“If the world’s a veil of tears, smile til rainbows span it.”
Lucy Larcom Tweet
A Different kind of thin.
Have you ever been to a place where you felt deeply connected to something vastly greater than you?
How about a place where you’ve been so filled with awe, overcome with a profound sense of peace, that your heart felt as if it was going to explode?
Recently, I was surfing along the internet, doing some research for an article I was writing, when I came across a phrase that gobsmacked me right between my eyes. Before I knew it, I was cruising down all sorts of rabbit holes curiously wanting to know more about what I just discovered.
What was it that captured my attention?
The term I came across was called “Thin Places.”
We live in a culture obsessed with being thin.
That’s a very different kind of thin.
The meaning of “Thin Places” is rooted in the mystical realm.
Thin Places are locations on earth where the veil between heaven and earth is virtually invisible – where the veil or separation is at its “thinnest.”
Throughout the spiritual teachings, we learn about the veil between the worlds – the veil that separates our human selves from the world of divinity.
This is a mirror for the veil that exists within us – the one that separates our ego from our authentic self or our human self from our higher self.
Stay with me for a moment here.
This is where things get interesting.
Many of us pray. We pray for all kinds of things. We pray at different times of our lives. Especially when life brings us to our knees, when we’ve lost all hope, we resort to prayer – to someone or something much greater than us to help us through – or to help us to find our own way through.
You may be wondering about now, what on earth does this have to do with “Thin Places?”
So glad you asked. Actually, it has little to do with earth and everything to do with heaven – or the divine.
Thin Places are places on earth where awe inspiring moments are the norm rather than the exception. They are actual locations where the veil between heaven and earth is virtually nonexistent – heavenly spaces and places.
Thin Places are the spaces where humans have the greatest opportunity to have their prayers heard.
They are the places where heaven meets earth.
It’s easy to sense this in extraordinary places such as national parks. Another area where “Thin Places” are more common tends to be locations such as Sedona or Mount Shasta that are considered to be “energy vortexes.” From Joshua Tree to the Redwoods, from Sedona to the Grand Canyon, from Native American lands to mountain tops, every single one of these places has left me with an overwhelming sense of awe.
Each one of these places are what spiritual teachers and mystics refer to as “Thin Places” or Heaven on Earth.
One commonality of “Thin Places” is silence. These are places that are calm, peaceful, outside of the chaotic human energy that allow us to escape from the kookiness of our daily human life.
Silence is a direct pathway to God, Source, the Divine – something far greater than us.
Think of it like a phone line (yes, I know I’m dating myself but y’all are Boomers like me!) If a lot of people are using the phone lines at once, it can be difficult to get your call to go through. When the lines are wide open, it’s easy for your call to be placed and your voice to be heard.
Thin Places allow your voice – your prayer – and your desires to be heard from above.
It’s like having God on speed dial – a direct connection to Source!
Thin Places thin the veil without and within – the one that exists between your ego & your authentic self – so that you can discern between the two voices, one real, one not so much.
The next time life brings you to your knees, head out to mother nature, to a beautiful national park or to a peaceful desert to amplify your prayers. Watch as you begin to feel lighter both within and without.
That, Beauties, is a different kind of thin.
6 comments
Ashley
Thanks! You have no idea how much I needed to hear this today.
Catherine Grace O'Connell
Hi Ashley,
I’m delighted to hear this! I only share what I need to hear as well. Thank you for visiting. Wishing you a fabulous week!
Lisa King
So interesting!! I have done a meditation by Gabrielle Bernstein called Lifting the Veil. I didn’t know what it truly meant. You gave a great explanation here! I need a trip to Sedona!
Catherine Grace O'Connell
Thank you for sharing sister? I love Sedona. Definitely a thin place!
jodie
Now that a thin I can get behind.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Catherine Grace O'Connell
The best kind of thin!