Long Hair, Short Hair, Same Soul: How We See and Are Seen

Detachment. I don’t have any particular look that I’m attached to, I just go with the energetic flow of where I’m at and what feels right with my hair and style. It really comes down to what I do in life and how I spend my time. I’m quite aware that this physical meat sack—this biological vessel housing something more profound including consciousness, energy and spirit—is temporary. It doesn’t’ define me.In my new workplace, they only ever knew my look as someone with very long hair kept in a ponytail. Each of us judge, perceive, and interpret others through our own filters and stereotypes.

A week ago I cut my hair after four years of growing it. It’s quite short but I left a bit on the top. The feedback has been surprising—very positive in the sense of stirring the ego. “You look so young.” “You’re more handsome now.” “You look better.” Etc.

Back in my workplace, the transformation was noticed by many, even those I have rarely said a word to. I got into a discussion with a cleaner about my change a few days back. He is of Japanese descent and had a Japanese accent so likely was not born in Australia. He said I was basically more approachable now, that he thought I was a gypsy before. (I was/am, but I’m many things, including a shaman!) But what does gypsy mean to him? As it can mean different things to different people.

The way I intuited it, he seemed to associate my previous look with something negative, whether from cultural influences, personal experiences, or an instinctive reaction which could be connected into trauma from a past life.

My favourite hairstyle in the last few years, since the plandemic, has been the style I had—the long hair with the shaved sides/back. When I see that on a guy, it’s a very positive energy for me. It indicates freedom. That’s my perception. When I was in Egypt, back in 2021, I connected with the local spiritual community in Dahab ran into a number of foreign males with my hairstyle, those who were trying to escape the tyranny in their countries, just like I was.

I chose my hairstyle because of a favorite character in the Sci-Fi series, The Expanse. I’d never actually noticed it on a male before. After adopted the style, I suddenly started noticing that many others had the same.

This entire situation just got me thinking: We look at people in our own light and that’s how we perceive the world, rather than the actual reality or truth. Sometimes, our perceptions align with reality. But often, they are simply reflections of our own biases. Sometimes intuition is what guides us, but a lot of the time it’s our own stuff being reflected back.

All we really need to do is talk to someone, connect, learn more about them, and we will see a new world. We will understand them in a different light, and even if we have our judgements confirmed, we may just come to understand the reasons behind why they are where they are, as it’s our past experiences that defines us, from this life, back to many others.

In the end, the body is just a temporary form, a vessel for experience. Whether my hair is long, short, or gone entirely, the essence of who I am remains unchanged. Are we all just reflections of one another, shaped by the energies we give and receive? In this dance of perception, the real transformation isn’t outward—it’s within.