Today I
want to talk about hair. This is not about fashion or beauty or the culture of
consumerism. This is about long hair and how it aids us on our spiritual paths.
Yes, I do mean just that: how I believe our hair can help or hinder us as we
evolve as spiritual beings.
Years
ago, when I started a spiritual journey apart from the Catholicism in which I
was raised, I noticed that most Hindu practitioners, sadhus, gurus, and
teachers have very long hair. I noticed too that the indigenous peoples of the
Americas and other lands like New Zealand and Tibet – both women and men - wear
their hair natural and long. And while the hair of all these people is
beautiful, I learned that it’s not connected to a worship of beauty. It’s about
spiritual journeys.
Spiritual
practices from Judaism to Hinduism and Earth Lodge religions, to polytheism,
henotheism, Rastafarianism, animism, and more all have techniques that include
keeping the hair long. In some practices, the hair is never cut nor trimmed and
is worn extremely long.
As my own
spiritual path evolved, I learned why. Our hair rests atop the seventh
primary chakra – the crown chakra, called Sahaswara (‘thousand petals’ in
Sanskrit). Sahaswara gives us access to wisdom and higher states of
consciousness. Sahaswara is driven by awareness and connects us to the
universal. Its auric color is commonly recognized as violet, but it can also
appear as bright white, gold, or clear light. Its location is at the top of the
head, or slightly above the top of the head. Sahaswara is connected to the
pineal and pituitary glands. Because if its location, it’s carefully aligned
with the brain and nervous system. It’s a powerful region of the body.
Raising
the crown chakra’s vibration is known to induce bliss. By meditating on our
crown chakra, we can commune with greater states of consciousness. We can
connect with the formless. We can recognize what’s sacred and what’s present
around us. In learning to see auras many years ago, my Reiki Master taught me
to strengthen this extreme end of the chakra system. She also instructed me to
grow my hair as long as possible.
The
hair’s location at the top of the head, aligned with Sahaswara, makes it
significant as an aid in developing strength and awareness of the transcendent.
Remember the Old Testament story of Sampson? With his long hair, he was the
most powerful man in the world. Once his hair was cut, his strength was lost,
his link to the infinite was broken, his divine self was defeated.
All yogic
and tantric practitioners know that a weak or imbalanced Sahaswara leads to a
dulling of intelligence, strength, and courage, and a disconnection from the
sacred and spiritual. People with Sahaswara imbalances – including those with
long hair - are often close-minded, materialistic, angry, vengeful, depressed,
fatigued, and obsessive. They cling to old grudges and painful memories. They
seek to hurt or punish others. Their health is generally compromised and they
can become obsessively concerned with their physical bodies.
The
electromagnetic energy in everything is tied to the pineal gland, our brains,
and by way of connection, our hair. This evolution we’re always in in our human
form calls us to do everything we can to unblock and heal the crown chakra.
Unlike other chakras, there is no healing food specific to the crown chakra.
So, for many billions of Hindu philosophers and spiritual practitioners through
the ages, hair was a portal – the needed food - to achieve beneficial
spirituality - increasing abilities in the crown chakra and enhancing our
connection to all there is.
As the
human race strives to deepen its connection with spirit - and I do believe that
tide is rising - I see men everywhere growing their hair long. My own brother
is growing his hair long. Many wear natural dreadlocks or the ridiculed ‘man
bun’, which I happen to think is beautiful not because it enhances sexuality,
but because it often is an indicator that this person is seeking the sacred,
tapping into his higher self.
Long hair
and higher connection are strong associates, with the former acting as an
antenna to the divine. I believe that if we grow long, healthy hair, we also
serve our purpose of expanding in spirit and as a consequence, being of service
to everything that lives. Try it and see what I mean.
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