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After my hair cutting ceremony, I spent some time in meditation on what to do with my hairless head. I had already decided that I would not wear a wig. Headwraps and scarves are nice enough and keep the cold air off my head, but I wanted something that would be a continuation of the spiritual ceremony I had.
I've always loved Henna. It's a sacred plant with deep and powerful spirit medicine. Henna has a long history in spiritual practice and belief:
Long believed to contain magical and spiritual properties, Henna has been used to bless weddings, births, deaths, and to bring beauty, strength and ptotection to nearly every area of human life in many many cultures.
I first learned of Henna as a belly dancer and was immediately drawn to its rich, earthy fragrance. Though my brow skin didn't take the dye as deeply as I would have liked, I always hennaed my palms with excellent results. Now that my hair is gone for the duration of my treatment, I feel that this is the perfect time to revisit the spiritual and protective aspects of Henna. I found a wonderful little book called Henna Magic . It gave me ideas for how I might use Henna on my head to help with my healing during treatment for my Breast cancer.
I took the symbols most meaningful to me and enlisted the help of family to put the designs on my head. This is the result:
The first attempt I had done with a henna artist who did a lovely job, and instructed me to remove the the dried paste after about 8 hours, which I did and the dye just would not take. So I've decided on this try to leave the paste on and touch it up from time to time, or wash it off and start with a new design. We used a premixed henna paste in cones that I purchased from a local Indian store as the flea market. It smelled fresh and felt wonderful on my head. The sensation of having it applied was so relaxing that I almost went to sleep. One of my partners, did the dragonfly and the sunburst. My daughter-in-law did the tree, lotus flowers and birds.
I had felt some pressure to put a wig on, to keep my bald head covered, to wear makeup and try to appear "less sick." The fact is I am sick. I have Breast Cancer. It's not pretty or sexy, and no wig or makeup is going to cover that up for me. It may make everyone around me more comfortable. It may make it easier to for others to deal with my disease. But, isn't this about me making it easier for me?I feel strong and beautiful with my head hennaed. I feel empowered and yes, rebellious. Yes I have cancer, and my body has changed, but I am still here and I am more than my cancer.
http://osunsdrum.blogspot.com/
Don’t mind the destination, don’t mind the end. Learn from the past, but grab hold of now. Now is always evolving. ~Rumi
