Scatter ashes in the River at the Funeral Service – Limmat – Aargau – Baden – You who are from heaven, calming all sorrows and pains!

The River as a Symbol of Passage

The river carries not only water, but everything we let go of. Its surface may change, but in its depth everything remains one.

The river flows endlessly, as does our life — in constant change. Each wave and each drop belongs to the greater ocean of creation. If desired, the Mandala Ritual can be performed by the river or lake. A wooden tablet, bearing a Yin–Yang symbol made of sand, is released into the water — a sign of the balance between life and death, between dissolution and rebirth. Slowly, the tablet drifts downstream, like the soul on its journey toward the infinite.

Prayer and Meditation for the Departed

You who are from Heaven above,
still all sorrow and all pain;
fill those who suffer doubly
with double peace again.

Ah, I am weary of this striving!
What is all this joy and grief?
Sweet peace, O come,
come dwell within my heart.

Upon Your word, O Holy One,
let us place our trust;
strengthen faith within us,
though the world may turn to dust.

As many members form one body,
so we belong to one another;
as sisters and as brothers
we are never far apart.

For love and kindness show indeed
who counts among our friends;
and none should hide their living word
that peace may have no end.

These verses unite compassion with stillness —
so that the flowing river itself becomes prayer,
a song of creation that never ceases.

Evening Prayer by the Water

When the day fades and light glows softly on the river’s surface, the heart grows calm.
The water carries what we cannot hold — tears, memories, and longing.

The doves are sleeping in their homes,
but where do the evening birds now fly?
The waterfall softens its roar —
where do the streams drift by?

The smoke lies still upon the roofs,
but where drifts the clouded sky?
A thousand lamps in windows gleam —
where do the stars then lie?

And as we rest in sleep and dream,
dark ships unmoor and glide downstream.

The water teaches us gently that all flowing is returning, and every letting go is a movement toward the eternal.

Over All the Peaks is Peace

At the close of the ceremony, Father Reding often speaks the quiet blessing of farewell:

Over all the peaks is peace;
in all the trees you feel no breeze.
The birds are silent in the woods —
just wait, soon you too will rest.

In this peace, nothing ends.
It is the breath of God across the world —
the stillness from which we come,
and to which we return.

Place and Guidance

Whether on the Limmat, in Aargau, or in the thermal park of Baden, every place by the water can become a space of transformation. The steady flow of the river reminds us that love and remembrance never cease.

Master Reding, funeral officiant and spiritual companion, leads each ceremony with mindfulness and reverence. Through prayer, silence, and natural symbolism, he creates a farewell that is both tender and profound — a ceremony where the water itself carries the final message:

All flows — and nothing is ever lost.