I’m standing with John Davis in front of his grave. It was the very first grave he dug three years ago in the firm soil of the Adirondacks in a place known as Spirit Sanctuary. He had planned to be buried on his land, but he became so enamored with this exact spot, tucked among willows and behind a pine tree, that he decided it would be his final resting place instead.

To preserve a wildlife corridor between Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks that could help animals survive a changing climate, a new organization is taking a unique approach: the Spirit Sanctuary in Essex, New York is buying up land for people who want to be buried there.

The Spirit Sanctuary burial grounds in the town of Essex is proof there is life after death. Located in a secluded patch of old farmland on a back road where two cars might pass in an hour, it is lonely only in human terms.

Although actually, eternity is a long time, and there’s a very good chance that the wetland meadow will itself grow into pine, or maybe the blister rust will take out the pine and a stand of willow will arise, or—that’s actually the point of Spirit Sanctuary, the area’s first (maybe one of the world’s first) “conservation burial grounds.”

With the rising costs of traditional burial—the plot, casket, concrete vaults, and memorials coupled with the new awareness of what we are putting in the ground —the country has seen a rapid rise in cremations over burial and more celebrations of life rather than funerals.

Cremation now outweighs traditional burials 63.4% to 31.6% with alternative methods rounding out the last 5%.

Most don’t like to consider their own mortality, but if you allow yourself to sit with the discomfort for a moment, how do you imagine your body will be laid to rest once you’ve passed? For many, the answer is clear and straightforward: a conventional burial, with their embalmed body placed in a traditional casket encased in a concrete vault.

Death doula. Deathworker. End-of-life doula. Life transitions doula. They go by many names. However, their ultimate goal is the same: provide those facing the end of their lives with a dignified passing, one that matches their individual hopes as to what those final moments might look like, while also supporting the dying’s loved ones and caregivers.

Incredible! How the tree fallen in the woods, if left, will inevitably be taken up by new life. How the apple core after we enjoy its sweet and tart taste breaks down to begin anew. How our bodies, when we no longer need them can, support the earth who has sustained us throughout life.