Rachel Osolen – TalkDeath

Digital Immortality? AI and the Future of Death

Rachel Osolen — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 12:29:08 +0000

We exist in a time where we can create online memorials, hold a virtual memorial service, and even send digital messages after we die. Is the next step in our technological evolution having the dead talk back using technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI)? For as long as humans have been cognizant of their mortality, there have been those amongst us searching for a way to avoid death—to become immortal. Every age of humanity has shared myths, legends and theories around life, death, and how to achieve immortality. With today’s ever expanding technological landscape, scientists are finding a solution to death […]

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Sending Text Messages from the Afterlife

Rachel Osolen — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 10:45:12 +0000

Sending texts from the other side: the pre-planning before you die correspondence, not the spooky ghost talk.

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A Brief History of Jewish Gravestone Symbols

Rachel Osolen — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 13:15:03 +0000

The Jewish tradition of marking the final resting place of a deceased loved one originates in the book of Genesis where Jacob erects a pillar on the grave of his wife, Rachel. From Biblical times onward, wherever Jewish communities have existed, Jews have continued this practice of placing a marker at the gravesite of the deceased. There was a Jewish mystical belief that the soul hovers over the place where the body has been buried. By placing a stonemarker on the burial spot, the soul would be given a place to rest. In fact, Talmudic Rabbis called the gravestone a […]

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Christmas Zombies, Spirits and Goblins: The Dark and Chilling History of Ghost Stories at Christmastime

Rachel Osolen — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 13:53:37 +0000

The days are getting shorter in the Northern Hemisphere, and December 21st will be the longest night of the year. Many of our readers will associate this time of year with Christmas, but before there was Christmas there was midwinter, solstice, Saturnalia, Sol Invictus, and Yule. These celebrations and rituals were built around death and rebirth, and it was a time when the veil between worlds was thinner. It’s no surprise then that people would get a bit spooky in December. From anti-claus traditions, witches, and death-positive rituals around the world, this month is full of chills! We are not […]

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A Brief History of Grave Symbols in North America

Rachel Osolen — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 14:30:15 +0000

Have you ever walked through your local cemetery and wondered about the symbolism around you? Maybe you have traveled to different cemeteries in North America and noticed that those on the Eastern Seaboard have different markings than those further West? Cemeteries are like open-air museums, which offer a wealth of historical and cultural information for archaeologists, genealogists, historians, conservationists, and hobbyists alike. There are many cultures and religions that use symbolism in their grave markers. For this instalment, we will be focusing primarily on North American Christian gravemarker symbols (say that five times fast!). This includes the colonial period from […]

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