Hair. For Samson, it was the source of his power. French Merovingian royalty placed so much importance on it that they were known as the "Long-Haired Monarchs". To them, hair was attributed magical power. Former 'Felicity' star Keri Russell might agree that hair has magic because when she cut hers, the charm of her show seemed to vanish along with her locks.

We as a culture are obsessed with our hair. Hair seems to someone say something who we are. It seems to be an outer expression of our inner selves. To make that outer image match our inner self we do all manner of things to our hair--we cut it, curl it, apply all manner of chemicals, we even sometimes shave it all off.

As in waking life, hair in dreams says something important about ourselves, only it is more a statement about our inner lives moreso than our physical image. When hair shows up in dreams it normally falls into one of several categories. Here are some of those categories and ideas about what they symbolize.

Hair Falling Out
Since hair is commonly associated with power, dreaming of loosing hair is often an indicator that we feel like our energy is being drained away. Like tooth loss dreams there is often an accompanying feeling of helplessness that comes with dreams of hair loss. And like tooth loss dreams, hair loss dreams may point to feeling powerless to change a situation. If you dream of loosing hair, look at you life and see if there are relationships or situations which are energy drainers.

Hair Cut
As Samson and the Merovingians will attest, dreams of cutting hair can be another symbol of a loss of power. For men, it can even symbolize feelings of castration. Whereas dreams of hair falling out points to an insidious energy drain, dreams of having one's hair cut symbolize a much more aggressive type of power loss. In waking life, prisoners heads are often shaved to take away some of their identity.

Dreams of getting your hair cut, however, do not always mean a loss of power. Look at the dream and see who is cutting your hair. Is it a barber or hair dresser? If so, this may actually point to something which needs to be discarded, or a feeling of needing to rid yourself of something. However, if the haircut is performed by someone other than a professional, look at who that person is. You may feel as if that person is taking away something important from you.

Hair Coloring
Changing one's hair color in a dream can symbolize a need to change one's identity or it may represent feelings one has about oneself. Colors in dreams are always significant (we'll discuss colors next week). Dreaming of dyeing your hair a deep black color may suggest feelings of depression. Dyeing it red can indicate feelings of vitality or possible anger. Red is also an important color in alchemy, so dyeing your hair red could also point to some serious, important changes in your thoughts. Bleaching your hair in a dream can also be another symbol of loss of energy--feeling like the color is being sucked from your life.

Hair Length and Condition
Dreaming of long, vital hair usually indicates contentment in your life and feelings of health. It can also be an indicator of creative thoughts and ideas spring forth from your mind. However, dreaming of long tangled hair can indicate feelings of being overwrought with ideas, emotions, or indicate that
you are feeling a situation is too difficult to handle.

Remember that hair comes from within us--it starts inside our skin then grows up and out. As such, hair is a great symbol for ideas, emotions, and other such interior activities and how they are being expressed to the world.

As always, sleep well and dream out loud!

*~Aisling Ireland~* is an ordained Spiritual Counselor providing dream interpretation and Tarot readings. To make an appointment check out her website at: web.mac.com/aisling.ireland