Wrap-Versary (Anniversary) One Year of Wrapping
Welcome to my celebration of my Wrapping Anniversary!
21st June / 13th January 2019
Today is the anniversary of when I first started wrapping full time.
It was part of my ritual for the Winter Solstice last year(Southern Hemisphere).
To begin with, I had started wearing head scarves on my days off on the 13th January 2018.
Six months later I transitioned into covering full time.
As today is my wrapping anniversary, I decided to share the background around why I cover my head / hair.
Origins
Previously, I had wrapped and veiled for specific rituals.
In reflection, I have worn hats and bandanas for many years.
Throughout my 20s, a bowler hat was one of my trademarks!
There is a certain Mad Hatter Top Hat that lives on in a few people’s minds.
With hindsight, I realize I have always liked having my head covered.
However, I never gave it much thought until a few years ago.
Recently, whilst reviewing various diary entries, I realize I started wrapping or veiling more in ritual from 2012.
At that time, I started reading more about it where I could, obviously seeking out the neo-pagan perspective.
It was a surprise to me to find that it was such a hot topic!
There is a whole heap of links at the end of this blog for those that want to read a myriad of views.
Personally, part of my process was to work out how I felt about the practice of covering.
At the same time, I needed to consider where wrapping sat with my cultural background, as well as my religious and feminist perspectives.
Starting Point
In December 2017, my sister died.
This marked the 12th death among family and friends from April 2015 through that December.
After I returned from her funeral interstate, I found myself feeling very overwhelmed.
My normal work is very emotionally demanding.
Feeling overwhelmed with cumulative grief whilst dealing with trauma and crisis in my professional field was *exhausting*.
I found that I wasn’t motivated to do anything social or in terms of my health.
Additionally, my sleeping habits were disturbed – another issue for someone who does extreme rotating shift work.
My work is incredibly important to me; it forms part of my devotional practice to two of my closest Deities.
Anything that impacts upon my work is a really big deal for me: professionally and in terms of my religious practice.
If you are interested more in my religious practice, feel free to have a read through some of my previous blog posts (I will include them at the end of this post).
Meditation
In meditation, I uncovered a quiet urging to wrap in day to day life.
On the 13th January, I went out wearing a green wrap.
Immediately, I felt so much better.
When surrounded by people, I felt less overwhelmed.
It felt like I had an additional layer of shielding.
Very quickly, I felt more grounded.
Over time, I felt more confident.
It felt completely natural and comfortable.
I felt more like myself than I had done for a long time.
A random stranger complimented me in the street!
For me, it felt like a very affirming experience.
First (baby) Steps
I started small – wearing headbands at work, and wearing a wrap on my days off.
Initially, there was a compulsion to wear green.
For those of you who know about chakras, you know that green is the colour of the heart chakra.
This made perfect sense to me.
My heart was so bruised from cumulative grief; I needed all the support I could muster.
I continued to do quiet meditation around this subtle urging.
Initial intellectual resistance
There was some initial intellectual resistance internally.
As someone who identifies as an eclectic hard polytheist, I really had to unpack that.
I am not aligned with specific traditions that have veiling or head / hair covering as part of their practice.
There are two Deities commonly associated with veiling / head / hair covering. They are Vesta and Hestia. There was no call that I experienced from these Deities.
Equally important to me was the question of cultural appropriation.
However…
I wanted to connect to the source of that quiet urging, believing it to be something other than wrapping acting like a thundershirt *grin*.
Community
Over time, I discovered online groups via Facebook.
- Wrapunzel
- Harmony Headwraps
- Occulta Femina (covered women)
- She Who Veils: Pagan Veiling
- EpicFem Wrapz
The people on these pages are typically very supportive and encouraging.
Taking a deep breath, I placed a large order with Wrapunzel.
I watched YouTube tutorials around how to wrap.
Eventually, I discovered just how much difference velvet headbands and shapers make!
Starting to use them was a complete game changer.
They ensure that my wraps maintain their shape and don’t just fall off my head.
Full Time Commitment
At the Winter Solstice, I started covering at work as well as on days off.
Initially, it was with beanies and similar (being Southern Hemisphere, this was June).
Then I placed a large order for blue scarves for work from Harmony Headwraps and transitioned to wrapping fully both at work and on my days off.
