mysteries behind the murders to find out whether the creature or a human is behind the gruesome deaths. The town is split, but many believe the creature is responsible. As the town becomes overrun with curiosity seekers the goal is to find out who or what is responsible before more deaths occur or the town is burned to the ground by visitors trying to flush the creature out on their own. Time is running out as the beast turns its focus on those who are trying to catch it.

London Cemeteries is a comprehensive guide to all cemeteries within Greater London. Listed alphabetically and with a map to help locate them, each entry includes the address, the date of foundation, the owner, the size, a note on its history, development and current state, and the names, dates and major achievements of any noteworthy people buried there. There are also chapters on the origins of London’s cemeteries and cemetery history, planning, architecture and epitaphs.Illustrated throughout with both modern photographs and a wide range of rarely seen archive images, it is an essential source of information for anyone interested in London’s social and architectural history. Alongside a refreshed design, this sixth edition has been extensively revised with updated biographies, additional details about buildings and visitor facilities, fresh research on flora and fauna and entries for 28 further cemeteries in the Greater London area.

Many crystal books contain information on single crystals... listing the vibrational uses which a specific crystal is believed, or has been found, to have... and much of this information has passed down to us, in our present time, from various ancient mystical and magical traditions across the millennia. This is the single crystal tradition.A few crystal books, published in recent decades, gives specific crystal layouts which can help someone tune into specific energies and frequencies. This is the multiple crystal tradition.And now, adding to these differing traditions, Really Useful Crystals - Volume 4: Crystal Qualities for Transformation. However, this book is also different to what has come before... and is a new and evolving path in the field of Crystal Healing & Therapy.True, it contains 40 crystal layouts... known as Crystal Qualities -Which are simple and straightforward to apply-Which only require 4 crystals in their set-up-Which allow you to tune into specific frequencies and vibrations... beneficial, positive and life-enhancingBut the main difference from what has gone before is that this book gives you crystal layouts which tune an individual into specific frequencies and vibrations... including: -Love-Patience-Sweetness-Courage-Unconditional Love-PeaceThe 40 Crystal Qualities chosen for this book are ones which are considered to be the most useful and uplifting for anyone walking the path of personal and spiritual development in the 21st Century.Plus, a number of the 40 Crystal Qualities are also Enhancers, and help to change the focus and application of other Crystal Qualities, including: -Acceptance-Contentment-Patience-RepentanceThe late, great modern myth master, Joseph Campell used to say that mankind isn't looking for a meaning to life... but a feeling, positive and life-enhancing, which will give life meaning.But the problem for many... especially at the start of the 21st Century... is that although we are all searching for such life-enhancing feelings, perhaps searching in many different areas and fields... many people just don't know how to find them... let alone how to generate those feelings for themselves... within their own Heart.This book is one way... one path... towards showing people how to tune into these empowering feelings using crystals... a practical way to benefit and feel emotional meaning flow into your life.Plus, if you cannot obtain the full set of crystals for any reason, this book provides additional ways that a person can tune into these specific 40 Crystal Qualities.This is Volume 4 in the Really Useful Crystal series, which contains information which is new to the field of Crystal Healing & Therapy, a series designed to bring new information and discoveries into modern consciousness.

Is it still impolite in our culture to talk about death? We think not! In fact Death and Mortality don't gate-crash Culture's party they're definitely invited.? Unearthing themes which are ever present but not always explicitly acknowledged, these studies bring together research from across the arts, humanities and social sciences, exploring aspects of death and mortality and their representation and influence across popular culture and the society in which we live. Highly readable and relevant for a broad spectrum of scholars and researches working across multiple disciplines from sociology and criminology to art history and film studies. Titles included in this set: The Evolution of the British Funeral Industry in the 20th Century:From Undertaker to Funeral Director;Death, The Dead and Popular Culture;Death, Memorialization and Deviant Spaces;Skin, Meaning, and Symbolism in Pet Memorials:Tattoos, Taxidermy, and Trinkets;Man-Eating Monsters:Anthropocentrism and Popular Culture;

