My Wrapaversary Journey : The Story so far …

On Thursday 4th March 2021 , I , Minnie-Sylvia celebrated the 3rd year of wrapping my hair full time – my ‘ wrapaversary ‘ day . This is how I wrapped my hair to celebrate this momentous day . Momentous because wrapping has truly transformed my life . It has had awesome side effects !!

Minnie – Sylvia wrapped for her special wrapaversary day in a 3 scarf wrap

How did I get here to this point ? Why did I decide at the age of 47 to start wrapping my hair ? This is a little of my journey ….

In March 2018 I took a holiday / individual spiritual retreat to Newquay in Cornwall . I had decided that I needed a break / time out to reflect on life and to decide where I wanted my future to go ! At this point I knew that my son would be going to university at the end of the year and that for the first time in many years as a solo parent , I was in a position to consider my own needs first and to make some life changes .

I had made a plan for myself , ( yes , I am a list person ! ) of things I wanted to do and see while away . So , I checked into my hotel as a lone traveller , planning , as I joked with a psychiatrist colleague , to tell anyone who asked my profession , that I was a librarian , as I really needed time for myself and not to listen to any problems on my retreat !!

The hotel was just what I needed . Clean and comfortable , fully inclusive board , with a sauna , swimming pool , jacuzzi and lovely staff who were welcoming and helpful but not intrusive .

I swam every day and used the sauna and steam room to sweat away the stress . At breakfast a very large group of Welsh tourists joined me at my table . As I am half Welsh , I immediately found myself mentally back in South Wales where I had spent so much of my childhood by the sea and shimmering sun . It only rains about 60 % of the time in Wales ! I was bathed in the accent of my younger years and felt so at home . Welsh people are a people of song , warm and honest and sometimes very blunt in a comical way . The pubs in Wales can often be found next to a church !!

On my personal retreat , after breakfast I would spend time in prayer and meditation followed by some spiritual reading and reflection . Whilst I grew up going to a traditional church that still sang in Latin for the mass , wrapping my hair was not a requirement . Some people would choose to wear hats or veil for church services but it was not compulsory . For many years as a personal choice I have chosen , when alone in prayer , to cover my head with either a catholic mantilla or prayer shawl as I find I am much more focused , less distracted and feel closer to G-d . This is just my personal experience and choice .

So after daily prayer and reading , I would go exploring and be out for the whole day visiting various places of interest , other towns and going for very long walks while having time to think . Inevitably I would meet people out and about chatting and socialising . I stayed incognito as a librarian ! I discovered beautiful churches , scenery , people , surfers , small local art galleries and some great veggie and vegan places to eat also great cake and coffee places . After London life , being by the sea was incredibly calming and un-frenetic energetically .

Here Are some photos from this holiday / retreat :

I was actually there over the Easter period , so I decided to attend some of the local church services which included a Seder service / Maundy Thursday service . I was made welcome by the priest who turned out to be from my hometown .

This was at St Michael and All Angels . I was really made welcome and got a marriage proposal from a lonely widower in the congregation . Thankfully the priest came to rescue me and gave me a blessing ! It was a vicar of Dibley moment …

Here are some pictures of St Michael and all Angels / Newquay :

So while I was approaching Easter I had lots of time to think and reflect . This period was very much a spiritual detox for me also . My thinking became crystal clear as to what I was going to change in my life and how . I decided to move out of London to the Sussex coast which I have now done . At one time in my situation that was just a dream and seemed impossible but I trusted that this would happen because G-d is the master of what is impossible . Another blog will be wrapping up the impossible !

During that period I felt a strong pull / conviction to cover my hair and wrap more and more as this external wrap made me feel so different internally – spiritually , mentally and emotionally . This was a spiritual pull , not a religious one , although the Holy bible does have things to say about dress and wrapping – see below :

Wrapping my hair was just something I knew I personally had to do because that inner knowing was so strong that I could not ignore it and I knew that for me it would be a blessing . I just felt so much closer to spirit , to G-d and my creator when I wrapped my hair . I felt that this also helped me to think in a very clear and calm way and to see the truth of what was around me . It was a personal , spiritual decision .

