This saying states plainly that the self, the sense of 'I' and 'mine,' acts as a barrier separating you from the divine presence. It suggests that our self-centeredness, our attachments to personal identity, desires, and opinions, obscure the reality of God.

Within the Sufi tradition, particularly as articulated by masters like Rumi in works such as the Masnavi, this veil is understood as the 'nafs.' The nafs is not merely a psychological construct but a spiritual impediment, a lower self driven by worldly desires and egoic pride. It creates an illusion of separation, making you believe you are distinct from the Divine Essence, which in Sufi thought, is the ultimate reality (Haqq). The path to God, therefore, involves the annihilation of the ego, a process known as 'fana.' Through practices like remembrance (dhikr) and self-effacement, the Sufi seeks to dissolve the boundaries of the ego, allowing the light of divine knowledge to flood the heart and realize the unity of existence.

In your life: Practice observing your reactions to situations, noticing when the ego's voice of judgment or self-defense arises, and consciously choose to soften it, seeking connection rather than separation.