I actually don’t wear blue outside of work, so this was a major commitment! 🙂
Responses
At the present time, I have found I have settled into using a couple of specific styles that are comfortable to wear.
As a day to day concern, I have to consider my glasses.
Whilst at work, the wrap has to survive a 12 hour shift and the various accouterments of my employment.
There has been very little reaction at my place of work, apart from some lovely compliments.
A couple of people have asked me in passing if I have cut my (very long) hair, or why I am covering.
My explanations do vary somewhat, depending upon the person.
Friends and family have largely been very supportive.
I think a few people have found it a bit odd, but there haven’t been any hostile reactions.
Which is great, because particularly after my sister’s death, when I first started to wrap, I was *very* fragile.
From interacting with the online community, I know that adverse reactions are common.
This is a bit sad, especially if it discourages others from wrapping.
One year on:
That quiet voice has revealed itself as an urging towards deeper devotional practice.
It has also opened a relationship with some of the Children of Nyx.
Specifically Pasithea, Hypnos, Morpheus, Thanatos.
Not only developing new relationships, but also strengthening a pre-existing relationship with Kharon.
I have actually previously contributed to a devotional anthology focused on Kharon called Ferryman of Souls.
These relationships make perfect sense given the period of death and grief I have experienced.
Combine that with the extreme rotating shift work I do, and the fact that my actual employment involves trauma and death, these relationships seem *so* obvious to me now!
I have now seen other pagans post that they feel that wrapping is part of their devotion to Pasithea, so that has been interesting to me (I really need to follow that up, lol!).
In Conclusion:
I would encourage anyone who feels called to wrap to at least try it.
If you are not confident, maybe try it at home or in ritual.
Watch the YouTube tutorials to give yourself some pointers and some confidence.
Some of those wraps get very fancy!
Wrapping been a very positive, empowering devotional practice for me.
Wearing my wraps make me feel more connected to my Gods, and more centered in myself.
Covering makes me feel more grounded.
Wrapping has the added benefit that it feels like a crown – I feel very connected to my personal sovereignty, therefore it also makes me feel quite elegant, regal, and ‘well put together’.
What’s not to love?
As an aside – an unexpected side effect: if you use #wrap #wrapping etc. on Insta, you suddenly end up with a heap of automotive wrapping businesses following you: that always entertains me!
It’s the little things…
In addition, I would also like to thank Jacque, Margaret, and Bec who were my beta readers for this blog post J
And that’s a wrap!
Blog Links (in roughly chronological order)
The Mantled Fox: A pagan headcovering blog
Pagan Layman: Honest about Headcovering
Ciar’s Stitch in Time: Viking Age Head Coverings
Witching The Homestead: Pagan Headcovering
Writings of A Pagan Witch: The Call to Cover
Rowan Hale: Headcovering for pagan women
Patheos: With all due modesty (NSFW)
Patheos: Veiling: A different take on pagan womanhood
The Solitary Eclectic Pagan: Pagan veiling and headcovering
Muse of Hestia: Hestia and headcovering as pagan
Syncretic Mystic: H is for headcovering
Mystik Nomad: Headcovering and mental health
Mystik Nomad: Piety Modesty and Covering my Hair – a perspective
Moody Moons: Pagan veiling – a complete beginners guide
Words of a Fledgling Kemetic: H is for headcovering
Everyday Magic: Covered in Light and my experience veiling today
Everyday Magic: Veiling a 4ish Month retrospective
Living Liminally: The Magic of Hair and of the Head
Gangleri’s Grove: Head covering
Jolene Dawe: Tichel, tichel, tichel*
Knot Magick: How do witches dress?
Witches & Pagans: My veiling journey
Witches & Pagans: Pagan Headcovering/ Veiling
Witches & Pagans: The Basics of Wrapping
Bustle: 5 Bizarre Historical Beliefs About Women’s Hair
That final link is just to see if you are still paying attention!
Finally: If there are any blogs or blog posts that you have found that aren’t listed, be sure to pop them in the comments, because I absolutely would be interested to read them!
Sacred Moments: Solstices, Equinoxes, Festivals, Moon Phases
Imbolc The Quickening Lughnasadh Lammas Sacred Moment Reflection
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