Keeping Ashes at Home: What You Should Know Before Deciding

Many seniors find this connection reassuring. After losing a spouse or lifelong friend, the presence of their ashes — perhaps beside a favorite photo or candle — brings calm in moments of loneliness. It feels like a way to continue the bond that once filled the home with laughter and shared memories.

But while keeping ashes close may provide emotional warmth, certain faith traditions and spiritual perspectives view this practice differently. Understanding these viewpoints can help families make choices that feel both comforting and respectful.

A Spiritualist View: Letting the Spirit Move On

From a spiritualist or spiritist perspective, death is not an end but a transition. It’s seen as a moment when the soul separates from the physical body and continues evolving on a spiritual plane.

According to this belief, strong emotional attachments from the living can influence the peace of the departed. When we hold onto material reminders too tightly — such as ashes — it might make it harder for the spirit to move forward freely.

Spiritist teachings suggest that emotional release is an act of love. Allowing the spirit to continue its journey means trusting that love doesn’t require physical proximity. Instead, it lives on through prayer, memory, and spiritual growth.

This is why many followers of Spiritism recommend scattering ashes in nature — at sea, beneath a tree, or in a tranquil garden — where the elements can symbolize freedom and eternal return. Others may prefer placing ashes in a memorial columbarium or sacred resting place, believing that this honors the spirit’s independence while preserving dignity and remembrance.

For those who find meaning in spiritualist traditions, the emphasis is clear: love continues, but attachment to the physical remains should not hold the spirit — or the living — from moving forward in peace.

A Christian View: Honoring the Body and the Soul

Christianity approaches the subject of cremation and ashes with reverence for the body as part of God’s creation. Within this belief system, the body is seen as sacred, even after death, because it was once the vessel of a living soul.

In past centuries, cremation was discouraged in many Christian communities, but modern teachings have evolved. Today, most Christian denominations — including the Catholic Church — permit cremation. However, they emphasize respectful treatment and proper placement of the ashes.

The Catholic Church, for example, allows cremation but advises that ashes should be kept in a consecrated place, such as a cemetery, mausoleum, or columbarium. Keeping ashes at home is generally discouraged, not as a punishment, but as a reminder that the body deserves honor and sacred care.

Placing ashes in a blessed space allows families to visit, reflect, and pray in peace. It also provides a setting that invites community — a space where memories can be shared and faith can bring healing.

In Protestant traditions, views may vary. Some churches accept keeping ashes at home if done respectfully, while others prefer burial or scattering as a symbol of returning to the earth. The shared message, however, remains consistent: love, respect, and remembrance should guide the family’s decision above all else.

Finding Peace in Your Own Beliefs