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Haunting Keepsakes: Strange Mourning Tokens from the Past

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Manage episode 491652692 series 3417046
Content provided by Joy Giovanni. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Joy Giovanni or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Would you ever keep a photo of a loved one taken after they died? Or wear a bracelet made from their hair?

In this episode of Spirit Speakeasy, we’re exploring some of the most haunting—and surprisingly heartfelt—mourning practices from the past.

From Victorian post-mortem photography and death masks, to hair jewelry and family hair wreaths displayed in living rooms, these tangible tokens of grief may seem strange by today’s standards… but they once carried deep spiritual, emotional, and cultural meaning.

💀 You’ll learn about:
— Why photographing the dead was once considered an act of love
— How human hair became a powerful symbol of remembrance
— What death masks revealed (and preserved)
— The oddly beautiful tradition of hanging woven hair art in the home
— How these forgotten practices might help us better understand grief today

Whether you find them creepy, beautiful, or both… these keepsakes remind us that grief has always found a way to take shape.

Show Notes:

Select Sources & Further Reading

Photography:
• The Burns Archive – Historical post-mortem photography
https://www.burnsarchive.com

Mourning Jewelry & Hair Art:
Relics of Death in Victorian Literature and Culture – Deborah Lutz
• V&A Museum – Mourning Jewelry Collection
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/mourning-jewellery
• National Museum of Funeral History
https://www.nmfh.org
• Strange Remains – “The Hairy Art of Victorian Mourning Jewelry”
https://www.strangeremains.com/?p=1016

Death Masks:
• Britannica – “Death mask”
https://www.britannica.com/art/death-mask
• Atlas Obscura – “Why Death Masks Were Once All the Rage”
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/death-masks

Join me Live on Zoom for my Free Monthly Community Healing session! You'll receive a blend of Reiki (Energy Healing), Chakra & Aura Clearing & Balancing, Color Healing, Grounding, Cord Cutting, Trance Medium Healing & more.

Get all the details & Sign up now to receive the link and replay for the next session! https://www.joyfulmedium.com/Events

Get Joy's Free "Sign Magnet" 3 Day Mini Course HERE https://www.joyfulmedium.com/sign-magnet
Joy's Website: www.joyfulmedium.com
Instagram: @JoyfulMedium
TikTok: @JoyfulMedium
Facebook: @JoyfulMedium
Facebook Group: Joy's Soul Spa
YouTube: Psychic Medium Joy Giovanni

  continue reading

127 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 491652692 series 3417046
Content provided by Joy Giovanni. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Joy Giovanni or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Would you ever keep a photo of a loved one taken after they died? Or wear a bracelet made from their hair?

In this episode of Spirit Speakeasy, we’re exploring some of the most haunting—and surprisingly heartfelt—mourning practices from the past.

From Victorian post-mortem photography and death masks, to hair jewelry and family hair wreaths displayed in living rooms, these tangible tokens of grief may seem strange by today’s standards… but they once carried deep spiritual, emotional, and cultural meaning.

💀 You’ll learn about:
— Why photographing the dead was once considered an act of love
— How human hair became a powerful symbol of remembrance
— What death masks revealed (and preserved)
— The oddly beautiful tradition of hanging woven hair art in the home
— How these forgotten practices might help us better understand grief today

Whether you find them creepy, beautiful, or both… these keepsakes remind us that grief has always found a way to take shape.

Show Notes:

Select Sources & Further Reading

Photography:
• The Burns Archive – Historical post-mortem photography
https://www.burnsarchive.com

Mourning Jewelry & Hair Art:
Relics of Death in Victorian Literature and Culture – Deborah Lutz
• V&A Museum – Mourning Jewelry Collection
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/mourning-jewellery
• National Museum of Funeral History
https://www.nmfh.org
• Strange Remains – “The Hairy Art of Victorian Mourning Jewelry”
https://www.strangeremains.com/?p=1016

Death Masks:
• Britannica – “Death mask”
https://www.britannica.com/art/death-mask
• Atlas Obscura – “Why Death Masks Were Once All the Rage”
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/death-masks

Join me Live on Zoom for my Free Monthly Community Healing session! You'll receive a blend of Reiki (Energy Healing), Chakra & Aura Clearing & Balancing, Color Healing, Grounding, Cord Cutting, Trance Medium Healing & more.

Get all the details & Sign up now to receive the link and replay for the next session! https://www.joyfulmedium.com/Events

Get Joy's Free "Sign Magnet" 3 Day Mini Course HERE https://www.joyfulmedium.com/sign-magnet
Joy's Website: www.joyfulmedium.com
Instagram: @JoyfulMedium
TikTok: @JoyfulMedium
Facebook: @JoyfulMedium
Facebook Group: Joy's Soul Spa
YouTube: Psychic Medium Joy Giovanni

  continue reading

127 episodes

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