Cover your head

I did not practice this outside home yet I did reflect on it and research the tradition which is followed in almost all religions to varying degree.

For me, it signified -

Humility

Surrender

Faith-Covering one’s head, may be a reminder that Guru’s and God’s hand is always on us, guiding us.

My research showed that-

Jewish tradition requires men to cover the head as a sign of humility before God, and women, as evidence of modesty before men, although the Bible does not explicitly command either men or women to cover the head.

Christian head covering and hair covering is the veiling of the head by women in a variety of Christian traditions. Some Christian women, based on historic Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed and Methodist teaching, wear the head covering in public worship (though some women belonging to these traditions may also choose to wear the head covering outside of church),[1] while others, especially Anabaptist Christians, believe women should wear head coverings all the time.[2] The practice of Christian headcovering was inspired by a traditional interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:2 — 16 in the Christian Bible.

Islam-Historically, some of the first Muslim women to cover their hair were the wives of the Prophet Muhammad. As exemplars in the community, their covering represented dignity, humility, and modesty for Muslim women. It also served as a marker of social class, as slave women of the time did not cover. Traditionally, men used to cover their heads as much as women, and this covering carried similar resonances of dignity and humility. While women’s covering became an “obligation” in Islamic law, men’s covering did not, although some schools of law highly encourage wearing it as Sunnah, or practice of the Prophet Muhammad, and during prayer.

Sikhism-Keeping the head covered shows modesty, that someone else is more powerful and respectable than us. God being the supreme, our heads need to be covered all the time in order to pay the respect. Thus, the most prominent reason for covering the heads in Gurudwara is respect.

Sanatana dharma- ‘does not impose any set of rules.The goal is the attainment of ultimate liberation from the conditioned existence.

That being said, there is a practise among some women of Northern India to cover their head as a sign of respect. This practise is a result of Abrahamic mainly Islamic conquests in the North. The Islamic invaders brutally oppressed the native population of India and imposed many of the Islamic tenants. Some of these practises continued even after the Islamic empire vanished. The covering of head is one such aberration. Women in the Southern parts of India do not cover their head as the original Indian culture is still alive in this region as this region was not subject to the kind of Islamic brutalities that the North suffered.’

Ultimately it’s a matter of personal choice.

If I cover my head to distinguish myself and identify myself as a person of particular sect, then I’m creating separation.

If I use the head cover as a constant reminder that my Guru and God’s blessing is always with me, the hand is always guiding me- then I use it for self development. The purpose of using it for respect, humility , surrender and faith is higher than using it as a mark of religious identification.

The question is not if I cover my head outwardly . It is — to look into the deeper purpose.

The question is all wrong

as long as I keep using two pronouns

I’m this in between; two headed thing with no name~ Rumi

Thanks Vivekji for the opportunity to reflect on this more.