The Barricades of Heaven

Better bring your own redemption
When you come,
To the barricades of heaven
Where I’m From.

-Jackson Browne

Song lyrics stick with me; sometimes providing inspiration, and other times, understanding.

When I first heard the Jackson Browne lyric, it sounded blasphemous.

Over the years, my thoughts changed. The song’s title provides a hint: The Barricades of Heaven. The Barricades to Heaven are all the ways we shut Spirit out of our lives. Spirit is the active ingredient in relationships—The mysterious force that binds us together. 

The Miracle of “We”

Relationships define our lives. Lasting relationships are nourished by Spiritual energy. American philosopher Ken Wilber refers to this as the miracle of “we.”

I once asked a high school buddy how a mutual friend was getting on. “I don’t talk to that S.O.B. anymore!” he said. “Why not?” I asked. The answer, it seemed, was that this guy had called my buddy a knucklehead several years ago, so he hasn’t spoken to him since.

It seemed like a childish episode to me. But aren’t we all guilty of building such walls? A perceived slight becomes a brick. An unresolved argument becomes a stone. Before we know it, we’ve constructed an impenetrable fortress around our hearts—a personal barricade to heaven.

Maria Popova, in her magnificent blog, The Marginalian, recently wrote something that stuck with me:

We are always either drawing closer
or drifting apart —
There is no stasis
in relationships.

The Daily Practice of Connection

I resonate with many tenets of Buddhist philosophy. I often reflect on the title of one of my favorite books on the subject: Open Heart, Clear Mind by Thubten Chodron. I find it challenging to maintain either one; too many self-erected barricades get in the way.

The universe pulls us together; life is relationships. We should take measures of those closest to us and ask ourselves this question: 

Today, with each person I love, am I moving toward connection or separation?

Dismantling Our Barricades

What if we made a daily habit of removing our barriers? 

-What if we paused before responding in anger?

-What if we chose vulnerability instead of protective armor?

-What if we released resentments before they calcified into walls?

-What if we became more present with those we claim to cherish?

When our hearts are open and our minds are clear, it’s easier to identify and remove the barricades of heaven. A redeemer isn’t needed for this; it’s on us—brick by brick, day by day.

This brings our own redemption!

And perhaps, this is what heaven on earth feels like: the spirit flowing freely between open hearts, unobstructed by the barricades we’ve finally had the courage to tear down.

The Barricades To Heaven is one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs.

Art informs life.

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Installments of The Secret Within can be found here. 

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My first book, Towards A Life Well-Lived, can be purchased by clicking this link. Proceeds from sales are donated to Peace In Schools, a Portland, Oregon-based organization that supports mindfulness training in high schools.