I guess this is where to put this. For the past decade or so I've worn my hair as long as long as possible. Right now it's longer than the hair of pretty much all women I meet (I'm a man). I shaved it all off once and until it grew long again I kept having dreams about it growing back all of a sudden and being so happy about it. I like the way I look with long hair. It's part of my identity now and I always thought I looked better with it.
So but like just now I had this experience... I had just gotten out of the shower and I went out to have a cigarette and I felt really weird all of a sudden. Like an opening of my brain. I felt very grounded, like I was way more in tune with my environment, and after a few minutes I realized that it was because my hair was wet, and there was a breeze, and I could actually feel the breeze in my scalp, which I never do because I generally wait for my hair to dry before I go outside. But it brought me back to when I first shaved my head, a few years ago. And I felt so free, and didn't even know at the time that I was feeling that.
When I cut off all of my hair a few years back I had been living at a zen monastery for about a month. At that point my ego was like in remission and I knew a hot summer was coming so I just figured like fuck it, I'll get rid of it. And then I left the monastery and just grew it right back again. It's totally a vanity thing for me. I know that. It's gets in the way all the time. But I like it. And I wonder if the fact that I was doing so well spiritually when I shaved it off somehow affected the feelings that the breeze in my scalp brought back tonight, or if I was actually more present after shaving my head.
Anyway I'm not sure what this post is for... hair seems like a pretty strange thing. I always felt like, hey, it's there for a reason. A human forehead is hairless, but then the scalp grows hair pretty much as long as it can. It just seems right... but I miss that free feeling. I guess like, does anyone have any thoughts on hair in general or maybe it's affect on like spiritual practice?
So but like just now I had this experience... I had just gotten out of the shower and I went out to have a cigarette and I felt really weird all of a sudden. Like an opening of my brain. I felt very grounded, like I was way more in tune with my environment, and after a few minutes I realized that it was because my hair was wet, and there was a breeze, and I could actually feel the breeze in my scalp, which I never do because I generally wait for my hair to dry before I go outside. But it brought me back to when I first shaved my head, a few years ago. And I felt so free, and didn't even know at the time that I was feeling that.
When I cut off all of my hair a few years back I had been living at a zen monastery for about a month. At that point my ego was like in remission and I knew a hot summer was coming so I just figured like fuck it, I'll get rid of it. And then I left the monastery and just grew it right back again. It's totally a vanity thing for me. I know that. It's gets in the way all the time. But I like it. And I wonder if the fact that I was doing so well spiritually when I shaved it off somehow affected the feelings that the breeze in my scalp brought back tonight, or if I was actually more present after shaving my head.
Anyway I'm not sure what this post is for... hair seems like a pretty strange thing. I always felt like, hey, it's there for a reason. A human forehead is hairless, but then the scalp grows hair pretty much as long as it can. It just seems right... but I miss that free feeling. I guess like, does anyone have any thoughts on hair in general or maybe it's affect on like spiritual practice?
