My brother died and I chopped off my hair?

It was the strangest feeling. After my brother passed away I had a deep desire to chop off l my hair. My hair was actually, physically making me uncomfortable. It bothered me and I just wanted it off my shoulders. A way to help get some weight off my shoulders so to speak? I remember being so excited to go to the salon and what a relief I felt as I heard the scissors cut through my ponytail!

When I went home I began to think about this urge that was so deeply imbedded into my being. What was this strong desire all about? I remember thinking, this hair on my head doesn't matter, it can grow back as I am still alive. 

So what did I do? Hellooooo GOOGLE! I started to do a little research to better understand this need to cut my hair. This is what I found about two different cultures...

Native Americans

Many Native Americans having long hair is a symbol of tribal religious traditions which teach that hair is only to be cut when one is in mourning for the death of a close relative. Its a sign of respect and of mourning. Its a sacrifice done to allow the living person to let the loved one go. Its a visual sign to ones family and tribe that your life has been severed from your loved ones life. Spiritually, it is sign of the loss of power and a severing of ones self from the past. It shows that one has sacrificed to let one go and as the hair grows back the person starts anew from that point on. Often it is a gift to the deceased person, here, here's my hair and my power, go forward on your journey, you are not alone, draw strength from our days together.

Source: Wikianswers

Hinduism

To ensure (the act of cutting the hair or shaving the head) after the death of an elder member of the family is a age-old Hindu custom. In Hinduism, the underlying concept is that hair is a symbolic offering to the gods, representing a real sacrifice of beauty, hence shaving your head shows your grief for the departed soul.

Also, Hair on the head is treated as an adornment and as a symbol of vanity. 

On the death of an elderly person in a family, the Hindus consider the children of the family not to be egoistic in nature but be humble, devoted and submitted to nature. So they need them to give up their adornment and vanity in humiliation.

Source: Wikipedia

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How fascinating. That was exactly the feeling running through my veins and I could not have described it better. I was definitely feeling past life emotions.  I wonder, how many other people, not of these cultures, had an urge to cut off their hair too?