Binding and Veiling

Veiling is the act of using something (usually fabric or a type of hat) to cover your head either partially or fully- while Binding is the act of tying up one’s hair (typically through braiding) in order to keep it out of the way; while Vieling nearly always has spiritual and modesty reasons in the modern age, and Binding does not, both may be done for a wide variety of reasons.

Practically speaking, unbound or unveiled hair gets in the way of things- and hair that gets in the way, also gets dirty and tangled. Braiding or otherwise binding one’s hair, or taking up some kind of headcovering is simply the most logical thing to do in order to keep one’s hair away from the face and out of the way, out of any kind of danger it could be exposed to, and generally out of the way of one’s everyday domesticity.

Realistically speaking, hair is a physical representation of one’s health and wellness. Keeping it well cared for, kept, and braided, then, can likewise be an outward representation of one’s own care for themselves and their own neatness and level of responsibility. Taking up headcovering can further illustrate modesty, or a desire for privacy and respectability- especially regarding the separation of the public life from the private, home, or religious one.

Psychologically, too, there can be an unbelievable feeling of relief, safety, freedom that comes from not having to show every part of your face or hair, which other people expect to be visible; in keeping a part of you private- especially when it is your own choice to make and keep such things private from the outside world.

Spiritually speaking, the hair as representative of health can also be seen as representative of personal magical and spiritual power. Thus covering or binding it in some manner serves numerous purposes: Firstly by protecting one’s power from outsiders and others; second by hiding the nature and strength of one’s lower; and lastly by also further separating the spiritual from the mundane.

Others believe that in addition to protecting one’s power from outsiders, it also helps to ground one’s self, and focus their power, allowing them to better concentrate on the task at hand, or navigate the world around them without being distracted by or getting bombarded with external energies, or concerning themselves with spiritual matters that are not their own.

Religiously, it can likewise be a powerful reminder of a Deity one worships- especially if one’s Deity has associations with the social contract, modesty, and similar themes. This is doubly true when the Deity has specifically called one to bind or veil as a devotional act to them, or as a requirement to their service.

In Judaism, traditionally headcovering was considered a part of the modesty codes (tzniut) applicable only to married women in the presence of non-related family members, and does not apply to those who are unmarried, divorced, or widowed; married women are expected to have a higher level of sexual modesty due to the commitment to their husbands, and covering their hair is part of this expectation since hair is considered sexually erotic in Jewish culture. Thus forcefully removing a woman's headcovering is considered to be an act of humiliation, and may be considered a form of sexual assault by some communities.

In addition to the laws of tzniut, headcoverings are worn by all genders when "standing in the presences of the Divine". Therefore they are worn when Praying, studying Torah, or attending Synagogue Service. In modern times various styles of traditional Jewish headcoverings may also be worn by all genders outside of such situations, as a symbol of their belonging to the Jewish community, regardless of marital status.

Only a minimal covering is biblically required, however- typically defined as the size of one's palm or larger, afixed to the head. Any definitions or expectations past that are classified as Minhag (community definition, custom, or tradition) and are not halachically considered binding.

Regardless of why one participates, as a general rule, when someone participates in Binding or Veiling, their hair is either up or covered in any situation where it may be observed by the general or unrelated public- only truly being worn loose around immediate relatives and close friends, and only in an intimate environmental setting.

An exception to this, especially within certain traditions, is the loosening of one’s har during magical ritual and worship.