the letting go and the lightness

 i'm back from bali, completely refreshed and inspired...and the big news around here is that i bid farewell to nine years of dreadlocked hair !(me in australia a year ago...those dreads were l o n g !)

my wish to let go of my dreads has been brewing for the past year now - something in me needed a shift, a new energy. i've loved having these locks for so many years - they have been with me on my journey into motherhood, creativity, love, loss, growth, travels and moves...they have been such a big part of my identity and i loved the natural beauty of them as well as the ease of having hair that maintained itself. lately i've been noticing a heaviness...literally (they were SO heavy!) and emotionally...many cultures believe hair to be sacred and powerful - and i definitely felt the strong need to let go of the enegry my hair was holding. and so began the letting go...not easy for an emotionally attached person such as moi - nor with the dramatics of my three little ones crying at the thought of mumma without her dreads ("but how will i find you in a crowd?"). slowly over the winter holidays i sat by the fire playing games with the kids and combing, combing (after cutting them halfway...many were down to my bum)...with my little hampster grooming comb from the pet store. true. a LOT of hair and dust and fluff was shed from these dreads...and it felt so so good to be releasing it.

i left for bali with a few lone dreads at the back of my head, and some loose shaggy hair at the front. lighter, but not quite light enough...

on a whim partway through our retreat, surrounded by so many dear souls for support and a good friend with a pair of scissors, i had the scraggly dreads and hair snipped off ! we were about to journey to the holy springs for our blessing and i wanted to be light and free. it felt amazing! the lightness! and to then go and have my head dipped in the springs felt like a total rebirth...letting go of vanity and years of emotional stuff 'trapped' in my hair, and starting afresh. i always wondered how i would feel the day i let go, and am amazed and proud of myself for the calmness surrounding such a big change.

i started my dreadlocks in thailand, so to be in the beautiful tropics of southeast asia again for the ending of this journey felt like i'd come full circle.

i wanted to honor my release with a little solo ceremony, so i took my bundle of hair down into the jungly greens to look for a place to bury them. my whole centre of balance was different with the weight gone! i felt incredibly joyful and alive walking through the rich rich colours with butterflies fluttering around me - i know, i know, it sounds like i was tripping on something but truly it was an awakening sourced from nothing but nature people! as i was walking i noticed some twisty tree roots with a little hole in them (a gnome home as my children would squeal)...it felt like the perfect spot to tuck my bundle of hair...with flowers and a blessing and some deep healing breaths i left them there.

*i'll be posting all this week about our amazing time in bali. sending lots of love xo

Comments

[Heather Eats Almond Butter]

Oh wow Em! I loved loved loved your dreads but what an amazing story of letting them go. You look gorgeous and different and...free.

[Zi]

Ditto WOW, that is a beautiful story from the 💜 Em and it would have taken courage after so many years. Am so proud of you, you look beautiful whatever your hair, love the photos and the idea of lightness ! Xxxxxx

[Chelsea]

ahhhhh I cried! But happy cry. More pics of the new hair Em!!

[debi]

...love......xo...

[Denise]

Oh Em! So beautiful. Your are a gorgeous and courageous woman. Xx

[Faith]

Loved reading your post about this Em, even though I was there it is so lovely to hear you tell it as a story in the beautiful way that you write. So honored to be present for your completion of this journey, and the beginning of your next. Xo

[Kimberly Reed]

you know how i feel about this.... it was amazing to watch. you handled it beautifully. it felt right for you (even though it was hard). you're beautiful. with dreads. without them. love love.

[*]

I'm so SO happy for you xx

[sara]

hey lovely one. oh so beautiful...what an amazing story. xo

[Kirsten J]

What a journey! You're beautiful :)

[Sarah]

I love to think of the dreads becoming moss covered and sinking into the ground, or maybe ending up as part of a cosy birds nest - all on the other side of the world from you - waiting for your next visit

[Virginia]

Ah bless hun that is truly beautiful, I love the full circle thoughts and releasing the energy too - such therapy.

Hugs

[Beth F.]

Dreads or no dreads....you are a beautiful woman. A woman becoming.
A soulful post!

[KIm Archer]

hey there lovely girl. I think you are beautiful with or without your dreads. I loved reading your story about letting them go..

[Liz eaton]

Proud of you. Loved that I have been apart of this journey, before, during & after. Amazing! Love you girl!
Liz.

[Billie-jean Beveridge]

TFS Emily. When i first started scrapping many, many years ago you had dreads then and although we have never met i admired them back then. It must be hard and yet i can understand the feeling of letting go. Take care xx

[Sarah]

wow. just wow.

[Lindsay]

what an amazing description of your newest adventure with your dreads! i could feel your lightness as i read. beautiful.

[Sara]

wow. I've been thinking of the same lately...you look lovely. like a pixie in the jungle. :)

[Erika]

When I started reading this post, I gasped when I saw the picture of the dreads on the ground. You are beautiful either way and your soul is even more gorgeous. Mine are almost at 8 years now and I have thought every now and then what it would be like to be without them, but that thought scares me so I know they're here to stay for a while. They've been a source of healing for me.