I have often heard in my life that “ a picture is worth a thousand words”.
I had a rather significant birthday a while back, and I wanted to do something to really honour the moment, and the transition of my life. Something that was going to be with me as a constant reminder, and an inspiration. So I did what I am sure many before me have done, I got a tattoo.
For years prior to this moment I had been drawing different sketches on my arm, to get a sense, a feel, and to answer the question in my mind, “do I really want this forever”? It seems that the answer was yes.
The Two Roads. The Lakota Sioux I have been told ,believe that there are two roads in life, the Red Road and the Black Road. “There are many roads in life, but there are two that are important; the Red Road and the Black Road. They represent good and bad in every one’s life. It’s the two choices people have to make frequently in life. The Red Road is the good way, the good side, and the right choice. It is a road that is difficult with dangers and obstacles that are hard to travel on. The Black Road is the bad way, the bad side, and the wrong choice. The Black Road is wide and easy to travel. The Red Road and the Black Road appear in our lives not as roads, but as the personifications of right and wrong, good and bad, light and dark.
The Sword. “The Sword Symbolizes The Mind. The Mind dissects both sides of an issue until the basic fact (Truth) is revealed. We use the term "double-edged sword" as a metaphor when referring to the rewards and risks we must Weigh in our Decision making processes. The sword also symbolizes strength, and being the Sovereign (King), in our Inner Kingdom, in control of our Warrior, Lover and Magician.
Integrity. The state of being whole or undivided, and being true to one’s unique path in life. “following your moral or ethical convictions and doing the right thing in all circumstances, even if no one is watching you. Having integrity means you are true to yourself and would do nothing that demeans or dishonours you.
The Mountains. “The mountain is thought to contain divine inspiration, and it is the focus of pilgrimages of transcendence and spiritual elevation. ... It symbolizes constancy, permanence, motionlessness, and its peak spiritually signifies the state of absolute consciousness”. Also for myself it symbolizes, connection to nature as source, real truth, and being a part of something bigger than myself.
So, when ever I look to my right arm, my dominate arm in life, I see each of these representations of meaning for myself, and from there I find inspiration, direction and meaning.
