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Aeon Woods

@aeonwoods

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Sharing my journey to start a not-for-profit green cemetery in the Hudson Valley, NY!

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Decomp Test Part 5, the Finale. It turns out we are terrible archeologists. It made no sense that there would be fur and no bones, so we decided to through the mud. Good news is that Billy was definitely only bones (and maybe 5% fur) and not stuck in the #saponification phase, which I was afraid of.

With these better-than-expected results from a very poorly designed trial, next steps are to test the soil pH, and plan for round 2.

Thank you Billy for helping us understand the power of “imperfect” soil. It is all perfect, at least when the cycle of nature is concerned.

And if you’re reading this, sorry to the young bear I scared off to get Billy last year!

#graverenewal #naturalburial #greenburial taken in Hudson Valley, NY by @aeonwoods

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2 days ago

Decomp Test Part 4: just keep digging for digging’s sake?!

Next will be the Final part of this drippy morning’s adventure!

#graverenewal test #claysoil #naturalburial #greenburial #decomposition taken in Hudson Valley, NY by @aeonwoods

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Decomp Test Part 3: As we were digging up Billy the Raccoon in the cold and wet, I became disoriented and started questioning whether he was actually dead when we buried him. What a weird feeling.

#graverenewal testing #naturalburial #greenburial #claysoil #zombies taken in Hudson Valley, NY by @aeonwoods

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4 days ago

Join us on Saturday, November 7 for “Walking the Spiral,” a guided, all-ages gathering exploring mortality, grief, remembrance, transformation, and preparing for the end of life. We will be joined by Hadrien Coumans, Co-founder of the Lenape Center (lenapecenter), HK Lee, Founder & Chair of Aeon Woods (@aeonwoods), Members of the Mid-Hudson Valley Threshold Choir, Chris Dingman (@dingmanvibes), Vibraphonist and composer exploring grief and healing through music, and Elizabeth Stanger, willow casket weaver of Little Way Caskets (@littlewaycaskets) and a member of the Funerary Artisans Collective.

As autumn gives way to winter and Spiral House Park prepares to enter its season of rest, we’ll gather for an afternoon of reflection, storytelling, live music, song, ritual, and conversation around loss and life. Together, we’ll honor loved ones, share memories, create offerings, and explore both the emotional and practical aspects of death and remembrance, including natural burials.

The afternoon will culminate in a walk to Tom Gottsleben's final sculpture, “Rainbow Portal,” where we’ll gather for a closing ceremony marking the end of our time together and Spiral House Park’s transition into its winter season.

Tickets can be found link in our bio.

Green burial photo from @naturalburial.

#SpiralHousePark #SaugertiesNY #HudsonValleyEvents #WalkingtheSpiral Walking the spiral at spiral house park taken in Saugerties, New York by @aeonwoods

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4 days ago

Decomp Test Part 2 (Part 1 was the Burial last year)

We were curious to test the decomposition of organic matter is this seemingly anaerobic, thick clay soil of the #hudsonvalley . We decided to test with some fresh roadkill last year, and I was half expecting to see a fully mummified and intact Billy the Raccoon. Instead when we began digging, we couldn’t find Billy at all…

#graverenewal adventures
#greenburial #naturalburial taken in Hudson Valley, NY by @aeonwoods

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5 days ago

We are certified to bury your body and help you turn into wildflowers and trees! Or, more officially, certified in GBC’s Masterclass for Green Burial Cemetery Operations.

Thank you @leewebster59 , @dying2bgreen , @greenburialcouncil and numerous collaborators for such a thoughtful and in-depth course, and for the certification.

To help make conservation burial a reality in the #hudsonvalley , please support us with a tax-deductible donation!

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/aeon-woods-milestone-celebration

#greenburial #conservationcemetery #naturalburial #sustainability taken in Hudson Valley, NY by @aeonwoods

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9 days ago

My kid and I went to see @maybehappyending . Neither of us likes knowing a ton about a show before seeing it, so all we knew was that it won a bazillion #tonies .

Turns out it’s set in Korea, and debuted there too. Bonus that we could read the projected words on the screen! (I mean, they were all translated but every oppty to practice is nice).

It was really well done, and it got me thinking about how language shapes ideas and thoughts.

The literal translation of 돌아가셨다 (they died) is “they returned.” I hadn’t really thought about the meaning behind it, and love that it implies a cycle rather than a finite end.

I’m curious - can you share the language around death from other countries? taken in New York, New York by @aeonwoods

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15 days ago

NYS is chock full of adorable, mysterious little towns with grand histories. #amsterdam was apparently known for carpets - “Rug City.” And for #kirkdouglas being born there.

Anyway the #cemetery101 training was done well and kept high-energy as these things go! I finally grasped the levels of cousins and their removal thanks to the #tableofsanguinity .

That’s all I have to report!

#greenburial taken in Amsterdam, New York by @aeonwoods

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18 days ago

I’m continuing to process what happened a few nights ago! What a beautiful expression of love of place, forceful resistance, flowing with rhythms and cycles of nature, and strengthening the community. I still hear the rustle of the trees and the voices weaving oneness with the forest. SO POWERFUL.

Amazing work and thank you, @stopzenadev @soundartmagic @zoekellerart @mirandajavid @maverickconcerts @woodstock_land_conservancy

#conservation taken in Woodstock, New York by @aeonwoods

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20 days ago

We love participating in our neighborhood’s annual mural fest. This subtitle feels apropos - in simultaneous celebration and mourning of the natural stages of life.

A friend recently shared the most perfect imagery as I’ve been bracing myself for the older one to go to college next year. “They stay the same size before us, as we become smaller and smaller in their rearview mirror.” 😭 also 🎉 also 😭

#cycleoflife by @aeonwoods

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21 days ago

Happy Chuseok! Wow it snuck up on me this year, so I’m resharing this video from last year. So much has changed but traditions can be forever. Please enjoy the various cultural dances represented.

#ancestors #rememberance #traditions #chuseok by @aeonwoods

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22 days ago

I woke up missing my grandfather who died in 2002.

He used to try to teach me Chinese characters every time I visited Korea, I’d learn like the first 30 and forget them in the several years between visits, and then we’d start over.

It’s a tough process when your Korean is also very basic, because the chant to learn it is difficult too (하늘천, 땅지, 검을현…)

I felt compelled to give it another go this morning and inquired through the World Wide Web. Days of the week seemed like a manageable place to start, and for the first time realized what the root meanings were behind each one! Where have I been. I think it’s the same in western languages - someone please confirm.

Sunday 일 sun
Monday 월 moon
Tuesday 화 fire
Wednesday 수 water
Thursday 목 wood
Friday 금 gold
Saturday 토 earth

Yours truly,
HK coming at you from kindergarten

#grief #memories taken in Hudson Valley, NY by @aeonwoods

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23 days ago