Hi there, dreamers and deep thinkers,
Have you ever felt a fleeting moment where the ordinary melts away, and you’re left standing in a reality that feels deeper, more profound? Many mystics and sages have described these experiences as moments when the “veil” between this world and the next becomes thin. This veil, as they call it, is not a physical boundary but an energetic or spiritual one—a membrane that separates the material from the infinite, the seen from the unseen. Today, let’s explore the timeless wisdom of those who’ve peered beyond it and shared their glimpses of eternity.
What Is the Veil?
The concept of the veil appears across cultures, religions, and philosophies. It’s often described as the barrier between the material world we know and the spiritual realm that exists just beyond our perception. For some, it’s a metaphor for the limits of our human senses; for others, it’s a literal boundary that can be crossed in certain states of consciousness. Either way, mystics have always believed the veil is thin—delicate, ephemeral, and occasionally transparent.
Rumi, the Sufi poet, beautifully expressed this idea: “Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.” For him, the veil was a temporary illusion, a way to remind us that nothing is truly lost, only transformed.
The Mystic’s Perspective
Mystics across traditions—Christian, Sufi, Hindu, Buddhist, and Indigenous—speak of direct experiences with the divine. These experiences often occur when the veil is lifted, granting them insight into the interconnectedness of all things. They describe visions, dreams, and moments of clarity that feel more real than ordinary life.
Julian of Norwich, a 14th-century Christian mystic, had profound visions that showed her the unity of creation. She famously wrote, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” Her encounters with the divine were not just glimpses beyond the veil but reassurances of the eternal love holding everything together.
Indigenous Wisdom on the Veil
In Indigenous traditions, the veil is often understood as the boundary between the world of the living and the ancestors. Many Native American cultures believe that the spiritual world is not separate from our own but intertwined with it. Certain times, places, or rituals allow access to this interconnected reality, where ancestors guide and protect the living.
The Lakota people, for instance, describe Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, as being present in everything. Through vision quests, they seek to transcend the veil and gain wisdom from the spirit realm. These practices remind us that the veil is not something to fear but a bridge to a deeper understanding of life and death.
Death as a Passage Through the Veil
Mystics have long taught that death is not an ending but a passage through the veil. It’s a transition, a return to the source from which we all come. This perspective is not limited to one culture or religion but is found in the writings of sages worldwide.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead describes death as a journey through the bardo, an intermediate state where the soul navigates the space between lives. Here, the veil is fully lifted, revealing the ultimate reality of existence. The book serves as a guide to help souls transition peacefully, offering a roadmap for the afterlife.
The Thin Veil in Everyday Life
The veil isn’t only thin at the moment of death; it’s thin in everyday moments of stillness, love, and awe. Have you ever felt the presence of someone you’ve lost, as though they were just beside you? Mystics suggest this isn’t your imagination but a genuine experience of the veil becoming transparent.
The Celtic tradition speaks of “thin places,” sacred locations where the boundary between worlds feels particularly fragile. Standing at the edge of the ocean or walking through an ancient forest can evoke this sensation. These are places where time seems to stretch, and the spiritual world feels touchable, almost tangible.
Sufi Teachings on Oneness
Sufi mystics, like Rumi and Hafiz, describe the veil as the illusion of separation between us and the divine. To them, lifting the veil reveals the oneness of existence—a love so vast it defies human comprehension. In their poetry, they speak of being drunk on this love, intoxicated by the nearness of the infinite.
Hafiz once wrote, “I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.” For Sufis, the veil isn’t just about life and death but about the false divide between ourselves and the eternal love within us.
Eastern Philosophies on the Veil
In Hindu and Buddhist thought, the veil is often called “maya,” or illusion. This illusion keeps us bound to the material world, distracted by desires and fears. Enlightenment, they teach, is the lifting of this veil, allowing us to see the truth of our interconnectedness.
The Bhagavad Gita describes this beautifully: “As the same person inhabits the body through childhood, youth, and old age, so too at the time of death he attains another body. The wise are not deluded by these changes.” The veil, in this sense, is our ignorance of the soul’s immortality and its constant evolution.
Modern Mystics and the Veil
Even in the modern era, there are those who’ve written about the veil in profound ways. Near-death experiences, for example, often describe journeys beyond the veil, where individuals encounter a realm of light, love, and overwhelming peace. These accounts, though diverse, share a common thread: the sense that this other realm is just as real—if not more so—than our physical world.
Mystic and philosopher Aldous Huxley experimented with psychedelics to glimpse beyond the veil. In his writings, he described these experiences as breaking down the filters of ordinary perception, revealing a world that is “infinite and holy.” While his methods were unconventional, his insights echo the timeless wisdom of ancient sages.
The Veil and Interconnectedness
What all these teachings point to is a profound truth: the veil is thin because we are already connected to what lies beyond it. Life and death, the physical and the spiritual, are not opposites but part of a continuous whole. This interconnectedness is the essence of the mystic’s vision, a reminder that we are never truly separate from anything or anyone.
Even science, in its exploration of quantum entanglement and the nature of reality, hints at this truth. Particles across vast distances can influence one another instantaneously, suggesting that the boundaries we perceive are not as solid as they seem. Perhaps the veil is as much a construct of our minds as it is a spiritual reality.
Embracing the Mystery
So, what can we do with this knowledge? Mystics and sages invite us not to fear the veil but to approach it with curiosity, wonder, and love. By cultivating stillness, practicing compassion, and seeking connection, we can experience the thinning of the veil in our own lives.
Moments of deep presence—watching a sunrise, holding a loved one’s hand, or sitting in quiet meditation—can remind us of the eternity that lies just beyond our senses. These moments are gifts, glimpses into the truth that life is eternal and love is the thread that weaves it all together.
Stay Curious
The veil may be thin, but its purpose is not to separate; it’s to remind us that the boundary is an illusion. As you move through your day, remember that the infinite is never far away. It’s in the air you breathe, the ground beneath your feet, and the love you carry in your heart.
Stay curious, dear readers, and keep seeking the extraordinary in the everyday. Who knows? Perhaps the next time you pause in stillness, you’ll feel the veil lift, if only for a moment.
With love,
April
Cognitive Psycho
