(Image description: A photo of two sheer scarves waft upwards. A smaller, white scarf is next to a larger, orange one. Some windows are in the background in a dimly lit space.) Credit: Photo by Kacper Zaremba on Unsplash
The subject of Pagan veiling has been something I’ve periodically wanted to follow up on. Perhaps it was coincidence, but maybe Brighid wished for me to write more about it again. As of this post, it’s basically been two years since my original discussion.
I have been keeping up with it, but it’s become more of a casual show of devotion by putting on a hat. It’s practical as it protects my head from the sun, and it also covers the crown of the head. Amusingly enough, I like to think of the crown as the brim of a cauldron. Within Irish Polytheism, there’s said to be three cauldrons within the human body, with the one in the head being considered the Cauldron of Wisdom.
I haven’t been wearing scarves due to wanting to be discreet, but I still would like to return to wearing them one day. Scarves simply have a different feel compared to hats and have more of a comforting effect. They can be tricky to tie and a bit tight if you have sensory issues, so those are more reasons I haven’t continued wearing them.
However, I recently understood that veiling can extend to anything that can be placed over the head, in addition to being placed on top of the head. For some, this could be a pendant; I’ve even seen someone use an eyeglass chain. The concept of veiling is very versatile, depending on how much time you want to put into it.
As I’ve written about, veiling can easily be linked to Brighid and Her mantle. It’s easy enough to put on the item you want to veil with, but including a sacred gesture deepens the practice.
I remember a short prayer meant to invoke St. Brighid’s protection that came up in a discussion in a Clann Bhride group. In Irish, the prayer reads, “A Bhrigid, scar os mo chionn Do bhrat fionn dom anacal.” The English translation means, “O Brigid spread above my head Your mantle bright to guard me.”
I’m digressing but trying to find an academic source for this prayer was a wild goose chase. The closest I came was finding the attribution in Brian Wright’s Brigid: Goddess, Druidess, and Saint. However, it doesn’t include bright in the English translation, but it does mention it as being used as a means of protecting children from the Fair Folk. This website includes the Irish and English translations, but even with a bibliography, following the citations can be somewhat muddled.
In any regard, the prayer is adaptable enough to be applied while putting on your veil. You could include anointing the scarf, hat, or jewelry with a special oil, but I prefer to keep it simple. In the future, I will use this prayer to include a bit of the sacred in the mundane.
If you’re interested in the practice of veiling, maybe my thoughts on the topic might provide some inspiration for you.