Transfiguring the Dead

Spiritualists were among America's earliest cremation adopters.

Death is often considered a mysterious phenomenon that disconnects the soul from the body. In its very essence, death is believed by most to be that separation of ethereal from physical – a transcendence to another plane of existence for the spirit. With the great mystery of death, it is no wonder that the occult is so closely tied with death and this disconnection.

This was especially true during the years following the American Civil War – a time when few households had not experienced mourning and even tragedy. With the era also being a time of great exploration in religion, science, spirituality, social issues and medicine, many of the practices that are commonplace in society at present found footing in this time of growth and development in American history, and the cremation movement in America is one such example.

The modern cremation movement – that is, the time of experimentation and research of reducing the dead to basic elements in a controlled crematorium environment – began as a sanitary necessity due to the overcrowded conditions of cemeteries in major metropolitan areas. In many cities, decomposing bodies caused fresh drinking water to become contaminated, so encouragement of dissolution of this organic matter by heat and flame began.

It was not long, however, before religious discussion became part of the cremation question. More liberal Christian denominations (namely the Methodist Episcopal Church, Unitarians, Universalists, and the like) accepted cremation as did reformed Judaism. Occultists, too, had their own ideas of cremation and its benefits for the dead in the Beyond, while more conservative and orthodox religions denounced it as an evil that burned the body in the physical realm and the soul in the spiritual realm, and a "rebellion against the government of Christ."

The Funeral and Cremation of Baron de Palm

Enter Henry Steel Olcott – a well-known New York attorney who had investigated the Lincoln assassination. Olcott's life changed while on assignment Vermont investigating the spirit happenings of the Eddy brothers, two famous mediums of that era. There he met Helena Blavatsky and the two would soon establish one of the most enduring of occult philosophies in the history of the modern world, Theosophy.

But for our story, Henry Steel Olcott takes a different role, that of the originator of the first modern cremation in America. One of the members of the Theosophical Society, a German named Joseph Henry Louis de Palm, had no family and few friends, his only connections being with the Theosophical Society in New York. With the discussion of cremation in the 1870s dominating newspapers across the country, it was de Palm's wish that his remains be cremated at his demise, and he asked Olcott to see it through. When his death occurred in the spring of 1876, Olcott announced that de Palm would be cremated following his Theosophist funeral at the Masonic lodge in Manhattan.

As with many of the social, religious, and reform movements in America, there was no precedence, so the press reacted the only way they knew how: massive coverage by many of the most vocal and opinionated reporters of the day.

De Palm had requested Olcott to "perform [his] last offices in a fashion that would illustrate the Eastern notions of death and immortality;" and perform he did. The funeral was a grand demonstration of Theosophical ideas and values that dominated newspapers nationwide. A few months later, Olcott transported de Palm's body to Washington, Pennsylvania to be the first person cremated in a modern crematory, another event that garnered great media attention.

Cremation’s Role in Theosophy and Spiritualism

Early on, cremation was adopted by Theosophists and Spiritualists and this paradigm was primarily rooted in the belief that the process of cremation was the etherealization of the body. Cremationists of the time were essentially occultists in practicing the process of purifying the remains by fire, dissolving the mortal flesh, and literally causing the body to become spirit, an idea that had its roots in ancient Germanic, Greek, and Roman beliefs. For them, the process of burning the body was the transfiguration of the spirit. allowing it to move to its next plane of existence.

The American Theosophical Society held this belief also, stating, "Slow disintegration of the body after burial tends to hold the soul earthbound but cremation frees it instantly, thereby allowing the spirit to communicate at once."

A further unique idea that cremationists and occultists held in common with ancient civilizations regarding cremation was the belief that the urn became the new physical identity for the deceased. Often, these urns were placed in a columbarium, which, like its cemetery cousin, was often regarded as a place where the veil was thinnest between the land of the living and the dead.

A notable example occurred in Philadelphia where a local attorney who was a prominent Spiritualist in Philadelphia circles became the first person cremated in the crematory there in May 1888. He vowed in life to return in death to "scenes of his life" – and that return purportedly happened a few months later in the dark of night when the crematory's caretaker claimed that he saw him materialize.

Similarly, the president of the crematory in Queens, New York, experienced a fantastic sight when, while one night awaiting a funeral that was arriving late, the columbarium came alive, and he was treated to a "spiritual levee" of its inhabitants. It is unclear whether it was clairvoyance or reverie that stirred his sight – and before he can decide the funeral arrives. "The big lantern throws a ray of light across the room" – distracting his attention, and when he turns back, "all somber stand the many urns in their places as before."

While the cremation movement in America was urged early for sanitary reasons, it was clear that both Spiritualists and Theosophists saw in it advantages for the transition of the spirit from this realm to the next: the symbolism of the soul's journey to the next realm, a new earthly identity, and transfiguration from physical to spiritual into the Beyond.

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2023 issue of The Austin Séance Quarterly Journal, a print publication devoted to the history and practice of Spiritualism and is republished here with permission. For more information about The Austin Séance Quarterly Journal, go to TheAustinSeance.com.

As the Halloween season creeps in with its playful frights and deeper reflections, it’s the perfect time to learn about the fascinating intersection of cremation and spiritualism. Just as Halloween invites us to explore with the mysteries of life and death, cremation symbolizes a transformation—where the body returns to the elements, freeing the spirit for its next adventure. In the spirit of the season, CANA hopes you enjoyed this glimpse through the veil of history and embrace the spooky fun while honoring the sacred journey of the soul.

Jason Ryan Engler is a licensed funeral director and is considered a thought leader in cremation products and merchandising. Known to many as the Cremation Historian, he is the historian for the Cremation Association of North America and is the cremation historian for the National Museum of Funeral History. He is the regional sales manager for the Wilbert Group in Kansas / Northwest Missouri and lives in Kansas City with his miniature dachshund, Otto.