Three studies were conducted examining the relationship between thoughts of defecation and thoughts of death. In Study 1 and Study 3 it was found that making thoughts of feces salient reduced the accessibility of death thoughts. In Study 2 it was found that making thoughts of death salient decreased the accessibility of feces thoughts. It is proposed that this tendency for keeping thoughts of death and feces separate is part of a broader inclination for keeping the sacred from the profane. (Contains 2 tables.)