Dying can be expensive, not actual death, of course, which is absolutely free of charge. It’s what comes after that can cost a fortune. Somebody’s got to pay, either the dying in pre-paid funeral and burial arrangements, or their heirs. Even an ordinary hole in the ground with no fancy monument can cost as much as $10,000 in some places. It’s not the space itself that costs so much—one of those drawers in a mausoleum can cost even more. Why is it so expensive? Because while cemetery-owners may not know whether eternal life really exists, they know that maintenance certainly does, and that costs money. That’s why so many people are choosing to return to ashes rather than to dust.

 

For some of us, however, the very idea of fire is off-putting. So, what to do? Enter natural burial. It’s burial with the earth in mind as well as the pocketbook. No embalming (toxic to the earth), no steel coffins (shroud, cardboard, or biodegradable wood only), no monuments (small, flat granite marker only, about 12 x 14 inches)—and no maintenance. None. Leave trees, bushes, grasses where they are. But most important of all is the fact that burial grounds are protected from development—perpetually.

 

Honey Creek Woodlands is located in Conyers, Georgia, a little bit southeast of Atlanta. When I was a child, Conyers was a day trip away from Atlanta, but not any more. Now, the sprawling suburbs have threatened to turn it into another of Atlanta’s many bedrooms. It lies in the beautiful wooded piedmont area where Yankees come down and build multimillion-dollar estates in fantasies of “the Old South.” It is also the location of the Holy Spirit Trappist Monastery. Not surprisingly, the monastery struggles constantly to survive, though the monks lead incredibly austere lives. As the city of Atlanta metastasized, they found themselves in possession of some very prime real estate. The pressure to sell to developers was enormous, until the very astute young abbot came up with the idea of a natural burial ground. The land provides the monastery with some revenue, it continues to belong to the monastery, and it is protected forever. It’s such a perfect solution that I think it had to be divinely inspired.

 

I bought a space. It lies under pines and dogwoods, sprinkled with wild woodland violets (my favorite flower) and wild lilies grow nearby. When I go to the monastery on retreat, I often visit Joe, the steward, and sometimes we get in his little electric cart and visit my spot. It’s lovely. I have bought a wooden casket made by the monks at New Melleray Abbey in Iowa. When I die, my body will be taken to the local funeral home, the casket will be shipped within 24 hours, and then transported by van to Honey Creek. There will be a small graveside service, and that’s all. The only secular cost involved is the storage and transport by the local funeral home.

 

Honey Creek is one of only a tiny number of natural burial grounds in the country, and one of only two in the South. I believe it’s the only one anywhere that is owned by a religious order. Here are relevant websites:

Honey Creek Woodlands: www.honeycreekwoodlands.com

Monastery of the Holy Spirit: www.trappist.net

New Melleray Abbey: www.trappists.com