During the month of October it’s said that the “veil” between the world of the living and the world of spirit is at its thinnest.
The notion of the veil thinning has been a constant of Autumn for thousands of years. The Ancient Celts for example acknowledged the fact that this was a time when the borders between the dead and the living were thinned, allowing spirits to wander among those still living.
But what actually is “the veil” and how can we work with it?
The veil is essentially the energetic and psychic barrier which separates us from the realm of spirit.
The best way to picture this is by envisioning it like an analogue radio - as you turn the dial, you’ll get a lot of static and white noise. But when you hit the right frequency, you’ll tune in to a radio station and hear the music playing.
That’s kind of what the veil is like.
As our mind and energy turn inward at this time of year, we tend to think about and reflect on the months and years gone before us. Inevitably, this often includes those people and loved ones who we’ve lost. We recognise the similarities between the natural world and our own internal world, just as our ancestors would’ve done thousands of years ago.
In other words, we see our internal world reflected externally - as above, so below, as within, so without.
We see the leaves falling and plant life dying, as the cold fingers of the first frosts begin to touch them, just as deaths hand touches us all one day.
We are acutely aware of the death and decay all around us, which makes us look at our own mortality, and that of our friends and family, and those we’ve already lost.
We see the animals begin to go to ground and hibernate, the nights getting longer and the daylight getting shorter, and as a result, we also acknowledge our own darkness, our own desire to ‘hunker down’ and keep warm, cosy and ride out the long, cold dark months ahead.
As we pull back our energy and thoughts into this period, we essentially “tune in” our “dial” to the frequency of spirit, which means we are far more likely to experience spiritual or supernatural phenomena during this time of year than any other as we are more heightened to the frequencies.
There’s lots we can do to work with this ‘thinning’ which helps us connect with our ancestors, our loved ones who have passed, or our shadow self.
Here are just a few ideas:
Hold a silent supper on the 31st - Samhain
A ‘silent supper’ or ‘dumb supper’ as it’s also known, is essentially a dinner party where an additional place is set for those in spirit, and they are invited to join you at the table.
This is a deeply spiritual experience for many witches and invokes thoughts and conversation of those who we’ve lost.
The idea of it being silent or ‘dumb’ is really a more modern concept due to the “silence” of the dead and the somber mood of it.
But living or dead, who wants to come to a silent dinner party?!
How these are held and conducted vary according to hosts, but either way it’s often an emotional and deeply spiritual experience for all.
Light a Samhain fire
Samhain fires are an integral part of all Samhain celebrations.
You could arrange a Samhain bonfire party, extinguish all candles or fireplaces in the house, and then reignite them all from this single sacred bonfire to bring protection into your home for the cold dark months ahead, and to light the way for your ancestors to find their way back to you.
This practise is very old and was one which our ancient Celtic ancestors held in great importance. You can combine harvest foods, and seasonal wines, meads and fruit punches to add to this event as well as dressing up or ‘guising’ should you wish to scare off unwanted spirits.
Carving a Jack o' Lantern
In my previous post about the jack o lantern, I go into detail of the origins. But it’s an ideal time to carve your pumpkin and bring that protective light into your home, decorate your alter with it, or carve protective runes and symbols into them, and use them as talismans to ward off unwelcome spirits or bad energy.
Write a letter to a passed loved one
This simple but deeply emotive practise can often help ease the grief we feel when we lose someone. Simply writing to them as if they were still alive, and then burning it, and watching the wind carry your words upwards into the realm of spirit in the smoke, can be extremely healing.
Choose good paper and a nice pen to say all of the things you didn’t get a chance to say. Then send it to the spirit realm.
However you decide to celebrate or honour this time, slow your pace and always remember to be kind to yourself.
This time of year can bring up a lot of emotions and illness for many people, so always prioritise self care.
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