What about a memorial garden?
Following on from another post about lost loved ones and also people lost to death from the community, I'd like to touch upon the ritual or practice of the laying of stones in memory of a loved one. This is a common ritual or practice throughout the world and is prevalent throughout Native American culture.
Throughout Europe and the Western world this tradition manifests as graveyards with graves and headstones which mark the grave and give information about the person who died. I'm sure you're familiar with the formation which usually goes on a headstone such as a name, the years they were alive and a short phrase connected with that person's life.
How about a memorial garden?
As you're probably aware headstones are connected with funerals which are very expensive. What I'm suggesting to the community is to work with Wandsworth Council to create a new memorial garden in public space where people can lay stones for lost loved ones. The stones don't have to be that large, say the same size as the palm of your hand. What I'm suggesting is that there's a memorial garden somewhere in public space where you could go to lay a stone and these stones would be laid in the memory of someone from the community who died, or in memory of people who died in a tragedy in the community, such as the Battersea crane accident in 2005.
This garden would also be a peaceful place for reflection, meditation and contemplation. This would take in an additional tradition known as rock seeing. Rock seeing is a Native American tradition and a form of divination. When you have an unanswered question or face a difficult choice, you meditate on a rock or a stone until the answer or way forward becomes clear to you. Rock seeing is something I will write about in another post but this is also a possible use for a memorial garden.
What do you think?
What do you think about this proposal. Please share your thoughts and feelings on the Community Message Board or use the form below.
