Caskets woven from willow
Eurythmy therapist Ruth Tschannen makes willow wicker caskets in North Vancouver (CA). She is interviewed by Susan Koppersmith.
Susan: What is your relationship with death?
Ruth: I have always been interested in two important thresholds: coming into this world and leaving it. Right now my activities centre around the threshold of death. This has its roots in when I was 6 years old: three friends of neighbours died in a car crash. This heart-wrenching experience shaped my entire life.
In Camphill, when a villager or a co-worker dies, there is always a three-day wake, a rich experience for everybody. Many years ago at Camphill Botton, a villager one day suddenly announced, “Richard came to say goodbye to me.” Then two minutes later came the phone call to everyone that Richard had died. At Camphill Copake there were always three caskets stored behind the stage, ready when needed.
Susan: How did you get into making caskets out of willow?
Ruth: Several years ago, Adola McWilliam from Camphill Glenora Farm on Vancouver Island ordered a willow casket for herself. She was being proactive…
In 2018 two friends joined me and we made a small willow casket, a prototype. We put aside a week for this sacred activity. Each morning, we swept the area before we began and said a prayer. Then the two friends left to pursue other adventures, and I had to find the courage to proceed on my own. I believe that some power from the spiritual world joined with me giving me strength. I finished a casket for Adola.
Susan: What happened next?
Ruth: In 2019 a young boy died on the Island. My world opened up; I realized that my interest in making willow caskets was a gateway to a relationship with the wider community. I formed a close connection with the boy’s family, which continues to this day. I gave the prototype-casket to them for their son. I realized that working with a family around the death of a loved one allowed them to form a deeper relationship to the spiritual world and the help it can provide at every moment, no matter what the circumstances.
Susan: How will you proceed?
Ruth: I plan to work quietly with a very small group in different locations. Now is not the time to go big! The challenge is finding the willows. I did have a source but then deer ate them! I have a plan now to work with a couple in the interior of British Columbia, but it is too early to say much about this.