The Starting.....

Eccentric Beliefs...

Have you guys ever wondered the reason behind covering your head in energy centers ( temples, mosques, churches)? Elders have always instilled the habit of taking off our shoes and covering our heads in these energy centers. Do you believe that these are just made-up beliefs to create discipline in inside of us? If you do so, then you are incorrect. Today, we will be discussing the roots of such beliefs of people when they enter the energy centers.

The first one is always a covering your head with a piece of cloth. Before sharing the reason behind it with you all, I will be writing a cute and childhood personal experience from it. Hailing from a Punjabi family, my mother always reminded me to cover my head with a dupatta (scarf) before stepping into the gudwara. I always asked my mother why and what difference would it make if I go with my head bare while paying obeisance to Guruji (Sikh God). She would always say that since we are roaming in energy centers, the crown chakra in our head in which energy floats tends to dissipate into the atmosphere. Therefore, covering the head keeps all the positive energy of the temple absorbed in one place in the crown chakra. Thereby, we feel immensely peaceful after stepping out and placated that whatever predicaments we are facing at the moment will be faced seamlessly. There is another reason behind it. In the crown chakra, not only positive energy floats but also the electrons (negative energy) orbit as well. As we have discussed before, every human has different karmas of their own. So, walking with bare head releases this negative energy which might impact other people and may not make that center energetic and peaceful anymore. 

The second is taking off your shoes whenever entering the temple. This may not be common in churches but it is in Asian countries. Why is it disrespectful to walk with shoes in the praying hub? The reason we wear shoes is to prevent our feet from getting dirty. So wherever we walk, our shoes collect once again the energy of that place including the immense dirt. With the same theory of energy and dirt, wearing shoes is considered a bad omen bringing dirt and negative energy to the house of  God.

Another common phenomenon you must have observed in religions is the weird and extensive rites and rituals conducted for every single thing. Speaking of Hinduism, there are many rites that include burning and as in science we have discussed that they are also the source of air pollution which I also agreed with until now. Whether its the crematory or  some puja (prayer to God), fire is a significant component of all these processes. In cremations,  Agni (Fire God in Hinduism)  burns the body to ashes so the negative energy such as the diseases or consumptions to spread and is completely eradicated from this world helping the soul to rest in peace and either attain moksha or reincarnation. Now in usual and normal pujas, Agni although producing smoke is actually good for the atmosphere. Isn't that confusing?! On one hand, we say that smoke is adversely impacting the environment whereas on the other hand its beneficial. Nowadays, religion has become quite commercial and I am not defaming it. However, according to my opinion taking advantage of the fact that people keep hope in temples and more importantly God, is just wrong. Out of all these, Hinduism has become most commercialized in the present day. For instance, the pandits (religious Gurus) always suggest extensive rituals which seem futile and is not really necessary to do. In the aggregate, following extra rites is just a waste of time as you should be spiritual including devoted whole-heartedly to your God. Now without further deflecting from our point, fire in pujas is created with traditional wood (sandalwood) and some other natural ingredients that induce not only peace to our minds with the resonance of the mantras but also scientifically bind with the components of air and purify due to the composition of natural ingredients. If we take an example of stubble burning, that is true pollution as the stubble is impure thereby affecting our surroundings more adversely.

In the end, every religion and country has their respective rites which always are bound to some logical or mindful reasoning. In case you face beliefs that seem  bizarre, research about why and if its futile, spread awareness among your people that being truly devoted to God is all. So, whichever religion you belong to, ponder about its beliefs for a moment and search about it. Do share your opinions in the comment section below! #HappyReading