I carefully load the needles into the tube and plug the machine in. The steady buzz is reassuring as I ground and center, then dip the needle tip into a cap full of brilliant liquid color. The man lying on the table is nervous but centered. He is buzzing too, but with anticipation and fear. As I lean over him to begin - he intones a sound, a rune, and with the sound comes its magickal vibration to blend and combine with the buzzing hum of the tattoo machine. In my mind I picture the rune and while looking at the stencil on his skin - I think about the meaning of that particular magickal symbol. As I lay needle to flesh, a small bead of blood appears at the edge of the design and the sacrifice has begun.
When we finish, he is wearing his badge of tradition, his sign, his seal. He is marked for life and all who see it will know what he is. He is proud and shaking and really, really high - on endorphins, adrenaline and energy from this magickal rite. I am flying with him and together we smile, share a hug and a moment of knowing.
The only difference between a tattooed person and a person that is not tattooed is that a tattooed person does not care if you're tattooed or not. (sign in tattoo shop)
To me, tattooing, piercing, branding and cutting can all be ritual body modifications. Even ear piercing is a modern ritual of coming of age; you usually see young girls get their ears pierced around the time of their first period or puberty. Both tattooing and piercing make good "ordeals" for initiations. They are something that can be done in circle, they involve fear, pain and blood - and can make the commitment of initiation seem more real, or at least permit it to be displayed outwardly.
Tattoo artist J.D. Crowe said, "In the 1960's you got tattooed to be out. Now you get tattooed to be in." It is fascinating that pagans and witches of all kinds are now included in the fringe of society that has gravitated toward magickal adornment of the body that includes both tattoos and piercings. I have been a pagan for more than 25 years and I have seen the evolution of paganism from something that hippies (like me) were, to the religion of choice for those more mainstream, like computer professionals and lawyers. From conservative Gardnerians to eclectic part Druid/Native Americans and New Agers, there is a niche for all - we embrace all the diversity of the craft and of those who choose to follow the old ones.
So, what kinds of art do modern pagans get inked on their skin? You name it. From Celtic knotwork to symbols, both magickal and otherwise, animal totems, spirit guides, Chinese or other calligraphy, words, wings, elements, fairies and elves, not to mention Gods and Goddesses, the list could go on and on. Astrology symbols are popular with everyone. So are butterflies, and the Tasmanian Devil is by far the most common flash tattoo. One look through my "book" or portfolio will show you, though, that most people want to have something really special, something that is theirs alone.
I have a flexible schedule at the shop that lets me accommodate peoples' idiosyncrasies. I can usually schedule a time when I can draw the blinds and lock the door to do a complete circle, if that's what a person wants. As far as I know, I am one of a very few who are qualified to do ritual tattooing and piercing. I am an initiated Druid Bard as well as a High Priestess of the Sylvan Tradition and I draw my inspiration from the Old Gods and Goddesses and the Fey. I am in touch with the elements and grounded between the Earth and Sky. Sometimes when I am drawing, the energy just takes over and I end up with something completely different than what I had in mind. Usually those are the pieces that the customer really loves! I connect with a person's energy so completely when I do a magickal tattoo that it has a profound effect on me. I empathetically feel their endorphins and am myself very high by the time the process is finished.
I have done many more ritual tattoos and piercings than I have regular or "flash" work. I recently did a tattoo for an attorney from New York who came all the way to Seattle to get tattooed by me. He wanted a symbol of his tribe (he was part East Coast Native American) and he found a symbol he wanted but he wanted to have someone do it who really understood the meaning and would put the right energy into it. It turned out beautifully, he loved it and it was a great experience for both of us!
It is exciting to me that body modification has become so popular in the mainstream in the last few years. I sometimes have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that, yes, even school teachers and other "nice" people have both tattoos and body piercings. It seems like the thing to do for actors, sports figures and singers to get tattooed or pierced. Even among the fashion model set, my niece tells me, it's big stuff to get a tattoo or body piercing.
