The dreadlocks alone do not make a Rasta; it also means following beliefs and lifestyle

There are many people with dreadlocks on this campus, but not all align themselves with the Rastafari movement. As one slowly becoming highly interested by this spiritual movement, I feel I have the need to educate the masses on this subject matter. You know, separate the fact from the over hyped fiction given off through the media.

First off, one needs to know just exactly how this belief system started. That would be the coronation of Haile Selassie the First (formally Ras Tafari Makonnen) in 1930 Ethiopia.

Many believe the crowning of this man in the (at the time) only free African nation and also the only African monarch recognized by the nations of the world led, many of the founders to believe that Selassie, also known to those in the movement now as Jah or Jah Rastafari, is to be the physical reincarnation of Jesus Christ.

All those in the movement also believe that Selassie was the 225th in the unbroken line of Solomonic Kings descended from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

Also due to this, many of the Rastafari also believe that they and those of the black race are part of the Twelve Tribes of Israel tossed into the continent through the ancient slave trade. Thus many of them draw from Abrahamic religion.

Moving along, the Rasta hold the belief that their bodies are the true church of God and that Selassie is both the Son and the Father of the Holy Trinity while the whole of humanity is the Holy Spirit. Also of great importance, is the belief of physical immortality or an everliving life, which only a chosen few would be able to be blessed with.

Diet wise many follow an ital diet, one practiced by Jews and Muslims, while some eat what they please following the saying,

"It's not what goes into the mouth that makes the body foul but what comes out of it."

Another thing to take note of is that all Rastafari denounce the use of 'isms'. Calling the belief Rastafarianism is in short a huge blow of disrespect.

Now onto the three mainly popular and widely know symbols of this spiritual movement - dreadlocks, ganja, and the colors.

The tradition of wearing dreadlocks came from scriptures of Leviticus 21:5 and Numbers 6:5, deeming that not a razor would ever touch an adherents head. These thick locks have also come to symbolize the mane of the Lion of Judah and also a symbolic means of rebellion against Babylon or basically the corruption which lies in wait inside many of today's governments.

Dreadlocks are basically seen as a spiritual journey of the mind and soul and that patience is key in growing them. Allowing the hair to grow into a natural pattern is key in the formation of dreadlocks, therefore true dreads will have a more wild look to them unlike the multitude of bathroom dreads (locks which are continuously styled to look neat and proper).

Although it is not deemed necessary to have dreadlocks.

Ganja (herb), or more commonly known as weed, is a sacred sacrament that many take part in mostly due to a multitude of scriptures which for a lack of a better statement, encourage the usage of the plant.

The colors of green, gold, red, and black are symbols which describe the skin of the people (black), the color of the earth that all walk upon (green), the blood of all living things (red), and the light of the sun and Jah (gold).

Now hopefully that you know a bit more about the Rastafari movement you can drop all those preconceived notions and at least have some tolerance.

Anyways folks, take it easy, one love.