Rabia Erduman's Veils of Separation is a journey through the landscapes of the inner life. She calls it a fairy tale, though it seems to me not so much a fairy tale as an allegory. The main character, Babla, is on a tantric journey to an integrated self. By the end of the book, all the disparate fragments of the self have merged into a sense of spiritual wholeness. The main Truth of this book is that there is no separation, only Oneness. When we go beyond the physical appearance of the body into subtler energies inside, we find that everyone is made of the same substance. This is called radiance. By contrast, separation is created out of fear, shame, anger, and self-negating thought patterns we believe to be true. These, then, form the "veils" that hide our Essence. When two people meet, their veils often interact, rather than their true beings. Each of us, depending on our upbringing, has a different set of veils. This story has many characters to show the multitude of ways a person might be split. Because everyone is unique, there are also countless ways to dissolve the veils of separation and come home. Approach this book as a series of doorways to lasting transformation.
