30 October 2023

Austrian funeral service provider Lichtblick founder Jörg Bauer on his approach to unconventional burials and grief work

On All Saints Day (official holiday in Austria, 1 November) and All Souls Day (Catholic feast on 2 November), Austrians remember deceased family members and friends. Many combine the commemoration with decorating graves, which is an important cultural practice, especially in Vienna. (Fashion.at article about honorary graves of female artists.) Others may consider alternatives to earth burial and question the often less creatively designed headstones.

On the occasion of Allerheiligen and Allerseelen, the Austrian funeral company Lichtblick issued a press release about the expansion of its funeral services to Croatia. The founder and CEO of Lichtblick, Jörg Bauer, offers several additional services to funerals, such as grief support and life coaching. Jörg Bauer believes that sea burials are a beautiful and hopeful way to say goodbye, and according to the funeral expert, they cost slightly more than traditional burials in Austria, but there are no follow-up costs.

Jörg Bauer's personal experience with the loss of his parents led him to question traditional funeral rituals, ultimately leading to the creation of Lichtblick, which was founded in 2017. Lichtblick's mission is to raise awareness about unconventional burial methods. In the press release, he explained his approach to new, unconventional burials by arguing that death is not on the fringes of society or in any particular place. For the founder of Lichtblick, death is always with us, yet it is only a moment in the eternal flow of life. This is the funeral director's way of celebrating life at every farewell.

After three years of searching, the life coach found a suitable place for sea burials in Supetarska Draga, a village on the island of Rab with access to boats from May to September. In a phone call, Bauer told Fashion.at that people's interest in both Danube and sea burials has grown in recent years. Details about the sea burial, such as the different urns, are published on https://lichtblick.rip/seebestattung/.

The mourning specialist and ship captain Jörg Bauer stated that a sea burial is for him the most beautiful form of farewell. He also explained the procedure of the burial. The guests stay on the boat for three hours. According to him, during this time the passengers can feel the positive energy of life all around - the water, the sun - and just let go.

Image: One of the boats used by the Austrian funeral company Lichtblick in Supetarska Draga, a village on the island of Rab, Croatia. Photo: © Lichtblick.