Many partings

The time has come, the Walrus said[.]

The Walrus in The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll

Bilbo: [to the crowd] “I regret to announce — this is The End. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell.” [whispers to Frodo] “Goodbye.”

Bilbo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend
The end of our elaborate plans
The end of ev’rything that stands
The end

Jim Morrison

“The End” could easily signify death. Coming to terms with death can be difficult if one doesn’t have a point of reference. If one doesn’t have an anchor, something prior from which to view the events, they can appear disjointed or shallow. This is even more the case when we consider our own death. After all it is the one thing in our lives we can count on; we will die and that is that. Therefore we ought to keep our death ever present in our minds so that never a moment is wasted. This is when we see the end as our beautiful friend. Cf. Death and the Real I.

The Walrus went on to talk of many things: including shoes, ships, and kings. Indeed, even esoteric questions as to why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings. My Grandma said to me that the time had come. She used the words of the Walrus in the poem to convey a decision had to be made. But to put it off would be nice. To ignore the typhoon coming on. Yet despite all of this there is hope. “The End” as in a finishing point could also lead to new life or rather a new life. Bilbo goes to live with the Elves, and Frodo goes on an adventure of his own. Both eventually sail into the West.

The metaphor of the sea is apt. It is an eternal rolling image of time. Where those have gone before others will follow. It consumes all. Yet as a prophet is despised in his own country, those bright sparks will not ignite and flourish in damp kindling. So they set sail for new worlds, or perhaps, old worlds that need recovering. I am not comparing myself to a prophet rather it is bound up in the decision to follow an esoteric path. Leaving home is always difficult, as is death, yet prayers of friends help considerably. Is leaving the world a different matter altogether from this? Surely we search for our true home, the Heavenly Fatherland?