The Wood Between The Worlds

As I reflect upon Easter, The Wood Between The Worlds is a phrase I recently encountered to which I keep returning.  I most recently came across the phrase as the title of a book by Brian Zahnd (The Wood Between The Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross).  It is a book full of multifaceted reflections on the meaning of the cross.  It is a wonderful mix of poetry, theology, history, and application.  In it, Zahnd shares sobering reflections ranging from theodicy, atonement, and the shape of a cruciform life in our modern world. 

As Zahnd mentions in his book, the phrase is also present in The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. The Wood Between the Worlds was the name given by Lewis to a mysterious realm of portals that allowed travel between the worlds of Charn, Earth and Narnia, and numerous others. It had the form of a quiet forest dotted with many wide pools of supposed water, each of which served as a portal to a different world. 

Zahnd talks about the cross serving as a portal of sorts as well.  Zahnd says, “In this world of sin and death we do not despair because we believe the cross will transport us to a world where, in the beloved words of Lady Julian from the Chronicles of Narnia, “All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well”.

The following poem was inspired by reflections this Easter season around the meaning of The Wood Between The Worlds.

I. The Crossroads of Redemption

In the heart of cosmic twilight, where realms converge,

A cross stood tall—a bridge of splintered wood,

Its arms outstretched, a compass pointing to eternity,

And upon it, the weight of salvation hung heavy.

II. The Wood Between the Worlds

This cross, not merely timber hewn by mortal hands,

But a threshold woven from threads of existence,

A portal to realms unseen, veiled by cosmic tapestry,

Where angels wept and demons trembled in awe.

III. The Nails of Sacrifice

Three nails, like fate’s cruel decree, pierced flesh,

Binding divinity to mortality, blood and tears mingling,

The Son of Man, suspended between heaven and earth,

Bearing the sins of ages, a bridge across time’s chasm.

IV. The Crown of Thorns

Upon His brow, a twisted diadem of suffering,

Each thorn a memory, a world’s pain etched in crimson,

Yet through agony, He wore it as a king’s coronet,

For in this wood, the fractured cosmos found its mending.

V. The Veil Torn Asunder

At Golgotha’s crossroads, the veil between realms rent,

The fabric of reality torn, revealing glimpses of glory,

The sun veiled its face, and shadows danced in reverence,

As the Lamb of God surrendered to the cosmic current.

VI. The Centuries Echo

From that cross, echoes reverberate through time,

A symphony of redemption, notes carried on cosmic winds,

The wood between the worlds, a bridge for weary souls,

Guiding them home, where love and grace intertwine.

VII. The Cosmic Choir

Amidst the interstellar winds, a celestial choir assembled,

Their voices woven from stardust and forgotten dreams,

They sang of grace, of sacrifice, of love’s eternal echo,

Their harmonies resonating across the wood’s grain.

VIII. The Wounded Healer

On the heartwood, the wounded Healer hung,

His gaze fixed upon infinity, eyes like galaxies,

Each splinter a memory, each drop of blood a universe,

For in His brokenness, redemption unfurled its wings.

IX. The Compass Rose

And so the cross became a compass rose,

Pointing not to cardinal directions, but to salvation,

Its arms stretching beyond time’s horizon,

Guiding lost souls toward the shores of grace.