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I got a tattoo yesterday, and my partner Heidi is getting one tomorrow. This is a look at trust, fear, judgment, and beauty.
The tattoo artist Mau Hugeat is known as a tattoo shaman – neither you nor he knows what the tattoo will look like until he begins – he is a Reiki master and channels the tattoo from the greater universe/God as he creates it.
Mau has been tattooing for 27 years and would be right at home talking with Robert Langdon (the symbologist from The DaVinci Code). He has a comprehensive understanding of the history of tattoo (a 50,000 year old tradition) and spiritual traditions from cultures around the world – Mayan to Shipibo, Egyptian to Nepalese, Buddhist to Christian.
I had complete trust in him to create the perfect tattoo to match my leg, and yet I found myself afraid when the proposed tattoo for Heidi included a symbol and line in the middle of her sternum.
The idea of the tattoo being the thing you lead with into the world (your chest and face are some of the first things people notice about you) made me uncomfortable.
My fear says No! Don’t do it! Put the tattoo somewhere more secret.
The loving and accepting side of me says feel free! Do it! Express yourself! I don’t own any part of you.
Should I keep my thoughts to myself? Is it ok to voice my fears, even if it makes Heidi uncomfortable?
I know that in general, sharing strong opinions gives other people the chance to decide their own opinion – whether they agree or disagree with me.
I came up with reasons why it was a bad idea – what about the future when I become a jewelry designer and I design a pendant? Will that clash with the tattoo? What if we make a TV show and win an award – how will the tattoo look with a gown on the red carpet?
When do we mistake intuition for fear? Someone might say, “My gut tells me that this isn’t the right time to act”. Your gut will never tell you it is the right time until you address your fear that your wildest dreams will come true. I run into this all the time in my business coaching. People try to wait for the perfect moment to create their dream business or lifestyle.
Without a doubt, the tattoo will be beautiful, and the exact perfect match for Heidi’s body.
Is it our obligation to help the world move past judgment by showing our uniqueness? I think yes. So by having a tattoo in a bold location, we show others that it is ok to be themselves as well.
I also know that immediately when people see you, they make a first impression. You don’t get to control when that happens (it is when you walk in the room, not when you go shake their hand). People stick to their first impressions 85% of the time. So isn’t it better to give a good first impression?
The act of modifying your body, the act of creating art is a spiritual practice by itself. Each time you create anything, you become a small reflection of God creating the universe.
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I want to connect with people as easily as possible so I make sure I am open and smiling and standing tall and radiating positive energy. I wear bright loud colors on purpose to be a beacon.
Think about the difference between how you judge someone wearing a suit vs. a tank top. My friend Sir John Hargrave (knows as one of the greatest pranksters of all time – he pranked the Superbowl and Michael Jackson) says “You can get away with anything in a suit”.
I have several tattoos myself, but they can be well hidden by clothing if I decide I want to. I have this conservative side and I want to be able to be unobtrusive at times.
I gave myself permission to finally get a tattoo after dreaming about it for 15 years. By that time I had a body full of scars from bicycle crashes and axe mishaps, that I didn’t get to choose, so I wanted to take some ownership of my scars and have something more beautiful.
A tattoo is powerful because it gives you control over your body in a new way. In our body conscious society, this control can help us love our body even if we carry an extra ten pounds or have a crooked nose.
I have all these hopes and dreams for my son Axel. Maybe he will love some of the things that I do and we can do them together. But maybe he will love the opposite or he will love things that make me really uncomfortable. How will I react? I hope I will be able to support and encourage him no matter what, just like my parents did for me will all my random interests.
Mau says, “There is no such thing as an ugly tattoo.” The act of modifying your body, the act of creating art is a spiritual practice by itself. Each time you create anything, you become a small reflection of God creating the universe.
So here is what I am going to do with this situation: try to understand my own feelings, and then let them go. I will enthusiastically support Heidi 100 percent.
And because we can’t know the future, the likelihood of opportunities arising or important things happening because of the tattoo is equally or more likely than if it didn’t happen. We can’t predict the doors that will open for us as a consequence of our actions.
Do you have tattoos? Would you trust Mau to give you the perfect tattoo? Do you have any fears about modifying your body?
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Photo Credit: Getty Images