The Reference Point: Journey to the Origin of Belief

The Reference Point begins by telling of an attempted murder gone good. Usually murder, attempted or otherwise, is thought of as a thing gone bad, but with a little help from irony, stress, and mystery, bad intentions slipped into another direction and the participants found themselves in a state that defied earthly description. Like it or not, states that defy earthly description filter into our earthly lives often enough to create whole industries trying to explain or exploit these phenomena.  (Google "religion, " or better yet, "spirituality.") We want a vital connection with a higher state, and with most of us, "maybe" is not an option.
We see that humanity, unlike water, seeks higher than its own level, and we see that people have a need to go there. The Reference Point tells of people who went there. First they are seen on a wild and primitive tour by boxcar through the Northern Rockies, up the Alaska Highway in a VW Microbus, and down the Yukon River in a canoe. And there they are seen again in a little mountain cabin built next to a big creek flowing into a deep lake.
Outwardly, the people in mention are tramps, preachers, dog mushers, innkeepers, nut cases, hitchhikers, homesteaders, students, prospectors, and (saving the best for last), you. Why you? Mostly because you are likely to see your self in here, in harmony with the others, pushing back the superficial, cutting through the clutter, so when you step off your last mile, you can look back and say, "Not only have I held, but I have also risen."