Our dear friend and colleague Brain Holley
died on Thurs 8th May 2025 at St Michael’s Hospice.
Brian was a deeply spiritual man who was much loved and deeply valued as a member of Herefordshire InterFaith and who contributed greatly to our activities.
In this post we will share some inspirations, appreciations and quotes from those in our group who knew him as well as links to the books he wrote and left as a legacy for us.
From Mike Hadden:
The week before Brain died I visited him at the Hospice. He was dozing when I walked in and sat down opposite him. He open his eyes and smiled at me in an almost beatific way and said “Ah Mike, this is wonderful!”. It was clear that he was in a deeply peaceful state of total acceptance and grace which touched everyone who came into contact with him including several members of the Hospice staff. The morning after he died I happened to pick up his book ‘From The Secret Cave’ and it fell open at a page which seemed to be a sycnchronistic message from him and perfectly expressed the way he was when I saw him. This is what it said:
No one struggles to die
Unless they seek suicide,
They struggle to live.
But when the time comes
Dying is a simple thing.
You surrender to it.
The wise know how to die.
That is why they know how to live.
They know how to enter the tomb;
How to remain there for three days;
How to roll away the stone,
And how to walk out into new life.
~ Brian Holley in his book ‘From The Secret Cave’
From Wendy Barzetovic:
Brian was very much at one with all things as can be seen in his insightful poems. His book ‘From the Secret Cave’ is one of my favourite poetry books.
I also opened it up when I heard of his death; it too opened up on poem 81, as a fitting tribute to a wonderful, modest man. My life was enhanced by knowing him.
From David Gifford:
The last time I saw Brian was a week before he passed.
It was a warm summery evening; the french doors open and a warm breeze with the scent of flowers and the sound of bees were to be sensed in the room. There was a palpable peace in that room. Brian’s face was radiant with inner contentment, deep joy and peace. It overflowed and I was embraced by it too. This short piece of music called Summer Song by Ludovico Einaudi seems to capture the mood and state I sensed.
From Zack Pandor:
When someone passes away, we say,
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُون
“To God we belong and to him we return”
From Geoff Ault
Habitually, when I lose a loved and respected friend (and Brian was both to be sure), I come back to this familiar poem, and to the words of Baha’u’llah which follow. They never fail to hit the mark at a time of mourning such as this.
Do not stand
By my grave, and weep:
I am not there,
I do not sleep.
I am the thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints in snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle, autumn rain.
As you awake with morning’s hush,
I am the swift, up-flinging rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight,
I am the day transcending night.
Do not stand
By my grave, and cry:
I am not there,
I did not die.
~Clare Harner (1909-1977)
Thou art My glory, and My glory fadeth not. Thou art My robe and My robe shall never be outworn. Abide then in thy love for Me, that thou mayest find Me in the realm of glory.
~Hidden Words, Baha’u’llah
From Midge and Geoff Ault
It has been a privilege to know Brian. His peacefulness, his openness, his indomitable spirit, his bravery throughout his illness, his ability to expand the spiritual awarenss of those with whom he came into contact — all these, and more, we will miss dearly. God bless you, Brian.
From Phil Allitt:
Currach
My boat and my body are ready.
There are currents calling from the deep sea,
singing from the crest of the running wave.
I have left the hearth of home,
turned my back on the place of shelter.
The ocean is my mother,
the flowing air my father
and I will ride the calms and storms.
I am surrendered to the turning tide,
I am directed by the untamed wind.
They are the breath and breast of God.
~ Jane Upchurch from “The Bones of Love, the Way of Jesus”
Brian wrote four books which are all full of his spirit, insight and wealth of experience.
From The Secret Cave
The Spirit of The Upanishads
The God I Left Behind: A journey from fundamentalism to faith
What My Doctors Didn’t Tell Me About Cancer: What You Can Do to Support and Enhance Your Cancer Treatment
They can be found on Amazon at this page together with interesting biographical background information.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00A5RDMY4
One final quote from Brian in his book ‘From The Secret Cave’ which seems so apt and expresses what a lot of us feel.
When a loved one dies
For what do you weep?
A decrepit body
Or the milieu of the One?
Yet the One is
Not something you can lose,
Like a friend.
So what is the loss you mourn?
You have lost a unique expression
Of the Enabling
That manifested itself
But once
In one who is no more.
Weep now.
For never again
Will there be such a manifestation
of the ineffable.