Responsible Tattooing

One of the foundational aspects of the Path of Tattooing lies in the perception that the human body is, in fact, a Temple, and within this space of flesh and bones reside stories, memories, mysteries and dreams.

*making offerings to the Arjann (Tattoo Master) before receiving the Sak Yants (Sacred Thai Tattoos)

The inhabitant of the body-vehicle have the possibility to walk towards absolute lucidity, which lies in the integration of the Three Doors of Body, Speech and Mind.Are my thoughts beneficial or self-destructive? Do the words that comes out of my mouth contribute to the flourishing of wisdom within me and my fellow beings? Do my actions cultivate world fertile for human virtues?

Within this complex, Tattooing emerges as a powerful symbolic ally, reminding us of our True Essence and its naturally virtuous aspects. To receive a tattoo while being aware of the deepest aspects of this act is to awake to our inherent authority over our bodies.

In this act, the individuals go through a rite of passage that involves pain, blood, and death - not of oneself, but of old symbolic patterns that lies in the mind- in which they could “let die” within them the perceptions that no longer contribute to the path.

The needle becomes a sword to cut through the veils of ignorance, allowing us to see ourselves and the world around us with greater clarity. True Knowledge shows itself and integrates with the intellect, passing through the body, the sensations; and once the symbol is on the skin, there is no going back.

This enhances the responsibility regarding what is tattooed, how it is tattooed, with whom it is tattooed, where it is tattooed, and why it is tattooed. Imprinting any design on the body merely for fashion or empty aesthetics rooted in biased conditionings and unconscious desires for belonging to a group can bring unnecessary regret to the mind of those Walking the Path.

In an ancestral context, tattoos were earned through great effort, often requiring one to face risks, tests, and so on, bringing to the mind of the receiver the sense of strength embedded within those symbols. This ensured that the recipient was fully prepared to access that aspect of their Essence and to take responsibility for the powers integrated during their Initiation.

Even though in modern times it is no longer necessary to hunt down a big predator or win a hand-to-hand combat to receive these symbols on the body, the process of tattooing with awareness does not differ from the ancestral. During the act, processes of mental, physical, or emotional purging may occur. It is as if certain forces are "leaving the body" to make way for the Virtues inherent to the individual, bringing a powerful sense of birthing a more Natural version of the individual.

*Arjann Neng blessing the Sak Yant.

Deciding to get a tattoo is deciding to let go of what no longer serves us, to create space for Self-Possession (which we will discuss in future posts) and to truly take responsibility for the symbols placed in the worlds (Internal and External). Ultimately, it demands Maturity.

Nelson Tedesco - Namkha Tattoo.