#veiled pagan

[posthumous-pagan]

besties who veil in conservative areas. you are stronger than any us marine.

(it's rough out here 😭)

[bunnyshideawayy]

for pagans/witches who veil or cover their hair for their practice full time, do yall consider modest clothes essential to your veiling or do you still wear what you want? i’ve seen this debate among the community and am interested in seeing what everyone has to say!

for reference i do veil for my practice, just not everyday and i tend to still wear what i want but with limitations!

[the-inkstained-witch]

thrift stores have probably been more beneficial for finding items for my practice then any metaphysical shop and with a lot less cultural appropriation

the houseware section at my favorite thrift store had basically a whole altar that you could have bought for less than 15 dollars. I could see thrift stores working especially well for you if you practice Christian witchcraft or folk Catholicism, because there's no shortage of Christian imagery in small statues and wall art. I've bought literal bags of candles at thrift stores for just a few bucks, and the selection of items like beads, candle holders, jars and trays is something you're never going to find that reasonably priced anywhere else. not to mention the scarves! nearly my entire collection of veils (about a dozen scarves and a dozen bandanas) was thrifted. my advice to anyone starting off in their craft who wants to use common items like spoons and jars in their practice is to find them at thrift stores. obviously, always cleanse the hell out of them. there's gonna be all sorts of unwanted energy in and around them that you're not gonna wanna fuck with, but personally I also love the strong energy coming off a once loved, no longer needed item. thrift stores and charity shops are amazing ways to find new and interesting items to involve in your craft.

[c3l3stial-being]

Trying out a new veiling style today. Thought it looked nice so wanted to share

[hestiashearthfire]

Can you tell me more about veiling? Or link any other places to learn? :)

Khaire, @siriuscitrus! Thanks for your ask; I've been putting off answering because this is such a big question. I've divided my answer into three parts. Keep in mind this is based on my personal experience, so other people may have different opinions.

What is Veiling?

Veiling, generally speaking, is the practice of covering one's head, and depending on tradition, one's hair, shoulders or face. (See a definition here.) Veiling can be practiced for many reasons; oftentimes this reason is religious, but veiling is also practiced culturally as a form of dress. In addition to whatever spiritual purpose a veil might have, a veil is also just a convenient way for many people to protect their hair, shield themselves from the sun, or express themselves aesthetically.

Men and women wear veils, and veiling has been a part of many cultures throughout history. Different cultures have different traditions, terms, and styles of veiling. While many cultures are open to sharing their veiling traditions, some styles of veiling are closed practices with immense cultural meaning, and it's important to be respectful when studying veiling as a practice. Though veiling is ubiquitous throughout places and times, not every style of veiling is appropriate for everyone.

Although veiling typically involves cloth of some kind, such as a scarf or shawl, veils do not have to fully cover the hair, or the neck and shoulders, and veiling can be practiced using accessories such as hats, headbands, bandannas, or clips. The style of veiling chosen by the wearer is a matter of personal comfort, social expectations, or religious norms, and varies widely from place to place.

Why Do People Veil?

As stated above, veiling can be practiced for many reasons, including religious, cultural, personal, practical or aesthetic reasons. For example, in Islam, veiling (termed hijab) is practiced as a form of religious modesty. Other religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, may also have religious reasons for veiling.

Still more people veil as an expression of culture, or simply as a personal preference. Since my reasons for veiling are primarily religious, I can't speak to cultural reasons, but suffice to say that wearing a veil, while certainly an indicator of faith in many cases, is not always a religious matter. Many pagans who practice magic, for example, view veiling as a practical method of protecting one's energy, rather than a religious expression. Sometimes, veiling can be both religious and practical; it is up to the wearer to determine their reasons for veiling.

I veil out of devotion to Hestia, Hera, and Aphrodite. On a less religious note, I simply like the way my hair looks covered, and I enjoy styling my scarves to match my outfits. Veiling makes me feel beautiful and confident, and serves as a physical reminder of the Gods' presence in my life.

How Do People Veil?

Veiling styles are as varied as the cultures from which they originate. For example, I learned to veil from a Jewish community, and so my veils often look like this. In other religions and cultures, more full-coverage styles like this or this, or even full-body veiling might be the style.

It is my understanding that Jewish veiling styles are not closed, and are open for everyone to wear respectfully. More full-coverage styles are also open when worn respectfully; however, one who is not Muslim should not call this practice hijab. Just as it is up to the wearer to determine their reasons for veiling, it is up to the wearer to determine what style of veiling suits them based on their preferences. Although one's religion can impose certain standards, where one lives, works, or worships will ultimately determine what a veil looks like to them.

