Emily Karp

My ceremonies provide comfort & honor the truth of exactly who your loved one was, without referencing an afterlife. I've faced difficult losses (suicides, murder, estranged relative, and more) while being a non-believer. As a result, I have firsthand experience in navigating deaths that were devastating, "unfathomable", shocking, and difficult to talk about. I became certified as a Life-Cycle Celebrant® because I understand how vital it is that losses be processed at a Celebration of Life ceremony that brings (an often traumatized) community together and helps provide a small amount of comfort and to start a journey towards processing a loss, no matter what type of loss it is.

“The weird, weird thing about devastating loss is that life actually goes on. When you're faced with a tragedy, a loss so huge that you have no idea how you can live through it, somehow, the world keeps turning, the seconds keep ticking.” ― James Patterson

Every non-religious client deserves the option to have a ceremony that fully honors and celebrates the life of their loved one without references to any beliefs they don’t hold. Many celebrants are highly spiritual, but I am not and my specialty is having emotionally poignant ceremonies that stay grounded in what non-religious clients actually believe about death. Thanks to the intensive training I underwent, I am skilled in using language in a soul-sketch-style eulogy that resonates in a deeply meaningful way, and attendees typically find the eulogy I write and services I officiate truly beautiful. My training taught me how to select one very fitting theme to weave throughout the person's life story -- the theme is relevant to multiple aspects of who this person was and how they lived, and it can often be poetic and lyrical, or other times is philosophically powerful -- and it captures the essence of who the person was despite how little time there is in one funeral or Celebration of Life event in order to get it across. And all of this is done without any of it being "spiritual" in any way. There is no religious component, and no reference to a god existing unless the client requests such a reading be incorporated. I have many powerful selections of poems to choose from that do not have any religious or spiritual undercurrent. I am very discerning about the poems I recommend as choices, and want the non-religiosity of my honorees and/or their loved ones to be fully respected at every stage of the process.

The family works closely with me. We come up with fitting readings, music the honoree loved and that works for the tone of the event. We discuss unique symbolism and invented rituals which are highly specific to your loved one's story. I interview as many family members and friends as necessary to get a complete picture of who your loved one was and then capture that essence in a short eulogy. As many loved ones as wish to are also welcome to speak at the event. A great privilege of this work is how I am given the chance to get to know your loved one's personality and life story, despite never having had the opportunity to meet them. 

I also (as of 2024) have been editing videos for 18 years, and use that experience now towards editing Memorial Slideshows for clients, as well as Memorial Videos that also include some video footage. I am happy to edit a memorial video for anyone regardless of geographic location. These Life Tribute Videos can be so much more time consuming and emotionally difficult to make in the short time frame between the death and some funeral ceremonies, even if there is a family member who is technologically savvy and willing to volunteer their time towards this cause. Sometimes, hiring someone else to put one together saves people staying up all night the night before the funeral. I offer options of many small, special touches to elevate these life tribute videos as well. See my website for the details.

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” ― Winnie the Pooh