I Have Tattoos
In my teens, I'd thought it might be cool to have scales inked from wrists to neck to ankles. Once I got serious about tattoos, I'd discovered the cost & time involved. I held off for a long time since the blood bank had a long deferral period after a tattoo and I gave blood religiously. Once I was in a town without a blood bank, that became less of an issue.
I'd been considering a tattoo that incorporated faith (Christian-ish), vocation (pastor), heritage (mutt) and a bit of spiritual meaning beyond. (Also, as a nudist, I thought it might make for easier identification at resorts. At least there'd be something other than "The guy with the long hair.") Eventually, I settled on something that could be done in stages in case the pain of getting inked was more than I could do much of in one sitting.
Faith, vocation, & Celtic heritage came together easily in the form of a Celtic cross. I admit I cheated a bit on a symbol for Kiowa & Cherokee heritage, using a dream-catcher & mandala. Throwing that together, along with combining the story behind the dream-catcher with the passage from Matthew's Gospel where Jesus mentions that impurity comes from the heart, I had what I wanted: a Celtic cross with the interior of the ring as a dream-catcher web, centered on the left nipple, with 4 feathers hanging from the ring. The total is about 6 inches wide by 8 inches tall. (Picture on my profile soon.)
Having heard horror stories from friends on the level of pain involved, I was braced for the worst. Perhaps due to regular migraines, my tolerance was high enough that I didn't really react until the artist inked a bit of the aureola (which was also partly surprise, since I'd asked her not to). However it happened, my two friends and the artist all agreed that I wasn't allowed to be with them at their next inking, lest they look like wimps.
At some point where time and money coincide, I'll be adding a trio of ravens (for my English heritage).
I'd been considering a tattoo that incorporated faith (Christian-ish), vocation (pastor), heritage (mutt) and a bit of spiritual meaning beyond. (Also, as a nudist, I thought it might make for easier identification at resorts. At least there'd be something other than "The guy with the long hair.") Eventually, I settled on something that could be done in stages in case the pain of getting inked was more than I could do much of in one sitting.
Faith, vocation, & Celtic heritage came together easily in the form of a Celtic cross. I admit I cheated a bit on a symbol for Kiowa & Cherokee heritage, using a dream-catcher & mandala. Throwing that together, along with combining the story behind the dream-catcher with the passage from Matthew's Gospel where Jesus mentions that impurity comes from the heart, I had what I wanted: a Celtic cross with the interior of the ring as a dream-catcher web, centered on the left nipple, with 4 feathers hanging from the ring. The total is about 6 inches wide by 8 inches tall. (Picture on my profile soon.)
Having heard horror stories from friends on the level of pain involved, I was braced for the worst. Perhaps due to regular migraines, my tolerance was high enough that I didn't really react until the artist inked a bit of the aureola (which was also partly surprise, since I'd asked her not to). However it happened, my two friends and the artist all agreed that I wasn't allowed to be with them at their next inking, lest they look like wimps.
At some point where time and money coincide, I'll be adding a trio of ravens (for my English heritage).
By:
arkhanon
Age:
31-35
,
Male
