HOLY F*CK: STYLE YOUR CROWN CHAKRA WITH A HAIR SHAMAN

The higher the hair the closer to Goddess! Alexandra Roxo chats with hair shaman Andi Scarbrough about gem combs, crown chakras, and beauty work as ministry.

holy fuck hair shaman andi scarbrough crown works gem combs ruby warrington alexandra roxo the numinous

 

“Your hair becomes an offering to spirit to catalyze the internal change”- Andi Scarbrough 

Hair identity is a HUGE part of our self-expression, especially for women. Our hair reflects our cultural and ethnic background, the subcultures we are a part of, and even our spiritual and political beliefs. Hair has both been part of sacred and ancient rituals, and has been used to repress and humiliate women. Through all of it, our locks have held incredible power.

But like most things sacred , hair rituals have been commodified. We see a Super Cuts on every corner and the mass homogenization of hairstyles that’s been dictated by celebrity and popular culture more than anything.

So what about reclaiming HAIR as another sacred as hell space for ritual, transformation, ceremony, tribe, and lineage? Stylist and hair magic maker Andi Scarborough is doing just that!

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I’ll admit, I was nervous (aka panicked) about letting someone cut my hair. But when I arrived at Andi’s salon, she scooped me into her chair with a quieting presence. As she began to run a rose quartz comb through my frizzed out mop, I felt myself loosen. I realized just how tight the control I had around my hair was.

As she gently asked me a few questions, I found myself revealing my whole “hair story” to her. I shared all the times I was ridiculed and the shame I still carried. All the times I had tried to tame this hair and the point when I started making my hair red.

As she counseled and intuited my hair story and my hair needs, the tears began to flow. As she snipped, she reminded me of all the old Loves, the stories, the pain, everything that was releasing with the hair falling to the ground.

I cried for the rest of the day. I was shedding. I let myself shed the old layers. I let myself release.

Post cut, I sat down with Andi to hear more about her work … 

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Rose Quartz Gemcomb- to purchase your own contact [email protected]

Alexandra: How do you describe your work?

Andi: Women’s Health just quoted me saying “I believe this work is a sort of ministry.” Part of me still thinks this is hysterical! I had an experience when I was a little girl where a woman faith healer came to the church and told me that I would go into ministry. Then, I promptly left the church.

It’s funny to me how your purpose finds a way through you, no matter what you try to do instead. Your ministry is the vehicle that you use to deliver your message and in that sense, mine is a beauty ministry.

My work is about clearing out the shrapnel from the crown chakra. That clearing allows you access to the divine wisdom you already have. You don’t need a guru. You don’t need any of that. It’s about remembering the god source within.

Alexandra: That’s beautiful. I love that.

Andi: This is the part where I do feel like it becomes more of a ministry, rather than energy work.

Alexandra: After your work clears the crown chakra, how does it help align people with their soul curriculum?

Andi: I was talking with a client recently about her curly hair. She was telling me how she straightens her hair because she wants it to be more manageable. So, I asked her “What part of you feels like you’re hard to manage?”

It’s interesting because the way you do one thing is the way you do everything. The way you choose your hair color or your hair texture are all echoes of the stories that are already in place. We’re only choosing what we think is available to us.

Alexandra: I can talk about my hair without it being emotional, but the actual physicalizing of the experience brought things up that were very emotional. When you were doing my hair, I felt safe enough to share my hair stories and history- it felt like a ritual and like a therapy session.

Andi: Like ceremony. We do our hair so that we can be seen the way we think we need to be seen, and it’s the piece that we correct externally. It’s like makeup over a blemish. Rather than clearing out whatever the clog is, we wanna just sort of gloss it over and cover it up and make it look sort of nice from far away.

But our hair is actually a time capsule. You’re literally carrying around a diary of every experience, every hormone flux, everything you’ve eaten, everything you’ve not eaten, every time you were sick. It’s all physically there with you.

Alexandra:  Wow, yeah. I never thought about it quite like that.

Andi:  That’s why you get haircuts when you have big life stuff happening, or you want big life stuff to happen.

Cross culturally, the hair symbolizes so much. Whether it’s the Native Americans wearing their hair long and braided to ground them back into Mother Earth, or not cutting your hair in Kundalini so that you have a longer antennae to spirit, or in the way it’s cut in some Tibetan rituals and Hindu rituals. It’s a sacrifice. One of my favorite examples of this ritualistic aspect is when girls go to college. Often, they’ll sacrifice that high school long hair as they step into womanhood.

Your hair becomes an offering to spirit to catalyze the internal change, or to let spirit know how serious you are about the internal change.

hair shaman andi scarbrough crown works gem combs ruby warrington alexandra roxo the numinous holy fuck
Hair Shaman Andi Scarbrough

For appointments with Andi in LA, please call 310-751-4484 or email  [email protected]. Due to the sensitive nature of this service, online booking is not available. More information and service pricing is available at www.andiscarbrough.com. And be sure to follow @crown_works for hair rituals, treatments, and processes!

