Entity & Essence

20/02/2026

Katie Costello - Soul Midwife and Funeral Celebrant expresses grief beautifully 👇🏻

This might sound strange but as humans, we are built to handle grief.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy and it doesn’t mean it doesn’t knock us sideways and kick our backsides. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t change us forever.

But grief is not a design flaw. It is part of the human blueprint.

As deeply as we are able to love, fiercely, unconditionally, wholeheartedly, we also grieve with the same intensity.

The two are inseparable.

We are not meant to get over grief, we are meant to live with it, grow around it, walk alongside it and carry it.

How that looks is different for each of us.

Some people talk.
Some people go quiet.
Some move their bodies.
Some sit still.
Some need community.
Some need solitude.

We all do it differently but there is something powerful in realising we are not broken because we grieve.

We are human.

And somewhere within us, even if we cannot feel it yet, is the capacity to hold both love and loss at the same time.

That is not weakness.

That is the deeply profound and powerful human experience we all go through ❤️

19/02/2026

🤍 A simple message that was gratefully received.

🤍 Always to humbled to help.

19/02/2026

🤍 We live in a country that has identified as Christian for a very long time but, despite being raised by people who still believed (maybe grandparents if not parents) many have stopped seeing themselves as Christians. There is so much value in the faith of many religions though. Even if we don’t class ourselves as religious, many still believe in the power of humanity and community and the possibility that there is far more to our existence than meets the eye.

🤍 Christians begin 40 days of Lent with Ash Wednesday.

🤍 The Ashes are a reminder of our mortality and Lent is a period of reflection and conscious decisions and intentions to be the best person we can be.

🤍 How do you want to live your life? How do you want to be remembered?

🤍 Allow yourselves some time to think / contemplate / meditate / pray on how you affect those around you and the wider world. Who are you?

18/02/2026

🤍 Have you found out that you have been named as an executor of someone’s will?

🤍 Did you know that each financial threshold depends on where their money / “estate” is?

🤍 Are you grieving that person’s death? You may not feel like dealing with probate yourself even if you are usually capable.

🤍 There is a lot of responsibility involved and you, as executor would be liable for mistakes you make.

🤍 Did you know there is some ethical, sensible and empathetic advice available? Visit Laurelo 👇🏻

WELCOME TO LAURELO - Award-Winning Probate Administration We’re committed to making the process ofapplying for the ‘Grant of Probate’ as straightforwardas possible for families in England and Wales. WHAT IS PROBATE?Probate occurs after someone has died and is the process of proving that the de...

16/02/2026

🤍 Taken from the English Literature page, this is an interesting take on death.

15/02/2026

🤍 Do you know an under 18 year old who is likely to lose a parent soon?

🤍 Are you wanting to support an under 18 with their grief after a parent has died?

🤍 Lee-Anne Duncan writes a lot from her own experience and others who she speaks to about how they dealt with the death of a parent.

My name is Lee-Anne Duncan, and when I was eight years old my mother told me she was going to die. Many years later, I started collecting New Zealanders’ stories – some born here, others overseas – about their experiences of childhood parental bereavement, about their parents who died “too y...

14/02/2026

🤍 At last, talking about what we used to all know about, is happening!

🤍 Many of us worry about looking after someone in their last weeks. Many of us are totally unfamiliar with death. Just like giving birth, our bodies instinctively know how to die.

🤍 Many people worry about their person not eating and feel they ought to encourage it but, the body doesn’t need as much nutrition anymore. Some are worried about the changes in breathing but, again, it’s a natural process.

🤍 Prepare yourself so that you feel better equipped to support someone in their last moments.

14/02/2026

We appreciate life because we know it will end.
Treasure your time here. Learn who you are and love that person. Life is a gift and we never know the number of hours we have been gifted.

Live your life so that when others look back to you, they see love and can be brave and accepting too.

09/02/2026

🤍 Why are some of us now scared of using or hearing the words “Dead” or “Death” or “Dying”?

🤍 Death is a perfectly reasonable noun to describe the act of dying or being dead, the end of this earthly life and it comes to everyone and everything.

🤍 There are other terms we think are reasonable, such as “passed away”, “fell asleep”, “slipped away” but they don’t changed the reality of death.

🤍 Let’s end the fear of a perfectly good word that has been around for centuries. Let’s own it. Using it doesn’t conjure it and not using it doesn’t make the pain of loss any easier.

07/02/2026

🤍 I suppose this is an echo of my last post, HOPE.

🤍 The beauty of the person you love will always have a home in your heart and, because of this very fact, they will always be part of your future because they have changed you.

🤍 Live your life so that they may go with you, always.

04/02/2026

🤍 Are you having to plan a funeral or maybe planning your own?

🤍 You may be considering the “vessel” for their / your body. You may be considering choose a shroud (these come in many, beautiful variations) but what of the coffin or casket?

Katie Costello - Soul Midwife and Funeral Celebrant explains:

Do you know the difference between a coffin and a casket?

⚰️ A coffin has six sides (wider at the shoulders, narrower at the feet)
⚰️ A casket has four sides (more rectangular in shape)

And the materials that are made from can vary and this is where choice, sustainability, and personality come in.

Coffins can be made from far more than just traditional wood. Options include:

🪵 Solid woods – oak, pine, ash, or veneered finishes. These can feel classic and familiar, with different price points depending on the timber and finish.

🌱 Wicker or willow – lightweight, natural, and popular for greener funerals and natural burials.

🌱 Bamboo – fast-growing and sustainable.

📦 Cardboard – Surprisingly strong, fully biodegradable, and often beautifully personalised.

🍄‍🟫 Biodegradable composites – like the new mushroom pod - designed specifically to break down naturally, offering another earth-friendly choice.

🪡 Fabric-covered coffins – like felt and wool or finished in coloured or patterned fabrics.

Most of these can be painted and include bespoke designs – artwork, landscapes, symbols, favourite colours, photos, or hand-written messages. I’ve seen families decorate coffins together, children add drawings, and friends leave notes of love. It can be a very powerful part of saying goodbye.

You can keep things very simple and natural or you can go fully personal. There really is no right or wrong, only what feels right for you or your person.

Whatever material you choose though it must be approved for the type of farewell:

🪦 For burial, this depends on the cemetery or burial ground and their specific rules.
🔥 For cremation, materials must meet strict requirements around components, chemicals etc, and due to the process.

There is so much more choice than most people realise. A coffin doesn’t have to be standard or impersonal. It can reflect values, wishes, environmental choices and who someone truly is ⚰️❤️