A Thousand Veils

The soul is covered by a thousand veils.
Hazrat Iyanat Khan

Hmm! I have heard others use the term veil over and over again it seems  lately.  I have seen the word used in several of the books I have been recently reading or studying as well.  I close my eyes and see veils blowing in the wind like laundry on the line. (Thus the poem).

I know in my heart I want to get through these veils to the truth that remains a mystery to me...the truth that  is on the other side of what "I think'' I know. I speak of these veils to loved ones who feel helpless and in pain...hoping they will recognize them as blocks to their happiness and see that all they have to do is walk through them.  Of course, it is not that easy for any of us who are just waking up.  It is especially hard for  the individual still lost in mind, which is the creator of these veils. Oh, I know there are so many layers of veils...so many clotheslines full of flapping sheets that are standing before what is real...what is beckoning all of us.

Of course these veils I am speaking of are those that lay between who we think we are and who we really are; between ego and God; fear and Love; form and the formless; the physical and the spiritual  and between our suffering and freedom from our suffering.

The veils are so flimsy yet we see them to be as solid as rock most times, don't we? If we are lucky or if we are committed to a spiritual practice...we may see or sense shadows beyond the veils  and hear the compelling invitation to go forward through them. But most of us will not even notice their transparency and assume  the world stops at each veil and goes no further.  Sigh!

Anyway, that was the inspiration for my poem and where my mind is at.  When we think about digging into rock to find what is real, it seems like such a challenging thing to do yet it is probably as simple as walking through a veil.  Someday, hopefully , we will all realize these veils are as flimsy as worn cotton sheets on a line.  Maybe then we will all lift them and go through them.  Hmmm!

All is well.

Lift the veil that obscures the heart, and there you will find what you are looking for.
Kabir