Reflections on Death and Reunion

When I die,

when they carry my coffin away,

do not imagine I am grieving

for this world.

Do not weep for me.

Do not cry, "What a loss, what a

loss."

When you see my funeral,

do not call it separation.

For what you call my leaving is the

hour of my return.

What you call the ending is the

moment I arrive.

Do not say farewell.

Whoa.

Do not say farewell.

This is not separation.

This is reunion. This is

not the ending. This

is reunion.

Oh,

oh.

When you lower me into the earth, do not

say

farewell, farewell.

Ooh.

The grave is only a curtain before the

gathering of Paradise.

You see me being lowered, now watch

me rise. How could there be an

ending when the sun goes

down?

What you call a sunset

is another sunrise. What

you call a grave

is the freedom of the soul. This is

not separation.

This is

reunion.

What seed has ever been buried in the

earth and failed to rise again?

What seed has entered the darkness and not

reached toward the light?

Why then should you

doubt the rising of

a human soul?

What bucket has ever descended

into the well

and returned empty?

Why should Joseph the soul be

afraid of the well?

I am not disappearing. I am

going

where I have always belonged.

Do not say farewell.

What you call a sunset is

another sunrise. What you

call my death

is my return. This is not

separation.

This is

reunion.

Oh.

This is reunion.

Oh.

This is

reunion.

Close your mouth

on this side

and open it on the other.

For there

your soul

begins.