Is it necessary to wait three days before the cremation?

Question: The ascended masters recommend that deceased bodies are cremated. Is it necessary to wait three days and three nights before the cremation? What is the reason for this delay?

Answer from the Ascended Master Mother Mary through Kim Michaels. This answer was given during the 2025 New Year Webinar.

Well, there were teachings given in previous dispensations about this in order to give the soul time to leave the body behind, but really it is not an absolute that it has to be three days and three nights. You can feel free to decide on your own based on practical considerations.

As we are moving higher, as the collective consciousness is raised, in most cases it takes less time for the soul to separate from the body. Let me just put it this way, use your intuition and do not try to decide on some rigid number with the outer mind.