An Honest Talk on Hair and Healing

I think it’s time we have a talk about hair, and some other thoughts that have been brought up in conversations about my hair.  As you can see, my ever changing locks are not subtle.  No, my hair is a statement piece.  It also happens to be an amazing collaboration between myself and my stylist. (Check out Summer’s salon here if you’d like:   Bianco & Co.  )  As an artist myself, I find value in self expression, and as an intuitive, I believe my art to be helpful in empowering people along their journey.  This is why all of my readings include a piece of my artwork. It’s my medicine, and it’s the medicine I have to offer the world.

For those of you that don’t know my whole story, which I’ll have to share in detail sometime,  in a nutshell, after years of misdiagnosed illness, and a 7 hour surgery a year and a half ago, I found myself minus a portion of my left kidney.  I quickly realized that I needed more than just physical healing, and I set about finding alternative therapies to support myself as well.  The first thing I did was prescribe myself art.  As soon as I was able to sit up, I made it a goal to paint every day that I was physically able.  It was amazing how helpful it was for me, and I really do contribute a portion of my healing to tapping into my creative outlet.  In short, I began expressing with paint the energies that I was tapping into for healing.

***Artwork entitled “Integration” (C) Meg Johnson***

What does that have to do with my hair?  Well, take a look at this energy painting, and then look at the photo of my hair above.  See anything similar?  I’ve made it a way of life to be intentional about using the things around me in a way that is supportive.  In making my life intentional prayer so to speak, I make it a goal to use all of my resources for my good and that of others.  And yes, I’ve even included that outlook in my day to day practices, which include my monthly trips to the hair salon.  My stylist also happens to be intuitive, so she and I collaborate on my hair and practice our intuitive skills each time I visit.  Neither of us plan ahead, we just let spirit guide during my appointments, with the clear intention that whatever is done serves our highest good during the space of time that we are together.  Sound weird, maybe it is, but I’m comfortable with letting my hair be just as much a part of my spiritual journey as anything.  I like to keep the lines of delineation fuzzy in those areas.

This leads me to the real reason behind what I’m writing.  In expressing myself this way, let’s be honest, I get some flack.  Don’t worry, I am prepared to handle it, and handle it I do, so I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time whining about what I hear, but I will paint a little picture of it in words.  Really, it’s what I’m learning about myself with these experiences that I wish to highlight.  And I will say that I get a lot of amazing compliments about my hair as well.

Here are a few snippets of what I’ve heard in the last few weeks, from varying perspectives.  “I absolutely love your hair.”, “You look like a woodpecker.”, “Stunning.”, “My God, what have you done to your hair?  You were so pretty before.”, “I’m just going to do a series of paintings inspired by your hair.” (Shout out to Sid!), “What the hell!?!” Yeah, contrast in those statements, right?  Contrast does seem to be a part of what we humans do experience on this little ball in the vast cosmos called Earth. And although I’m learning via my hair color, amongst other things, I think we can all identify areas where we deal with external contrast, and hey, we all have been a part of the contrast throughout our lives.  So what I have to ask myself regularly when someone openly voices an unsolicited opinion about my hair, for example is,

• WHAT AM I CHOOSING TO BELIEVE ABOUT THEIR STATEMENT?
• HOW AM I GOING TO USE MY FEELINGS TO LEARN?
• WHAT CAN I LET GO OF THAT ISN’T SERVING ME?
• IS THERE ANYTHING THAT I CAN SAY TO THIS PERSON THAT IS SUPPORTIVE OF GROWTH FOR US BOTH?  (Because sometimes it just pisses me off, TBH.)

Obviously, we’re dealing with more than just hair here, and I’m aware of that.  I am also aware that I have chosen to use my hair as a learning tool and expression of energy, and maybe I kinda am OK if people are stretched by it.  (Sometimes I am, too!)  People do this all of the time with tattoos, piercings, clothing, and choice of music.  We either choose to be subtle, or we choose to stand out, thus creating what is perceived as contrast. In some areas, we are bold, in others, we are barely visible.  For me, the choice to have a head that expresses what is already there anyway, but invisible to those who chose not to observe life from an energetic standpoint as well, is my physical reminder of subtle truth, which to me is actually THE TRUTH.  It’s like wearing my energy on my sleeve.  A peek into what normally may not be so visible.  (Ever heard of Chakras, Auras, etc.?  These are energetic aspects of yourself that are connected to the visible light spectrum.  Frequency emits the colors within the light spectrum, so technically, we are all frequency, and we all emit that frequency out into the world whether we are aware of it or not.  Some people are skilled in seeing and sensing these frequencies that many are unaware of, and often carry names such as shaman, empath, HSP, Psychic, and Medium to name a few. )

What if we all had awareness of such things?  What if we all walked around with our thoughts written on our skin for example?  Would we be a bit more intentional with our thoughts?  How about our emotions? (I think we SHOULD be honest about emotions, and provide space for each other to express them safely.)  So often we dole out opinions without hesitation, myself included.  What if in taking on someone’s thought about my hair, the color of it visibly changed for all to see?  What if it became dull and lifeless, instead of radiant and shining?  These are things we deal with every day on an internal level, ya’ll, and in my chosen reality, these energies eventually emerge as physical illness if left unhealed and unchecked!  It’s time to believe that.  And I will tell you what I am using these experiences to do.  I am using them to be mindful about what I think internally, and what I intend to express externally.  I am finding it important to stand up and say, “That statement is completely inappropriate, and what makes you think it’s OK to just speak it over someone.  (I have said it to other people, and I’ve said it to myself.)

That’s the key, I think.  We need to be able to see a clear picture of our inner landscape before raining on someone else’s.  There may be a lot less rain in our days if so.  Don’t get me wrong, contrast can be amazing, or I wouldn’t have learned what I have, and sometimes we create contrast with someone without even intending to.  This isn’t about avoiding contrast, it’s about using it to serve our highest good.

So this is me, an ever changing beacon of visible frequency on top of my head, shining forth a little piece of my Truth for all to see.  Let’ all look out for one another where appropriate, and first and foremost, let’s remember to tend to our own needs so that what we put out into the world aligns with our Truth!  We’re all artists here, painting our expression as we go.

Blessings,

Meg