FULL MOON IN CAPRICORN: A VEDIC READING

In Vedic astrology, the Full Moon in Capricorn ushers in an opportunity to embrace concepts of unity and Universal love, says Eve James

vedic reading for Juky 1 2015 full moon in capricorn by eve james on the numinous

Sitting in contemplation about the astrological theme for Summer 2015, a profound yet simple story from my teacher in India rose from the depths of my memory. In short, it was a story about his Master asking one of his close disciples why he felt the need to shout when angry. This disciple humbly replied that he had become frustrated – but his Master explained that the need to shout proves that anger creates distance and separation.

Even when someone is physically close to you, he explained, if you get angry with them you feel the need to shout loudly in their face – as if they were standing on the other side of the Grand Canyon. Conversely, the Master pointed out, when two people really love each other or feel tenderly towards each other, the need for speech dissolves. They feel internally connected, even if they find themselves physically separated.

Therefore, anger literally creates distance – whereas love engulfs that distance. Love unifies even while experiencing physical distance, while anger separates even in physical closeness.

This summer, we find ourselves riding an oceanic wave of higher consciousness, that is pushing relentlessly forward. Its only agenda is to manifest in a palpable way, exposing the truth of the heart, the truth of unity, and the interconnectedness of the human condition.

The first full Moon of July will be on July 1st at 10:20PM EST (7:20PM PST), and it’s firstly important to say that this Moon will actually be in Sagittarius in Vedic astrology (which calculates planetary positions based on astronomy versus the Western tropical system). More specifically, it is in the Vedic Venus-ruled star sign of Purva Ashadha. Whereas the previous star associated with Venus (Purva Phalguni) demonstrates the beauty and power of deeply romantic, personal love (as expressed in stories like Romeo & Juliet), Purva Ashadha is a sign of great selfless love, and the haunting beauty of sacrifice.

Though the stories of these two star signs intertwine, Purva Ashadha doesn’t sing the song of union for the sake of one or two of us, but for all of us. It is the sign of the cosmic waters, the ocean of collective consciousness and a rising awareness of universal love and connection. This sign should not be mistaken as fluffy, idealistic or lacking grit. It’s a sign that deals with the vulnerability of our human condition, something we all share, and the love that penetrates all things — the glue that unifies us all.

vedic astrology reading by eve james for the july 1 2015 capricorn full moon on the numinous

The quality of love expressed through Purva Ashadha manifests as a kind of inner upheaval, showing us what is worth fighting for in life as a family, a culture, a community, a city, a country or planet.

Purva Ashadha is known as an “invincible” star, demonstrating the invincible truth of unity and love, yet it is also a sign that, if compromised, is said to bring separation, war and disharmony. It also demonstrates how sometimes friction or conflict brings us into greater harmony with the truth of life, just as the terrible nature of war shows us the value of peace.

Due to this influence (which began June 28), through July we will continue to be required to use our moral compass, contrasting our core values against ideas, social structures or even laws that are unjust. This ushers in a tidal wave of opportunity for love and tolerance over judgement and anger, as expressed in last week’s landmark Supreme Court ruling to legalize same sex marriage in all 50 states.

Due to the heightened energy of this Full Moon, we can also expect some heated situations, and a microscopic focus on areas of our romantic or family life that need renovation. This could lead to times of intensity in romance, a dualistic expression of union and separation.

Travel is another big theme this month, as Purva Ashadha is also said to give blessings in travel and multicultural experiences. This is a perfect time to dissolve the idea of any country or culture as “foreign”, and embrace new ventures overseas in business or leisure. Donating to charity or non-profit organizations, starting a new project that supports bridging the gap between communities, and learning a new language also fits nicely into the agenda.

For those of you who have considered teaching or learning overseas, the experience should be especially fruitful and rewarding during this period.

Sacrificing for the good of the family as a unit is also commonly experienced during Purva Ashadha periods, and you may find yourself away from home with work or the service that you offer, or, conversely, experience what feels like an increase in responsibility and duties in the home.

You may also feel a new creative edge to projects you have been working on, and feel the need to restructure your team to bring fresh people or energy to your project. Some of this new work may require sacrifices that test limits, or bring into focus dynamic potential for expansion.

Philosophical and political discussions, arguments, debates or protests, are other things you may wish to embrace this month at your discretion. Purva Ashadha is definitely a sign that fuels higher thinking and deep political renovations, but it can be a sign of hostility – just as the ocean becomes destructive in a storm. Avoid harsh, opinionated or heated discussions if you wish to be affective, and rely on a grounded sense of unity, tapping into the Universal love consciousness (even with your enemy) if you want to be heard.

How will you work with the theme of Universal love in the weeks to come? Connect with us and share on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Book a reading with Eve James and learn more about Vedic astrology at EveOfAstrology.com