Does your hair hold any spiritual/religious signifigance to you?

[momao]

If so, can you explain a little more in depth what the religious/spiritual signifigance of your hair is? I think this is a fascinating topic, and I'm curious about everyone's experiences!

[auburntressed]

I think there was an old thread about this somewhere...

But no, I’m not religious. I simply have long hair because I love it; and because every time in the past when I have cut my hair, I didn’t feel right. I felt like I wasn’t myself anymore.

Here is the closest I’ll get to my hair having spiritual significance:

Two years ago, I experienced a devastating loss. I considered cutting my hair to help put me in the mindset of starting over fresh with a new identity and a new life. Then I realized that I didn’t want a new identity. I wanted my tragedy to be part of who I am, because I can’t escape it anyways. It will always be there as part of my past. So I decided to keep the same hair that had seen me through it.

Plus I remembered how wretched I always get when I’ve cut my hair in the past, and the last thing I needed was to feel more wretched and lose more of myself.

In retrospect, I am glad I kept my hair. After two years, it would not have grown back to the length that I currently have. I’ve healed and moved on, and I would have been without it if I had cut it.

[Estrid]

I'm not religious, but what started as a "I want long hair because it looks good and is special" has turned into "why cut something that grows".

Maybe I am a spiritual person, despite not being religious? I cut bangs a little more than a year ago and it felt like cutting off a part of my soul. That surprised me a great deal, I wasn't expecting to react that strongly to it, but I did. Now I know that I've come to a point where my hair has become my tie to nature. I feel closer to nature when I let my hair do its thing, when I just let it be.

[Ylva]

I was raised non-religious. In the present, I identify as pagan, but I am still largely non-religious.

I've gone through phases where I've maintained a certain look (for example, I relatively recently had my roots bleached every 6 weeks), worn makeup frequently, worn high heels in everyday life and such things. In the end, I always get bored of it and turn back towards comfort and simplicity again - but in the past, I always thought there was something wrong with that. That I in fact should be doing those things. In recent years, however, it has become evident to me that I am simply not that kind of a person. I yearn for a simple life that doesn't require any specific maintenance other than what can be naturally embedded in my life and doesn't cause me any extra strain.

It has been a long journey to getting to know myself but I've never felt more at peace than I do in the present.

The short story of my long hair is that I isolated myself for a good two years which I spent playing video games. And that's kind of my... style.

If we briefly return to me being pagan, I'm not sure if my hair holds any significance at all in that area of my life. Sure, it looks nice and stereotypical and medieval and whatnot, but I would be just as pagan if I shaved my hair off.

[0xalis]

Spiritual, yes, religious, no. I'm a devout agnostic!

For me my growing hair is evidence that I am still alive and growing, physical evidence of the time that has passed.

Not sure what tribe(s) it comes from, since so much has been homogenized, but many indigenous american people view hair as an extension of the nervous system.
I'm a literal mutt from too many cultures but one of them is Cherokee, (yes for real, not just for "cool points" lmao) so these things interest me.
I think it makes sense even from a scientific standpoint, cat whiskers are literally just thick hairs. Hair are like antennae or whiskers!

Another spiritual aspect of my hair has come about quite recently, I had a growth spurt during my short pregnancy that ended in miscarriage, a silver lining in a very trying time.
Because of this, I can say my baby positively impacted my life, even though I never got to meet them.

[Milady_DeWinter]

I am a deep deep deep atheist - despite being raised somewhat catholic, I always questioned everything. Not spiritual either. So it's a bit no from me.

[cjk]

My hair is neither religious nor spiritual, though in keeping what you said oxalis I have noticed my empathic abilities increasing with greater length.

[Hexen]

If anything, at this point I'd probably say more cultural significance than spiritual/religious specifically.
And I understand that the term 'culture' can encompass both concepts.
Though culture had nothing to do with my initial desire to have it the way it is.
It's just the way I look upon it now that I've grown more informed and accustomed to my ancestry.

