image: Wikimedia commons (link).
Big thank you goes out to Darren and Graham of Grimerica, who posted a link to this articletoday on twitter concerning an absolutely amazing topic worthy of careful consideration by all.
Entitled "Hair is an extension of the nervous system," the article was actually first posted back in November of 2015 on The Mind Unleashed.
The text describes an alleged discovery which came to light during the Vietnam War that talented Native American trackers recruited by the military seemed to lose their "sixth sense" when their hair was cut off (short haircuts are routinely administered to everyone entering the US Army).
According to the article, a series of experiments were devised to try to determine whether cutting off the hair was a factor in the loss of the ability to sense the stealthy approach of an enemy, or the "numbing" of the sense of danger when approaching a location containing a concealed armed enemy -- and the results of the studies were so conclusive that the military recommended that the highly skilled trackers should be exempt from military haircuts" and in fact were required to keep their hair long.
The article does not provide any way of actually checking the original sources of the assertions that it makes. It would be beneficial to pursue some of the records backing up the claims made in the story. However, this information would fit a pattern in which knowledge of a type which is generally discredited by the "conventional paradigm" taught in schools and universities, and reinforced in the general media and "scientific" literature and videos, is explored by the military in situations where they are more interested in certain results than in conforming to the flawed models which (for whatever reason) are force-fed to the general public.
Another example of the same sort of phenomenon (in which the military acknowledges realities which fit a paradigm of the cosmos that is very different from what is taught in school and reinforced in the general media and public discourse) would be the various "psi" (or "psy") programs which have been described by former participants, in which personnel with demonstrated psychic capabilities were used in order to perform "remote viewing" and "out-of-body travel" to conduct reconnaissance on distant locations in other countries, or to search for a downed aircraft in areas that were either too sensitive or too difficult to search using conventional technologies.
Note that the extraordinary tracking abilities are described using terms such as "sixth sense," "intuition," "extrasensory" and even "almost supernatural."
This would imply that, in addition to their highly-developed skills at reading the physical signs available to our five physical senses, the men in question were also connected to the Invisible Realm in some way and to some degree when they were performing their incredible feats of tracking. It is extremely significant to consider the possibility that it was this particular aspect of their ability that was impacted by the cutting off of their hair.
And, it is interesting to note that this article mostly focuses on the question of whether or not men cut their hair short, and the possible impact of that decision. Women, of course, tend to wear their hair longer as a general rule -- and are also often observed to exhibit greater levels of intuition (to such a degree that the phrase "woman's intuition" is fairly common).
Some might argue that the article is describing the benefits of unshorn hair in a combat environment, which is a very unusual and dangerous environment not representative of normal day-to-day life, and that therefore the discoveries described in the article, even if they were verifiably proven, would not have much relevance in other situations.
But it could certainly be argued that the kind of "sixth sense" and "intuition" described in the article as being somehow connected to the hair -- which the article argues is actually "an extension of the nervous system" -- could be beneficial in a host of other aspects of daily life having nothing to do with military combat, from driving a motor vehicle, to surfing, to creating artwork or music or participating in any other creative activity which involves contact with the Higher Self.
Indeed, if the article is correct, it would appear that there is some connection between unshorn hair and the realm of spirit -- an assertion that would appear to be very much in line with ancient myths, scriptures and sacred traditions found in many cultures in different parts of the globe. Previous posts which have dealt with this subject include "Dionysus, mighty and many shaped god," "Samson and the seven locks of his head," and "Joseph Hill and the Nazarite vow."
It is also interesting to consider that in previous centuries, it appears to have been much more common for men to wear their hair "unshorn" (even in "western" cultures, but in fact all around the globe) than it has been since about the beginning of the twentieth century. Here are a few images of individuals, some of them well known and others not as well known, demonstrating this reality:
Isaac Newton, whose Principia Mathematica was first presented to the Royal Society on April 28th, 1686 (thanks to my friend Mark S. for pointing out that significant historical anniversary). Wikimedia commons (link).
Self-portrait of artist Albrecht Durer, Wikimedia commons (link).
Chinese-American man in San Francisco's Chinatown circa 1910, with long hair braided in a queue. Wikimedia commons (link).
Samurai with long hair drawn upwards into traditional topknot, Japan. Wikimedia commons (link).
Lysander Spooner. Wikimedia commons (link).
Walt Whitman. Wikimedia commons (link).
John Muir. Wikimedia commons (link).
Sikh men (hair is traditionally unshorn and coiled beneath turban in a Rishi knot). Wikimedia commons (link).
Bob Marley. Wikimedia commons (link).
Aborigines of Sri Lanka. Wikimedia commons (link).
Australian man circa 1923. Wikimedia commons (link).
These are just a small sample of images from previous decades and centuries. Obviously, many more could be provided.
While we do not know, due to what may be the suppression or the rejection or the gradual loss of the knowledge of the connection between unshorn hair and the ability to sense the Invisible World, how much of a role our hair plays in this regard, it is very interesting to speculate about what additional consciousness or perception we might be depriving ourselves by ignoring wisdom that once perhaps was known more widely, and that survived among some cultures longer than among others.
Big up to Graham and Darren for pointing out this important subject.
For more on the subject of tracking, see some of the books by Paul Rezendes and by others skilled in this ancient art, as well as the many courses and workshops led by those who have spent years developing their skills in the outdoors, who can be located using searches on the web for experts in your area.
For my previous visits with Darren and Graham in the land of Grimerica (where there are no haircuts), see here and here.
And don't forget this little piece of ancient knowledge:
"Bangled, tangled, spangled and spaghetti . . . "