Canon of the Dead

No. Actually, these days I had not consciously thought about the dead or the Feast of All Saints. Yet in dreams, long-dead people suddenly became “closer” again. They appeared. It is a phenomenon I was already able to perceive in my time as a psychiatric chaplain: In the days around All Saints’ Day / All Souls’ Day, sensitive people report a certain restlessness. Yes, I want to describe it this way: The always parallel, spiritual, eternal dimension “moves closer,” becomes more permeable. There are cycles, liturgies, that seem to “open” consciousness to each other. For me it is not only a “beautiful faith,” but a deep certainty: The visible and the invisible world are connected. The dead are not simply “gone from sight,” but everything and everyone who was connected in love remains held in this “network of life”.

When creating an AI-generated image, you have to give precise instructions about what matters to you. Any image, in any case, falls massively short of your own imagination. Good that way. Out of 10 drafts I chose this one. First, the image establishes a connection with creation: sunrise and sea. Then, the “Canon of the Dead.” In the image they are not simply laughing in a completely happy and kitschy way, because I wanted the moment where they also have a message for us. And it is not only “O happy day”. Rather: “Hey, remember that you will die and live anew! Use your time here with your talents. Transform yourselves and bring forth something new, something true. You are unique, what you think and do is essential in relation to the whole! The moment of the comprehensive view will come. Have trust, you are not alone! Dare a new step share your gifts.