[momao]

That's a wonderful story and just what I was looking for! I'm glad that your hair helped you work through such a horrible part of life.

[Ylva]

I think it makes sense even from a scientific standpoint, cat whiskers are literally just thick hairs. Hair are like antennae or whiskers!

I have two hairs growing in the middle of my forehead. I never pluck them out, just trim them and keep them about 5 cm long in the hopes that there is some evolutionary purpose to them. Perhaps one day I will avoid hitting my forehead against something I otherwise wouldn't have seen coming. :rolling:

[BethiBerries]

My hair is definitely a spiritual thing for me. even when i was young (even though I had short hair) always likend my hair to spring. You can cut it all off and it grows back.

[Hexen]

I think it makes sense even from a scientific standpoint, cat whiskers are literally just thick hairs. Hair are like antennae or whiskers!



That reminds me of the female mediums of the German VRIL society who adhered to the belief that their hair was like an antennae of which allowed them to communicate with aliens.

https://i.ibb.co/nm0ScKL/18103755v-GFc-Kq-NU.jpg

[Feral_]

Atheist here.

Like Ylva I am at peace with the simple things in life.

I have a deep-rooted connection with nature and my dogs. No humans, just me and them in a remote woodland.. feeling the wind on my face, and in my hair, as you lose yourself in the tiny details of your surroundings. There’s something very primal about that and I don’t know if it is spiritual, but being outdoors is certainly my church.

[Hexen]

Atheist here.

Like Ylva I am at peace with the simple things in life.

I have a deep-rooted connection with nature and my dogs. No humans, just me and them in a remote woodland.. feeling the wind on my face, and in my hair, as you lose yourself in the tiny details of your surroundings. There’s something very primal about that and I don’t know if it is spiritual, but being outdoors is certainly my church.

Oh yeah.
The sound, the smell, the texture of the Earth.
Even the taste of nature.
Absolutely, being outdoors can definitely satiate all of my senses.

[Sora Rose]

I am religious, was raised so and continue to be so, but my hair has absolutely no relation to it. It's hair, and I like it long. That's all there is to it.

[Hexen]

I have two hairs growing in the middle of my forehead. I never pluck them out, just trim them and keep them about 5 cm long in the hopes that there is some evolutionary purpose to them. Perhaps one day I will avoid hitting my forehead against something I otherwise wouldn't have seen coming. :rolling:

Let em grow.
Do a two strand rope braid. :D

[Bri-Chan]

No, I just like long hair.
I always had unusual hair for color and/or cut, and I started grow it long because CL hair is something unusual, rare (at least, where I live). I hated my hair for almost all my life, unusual hair just made me appreciate it more.
But now I love what grows from my scalp and I want it looong, healthy and beautiful ahah.

[Ylva]

Let em grow.
Do a two strand rope braid. :D

Hahaha! :D

They were actually down to past my collarbones when I first discovered them way back. I have no clue how they managed to grow that long without me ever noticing them?!

[Lucy McLucyFace]

I'm Catholic. Growing my hair out has to do with it but not directly caused by it. Either way hair is a woman's crowning glory :o

[plonter]

Atheist here.

Like Ylva I am at peace with the simple things in life.

I have a deep-rooted connection with nature and my dogs. No humans, just me and them in a remote woodland.. feeling the wind on my face, and in my hair, as you lose yourself in the tiny details of your surroundings. There’s something very primal about that and I don’t know if it is spiritual, but being outdoors is certainly my church.

Beautifully put!

I definitely am an atheist, and although not supernaturally spiritual I practice mindfulness. I guess I kind of ascribe mindful/feminist/minimalist/naturalist/tomboy meaning to my hair at any length (from pixie to MBL). By taking care of it but not spending tons of time/money on it, I am engaging with my body in its natural state and pulling away from capitalist beauty expectations. And I credit this forum for showing me that long hair is not mutually exclusive with self-care and feminism: There are so many role models here that are a breath of fresh air from the uber processed examples in mainstream media. So in a way yes I engage with my values in caring for my hair, but eh maybe it's a stretch that fretting over my hair is a spiritual action. :)

[Lucy McLucyFace]

Atheist here.

