The Veil Thins

Fall has arrived and is now waning.  I had anxiously awaited to embrace the height of the season, when all of the leaves had piqued in their full splendor.  I wanted to drive the back roads to absorb all of the glory of the season, where every road seems to have turned into a tunnel of fire, ablaze with orange, red, and yellow.   I wanted to walk in the woods and hear the leaves, and dried pine needles crackle underfoot; and, to breathe the cool crisp air, so welcome after the long, humid summer.  Unfortunately, the rain has arrived, and I did not afford the opportunity this year, and it has left me a disappointed.  

I can't help but think, however, that this is exactly what makes our beloved little state so special.  Each season is defined, but none more glorious than autumn. It has always been my favorite time of year.    

Something inside me changes, too.  There is a feeling, that occurs within me that I've never put into words until now, and for some reason, it occurred to me that it is definitely seasonal, and it is definitely there as we grow closer to Halloween, a.k.a. Samhain.  

I will try to explain it.  And, I am curious if others experience this, too? 

There is something innately within me that begins to shift after the Autumnal Equinox [Mabon].  Perhaps it could be described as a "creepy feeling".  It is as if something is following me, and I find myself looking out of the corner of my eye, or observing a dark corner as if I am waiting for something - or some one - to appear from it's depths.   I feel as if someone is behind me, lurking - only to turn around and find there is nothing there, but a presence seems to linger.  I have thought of someone from long ago, only to have them appear.  

Recently, I began to consider the "Thinning of the Veil" which is mainly of Celtic phenomena or legend, that occurs at Halloween.  

The belief is that the Veil begins to thin after the Autumn Equinox.  It is a time of dark mysteries and magical traditions where the "veil" between our world and the Underworld (also known as the "Otherworld") is lifted (and is the thinnest) between October 31st and November 1st, allowing the dead to convene with the living. 

In ancient times, during Halloween (which was known as "The Feast of the Dead";  or "Old Hallowmas"; or "Shadowfest" ; or "All Hallow's Eve"), the Celts would open all of their doors and windows open to both allow spirits to enter - and more importantly, -  to leave their households. 

Food was left on doorsteps for the wandering dead, apples were buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who had no descendants to provide for them or who were lost; and, candles were lit and left in windows to help guide the dead home.  All of this, and more, was an attempt to communicate with those departed and a way to guide them into Summerland.

Recently I have discovered that many, like me, also feel this "Thinning of the Veil".  Senses are heightened, we are very much in tune with nature, and our extrasensory perception is in over-drive. 

I found the following online, and it best explains what is happening to us, as the Veil "thins".  I loved how this person described the natural shift that occurs within many of us:

"The ability to feel Spirit is called clairsentience.  This ability, naturally inherent in all of us, is the ability to clearly sense the energy of those around you - both those living and those deceased. If you have the ability to sense emotions, thoughts and intentions of others or have the ability to connect and bond closely with animals by anticipating their needs, it’s likely you have high natural clear-sensing skills.

By detecting the emotions, thoughts and then using this sensory information to connect with others in empathy and compassion, you are connecting with the Spirit of another living being. And if you can connect with the Spirit of someone currently with a physical body, you can communicate and connect with the Spirit of someone currently without a physical world house - someone on the Other Side of the veil. This is because you are connecting with the Spirit of a person - not the body of a person - in almost all forms of true connection.

A veil,  a sheer and thin layer, is all that that separates the physical and the Spiritual worlds. Two very similar worlds, but based within different in levels of energy (one higher, one lower) are separated by only the types of individuals that can reside there. In the Spiritual realm, there are non-physical beings like Spirit Guides, Angels and Deceased Loved Ones and in the Physical realm, there physical beings, like humans, plants and animals. 

The human realm and the Spirit realm are essentially 'ecosystems' that live side by side, on top of each other.  An ecosystem, is a certain community of beings that are linked together through certain processes - and differences physical, energetic and environmental conditions of an area.

When two ecosystems come together, there is an invisible, yet distinct line that separates the two different habitats. In nature, this line is seen in shorelines, edges of forests, cliffs, tree layers of a rain forest, etc. These are all examples of locations where a thin wall of separation exists - where a veil is located. These are all places where a distinct line in two world meet can meet.

And these are all places where you can identify where that line is located. In the world of Spirit, the thin, yet distinct separating line, is also identifiable, except it's not always visible. Most of the time though, you can feel it. 

When you stand on the edge of this forest, right at tree line, you can start to sense what the forest might be like, even before you step into it - even when you still standing just on the edge of the meadow. You can feel the cool breeze coming out from under the shady canopy, your eyes start adjusting to the lower light in the understory of the forest. You can even begin to feel a temperature change on your skin. When you stand on the line between the two worlds, you can begin to sense properties of both.

On the edge of the veil, between the Spirit World and the Human world, you might start to sense properties of what the veil might be like, and as you walk through it, you may begin to feel physical sensations -  changes within or on your body - indicating that your body is adjusting to an ‘environmental’ change. On the edge of a veil and as you begin to walk past it, it's possible to begin to sense and interact with those on the other Side - Spirit." 

Thy soul shall find itself alone
'Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone;
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy.

Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness- for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.

The night, though clear, shall frown,
And the stars shall not look down
From their high thrones in the Heaven
With light like hope to mortals given,
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.

Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish,
Now are visions ne'er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more, like dew-drop from the grass.

The breeze, the breath of God, is still,
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy, shadowy, yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token.
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries! 

~Edgar Allan Poe