Community Health Jar – November: The Living Veil

November’s theme is The Living Veil, a month devoted to the mysterious and enduring relationship between the living and the dead. We turn our attention toward the ancestors, the memories that keep them close, the spirits who guide souls between worlds, and the understanding that death is part of the great cycle of life. This month’s Community Health Jar explores a particularly meaningful part of that relationship: the care we owe our living bodies and the wisdom we inherit from those who have already completed their earthly journeys.

Our ancestors knew sickness, recovery, aging, grief, and the uncertainty of life. They also knew how to tend the sick, comfort the suffering, preserve strength, and care for those approaching the end of their days. Their knowledge lived in household remedies, healing roots, bedside prayers, nourishing food, and the steady hands of people who understood that caring for another human being was sacred work.

This working is for those seeking healing, renewed vitality, physical strength, emotional steadiness, recovery, restful sleep, and support through illness, exhaustion, or grief. It is also appropriate for those caring for an aging or ailing loved one, those coming to terms with mortality, and those who wish to cultivate a healthier, more peaceful relationship with their own bodies.

The jar will be built with angelica root for strength and spiritual protection; life everlasting for endurance, longevity, and the continuity of life; rosemary for remembrance and clarity; eucalyptus for cleansing and refreshment; hyssop for spiritual purification; chamomile for peace and restful sleep; and ginger to bring warmth and vitality to the work. These materials will be combined with petitions for healing, preservation, restoration, and the easing of burdens carried in body and spirit.

Each petition will be written by hand and dressed with Healing Oil before being placed into the jar. Blue and white candles will be worked over it throughout November. Blue will carry healing, peace, and restoration, while white will be used for cleansing, blessing, and spiritual comfort. Psalm 30 will be prayed for healing and recovery, and Psalm 23 will accompany prayers for comfort, courage, and peace during difficult passages.

In keeping with The Living Veil, the altar will also include a place of remembrance for the healing dead: the grandmothers who tended fevers, the elders who knew their roots, the midwives who welcomed new lives, the caregivers who sat beside the dying, and the family members whose tenderness helped others endure. Their memory will be honored with fresh water, prayer, and gratitude for the knowledge and care they left behind.

November’s Health Jar will also acknowledge an important truth within ancestral traditions: caring for the living and honoring the dead are deeply connected. Every generation receives life for a time, tends it as best it can, and eventually passes its knowledge and responsibilities forward. The wisdom of the dead can remind us to value our health, make peace with the changing body, care for those who depend upon us, and appreciate the ordinary blessing of another day.

This month, we will ask for strength where there is weakness, comfort where there is suffering, restoration where there is depletion, and courage where fear has taken hold. We will remember those who cared for us, honor those who have gone before us, and give thanks for the lives we are still here to live.

Suggested Alignment

During November, place a glass of fresh water beside a photograph or written name of a deceased ancestor who cared for others, possessed healing knowledge, or offered comfort during difficult times. Read Psalm 23 and say:

“I remember the hands that cared for those who came before me. I give thanks for the life that has been passed into my keeping. May I have strength for the days ahead, wisdom to care for this body, and peace with the natural seasons of life.”

Make one deliberate act of care part of your observance. Prepare a nourishing meal, rest when you need rest, attend to a neglected health concern, or offer practical assistance to someone who is ill or grieving. Let gratitude for life become something you practice.

To Be Included

Send your full name, date of birth, and a short health petition describing what you would like addressed during November. You may petition for healing, recovery, physical strength, emotional peace, renewed energy, restful sleep, or comfort during illness or grief.

You may also include the name of a deceased ancestor whose memory you wish to honor in your personal prayers during The Living Veil.