Energy Astrology is a relatively new development in the field of Astrology... one which maps the Planets & Signs of an Astrological Chart to elements and structures found within our Human Subtle Anatomy... the Chakras and Meridians. This unique approach not only allows us to draw upon the wisdom held within our Subtle Anatomy, and draw it into a chart interpretation, helping us to easily identify the major issues that a person is working with in their lifetime. It also allows us to work with an Astrological Chart on an energy level, drawing in the most appropriate practices, techniques and energies... helping to access the most appropriate healing and support a person will benefit from. This book also contains a whole chapter on practical Energy Astrology, listing the 12 Crystal Antidotes for each of the 12 Astrological Signs, the 11 Crystal Antidotes for each of the 11 major Planets, and shows you how to also combine the two to create a combined energy-field to help overcome the limitations associated with a particular Planet in Sign, allowing you to raise your own vibration, and so deal more effectively with the limitations or combined issues associated with your own Astrological Natal Chart. This book grew out of a Facebook post which, back in 2016, was shared 3100 times on social media, and so reached 296,000 people around the world... plus it got a lot of likes. People really resonated with this information... and found it useful... insightful... beneficial... and I received a great deal of positive feedback... And they could see the benefit of the Energy Astrology approach.... because it is very, very practical... it really helps people understand themselves, the Astrological energies flowing through their lives, and how they can apply it to make their lives better (or as some might say... to raise their vibration)... Plus, another very popular post series I did, showing the connection between each of the 12 Astrological Signs and a specific Meridian... building on the work of the late German Astrologer, Reinhold Ebertein... showing the energy resonance between: - Aries & Kidney Meridian - Taurus & Triple Warmer Meridian (aka Triple Heart, Triple Burner)- Gemini & Liver Meridian - Cancer & Stomach Meridian - Leo & Heart Meridian - Virgo & Large Intestine Meridian - Leo & Heart Meridian - Scorpio & Bladder Meridian - Sagittarius & Spleen Meridian - Capricorn & Gallbladder Meridian - Aquarius & Lung Meridian - Pisces & Small Intestine Meridian Well, all that's been brought together into Volume 1... there is a whole Section on the Meridians & Signs... If you have your Natal Sun, or other planets, in any of the above 12 Signs, then you will be heavily influenced by that particular Meridian... its strengths and weaknesses... so knowing how all that works can be a giant leap forward in your life... And this 1st book, which is an Introduction to Energy Astrology... is different from the majority of Astrology systems you will have encountered in the past... we are pretty sure of that... It also devotes a chapter on the relationship between each Planet and a specific Chakra in our subtle energy body... Plus it also goes into great length showing the relationship between our psychological Comfort Zone and Astrology... and how ALL of our 11 Planets relate to this particular psychological space, and so our personality overall... But in addition, it also includes information on how to use crystals with an Astrological Chart... for personal self-development. And that's the wonderful thing about Astrology... once you understand your Natal Chart... it's for life... the insights you gain about yourself prove useful again... and again... and again... so any investments which you make in this area pay off immensely over time... over your entire lifetime...

The Funerary International series comprises essential reference texts for policy-makers, practitioners and academics with an interest in funerary practices globally. Each book has a country or region specific focus, addressing a standard framework of questions to aid comparison. This book sets English and Welsh funerary practice in its wider legal, national and local governance framework, including the continuing role of the Church of England. It provides the historical context for current practice, provides data on new trends in burial and cremation and examines recent developments including direct cremation and alkaline hydrolysis. It provides detail of current practice and includes a detailed description of a typical funeral, including commemorative practice, and discussion of funeral costs. Chapters address the legalities and technicalities of burial and cremation, explaining the concept of burial rights and the technicalities of grave construction, and outlining cremation certification requirements and the process of cremation. This book is a valuable desk-top resource to give a broader frame of reference for policy makers, and to provide explanation of key concepts for practitioners who may be new to this area of work. The text will be of particular value to academics that may be unfamiliar with the legal, technical and professional aspects of the funerary industry. The text is fully referenced, with an additional bibliography of further reading, and includes illustrations, charts, tables, diagrams and boxed text including key information.

The Evolution of the British Funeral Industry in the 20th Century examines the shifts that have taken place in the funeral industry since 1900, focusing on the figure of the undertaker and exploring how organisational change and attempts to gain recognition as a professional service provider saw the role morph into that of ‘funeral director’. As the disposal of the dead increased in complexity during the twentieth century, the role of the undertaker/funeral director has mirrored this change. Whilst the undertaker of 1900 primarily encoffined and transported the body, today’s funeral director provides other services, such as taking responsibility for the body of the deceased and embalming, and has overseen changes such as the increasing preference for cremation, the impact of technology on the production of coffins and the shift to motorised transport. These factors, together with the problem of succession for some family-run funeral businesses, have led large organisations to make acquisitions and manage funerals on a centralised basis, achieving economies of scale. This book examines how the occupation has sought to reposition itself and how the ‘funeral director’ has become an essential functionary in funerary practices. However, despite striving for new-found status the role is hindered by two key issues: the stigma of handling the dead, and the perception of making a profit from loss.

Reflecting the rapidly changing social times of pre-inter- and post-war Britain, The Undertaker at Work details critical episodes in the history of modern undertaking, including: the introduction of embalming; how the enormous task of dealing with the dead from both World Wars was undertaken; coping with the tragedy that was the Spanish flu; and the rise of the Co-operative Funeral Service.