As an attorney, for example, I have to ensure my veils look professional and are suitable for a conservative environment. Personally, I prefer more turban-like styles, although I am experimenting with more full-coverage styles currently. Veils are incredibly personal to the wearer, and a knit hat may be as precious to one person as a scarf is to another.

Rules surrounding veiling will vary based on religion and culture. As a Hellenic Polytheist, I am not required to veil at all, but as a practice, this was something I carried over from Catholicism. I choose to veil around all but close family and friends. However, in other cultures, one may be required to veil after certain milestones like puberty or marriage, or around certain people, or at times of worship. It is an unfortunate reality in many places that veiling is either enforced or forbidden, and I try to be mindful of that in my practice.

For practical how-to on veiling, the internet is your friend. Sites like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram all have visual examples and tutorials for you to follow. Wrapunzel is one such site with many tutorials. The Haute Take, Haute Hijab's blog, also has great style advice for full-coverage styles. (I'm not getting paid if you click on these links. I am just a happy customer recommending both.)

Please understand that I am not an expert; I have tried to keep this post general to avoid misinformation, but I welcome any corrections or additional information for clarification! I hope this post was helpful to you, and I wish you the best in your veiling journey.

Gods bless you always!

[sillimoff]

Do you wash yourself before prayer?

Today before I prayed to Eros, I decided to collect some of the fallen petals from a bundle of roses I devoted to him, and to filter water over them. I feel like just washing yourself, especially with something related to the deity you are about to pray to before praying is always nice :)

it respects them greatly and I feel that it’s generally a nice thing to do! :D

[amor-madonna]

𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚕 𝚜𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎𝚜

𝙱𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚊

𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚜

Tiaras

Bun Wraps

Headbands

Mantillas are Pretty normalized but if you cant. Just wrap it in your Hairstyle.

Lots of Scrunchies

🩷💫💅

[lovewardeath]

Is there anyone who wears a face veil and is a pagan, witch, occultist, etc etc? I would loveee to chat!! I use veil back when I was Christian a few years ago and I’m interested in doing it again but now as a Pagan.

[baby-turtles-run-the-government]

Today I got two veils because I like to veil sometimes during prayer, a statue of athena amd a necklace of a crow skull for the morrígan I'm so excited! Does anyone else veil?

[wortcunningwitch]

absolutely in love with this veil i thrifted yesterday!

[hearth-and-veil]

I finally figured out how to explain who's allowed to see my hair: people I trust not to touch it.

[posthumous-pagan]

this kid I was at my job orientation with was asking me about my scarf because I said I was raised Mormon and he was like, so did you switch religions? are you Muslim now?

and like. it's a question I get asked cause I veil ik I'm gonna get asked it and it doesn't bother me, but I am always concerned that people are gonna get weirded out when I explain that I'm a Hellenic polytheist, but he actually thought it was super cool which was awesome.

win for the day.

[bennis-trash]

We dont talk enough about veiling. Look at me in my funny little scarf with my funny little devotion! Im so pretty! And im so protected!

[the-inkstained-witch]

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ daily veiling ritual ｡･:*˚:✧｡

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

you can start the ritual already wearing your veil, holding the material you veil with, or do the ritual while tying it on.

when using this ritual, I follow the belief that: fire is the element of the south and rules the physical air is the element of the east and rules the mental earth is the element of the north and rules the spiritual water is the element of the west and rules the emotional

facing one of the cardinal directions (I start with south) recite the following: "I call upon the element of [element] in the [direction] to protect me from [type of protection] harm."

this would look like: "I call upon the element of fire in the south to protect me from physical harm."

then set your intention for how you want it to protect you, for example: "protect me from illness and dangerous situations."

then turn to face a new direction and repeat. the direction you choose to turn can also correspond with whether you want to attract (clockwise) or banish (counterclockwise.)

once you are done calling upon protection from all four elements, you can finish with "so mote it be," "blessed be," or whatever other prayer or mantra you want to use.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

this is the ritual I use every day and obviously will not work for everyone! protection is the main purpose of my veiling, if you veil for modesty, devotion, or any other reason(s), this might not fit for you. feel free to modify this ritual however you'd like to make it work for you, and let me know if you do, I'd be very curious to hear!

[c3l3stial-being]

Very new to pagan veiling so I wanted to try a new style

[hestiashearthfire]

Veiled for the first time in a while today! A little weird showing my face, but hello, HelPol tumblr!