There is a period of seven to thirteen years that a priest of these Deities must let their hair grow freely and
devote themselves completely to the Deity. During this time, the priest has a role of responsibility towards
the God and the temple. After that time period, if they want to cut their hair, a ceremony is done and they can
remove their locks if they choose. Interest-ingly, for other Deities, like Aishat, one must shave every hair on
their body when serving that God or Goddess. It depends on which God and temple is being served.
What is it about hair that is so important for priests and temples? It is a notion of purity. Hairs are huge
emitters and receptors. When one is in an area, such as a temple, where the flow of energy must be tightly
controlled, hair becomes either very helpful or very disturbant, depending on the energetic needs, Master
Naba explained. Even when a hair falls off of the body, it does not lose its qualities, and it can become a big
disturbance to the flow of energy. Even animals that are sacrificed are checked thoroughly for a specific type
of fur. It is not every ram or cow that can be used in a ceremony - it is only a priest who can safely determine
whether an animal is fit for sacrifice, and it is a heavy responsibility to do so. The untrained eye will think that
any animal will do, but if
there is one piece of the
wrong kind of fur on an animal, it cannot be used!
It is known that many
Pharaohs had locked hair,
and on Tutankhamen's
mummy, dreadlocks can
still be found intact. How did
dreadlocks become such a
symbol of Rastafarian belief
and culture rather than of
African spirituality? Master
Naba offered his knowledge: Dreadlocks in spirituality has a very high value.
During pre-colonial Africa,
healers and priests in many
parts of the continent carried dreadlocks, and every
religion that has come has
adopted the idea of either
having dreadlocks or shaving all hair on the body. In
the Bible, it states that
those who don't shave, drink alcohol or eat meat are the closest to God; Jesus himself is shown with long
hair! In Islam, shaving is seen as a value of cleanliness. To associate dreadlocks with only Rastafarianism is
unfair. But, in the history of Black people, Rastafarianism became a politico-spiritual movement after the
prophesy of Marcus Garvey surfaced. It gave Black people a spirit of hope, and the Rastafarian then adopted
the attitudes of African priests: they kept their hair like a priest, did not eat red meat, drink alcohol, use drugs
or smoke cigarettes. They decided to stay spiritually hopeful, and the dreadlocks represented, instead of a
priest serving a temple for seven years, a period of time spent waiting for something to happen.
24 SmokinUnderground.com