DEATHCRAFT
JOURNAL
The Importance of Pre-Planning for the LGBTQIA+ Community
For LGBTQIA+ folks, pre-planning for death isn’t just practical—it’s protective. It’s how we safeguard our identities, honor our chosen families, and ensure we’re remembered on our own terms. In a world that too often tries to erase or rewrite our stories, making end-of-life plans is a powerful way to say: This is who I am. This is how I want to be cared for. This is how I want to be remembered. Death doesn’t get to undo our truth.
How the Modern Funeral Industry Impacts Our Environment
Explore the hidden environmental costs of conventional funerals—embalming chemicals, metal caskets, concrete vaults, and more. Learn why greener alternatives matter.
A Brief History of Deathcare: From Sacred Rituals to Industrialized Death
Explore the evolution of deathcare from ancient sacred rites to the rise of the funeral industry. Understand how cultural shifts transformed how we care for the dead—and how we might reclaim it.
Why Choose a Home Funeral?
In a culture that often hides death behind closed doors, more families are choosing to care for their deceased loved ones at home. This practice—known as a home funeral—offers a sacred, empowering, and deeply human alternative to conventional funerals.
Home Funerals: Myths, Realities, and Legal Rights in Kentucky
In Kentucky, families have the legal right to care for their deceased loved ones at home, a practice known as a home funeral. This approach allows families to handle the washing, dressing, and laying out of the body, as well as to hold a vigil or ceremony in a familiar setting. Home funerals can offer a more intimate and personalized way to honor the deceased, often at a lower cost than traditional funeral services.
10 Reasons You Should Plan Ahead for the End-of-Life
Most of us spend a lot of time planning for major milestones in life—graduations, weddings, careers, retirement—but when it comes to planning for the end-of-life, many people hesitate. It’s an emotional subject, and one that’s often easier to avoid. However, thoughtful preparation for the inevitable can offer profound benefits not only to you, but to your loved ones as well.
Today is National Death Doula Day.
A death doula, also known as an end-of-life doula or death midwife, is a non-medical professional who can provide emotional, spiritual, and practical support to those who are dying, as well as their loved ones. They can assist in creating a personalized approach to the dying process, offering guidance and support that respects the wishes and values of the individual.
Death Positivity: What It Is & Why We Should Care
“Death positivity is not about glorifying death itself; it’s about enriching our life experiences and accepting the inevitable. By discussing, planning, and remembering, we cultivate a relationship with mortality that honors our existence rather than evades it. So, let’s raise our glasses—not just for the living but for the dead as well. Here’s to life, love, and the inevitable end that binds us all!”
MEET THE AUTHOR
Kat Rist (she/they) is the founder of Deathcraft.
Kat is a death doula, educator, and hair stylist based just south of Louisville, Kentucky. With one foot in the sacred and the other in the everyday, Kat helps others navigate the mysteries of death and dying through a lens of nature-based spirituality, compassion, and curiosity. She’s also a licensed cosmetologist working magic with color and texture at Maeda in Louisville.
Kat is a cat mom to a sassy orange tabby named Tilly, partner to a total car guy, and proud aunt to four wild and wonderful kids. She’s deeply into spiritualism, Tarot, folklore, and the quiet wisdom of the natural world. Whether she’s holding space at the end of life or capturing a breathtaking sunset, Kat believes in honoring the cycles of life—and finding magic in every part of the journey.