Art on a Temple

 Temples in religious history are sites of reverence and wonder. Some of the greatest works of art reside in these places of worship. Michaelangelo’s greatest work was the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The structure of temples contains both meaning and art. Again, reverting to the Vatican City, St. Paul’s Cathedral was built not just as a site for worship, but contains symbolic artistic meaning in the placement of its columns. These artistic traditions began in prehistoric times. Newgrange , the paleolithic passage tomb in Ireland, was both a tomb and a site of worship. One of the most recognizable images in Irish art is the tri-spiral carving on the entrance stone to the tomb, created some 2500 years before the Celts arrived on the island.

Moreover, temples have been places of worship in every culture. People go to them in times of joy and sorrow. They find their own inner peace in them. People celebrate life and death, renewal and removal in these places. From both a historic, personal, and artistic viewpoint, temples and churches have proven their importance. Raised a Catholic, I was taught that my body is my temple. Similar to these sites of religious worship, my temple, too, has engravings that tell history of its existence.

People often question my decisions to get tattoos. These people, in various manner of articulate or inarticulate speech, receive the answer that I like having my own pictorial history. Each piece of artwork on my body marks a specific moment in my life. Each has a particular meaning in its own way.  While the moments in my life that led me to each of these images have passed, having a reminder of these moments is important to my understanding of myself today. Each is a symbol of a growing strength and self-assurance.

Take, for example, my very first tattoo. I first honored my temple at the age of twenty-three. I had wanted a tattoo since I was eighteen. However, growing up, I had always been the little good girl. The type of girl who never does anything out of the ordinary. For me, that first tattoo was a moment of self-realization and self-actualization. For the first time, I was acting solely for myself, doing what I wanted for myself, not following a set societal principle. I can remember fearing the painful onslaught with the first hum of the buzzing needle. The image to be tattooed was one that had given me strength through my formative years. As a child, I had worn a Native American pendant. A bear with the life sign and bear paw engraved on it. To me, the combination of symbols always meant that strength and life came through inner strength and introspection. Thus, it was with this in mind that wore my pendant for the first time in years and handed it to the artist who then tattooed it on my ankle.

My second tattoo was my favorite for a long time. I had played the violin from the time I was eight until I was in my early twenties. However, for as traditional an instrument as it was, I had always loved the twist of the electric violin. The reason for my adoration of the Dave Matthews Band lay entirely in Boyd Tinsley and his electric violin stylings. My original goal was to have two violins done. The blue electric violin on one shoulder blade was to represent myself. Later, I would have my own instrument tattooed to represent Mr. Adventure. The tattoo was done three months before my wedding in 2002. At the time, I needed to remind myself that no matter what definition I used to describe myself, I would always be me. Marriage would not change who I was, just add to it. I love Mr. Adventure, but marriage is intimidating. I wanted to have a physical reminder of who I was, so as not to lose myself and my identity in this new phase of my life.

On our honeymoon, I talked Mr. Adventure into getting tattoos. We went to Tatouage Artistique in Montreal for the art. I can remember walking there. The lunch that we had beforehand. The guys in the shop. When we got to the shop, I felt the need to have a Celtic knot. I am not Irish, but Mr. Adventure is of Irish heritage. I wanted to have a representation of my new heritage as we were now family. I wanted larger. He wanted smaller. One of the first of many compromises of our married life was the choice of tattoo. Both of us got our tattoos at the same time with different artists. I remember it being one of the highlights of the trip for me. Even now, I can look at it with fondness and as the tattoo ages, so does our life together. Just as a new tattoo heals slowly to become part of your body in such a way that you cannot remember what the skin looked like without it, so too does a relationship age such that you forget what your life was like without the other person.

My fourth tattoo is my “yoga phase” tattoo. The summer between my third and fourth years of law school was spent predominately alone as Mr. Adventure prepared for the Bar exam. To fill my time, I returned to yoga, an activity that had given me great peace a few years earlier. I became immersed in it. I read parts of the Bhagavad Gita. I used yoga to help me find my own inner peace once more. I came to many realizations that summer. Again, I felt the burning desire for ink. I researched terms I found important to myself. At the time, I was on a journey for spiritual peace and knowledge. The Sanskrit word jnana, meaning spiritual knowledge or wisdom, fit my journey. The image was placed on the inside of my right wrist. I intended it as a constant reminder of my search for personal knowledge and peace. The tattoo ended up far larger than I originally intended and far bluer than I had originally intended. Looking at it, I realize I should have stood up to the artist, perhaps asked for it to be made a bit smaller. I should have used the strength and wisdom that it was intended to represent. However, even though it is not as intended, it is more perfect for its imperfection. I do love it. It is a beautiful shade of aqua blue. Perhaps not the shade of blue I intended, but again that imperfection is perfect. I often see it throughout the day, reminding me to be who I want to be and to trust in myself.  

Tattoo number five is the size that the jnana tattoo was supposed to be. It, too, is located on the inside of a wrist. The image, an inverted G-clef, is the logo for my business. I left a corporate job for many reasons. Although at the time it was not my favorite option, it was a necessary move. I made sure to have the appointment for the tattoo on my last day of work. I had determined what my business would be called. I had determined what my logo would be. The only remaining piece of the puzzle that was my life was to commemorate the life change with ink. That morning I went to work, completed packing up my cube, and had my exit interview. I said good-bye to those I would miss. I carried my box of personal belongings to my car. As I skipped through the parking lot, I felt renewed. I drove with the windows down even in the intense heat and humidity of a June day. I baptized myself in ink as I started my new life.

My last and most recent ink has been two years in the making. For me, each tattoo has its special moment in time. The ideas may come long before they have their moment to be made into reality. Each tattoo commemorates a moment in my life that indeed deserves it. Had I gotten my new ink when I first conceived it, it would not be as fulfilling. My life is indeed good. I am a happy, content woman. I have a wonderful husband and two wonderful dogs. My tattoo has four trinity knots, representing each member of my little family, self included. When I first designed my tattoo in my mind, we had only one dog. Thinking on it, I realize how much more perfect having the fourth knot is. The four knots create a circle. A perfect unity of four lives joined together. OK, so, two are dogs. However, the life we live is not always the life that we intend to live. My life, as it is, verges on perfection. I am content. I love my family - extended or immediate, by blood or by friendship. I love the work I do. The Gaelic word “athas” means joy. My life is one of joy. Sure, there are mini-sorrows, but overall, it is a good life. My life may not be what I thought it would be in some ways, but it is good. Sometimes, we need to have reminders of these aspects of our lives. My ink is bright, happy and large enough to be an easy reminder in difficult times. It is something to which I can turn in dark moments. Plus, it’s a little bit rock star. For anyone interested, it was done by Dean at Body Graphics .

Tattoos serve different purposes for different people. For me, they are the pictorial history of my life. They allow me to reconcile my past with my present and give me a sense of where these fit in my future. They help me see the meaning in the individual moments in life and give those moments context. Tattoos are more than ink. They are artwork. They commemorate. The art on my temple both worships and reveres a life well lived.