A Mummifying Death Wish

Death, how is it that one word can make the strongest of us shiver?We are taught from early on that we will all die, it is unevitable. Is my death final or is it just the beginning of something more? I myself am not sure, but in order for me to go on I have to believe in something more.

The Egyptians believed that in order for immortality to prevail in the end one must be mummified, so the soul can identify the body when it needs to dwell in it. They believed that the spirit was for the heavens and the body was for the earth. They believed in akh the ka and the ba. The akh is the divine power which one can attain only after death. The ka is the persons characteristics and the ba is the soul. It is believed that the ka and the ba will journey throughout the day but will return to the body at night; because of that belief it is important for the body to be mummified because decay of the body is thought to bring about decay of the soul. After a lot of research I myself have chosen to be mummified. I have chosen to view death as they viewed death and I hope to lay in rest in a sarcophagus(human shaped coffin). It might be hard to believe but people are still being mummified to this very day. I will explain to you how it is done.

How To Mummify a Body

1 Purify the body by washing it with water.

2 Make an incision on left side of body, below the heart.

3 Remove the liver, lungs, intestines, and stomach, leave the heart intact. The deceased require the heart to go to the heavens

4 Put four organs in† canopic jar

5 Insert hooked tool and pull brain out through the nostrils.

6 Cover the body in natron, which dehydrates the body and allows the blood to drain from it.

7 Allow body to drain for 40 days.

8 Cover body from head to toe with natron soaked gauze or bandages.

9 Decorate the mummy, with what fits the persons social station in life.

That is my wish to be mummified it will cost a lot but it will get done, at least that is what I hope. I want the sarcophagus to be lined with red, and gold velvet and I want to have some of my favorite things buried with me: pictures of my son, and my husband and family. I want to be buried with a caramel scented candle (because it is very inviting) it is my favorite smell. When it comes to my wake I want lilly's and roses of all colors and not the usual gaudy flowers that they have. I want them to not play the usual depressing music but what I have already picked out. I want in dreams by Roy Orbison and the end by the Doors Farewell and Goodnight by the Smashing Pumpkins and my all time favorite song Today by the Smashing Pumpkins. Those things won't mean a lick to me dead but I don't care anyhow they meant a lot to me when I was alive. I would prefer it If people did not wear black, I want them there to celebrate my life not mourn my death. What I want most of all is to never be forgotten it is only then that you would be completely gone.

Death, whether it is final or just the beginning I do not know, but one day we all will find out. I leave you with a quote by the late James Dean, "Dream as If you'll live forever" "Live as If you'll die today". I intend to do just that.