So this year I decided, "screw my 'one tattoo a year' rule! I want more, and I want to hurry up and finish my back circles." As it turns out, tattoos are WAY cheaper in Chile than in the USA! (approx 55 USD for the first two and 110 USD for the last one) So here we are! I present to you, my three newest tattoos!
Unalome, lotus, and moon: After completing my back circles, I felt like my front suddenly looked very bare. I found this design online and we tweaked it a bit to suit my interests. I have a lot of connections to this tattoo on different levels. First, I have been interested in Hinduism since I was about 12 years old. Unalome is the third eye of Shiva (my favorite Hindu god) and it represents the non-linear path of growth and learning on our way to wisdom and perfection. Fun trivia: the spiral open to the left represents feminine energy (as pictured) and the spiral open to the right represents masculine energy. The moon will always be my mother and my guide. This is my second moon tattoo on my body. The lotus represents overcoming adversity, and therefore together this tattoo suggests empowerment in the pursuit of perfection in life and in spirit. I wanted a tattoo to cover my dermal scar on my chest, and lastly I really like the dots as design accents. I have been picturing something like this for a while now! I was a little scared to make this commitment but while tripping on Lucy with my partner one evening, I decided it was the right decision for me (tattoo decisions are best made while on drugs by the way).
Ansuz: This is a pre-Germanic rune from the Elder Futhark alphabet. It represents God, wisdom, knowledge, and to some, Odin. It also represents the phonetic "short a" sound. However it is interesting to note that the Elder Futhark was seemingly pre-Viking era, so I think that might be a newer conceptualization of this symbol. When I was younger, before I developed an interest in Hinduism, I considered myself to be Wiccan. My main god was Odin. I carved a branch off of a tree that I had grown from a seed, and crafted my own Elder Futhark rune set for divination purposes. Although I don't identify as Wiccan anymore, it is still a part of who I am and I believe that runes hold power for those that imbue them and ascribe them power.
Mosaic tattoo: This is a mosaic art staircase in the city I currently live in: Valparaiso, Chile. The first time I saw this staircase was on Google when I was researching where I wanted to move to next. The stairs were/are very striking to me, and I feel the quote deeply. This is the only tattoo on my body with words currently. There is not a label that fits me well, because I just do what makes me happy in life, although many would look at what I wear, my actions, and my outlooks and call me a "hippy." I saw a clock with this image on it and bought it, and then while I was high one day decided it would be a perfect addition to my back circles. The image includes almost everything that I like about this city, minus the beautiful bay and amazing fireworks every NYE.