What's Beyond the Veil?
See Beyond the Veil. Look past the Veil. Part the Veil.
The Ancestors are just on the other side of the Veil. The Leprechauns are just on the other side of the Veil. Your childhood dog is on the other side of the Veil, as well as your Great Aunt Mary's secret deviled egg recipe and the taste of fairy cider and flower secrets.
There's lots of talk about The Veil these days, especially in herbal and witchy circles.
But what actually is it?
The Veil is a diaphanous energetic barrier that separates our world from the Otherword.
At least that's how I imagine it. As with most energetic concepts, it is immaterial, and -- ultimately -- an illusion. So we have to imagine these things.
Here in our world, our attention is captivated by the many sensual aspects of our existence (mmm bevs...) as well as the mundane tasks of our daily lives (you have to actually prepare the bevs). We need to give our attentions to our lives in order to, well, survive.
And yet.
There are some of us who sense that the Mystery is right there, floating just beyond our fingertips, available if only we could reach it...
Well, it is. And that unnamed feeling of separation you have from the Mystery, from your full intuition, from the All that Is, that is the Veil.
Why do we want to see beyond the Veil? Because that's where all the good stuff is!
If you're like me, and the great intrigue of your life is communicating with plant spirits, other spirits, Teachers, Guides, and Ancestors -- then yes, looking past the Veil is the way to do that.
If you imagine The Veil as the distraction that keeps us from vibrating in harmony with the Otherworld, then "seeing beyond the Veil" means altering your vibration and bringing it into alignment with that of the Otherworld.
Simple, right? But not easy.
There's lots of talk about The Veil right now, and for a good reason -- at this time of year, around Samhain( Oct. 31st) the Veil is particularly thin.
As we're floating among the energetic themes of letting go, releasing, composting, etc., we are also well-positioned to connect with our ancestors, our own intuition, and our magical abilities.
So what's a witch to do?
The traditional way of parting the Veil, of bridging the gap from our mundane world to the Otherworld, of heightening our senses so that they can dwell comfortably in our intuition -- is smoke.
Smoke as in burning herbs in any sort of way. From a bundle, from a cauldron, from a lit pipe. From incense, from a fire, from a single leaf.
Smoke shifts the vibration of spaces and beings (beings = you). It can sanctify, cleanse, and lift. It can open, expand, and transcend. It can convey or invite, dispel or welcome.
Smoke is pure plant magic. It is an important part of most rituals and has been for likely all of human existence. It can prepare space for a ritual, open a ritual, or close a ritual. It is truly transcendent, and a beautiful tool to have in your witchy toolkit.
Working with smoke is relatively straightforward: you burn a dried plant. Easy.
The skill comes in:
1) Knowing which plants to burn for which purpose
2) Blending the plants
3) Knowing how to burn them well
4) Burning the plants within the context of an empowered ritual
This is where smoke goes from being a physical phenomenon to a magical phenomenon. Smoke can be the result of fire, or it can be a potent magical tool.
People ask me all the time which herbs they can smoke or burn, which herbs are best for which situation, etc. Really, there is so little information out there about burning herbs other than white sage or palo santo (which, honestly, none of us should be using unless we grow them. and none of us grow palo santo.)
So that's what Ritual & Smoke is all about. It's about working with smoke as a powerful magical bridge to the Otherworld.
You can find all the details about the course here.
Here are the fast facts:
It's a 6-week course.
It starts on FRIDAY!
You need to register by Friday at midnight. The first Portal will open around 7pm.
You will learn: smoking stuff, ritual stuff, and herby stuff.
It's plant magic all-the-way, and full-on witchy.
It's seasonally appropriate.
Want to join us?
If you're thinking -- "What if I don't smoke? Will I still get anything out of it?" I made this video for you. (The short answer is: yes! Smoking is just one part of the course).
If you have any questions about Ritual & Smoke, I'd love to answer them. In fact, I'd love to answer any questions you have. I really actually love answering questions -- that's why I became an herbal teacher :)
So reach out, say hi, ask me something, and if you want to hang out for 6 weeks talking about magical, witchy things, join me in Ritual & Smoke.
With a dash of smoke magic,
Amanda
P.S. Have you seen my Witchy Tip video about Living Bones and Dead Bones? We'll be working with both in Ritual & Smoke ;) Like I said, maximum witchy...