The creed says Jesus ascended into Heaven. The book of Acts depicts this mountain top scene with Jesus being lifted into the sky. But where is heaven?

In one of my favorite movies, Field of Dreams, the ghost of John Kinsella comes back to his estranged son, Ray's, Iowa farm to play baseball under a clear blue summer sky with the ghosts of many famous baseball players from the early 20th century, including "Shoeless Joe" Jackson. After filling a perfect sunny summer afternoon with the sights, sounds and smells of America's traditional pastime, it is time for the players to retreat to the magical cornfield out of which they come every day to play.

As the sun sets, Ray and his father meet on the first baseline and John Kinsella says, "I just want to thank you folks for building this field." Then he asks, "Is this heaven?"
Ray responds, "It's Iowa!"
John then questions, "Iowa? I could have sworn this was heaven."
"Is there a heaven?" asks Ray.
John, his eyes wide in awe says, "Oh yeah. It's the place where dreams come true."
To which Ray, giving a small nod of acknowledgment says, "Maybe this is heaven."

Could heaven be a baseball field in the middle of an Iowa cornfield? Heaven is most often portrayed as among the clouds. This was where we thought the gods and angels lived. Mountain tops where important places of worship because they were closest to heaven. And yet, few airline pilots have reported encounters with angels or running into the heavenly throne room. And similarly, modern physics tells us that if Jesus ascended "up" at the speed of light, he still would be within the confines of the Milky Way galaxy today. In fact, the nearest known galaxy to us, The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy is some 25000 light years away from our solar system and 42,000 light years away from the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. This is very close in astrophysical terms. This little galaxy is so close, in fact, that it is being ripped apart by the gravitation field of our galaxy. But still, if Jesus where ascending to heaven at the speed of light, he would still be 23,000 years short of passing our closest galactic neighbor.

So where is heaven? First, this is the wrong question. If heaven (or hell for that fact) is a place, then we will ultimately be able to reach it through technology. Someday, we will build a spaceship fast enough to get there.

But I don't think that heaven is a place in the conventional sense. Before the Big Bang, all matter, energy and space-time were condensed into a single point with infinite density. If this is true, then where was this infinitely dense point? Where did it rest? Nowhere, because space-time did not exist before the Big Bang! So, if there is a dimension beyond space & time, perhaps, this is where God and heaven are? Perhaps… but to my mind heaven is less a place or a dimension than an experience of beauty, peace and unity.

"Heavenly" is an analogy we use for beauty. Spring-flowered alpine meadows, a clear sky with a bright sun over azure blue water, sunrises and sunsets and the twinkling glow of the starry heavens on a crystal night are all described as heavenly. Being "at peace" is another state which we describe as "heavenly."

Not merely a state of non-violence, this is an inner state of where no anxiety exists for us. We have nothing urging, tugging or pulling at our conscience. There are no needs or desires to be filled. We are very awake, very alive, but simply at rest. Our soul feels no urge to move. This is also heavenly.

Finally, heaven is where there is a sense of oneness. We sense heaven's presence when we feel a sense of connectedness with all human beings and even the universe itself. In that sense of unity with all things, there is awe and wonder and deep humility. There is awe at the elegance and beauty of creation. There is wonder at the vastness of the universe's beauty and dimensions. And there is deep humility in the realization, that as small and insignificant as we are, we are also rare, precious jewels that are highly prized.

So, where is heaven? Heaven is where the true nature of reality is revealed in dimensions of beauty, peace and unity. Heaven is be here and now, if we have the eyes to see it. The more we live into heaven now, the more permanent a reality heaven will be. The path is simple: equality, fraternity, and peace.