I can remember when it was taboo to have tattoos, especially for a woman! Janis Joplin and Cher were among the first women stars who let it be known that they had adorned their bodies, and back then they were considered "sluts". A partial list of some of the more famous people who have tattoos are: Roseanne Arnold, Tom Arnold, Whoopi Goldberg, James Brown, LaToya Jackson, Ozzy Osbourne, Jon Bon Jovi, Pearl Bailey, Daryl Hall, Melvin Van Peebles, Ringo Starr, Bernie Taupin, Christie Turlington, Lenny Kravitz, Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan, Lee Trevino, Henry Rollins, Marky Mark, Melanie Griffith, John Cougar Mellancamp, Robert Mitchum, Susan Saint James, Sean Penn, Tony Danza, Lorenzo Lamas, Nicholas Cage, Johnny Depp, Annie Sprinkle, Mickey Rourke, Charlie Sheen, Billy Idol, Aaron Neville, and members of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Gun's n' Roses, Poison, Motley Crue, The Indigo Girls, Gin Blossoms, Judas Priest, Fabulous Thunderbirds, and the Ramones.
Ritual and Magickal tattooing or piercing is not a new fad by any means. Native people of countries and cultures all over the world have marked their bodies in some ritual way. The Mayans and Aztecs pierced their tongues and penises in rituals to bring out the Jaguar energy. In Borneo, where women were both tattooists and weavers, it was cultural tradition that certain tattoos on a woman's forearm signified her accomplishments as a weaver, which made her all the more desirable. The Ainu of Western Asia also used tattoos to show social class and status. Married women had specific visible status marks, as did young women coming of age.
For the Burmese, tattoos were a big part of the religious and spiritual realm. The Polynesians traveled to New Zealand and developed a special type of facial tattooing called Moko, which is, today, still being done on the Maoris. Besides their chins, their whole lower bodies are tattooed with lines, dots and other shapes that show the family clan and history of the Maori. A Moko or a chin tattoo showed warrior rank as well as bravery.
In Western Europe, pre-Celtic Iberians in the British Isles tattooed ceremonially, as did the Gauls. Teutonic peoples tattooed. The more cultured and artistic Danes, Norse and Saxons tattooed their family crests and symbols. Scots, other Anglo-Saxons and even some Americans still tattoo family crests.
The Native American people of the Northwest have always had traditional tattoos as a part of their spirituality. The protective animal totems of the Haida are well documented. Tattoos have been worn for protection against evil spirits or to draw special qualities into the person or to draw the animals to them for hunting purposes. When tattooing an animal or the symbol of the animal, the spirit of the animal was imbued into the person along with the tattoo: the fierceness or bravery or protection of the animal was believed to come with the tattoo.
In some societies, tattoos were used to mark criminals. This practice was especially prevalent in Japan, where first offenses were marked by a line across the forehead. A second crime added an arch, a third crime added another line, making a character meaning "dog". Later on in Japan, the tattoo was elevated to a true art form and whole body suits resulted from people's rebellion against laws regulating everything from diet to dress. In this way they could be "dressed" in elaborate costumes. They did believe, however, that you must leave room for your spirit to escape at death, so you will always see an open area up the front of the chest in traditional Japanese body suits or shirts.
The first tattoos were done by hand with sticks, sharp pieces of bone, teeth and spines or needles from animals. In 1891 Samuel O'Reilly patented the first electric tattoo machine and tattooing caught on as an art form available to a much wider segment of the population. In World War I tattoos flourished. Men got their "travel marks." It is a big part of the history of the armed services that men got tattooed as a part of certain rituals involving crossing the equator or when they first went to another country. Men have told me that the first things they would do when arriving in a foreign country is get drunk, get laid and get a tattoo.
Western tattooing ended for a time in 787 A.D. when Pope Hadrian banned the art form. It took many centuries for tattooing to become accepted again.
