"real" meaning of dreads/king solomon?/negative encounters
General Questions
I've been told my locks don't look like "real dreads" and that white people can't wear them, but that's mostly from my students so I don't take it to heart, I just use it as teachable moment to talk about stereo-types and confining yourself and others by preconceived notions. That usually makes my student's eyes glaze over, but I like the opportunity to teach none the less.
I wear locks as a physical representation of my rejection of westernized images of beauty and refusal to be crushed by the slavery to the status quo. Lots of people I run into seem to believe locks began in Jamaica with the Rasta movement but that's not the case. I've heard Solomon wore them, but don't know about it. I've heard that locks are believed to be akin to antennae to tap pull energy and wisdom from the natural (or spiritual) world which seems to tie into the wisdom of Solomon. John the Baptist (also a Biblical figure) wore them in a addition to other religious and royal figures through out history in a variety of cultures.
Lots of great information in this thread. 
updated by @theri-landgraver: 07/23/15 03:42:45PM