Like Ylva I am at peace with the simple things in life.

I have a deep-rooted connection with nature and my dogs. No humans, just me and them in a remote woodland.. feeling the wind on my face, and in my hair, as you lose yourself in the tiny details of your surroundings. There’s something very primal about that and I don’t know if it is spiritual, but being outdoors is certainly my church.

This reminds me of saint Kateri, the first native American recognised as a saint. She would go into the woods by herself to pray in the midst of nature, making little crosses out of sticks and plant stems

EDIT: Including a pic in here because I really like this saint

https://www.srmt-nsn.gov/_uploads/site_files/Blessed_Kateri_4.jpg

[Missymo]

My hair does have religious significance for me. I was raised with Christian beliefs and firmly hold to those beliefs. In regard to hair there are a a bible verse that kind of sum up the religious significance of my hair to me. 1st Corinthians 11:15: But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. I view my hair as a gift given by God, a covering.

[Hexen]

My hair does have religious significance for me. I was raised with Christian beliefs and firmly hold to those beliefs. In regard to hair there are a a bible verse that kind of sum up the religious significance of my hair to me. 1st Corinthians 11:15: But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. I view my hair as a gift given by God, a covering.

I'm not sure which version of the bible you are quoting from. But from the commonly read NIV, let's also acknowledge that the verse just prior, 1 Corinthians 11:14 states: "Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him."

However I don't interperet this an actual disgrace upon the man himself. But rather a potential disgrace in the eyes and minds of other people.

[Lucy McLucyFace]

I'm not sure which version of the bible you are quoting from. But from the commonly read NIV, let's also acknowledge that the verse just prior, 1 Corinthians 11:14 states: "Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him."

However I don't interperet this an actual disgrace upon the man himself. But rather a potential disgrace in the eyes and minds of other people.

Let's remember that back when this was written, men's hair was quite long for today's standards

[Hexen]

Let's remember that back when this was written, men's hair was quite long for today's standards

I guess some things don't actually change with time.

[cjk]

1 Corinthians 11:14 states: "Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him."

However I don't interperet this an actual disgrace upon the man himself. But rather a potential disgrace in the eyes and minds of other people.

Now it's time for you to go and read one more verse. Read the end of it. The purpose of the letters to the Corinthians was to correct doctrinal misdeeds in the early church. to ensure a separation from the practices of a the guy's down the street.

Here's the rest of it.

If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

Taken in that context wouldn't that mean that the Churches of God shouldn't really care about your hair length? That doctrinally it's a great big nothing?

[Hexen]

Now it's time for you to go and read one more verse. Read the end of it. The purpose of the letters to the Corinthians was to correct doctrinal misdeeds in the early church. to ensure a separation from the practices of a the guy's down the street.

Here's the rest of it.

If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

Taken in that context wouldn't that mean that the Churches of God shouldn't really care about your hair length? That doctrinally it's a great big nothing?

Trust me, I've read the rest of it before, And as the verse states how I read it, yeah people will always be in contrast regarding some things.
And absolutely yeah again, the churches of God shouldn't really care about the length of someones hair. :D

[cjk]

Trust me, I've read the rest of it before, And as the verse states how I read it, yeah people will always be in contrast regarding some things.

There's literally no pleasing some people. I swear they wake up in the morning unhappy, but somehow dedicated to sharing that unhappiness with others.

And I know what you mean about different meanings found in the Bible. I've got several friends who are tattoo artists. And they just love hearing about Leviticus.

Particularly from someone in a cotton poly-blend, with pierced ears, eating a shrimp cocktail.

