Tattoo Design

Dianne Sylvan's post about her tattoos inspired me to post about my tattoo design. She recently got a tattoo of a phoenix, and that is a huge part of the design I've wanted for a couple of years. The plan is for the tattoo to crawl up my left side, from hip to underarm. It's gonna be a biggie. I wanted to do full back, with the flames coming over my shoulders, but my career may make me wear a formal dress, and the 80-year old patrons of classical music rarely approve of tattoos. My side will be my compromise. :-)


I did a sketch in 2009 of an idea, but couldn't figure out how to do the flames, or which direction the bird should be facing. I've read The Hunger Games, so I was familiar with the mockingjay pin that is on the covers. However, it wasn't until the movie posters started coming out that I felt inspired by the bird and the flames. The first time I saw the pin burst into flames during the preview, I knew that was my tattoo.

The bird is a phoenix, which dies in flames, and is resurrected from the ashes. Resurrection has always been a key tenet of my belief system, so the phoenix enveloping the trinity symbol is very meaningful to me: Death cannot hold me, I will live again with God.

The compass rose has been a tattoo dream of mine for longer than I can remember. I love to travel, and seem to do a lot of it. I am almost never in one place for more than a month at a time. I travel regularly to Guatemala, and spent 5 months in Chile, where I traveled to Argentina, also. I want to see as much of the world as I can. It used to also symbolize the spread of the Word of God, but that's not its symbology so much anymore with me. I would say that the idea is similar, but it is more spreading the idea of love (Jesus' love, if you will, or simply love) throughout the world, love and compassion.

The receipt of Module 4 today, and its mention of the elements and the compass points each element belongs to inspired me to add the Japanese symbols for the four elements to the corresponding points on the compass rose. I study Japanese Jujitsu, and it has become a very important part of my life, physically, mentally, and spiritually. My first teacher spoke frequently of the need to balance your three bodies: physical, mind, and spirit. He taught me how to balance the four elements within me, also. So, this idea has become very important in my life, along with he who taught me.

The bird has the south point of the compass rose in her mouth, grasping the fire, as she herself is on fire. Fire is my main element, and since the phoenix dies in fire, I thought it was fitting.

The text at the bottom right is from my favorite piece of music, the fourth movement (Urlicht, or Primal Light) from Mahler's Second Symphony ("Resurrection"), also in Des Knaben Wunderhorn. It is in German, but here is the translation:

O little red rose!
Man lies in the greatest need.
Man lies in the greatest suffering.
How much rather would I be in Heaven!
I came upon a broad road.
There came an angel and wanted to block my way.
Ah, no! I did not let myself be turned away!
I am of God, and to God I shall return.
Dear God will grant me a small light,
Will light my way to eternal, blissful life.

I drew the new design in my Journey Book, as the fourth entry I have made. The third entry was the text from the Mahler symphony, part of which is above. I also put in the text of the fifth movement, the finale. I almost never draw, my artistic talents being centered around music with some photography. I never seem to be able to draw or sketch anything, and that is how it has been my whole life. However, when I'm thinking about this particular design, it always seems to come out of my hands. Sure, it's not fantastic by any means, but it amazes me how great this design looks every time I try to draw it. I'm taking that as a sign that I should get this on my body one of these days...