Rafe, a 70-year-old Trappist hermit, met Cynthia Bourgeault, a 50-year-old Episcopal priest, at a monastery in Snowmass, Colorado. Their three-year love affair was, as the author puts it, "a union of hearts that would endure beyond the grave and allow us to grow toward one complete soul." Following in the spirit of Christ, they practiced radical self-abandonment, which in some spiritual circles has been called "the Fifth Way." In this pioneering work, Bourgeault discusses the nature of their conscious love and "the great grace of work together beyond the grave." Couples who feel a strong erotic connection, share a deep and rich spiritual practice, and are completely devoted to each other will find cues here on how to keep their dance going beyond death.

More than any other book in recent memory, Love Is Stronger than Death reveals the spiritual adventures available to those who are true soul mates. Bourgeault discusses the four building blocks of soul work beyond the grave: the reunion of souls, building the second body, the vow, and working in the wonders. She goes on to share her post-death encounters with Rafe and the manifestations of his "body of hope."

Whereas the traditional Christian idea of afterlife tends to emphasize souls at rest, Cynthia's experiences of Rafe involve mobility and majesty. She speaks of "the pure essence of his presence and the immense energy of his love — minus the physical body." And most amazing, Bourgeault has access with her beloved to a "book of life" containing "the sum total of their earthly impressions and memories, whether or not these experiences were actually shared in human life." This is a wonder inducing guidebook to the marvels of love and the spiritual life.