Beyond the Veil
Nya House - Witch Residency Writer
It’s the seventh hour of this day. The sun is just beginning to stir in its bed and open its eyes…not yet though. Maybe one more snooze, I imagine. Two candles flicker on the square trunk just in front of where I sit on my couch. Isabella, the sweetest puppy, lays curled in a ball as close to me as she can get. Every once in a while she stirs and lets out a soft sigh. Deuter plays on the speaker behind me on the left and beckons me to be quiet, to find stillness. I still have half a cup of coffee left and it’s lost it’s steam so I set it down on the table. I consider closing my eyes and sinking into meditation, but there’s a flicker of light at my back door that catches my eye. I watch for a breath or two and decide it must have been my imagination. I close my eyes and lean my head back against the couch pillows, considering getting up to refill my cup. Suddenly there’s a flicker of light above my eyes. I open them to investigate, but there’s nothing there. I look around the room and listen to the movement of the air then I watch the flickering of the candles. The fire dances and laughs. I smile and say, “Good morning to you.” The flames go out-both of them, gone. Just as if someone had leaned over and blown them out. Isabella sits up from her morning nap and stares directly at the candles. Chills rush over my skin and then I take in a long, deep, slow breath to calm my startled fears so I can just listen. “Hello?” I said. There came no response. Nothing else moved. The music had gone quiet in between songs and then began again playing my favorite meditation song. “Okay.” I said aloud, sitting a little taller and wiggling into the couch to get more com-fortable. I closed my eyes and began alternate nostril breathing to calm my slightly agi-tated nerves. I had no idea why those candles went out. There was no explanation, which usually meant there was a perfect explanation. I just needed a minute to accept it. Someone was in my living room with me, someone from another place and another time and they had something to say. Behind my eyelids, the colors began to swirl. Bubbles moved and grew and I allowed my awareness to ebb and flow with them. My body grew heavy and then still until I was no longer concerned with where it was or how it was feeling. The sound of my breath took over my senses and I followed that rhythm. The colors began to go dark and still. Soon tiny lights began to glow in the distance. One after another, they emerged from the blackness that had fallen and rested all around me. My sight grew more keen and the smell of the night air made it’s way to my face. There