[*Wednesday*]

This reminds me of saint Kateri, the first native American recognised as a saint. She would go into the woods by herself to pray in the midst of nature, making little crosses out of sticks and plant stems
EDIT: Including a pic in here because I really like this saint


She was Mohawk (Algonquin mother). She was also pressured to convert to Catholicism by other people. That is not what she actually looked like. This photo (which I am not reposting) is a stereotyped image of her of what an "Indian should look like" The typical European features with tan skin and braids. She is depicted like the standardized "plains." Mohawks did not wear braids in her time (17th century) and she is not in Mohawk regalia in that photo you posted. Women wore the hair loose or in a single braid. She suffered bad scarring on her face from small pox and she was partially blind. She would wear a shawl to cover her face because the light bothered her eyes. She had a hard life and she died young at 24.

Though she is not of my tribe, this is a common depiction of First Nations and American Indians in these photos.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Trust me, I've read the rest of it before, And as the verse states how I read it, yeah people will always be in contrast regarding some things.
And absolutely yeah again, the churches of God shouldn't really care about the length of someones hair. :D

It's actually about stating that women should cover their heads when praying or prophesying and men should uncover their heads when praying or prophesying. The "If anyone wants to be contentious" verse is saying that all the churches have no other practice except this one (which he spent the last several verses explaining about) - of women praying covered, and men uncovered.

[Hexen]

It's actually about stating that women should cover their heads when praying or prophesying and men should uncover their heads when praying or prophesying. The "If anyone wants to be contentious" verse is saying that all the churches have no other practice except this one (which he spent the last several verses explaining about) - of women praying covered, and men uncovered.

Well admittedly, in regards to church I'm generally not an attendee. Coming from me, big surprise huh lol. What you said though kinda reminded me of the anointing of ones head with oil. That's just what came to mind for some reason. Even though I do understand that the symbology and practice of doing so is not the same as what you mentioned. But I just take some comfort in believing that a man, can have his hair any way he wants, and still worship if he wants.

[0xalis]

There's literally no pleasing some people. I swear they wake up in the morning unhappy, but somehow dedicated to sharing that unhappiness with others.

And I know what you mean about different meanings found in the Bible. I've got several friends who are tattoo artists. And they just love hearing about Leviticus.

Particularly from someone in a cotton poly-blend, with pierced ears, eating a shrimp cocktail.

It's always baffled me, as someone who very nearly converted to Judaism (like got all the way to the end of the conversion but left before finalizing it), how Christians cherry pick Leviticus.

Now I went to a synagogue where the rabbi was a woman married to another woman, so we had our own interpretations too, but it's so weird to me how everyone seems to focus on the part about sodomy.
(Typically, we justify acceptance with the part about Survival > Rules, pretending to be an orientation you're not tends to lead to suicide or risky behavior.
Or, if you wouldn't lay with a woman in the first place, how can you lay with a man the way you would a woman?? Etc.
The power of rabbinic law means there's no real right or wrong way to interpret Torah lol. And the whole point of Judaism is wrestling with god!)

[BleachedBerry]

If so, can you explain a little more in depth what the religious/spiritual signifigance of your hair is? I think this is a fascinating topic, and I'm curious about everyone's experiences!

No not me personally, my hair is more emotional and sentimental for me.

Cutting hair on a reservation, I learned things about the spirituality of hair to the natives. Some things I thought where really strange at first.

Many would not cut there hair when pregnant, believing it took time away from the baby's life, others would often sweep hair off the floor and ask to keep it. I later learned they that burned it for spiritual reasons.

Some would not cut there hair at all representing life, but if someone close or important in the tribe passed on, they would cut there hair very short.

Though Many did not do any of things and cut there hair regularly.

I learned a lot and appreciated there beliefs.

[eringrows]

When I was little I always had hair down past my bum... my momma used to tell me it was my crowning glory (i was raised Christian). I suppose I’ve never forgotten that <3