Artistic illustration of a stylized face with two buildings as eyes, set against a starry night sky with a desert and a road leading to the horizon. The text reads '58 Boneyard' with a Route 66 shield icon.

58     BONEYARD

KEY CONCEPTS:  honoring predecessors, death, change, re-purposing, recycling, new beginnings, surrender, transitions, endings. (Corresponds to Death)

MESSAGE:  Don’t worry about the loss of earthly things; you’ll never take them with you.  You carry only your consciousness wherever you may go.  “I AM” wakes up within the dream.  “I AM” arises in the next appearance.  “I AM” provides life to your awareness.  Your body falls limp to the ground when “I AM” leaves it; your consciousness controls your body, not the reverse.  Life rolls on without your current vehicle, but your energy never fades.  It’s repurposed, recycled, and fired up in another place and time - actually the same place and time - since “I AM” is always here and now.  You can’t be everywhere in a limited, physical form; you’re ubiquitous when you embrace the Divine.  We are eternally One with the Infinite but must realize this to shake off duality’s illusions.

The only constant in this world is change, dear traveler.  Why not get acquainted with transitions?  They could be smooth as chocolate malts from the Drive-In or rougher than Road Construction, the choice belongs to you.  Even our beloved Mother Road faced death when decommissioned in the eighties.  Thankfully, it arose from its ruins to take its iconic place as an American classic.  Signs once torn down rebloomed; they now prevail in all eight states.  Travelers may use them to follow alignments from every era.  Each trip on an obsolete trail creates new traces; soil from every grave contains sprouting seeds. 

Are you frightened of unearthing leering skeletons from your past?  We wouldn’t exist without ancestors…pioneers who brought us here. They sacrificed much to raise children; it’s fitting to give respect.  What would you be without them?  You wouldn’t.  A simple acknowledgment suffices; no need to dwell in the Boneyard. Have you been dragging a burdensome chain of past transgressions in your wake like Marley’s ghost?  Some folks can hold a grudge for centuries.  Do you persistently dig up hurts that should stay buried?  No one owes you anything for what was done to your great-great-grandma.  We all share a wounded legacy; every family tree bears a thousand blighted branches. You can’t know another’s misfortune…but your spirit grows light when you let yourself forgive.

Do you fear the Grim Reaper? We all dance his waltz one day.  Why not rehearse a few imaginary steps in advance?  It’s not morbid to seek acceptance for an inevitable appearance.  Why not invite the reaper in for tea when the time arrives?  Gelatin derives from bones…add some colorful flavor and marshmallows and you’ve got ambrosia salad.  If you’re contemplating death with open eyes and raucous humor, it’s not a ghastly fixation...it’s an Irish wake. You live life more wisely when you know it could shift shape at any moment.  Surrender to transition with Boneyard and rest in “I AM”.

RELATED SITES:  BELLEFONTAINE CEMETERY, ST LOUIS, MO; DAGGETT PIONEER CEMETERY, DAGGETT CA; GOLDEN VALLEY CEMETERY, GOLDEN VALLEY, AZ; KINGMAN ARMY AIRFIELD MUSEUM, KINGMAN, AZ (HOLDS ARTIFACTS PERTAINING TO THEIR POST WWII AIRCRAFT BONEYARD.)