Monday, November 14, 2011

Yes, I got a tattoo

In many native cultures tattooing, or marking of the body is a part of the culture, respected, honoured, cherished. In western cultures tattoos and body markings sometimes have a negative image. 

I want to show you a tattoo that I have recently had done. It is likely the only tattoo I will ever get, but it carries huge significance for me. 

I have wanted a tattoo for a very long time, but was worried about what other people would think, and so I bowed down to the preferences of other people…in other words, I honoured the wishes of others, whilst not honouring my own. 

The last sixteen months have been a period of massive personal and spiritual growth for me. I feel that, for the first time in my life I truly came to know who I am. And you know what? I love who I am. I am a good, kind, loving, caring person. I work hard at everything that I do, and I support people to the best of my abilities. I love greatly

The time had arrived when I truly wanted to get a tattoo done, and so I spent a year researching. I knew what I wanted but could not find any design that I liked, and so I went to see some tattooists, and discovered that not all tattooists are artists, and that they were not able to design what I wanted. Via a friend I did find a tattooist who was also an artist. He lived in another city, but I go to that city twice a year and was planning to be there in five months time. I told him what I wanted, gave him examples that contained elements that I liked, explained the meaning behind the design I wanted done, asked lots of questions and then let him loose! Each time he came up with a design I explained what I wanted changed, what worked, and what did not work. When I looked at the fifth design I knew he had ‘nailed it’! I felt the movement in the design, saw all the elements I wanted. Next question was colouring, and on this I simply asked the Universe to guide him. I finally saw the coloured draft the day before I was due to fly out, and it was beautiful, stunning

This is a commissioned tattoo, a one off, a design that belongs to Matt and to me. 

Getting the tattoo inked in was a very primal experience. I had given this tattoo so much thought that the pain was never even a consideration, the only things I cared about was the design and the permanence. A tattoo is something we carry with us for the rest of our life. One day I will be 70 years old with a tattoo (assuming I live that long – and there is certainly no guarantee that I will). Some people might stop and ask themselves ‘Oh, gosh, I will be old and saggy, maybe I should not do this tattoo at all.’ That is a valid argument. But…I cannot live for something that is so far ahead. I cannot, and will not, live thinking about when I am 70 or 80 and not live now! We must live now! I know that I would reach 70 or 80 and regret the things I did not do in my life. I would rather look at that tattoo on my 80 year old body and still be in love with it, than look at my naked shoulder and think ‘I wish I had just done it, because I know I would have cherished it, enjoyed it, been proud of it, loved it!’ And then I would realise ‘I let everyone else’s judgement stop me from doing something I had always wanted to do,’ and I would be ashamed! Ashamed because I had (have!) spent years teaching people to be true to themselves, and yet was not true to myself. I may be many things, but I am not a hypocrite. 

Dragon energy and Phoenix energy are powerful energies that I work with, and have worked with for a long time. I tend to have strong Phoenix energy (no surprise there!), but I love them both, honour and respect them both, and will continue to work with them. Their energy is imbedded in this tattoo. I also admire that the Dragon and Phoenix are popular in, and a part of, Chinese culture. By marriage, the Chinese culture is a part of my life, and I both admire and respect it. 

The actual tattooing process hurt more than I thought it would. But thanks to meditation experience, focus and martial arts I managed to get through the three hour process! The last thirty minutes were extreme, and the last ten involved a lot of deep karate breathing! Afterwards my tattooist said that it was a big tattoo for a first one! He also told me that most people can only take two hours, and that if I had not wanted it all done on one day he would have done the outline one day and another day/week he would have done the colouring. I, however, needed it all completed in one session as I was only in the city for one week, and had a martial arts grading eight days later and needed the tattoo as healed as possible by then. 

As I write this (eleven days later) the tattoo still has one tiny patch that is healing, but the rest is looking perfect and the itching is lessening! I am proud of this tattoo. It is sexy, classy, artistic, beautiful, and meaningful! I can cover it up if I do not want to show it off, or if I am going to a corporate dinner with my husband. 

copyright Hazard ink / Robyn M Speed
People who know me well are not surprised I got the tattoo done, and the overall consensus is that it is an amazing, beautiful work of art. People who know me well love that I am who I am, that I live from my heart and Soul and honour myself whilst still honouring everyone else. 

If I am to live on this Earth as the divine being that I truly am, then I cannot hide. I cannot hide my passion, my faith, my love, my joy, my desire, my power, my strength, my gentleness, my devotion to humanity… I cannot, and I will not. Let me show you how much passion and love a person can truly live with! Don’t look at me and judge me, look into my heart and Soul and know me. I am one in a million, I have been told this many times. 

And if you want to see what difference one person can make to the world … my answer to that is: I already have! When we exist true to our Soul, when we love from our heart and Soul, we light up the recesses of humanity and we allow healing to take place. We light up the darkness and we let the light shine in, revealing the truth within each person that has always been there.

No comments:

Post a Comment