Symbol and power of a Haircut

Over the years, I've only stick to almost two or three types of hairstyles really. As a child I had the "hinapay" or the side slap. Then for the bulk of my young adolescent life, I had the Flat Top and it's semi longer-spiky variations. Now I'm starting anew, reclaiming my spark for life with a haircut.

When the hair fell from my head and to the floor…so did my fear as well as that feeling of a heavy weight being lifted; a sense of freedom.

A quick reference in literature and history on the symbolism of haircuts:
Hair is significant in most spiritual practices. Samson famously lost his locks to the menacing shears of Delilah, rendering him temporarily powerless. Siddhartha cut his hair at the start of his journey toward enlightenment. Christian monks and mystics have long practiced tonsure, a partial shaving of the head as a way of inducting and identifying members of a monastic or sacred order. When a Japanese warriors' (Samurai) hair or top knot was cut, it means a sort of death or decline of one's status in society. Some Native American tribes cut their ebony locks as an outward sign of inward grief and mourning. The Amish man's chest-length beard or an Amish woman's long locks are symbols of one's devotion to God and to the Amish community. In China, the queue was originally a physical expression of submission, the braided queue was also a sign of repression.

Hair isn't everything though, but it is something. You can tell that a dramatic change in someone's appearance can signify some pretty dramatic personal growth. Or at least it can signify a desire for growth. If my life were a story, what I've done with my hair would play significantly in its arc and the development of the main character — me!

The reasons for my change in hair shall remain a mystery for now, but it should just be a symbol of change.

So claim that hair, that new look towards a brighter tomorrow! #CharLungs
Symbol and power of a Haircut Symbol and power of a Haircut Reviewed by vernon go on Tuesday, January 06, 2015 Rating: 5

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