I can still recall the first time I saw a tattoo. I was about 3 years old and I was fascinated and asked my mother all kinds of embarrassing questions - like why the man had pictures all over his arms. About that time we got off the bus and my mother was spared more questions for the time being. I do remember especially wondering about the pictures for a long time, and I drew on my arms shortly after and got in a hell of a lot of trouble! Apparently my mother didn't associate the two things, or she wouldn't have gotten so mad at me for using that permanent marker all over myself on the way to get pictures taken.
The next time I saw tattoos was when a friend of my parents, who had been a sailor and a merchant marine for many years, came to stay. He was covered in the pictures that had so fascinated me, and I was always asking him to show them to me, make them "move" and the like. He kept my attention by telling me stories of what they all "meant," about crossing the equator and being lost overboard, and sailing in six of the seven oceans. My mother discouraged this activity, which made it all the more interesting. At the age of six, I was already taking baby steps toward what would become my career and a major obsession.
My early fascination with body art has not faded. It seems I have always been attracted to men with tattoos; bikers, outlaws, any sort of rebel or bad boy - as long as he had long hair, a number of "pictures" and the right attitude, for as long as I can remember. I say "rebel" because for many years, the only people who had tattoos were those outside the "normal" borders of society - sailors, bikers, outlaws, prisoners... you get the picture.
By now, I have done many more ritual tattoos and piercings than I have regular or "flash" work. Yes, some people come in and just want something tattooed on them, or they want their belly button pierced, but I am seeing more and more people putting a great deal of thought and care into their choices. Even those who are not specifically pagan are doing transformative or spiritually oriented body art.
I recently did some lines on the knee of a native Pacific Islander who was having it done for healing. He already had some lines and he had me add to them. He had hurt his knee playing soccer and it was his belief that, like acupuncture, tattoos are magically healing. This is one of the most ancient beliefs about tattooing. The 5,000 year old "Ice Man" who was found several years ago mummified in the Austrian Alps, bore tattoos for the same reason. Close examination of his body found patterns of blue lines and dots over healed injuries!
Interestingly enough, I don't think the Pacific Islander knew that I was a High Priestess and was putting healing energy into the lines as I did the tattoo. Maybe he came to me for a reason; I prefer to think of it like that, that the people who come to me are there for a reason, not just because they like my artwork.
I believe that there are a lot of people taking advantage of the popularity of tattoos and piercing to make a fast buck, and some of the services offered are shoddy at best. There are at least one or two "shops" in the Seattle area that, in my opinion, should not be open. How should you choose a tattoo artist? Go around to shops and look at their books. Talk to the artists. If they don't have time to talk to you about what you want to have done, how will you be able to communicate it to them? If they have a bad attitude, and think they're too good to spend the time with you, run, don't walk out of that shop! You should be treated with courtesy and respect and have all of your questions answered satisfactorily.
Do not shop for a tattoo artist or piercer based solely on price. It is a business where you get what you pay for and those artists who command a fairly high rate are generally more accomplished. Price is a consideration, obviously, but there are also hygiene and cleanliness, as well as rapport with your artist. The quality of the art is an important consideration, but less so than hygiene. I personally think that most people don't know or can't tell the difference between good work and mediocre work. Most people I have spoken with who have shown me their artwork are happy with it, even if it's pretty bad. Never get tattooed by someone who doesn't have at least several large tattoos!
Getting a tattoo can be a great experience or a hellish nightmare; you decide. It's all in how and who you choose to do your art. When you find an artist you like, it's a good idea to be open to their suggestions. Allow them to tell you what they'd do and where. Give them a little latitude in the design process, allow their artistic talent, skill and experience to come into play, instead of just tracing a design. You'll be glad you did. When you end up with a beautiful piece of art that is a custom job, you'll love it!
If you are or will be in the Seattle area, come see me and chat. For a double grandé sugar-free almond latté, I'll talk your ear off about tattoos, piercing and magick!
Lady Sylvana can be contacted at Emerald City Tattoo, Piercing and Supply 12330 ½ Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98125. She is available for custom tattooing and body piercing, both magickal and mundane and for chatting if you bring the coffee! Please call her to schedule an appointment for a free consultation at (206) 368-7362
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