On my travels I visited St Ives which is a beautiful quaint seaside town in Cornwall . It is really an inspiring and uplifting place to go . There are so many very old churches there which feel so sacred as soon as you step inside . You feel the presence of prayer and all those who have prayed there before you . The stone is worn smooth by pilgrims praying the beads and I find nothing more beautiful than the sanctuary lamp which burns day and night as a light of hope .

Another place I visited in Cornwall was Truro Cathedral . I had sung here every year for 8 years and stayed at the Cathedral choir school every summer . While the cathedral choir was on holiday , visiting choirs would stay and fill in which meant singing 2 services a day and practice in between . I completed all my singing exams for the Royal Schools of Church music at that time . It brought back many memories . The cathedral has a very high ceiling so acoustically it produces an amazing sound . I had sung solo’s here when I was 14 ! As it was Easter there was a very special chrism anointing oil mass happening and oil is blessed and given to the congregation and the priests / religious renew their vows . It is a place where you can really feel and sense stillness and connection to the divine . Music also makes me feel very connected to G-d and nothing changes a person’s mood quicker than music .

So while I had wrapped my hair for prayer previously , I decided to cover my hair at all times as I prayed my way through the day ! This had unexpected side effects :

No more bad hair days !
Reduced anxiety / feeling less stressed
Clarity of thought
Feeling more centred and grounded
Not absorbing the negative energy of others
Chakras feeling more balanced / centred
My creativity returned – feeling inspired and taking up things I had not done for many years such as singing , being able to sing without nerves
Creating art work
Wrapping creatively
Positive self care
Maintaining boundaries that support health eg saying no to overtime !
Better physical health

These side effects were in addition to the reasons I began to wrap full time which were spiritual .

Here are some of my early wraps – sometimes these were simple pull on turbans , mantillas for prayer and simple headwrap styles :

Once I started wrapping and researching I found lots of resources especially online to help me with wrapping . I began to experiment with many wrap styles and there are literally hundreds of styles , materials , patterns and cloths that all tell their own story and have their own history and journey ! It opens up a whole wrap world .

There are thousands of women world wide around the globe who wrap their hair for many reasons . My experience with wrapping and other people’s perceptions of what this symbolises have been very interesting . I have not experienced any negative reaction or prejudice to my own wrapping journey even when I have been in situations ( often ) where I am the only person who wraps , but I feel that this is due to several reasons :

I have always lived in multicultural areas that are tolerant of and accept difference
I do not care what other people think of me wrapping . I am confident and happy in my wrapping . So I am not affected by the perception of others

I have been asked some interesting questions that have been positive , curious and so on . Here are some I have been asked !

” Do you cover your hair for religious reasons ? “
” Excuse me , I just have to ask , are you a Kundalini yoga teacher ? I’ve just moved down from London and I’m desperately trying to find a Kundalini teacher ?! ” – This was while I was buying groceries !
“Excuse me , I hope you don’t mind me asking , but are you an artist ? You look amazing .” This question was asked by a lady who came over to my table when I was having coffee with a friend . It turned out she was an artist herself – she invited me to her gallery showing !
I was visiting a gallery and another artist asked me if I would like to come to an artist’s event / party as ” you are obviously a creative ”
” I love your head gear . How do you do that ? ”
” Excuse me , I was just wondering , where do you buy your scarves from . You look lovely ”

I have also found that children seem to love my wraps !

So , on to my wrapaversary day celebrations ! This would have been a party were we not in lockdown ! So this year , I celebrated by meeting my wonderful brother and catching up , eating Nepalese street food , and enjoying the beach where I live and a sunset walk . I received some beautiful gifts from family – vegan make up was a lovely surprise !

Everyone who wraps will have their own story and reason for wrapping . This is just a snapshot of mine . I will list some of the really helpful resources and tips / tools / wraps / accessories etc I have found along the way in a separate blog as there are too many to list here and they deserve their own space !

Here are a few final pictures of my wrapaversary and a wish to you for Happy Wrapping !!