Brian’s Reflection: Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Death the last voyage, the
longest, and the best.

Tom Wolfe, author, journalist;
he was born on this date, 1931.



I love it! Since I came to the clear realization (something that has been proverbially staring me in the face since I started the Journey of the ancient spiritual paths, including the Gospel) that Death and Life are the same thing – complementary sides of a coin – I have had a whole new World open to me!

The paths of deepest wisdom tell us that the sooner we embrace Death, the entrance to fullness of Life opens. It proposes to us as well that our physical death in this earthly life is but a transitional moment on this Journey. This is, of course, the deepest meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection: once we embrace Death, Life manifests.

What is the “Death” we embrace? Simply put, we die to a false concept: that we are Separate. We instead choose to embrace the possibility that we are Eternal, the same as all Being, including the Mystery we call God. From that moment, Death and Life are One.

The most uncorrupted Christian Wisdom tries to instill this reality in the rite of Baptism. But alas the Church has made this rite a way of “joining the club”. That is not what Baptism is. It is the acceptance of Death and Life ….. and the words of the Rite make this clear – “we are buried with Christ, in order that we may rise with Him”. Unfortunately, we have taken to baptizing infants, and hence there is little possibility of our intent becoming reality ….. especially since Baptism had become a cultural magical way of saving babies from Hell at worst, or a charming way of giving them a name and welcoming them into the human family. I think we should return to the practice of adult baptism, which is in fact the “norm” of Episcopal theology, and be more faithful in teaching the Path.

Let’s teach young people the way to entering the Human Journey of Love and Oneness as soon as they are capable ….. in other words teach them to “Die”. And thereby set them on the path to Life in all its Joy, Freedom, and Power.

From that moment on, they will be on “the last voyage, the longest and the best”. Because it never ends.

Brian+