Re: Witchcraft / Wicca and Tattoos
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 10:23 pm
To me, I take that in context of the Old Testament. The rules changed when Christ applied his blood to the mercy seat, the veil in the temple was torn & the rules changed. We were no longer held to the law but to the message of love. So I don't see it as hypocritical at all when a Christian gets a tat.Asch wrote:Leviticus 19:28 “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.†S'all I'm sayin. I don't give a rat's teet what anyone does to their skin but thems the rules
Course Leviticus is like 99% rules for the preisthood so a lot of it is inapplicable to the average person, s'also where mixing types of fiber gets you kilt...
Our ancestors used paints, scarring & tattoos for metaphysical purposes. The origin of war paint was the mixing together of certain herbs & berries that brought courage & strength in battle (henna used for more peaceful purposes). Scarring & tattoos were to create specific patterns and symbols that held importance to their tribe or to the individual. These could be considered sigils that were worn to empower a person in a certain way.
Since most shamanic cultures revolve around an oral tradition, the meanings for most of the symbols & patterns are lost to those who are not included in these oral traditions... so often times people recreate these patterns thinking them to be 'cool' as opposed to having any real meaning. And if the meaning is lost, is the intent & magick lost as well? Maybe it lays dormant?
As for words... there are cultures you can trace throughout history who has revered the power of the spoken & written word, believing them to hold power & vibration. So if choosing a word for a tat, I would think carefully... choose 'power' words that inspire & empower you.
Anyway that's my long winded 2cents
