Walking Each Other Home- Five Years Later

How are you?

That's the beautiful portrait my brother Jeremy painted of Ram Dass.

It's been more than five years since Ram Dass left his body, but it still feels like yesterday. I remember the pain of getting the news in a text message, and how friends gathered that evening to chant and hold each other through it. His words echoed through us, especially "We're all just walking each other home."

Where is that home he was talking about? Like most of us, I'm still on the journey there. Some days the path feels clearer than others. When I'm shut down, living in my own thought-world, avoiding the suffering around me, I'm less available for the walk.

What would Ram Dass say?

As far as I can tell, RD spent his life opening his Heart. By his golden years, although bound to his wheelchair, he was truly ready to walk others home and be walked too. All his work through sadhana and service brought him from tight narrowness to complete openness.

Maharaji told him to "love everyone and tell the truth." When I met RD in 2016, he smiled and said he'd "been working with that" for almost 50 years.

Those two commandments could have been engraved on tablets when Ram Dass came down from the holy mountain of India. They say it all. It's worth settling into those phrases and asking: What do they mean for me? Where am I growing into them, and where do I have room to deepen?

For me, I continue growing in both areas. Like anyone on the path, I notice my self-interested tendencies, but I also see the progress. The beautiful thing is that I still feel Ram Dass' presence helping me walk forward, patiently supporting us all despite our human tendencies.

A meditation for you: Sit quietly and imagine Ram Dass with you. Feel his presence, his hand in yours, his smile. What's his message for you right now? What gifts does he bring? You might hear words or just a gentle sense of something—whatever it is, it's just right for you.

Thanks for reading. I'm going to try this meditation myself now. Let me know how it goes in the comments, and remember to subscribe for weekly reflections that help you stay connected to your own path.

May Ram Dass always be present, walking you home and helping you walk others too.

In Love,
Noah