About

Inspired by Hermetic philosophy and the mysteries of life, death, and rebirth of the plant kingdom, Putressence blooms forth to offer alchemical wares for holistic death care and funerary craft. As death initiates a period of liminality, engaging in postmortem ritual allows the living and the dead to converge in their respective rites of passage: to mourn, to transition, and to reflect on our ephemeral nature.

Incense and aromatic plants have perfumed the living and the dead throughout death rituals since time immemorial. Putressence revitalizes this sacred practice, blending the elements of both ancient and modern funerary customs to offer eco-friendly herbal wares for the living, the dying, and the deceased. The plant kingdom is the perfect ally to the human experience of death: our mortal heritage embraces the metamorphosis enacted by death upon the body, soul, and spirit.

Ella von Cosel is the sole proprietor of Putressence. An artist, herbal alchemist, and independent thanatologist, she channels her mercurial essence beyond the dark veil. Her introduction to occult philosophy in early adolescence inspired and nurtured her enchantment with death and the afterlife, she has thus dedicated her present incarnation to explore the mysteries of life and death through various disciplines. Ella has worked within the funeral industry, processing vital records and death certificates for Oregon's largest family-operated funeral home. She has studied practical plant alchemy at the Spagyricus Institute, holistic herbal medicine through Dominion Herbal College, and she has attended death midwifery training through A Sacred Passing. Her article on ancient Greek embalming and funerary magic appears in Verdant Gnosis, Vol. 5. Ella was the artisan behind Ars Feralis, a wildcrafted apothecary of flesh and bone, flower and root; she specialized in herbal formulations, bone cleaning, and dry preservation of animal remains.