Tattoos and Tarot- Opinions?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Apr 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

All Is One	10 Apr 2002
Hi everyone: I have been babbling so much on here lately that I wanted to hear you all talk now! I am curious to know if anyone on this site has tattoos, and if so, what designs, and if not- would you consider getting one or more? Why or why not? Also; since I have three and designed them all around the symbols I had studied in my research on Tarot, what do you all think of the idea of using tattoos and Tarot symbols together as a way of empowerment? Either subject- Tarot designs as Tattoos, or Tattoos and your feelings about them would be really interesting to hear about. Thanks! :) :) :)

springfish	10 Apr 2002
I think tattoos are fine. I have one, it's a stylized red rib cage. It doesn't pertain to tarot in anyway. To me though it means a lot. For some reason or another I've always been drawn to rib cages, I'm very drawn to the shape. It's kinda like a mothers arms wrapping around and protecting the vital pieces inside. It has a very protective symbolizm.

Butterfly	10 Apr 2002
I have a tattoo, to mark a very important passage in my life. It's a fairy, a symbol that has been meaningful to me my whole life. It's on my lower right back/buttocks- hidden when I want it, but able to be shown off if I want that. Slightly smaller than a credit card. I didn't want it in an obvious place. It's purely for me- to give me courage and act as a reminder of my strength. It marked a very difficult time in my life. I don't regret it for a second but will probably leave it at one. It was the symbol not the act of getting a tattoo that was important to me. I'm a little conservative, so one is plenty.

All Is One	10 Apr 2002
That is an incredible tattoo- I've seen very very few tattoos that I would say even resemble that idea... And I love your relating the rib cage to the mother's embrace. Where is the ribcage located? Is it over your own? (That's a huge amount of ink!) I've seen two people on the street with stylized back bone designs done down their back, it looked sort of tribally inspired.

springfish	10 Apr 2002
It's on the back of my right leg...above the ankle. It did require a lot of ink...and it was pretty painful because it was going into muscle.

cricket	10 Apr 2002
A few too many for a lot of people, but that's beside the point. :) The only one that really -doesn't- symbolize anything is the Cheshire Cat. But I've always liked him, so dang it, I've got him. *LOL* I've also got a wolf, a tribal-style horse, and a tribal dragon. Each one marked the death/disappearance of one of my personal protectors. *add edit* Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of mine at the moment. My husband deleted a bunch of files by accident, and those were among them.

All Is One	10 Apr 2002
If anyone posting on this thread would like to attach a photo of their tattoo, or a link to a site where something relevant is gonna help visualize the design you refer to (like your homepage...of which I no got, but working on it) It would probably help the discussion! Anyone planning a first or a tenth tattoo? How do you choose one type, and where to place it...? This would be interesting to me, but even more so to those who have never understood the tattoo thing at all. (Any stories of dreams, readings, friends getting into it...all these things would be related and I'd like to hear more...)

Butterfly	10 Apr 2002
I've got a digital camera, so I've got photos of the tattoo, not to mention the man actually tattooing me! Unbelievably, I'm smiling in the photos and no, not through gritted teeth! I am the biggest wuss (is that an aussie term?), when it comes to pain. I can't sleep for a week before I have a blood test, so this was major! And Kiama, I'm not worried about wrinkles and sagging- my fairy is just going to age like me!. Now as for the pregnancy- I'm a little worried the tattoo may resemble the hunchback of Notre Dame or worse!!

truthsayer	10 Apr 2002
tattoos aren't my style but if you like them go for it! thought some of you might find it interesting that poppy palin who did the wild spirit tarot is a professional tattooist. when i look at the cards i try to imagine what a tattoo by her might look like since the art on her cards are so incredible.

mystic	10 Apr 2002
My tatoo was very personal for me and took me a long time to finally arrive at the symbolism. The artist did an amazing job and there has not been one moment that I've regretted doing it. It's not right for everyone, but for me there was no choice....I was drawn. I have included a .jpg of mine.....it's on my left shoulder and it's about 4 to 5 inches, head to tail..... :-) Dragon I'm sure you'd appreciate this.... ;-))

jade	11 Apr 2002
i don't have any photo's of mine. it's a rose but created thru little pieces of triangles and other related shapes. there is an 'om' symbol, the year of my birth, and soon, it will have some symbols.......reiki symbol and the symbol of white light in a wreath (so to say) around the rose. the colours are blue, indigo and pinky=purple. it is very sacred to me. i call it my sacred rose. it's on my calf and didn't hurt at all. in light, jade

All Is One	11 Apr 2002
I'm off for one to three days to take care of my birds, but I was so inpressed by the photo of Mystics dragon tattoo (they are so hard to photograph!) I thought I'd see if I can get a better photo of my python to attach here. (please, Madam Moderator, if I mess up- again- could you once more remove my faux pas/silly try from the thread?... I'd sure thank you!)

All Is One	11 Apr 2002
I just looked at the photo I posted and it looks as if I'm hiding... plus (heehee) the Macintosh is so close behind me it looks as if I could easily be attached to it by a leg chain! I took this w/my digital camera to send to a tattoo artist in Atlanta, Georgia whose work I loved when I found it on his web site. (My trip there to visit my sister got cancelled, sadly). I love my Python (she is a girl, named Shantia), but the eye is not clear and I want to find an artist who can convince me that they can fix the eye, give it more personality and definition, even though there is a lot of ink already there. Do any of you have "cover-up" tattoos, or do you have ideas/ general plans about getting a tattoo? How bout this: If you were to dream up the wildest fantasy tattoo, one you'd never actually put on yourself for the world to see, and if it were a tarot kind of symbol (or could be Winnie the Pooh...let's go wild!) what fantastic and outrageous design would you come up with? Where would you put it? (Pretend it's a stick on type...or a painless magically appearing and disappearing design, only there when you invoke it!) Ideas? I'd love to get an enormous set of realistic looking Phoenix wings, larger than life, in glowing jewel tones that actually sparkle, one sprouting from each shoulder... and a glowing, dazzling third eye in center of my forehead! (did I mention the "fantasy" part?) })

cricket	11 Apr 2002
I actually designed one once of a vine that would start on the second toe, left side, and wound around up the leg, over the hip... one branch going across the stomach and ending in a curl on the opposite hip... the main branch climbing up and seeming to twist around the spine, then branching again... left branch going over the shoulder and swirling around the breast to end in a spiral over the heart (was for a woman, BTW)... right branch going down the arm and ending about the middle of the middle finger

All Is One	12 Apr 2002
Did you draw it up? I think it could be so body enhancing if the woman had no other ink... God, I could never put ink into a person's skin permanently (or- might LOVE it) but the fantasy ink...I like the vine alot- thanks, Cricket !! (off to draw my bird, Monkey Girl, who so wants to be a tattoo on a proud somebody's upper back... Alison

cricket	12 Apr 2002
Yup! But it was actually ON the person that was going to get it and washed off after about a week. *LOL* If you want, I could draw it out again.

Liliana	12 Apr 2002
Id have my entire body covered in Ivy, from head to toe, to become the green woman :) Also, I always wanted one like all is one's but im too shy to get one so big somewhere obvious, only I wanted it winding around my arm to have its head rest on the top of my hand, then i thought itd be cool to have it biting my wrist

All Is One	16 Apr 2002
Just got my computer set up in my apt... catching up! I think extending the snake and your idea about the hand is not likely to be the concept of one who is timid ... love it, A

The Tattoos and Tarot- Opinions? thread was originally posted on 10 Apr 2002 in the Chat board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Chat, or read more archived threads.