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Yin Yang Tattoo Symbolism

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Yin Yang Tattoo Symbolism

Yin Yang Tattoo Symbolism

Yin Yang Tattoo Symbolism
at-a-glance
:

  • Complimentary
  • Duality
  • Integration
  • Communion
  • Balance
  • Interfusing
  • Polarity
  • Acceptance
  • Equilibrium
  • Opposition
  • Attraction
  • Symmetry
  • Cycles
  • Nature

I know, how can I have both “opposition” and “attraction” in the same list?  Well, with a the Yin Yang symbol, nothing is as simple as it seems

This sign embodies both light and dark, male and female, open and closed, sun and moon – the contrasts go on ad infinitum.

In the strictest sense, the Yin Yang is the Chinese symbol of dualism in unity.  It conveys a sense of perfect balance and harmony between opposite forces.

Those who are called to have the Yin Yang tattoo permanently marked upon your body will sense the deeper meaning of this.  That in this Universe there is a constant “push-pull” – a natural tension that when expressed, creates life.

The owner of this tattoo will also know that although this friction is the spark of expansion and creation – these cosmic polar forces have no need to be at war in order to manifest growth. 

Quite the contrary.  True knowers of this sacred symbol will recognize communion and fusion between opposites.  From this accepting fusion is born dynamic evolution.

Some common symbolic assignments for each half of the symbol:

Yin: Female, Moon, Shadow, Subtle, Soft, Intuitive, Earth
Yang: Male, Sun, Light, Action, Hard, Rational, Sky

To be sure, neither yin nor yang represent negative or positive.  Rather, the commingling of both are the expression of perfect harmony.

This is my philosophical take on the Yin Yang tattoo symbolism, if you want more nitty gritty stuff on this magnificent emblem, check out my Yin Yang Symbolism page on Whats-Your-Sign.com

Om Tattoo Symbolism

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Om Tattoo Symbolism

Om Tattoo Symbolism

Om tattoo symbolism
at-a-glance
:

  • Totality
  • Sustaining
  • Perpetuation
  • Threefold/Trinity
  • Sacred
  • Divine Expression
  • Indestructible word (truth)
  • Creation
  • Evolution
  • Manifestation

It’s amazing how a whole procession of meanings can tumble out of one little symbol.  The om symbol (a.k.a.: ohm, aum, omkar) is one such symbol – proof that BIG symbolism often comes in tiny packages.

Getting an om tattoo will convey an understanding of very primitive, ancient universal principles.  This symbol is actually a conveyance of sound – the sound of life.  Emitting the aaaaaauuuuuummmm sound from the vocal chords, is mimicking the harmonic tone of all creation. 

There are theories that the core of existence vibrates at a set-point.  From an abyss of nothingness there is uttered a divine call.  It is as if the cosmic mouth opens and presses out a sweet song of creation across the void. 

So, we can see how this one symbol packs a lot of power.  The song of creation is nestled in the sound of “om”  actually, there are three sacred vocalizations “ah” “uh” and “hmmm” – each slight nuance is made through the movement of the mouth & the focus of high intent.

This three-part verbal expression of the om is symbolic of so much. The advent and culmination of triangular principles like:

  • dawn, afternoon, dusk
  • creation, sustaining, destruction
  • conscious, unconscious, subconscious

Vastly powerful concepts all rolling around in verbal expression, tied to this sacred symbol.  The om is expressed most commonly in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.

To be sure, the om tattoo symbolism conveys a reverence for life, an honor for creation and an understanding of the divine motion of the Universe.

Getting an omkar tattoo will galvanize these really heady concepts.  Permanent, ritualistic ink of this symbol is an appropriate conveyance of sacred awareness – timeless awareness – affinity for unifying forces scintillating within the core of natural progression.

Am I being over-dramatic about this om tattoo symbolism?  Maybe.  But to me, this symbol (and every symbol we boldly brand upon our bodies) is a very, very big deal. 

If we are going to ink it, we had better have an understanding as permanent and deep as our ink is.

Don’t stop here with your research.  Keep exploring this magnificent Check out the Wiki on om symbolism here.  I think you’ll like what you read there.

Aztec Tattoo of Creation

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Aztec Tattoo of Creation

Aztec Tattoo of Creation

This Aztec tattoo stylized Aztec spiral symbol.  Each medallion in this Aztec symbol represents:

  • Creation
  • Vitality
  • Life
  • Astrology (cosmos)
  • Order

Each of the spiral medallions also represent a seed of the Universe and also symbolizes a unique phase of life:

  • Birth
  • Childhood
  • Adulthood
  • Death
  • Afterlife

This Aztec symbol is associated with the legend of Huitzilopochtil who created the moon by tossing his sister into the skies, the sun was made the same way as Huitzilopochtil hurled his brother into the skies.  The earth was made when Huitzilopochtil danced a spiral dance with his brother and sister (now the sun and the moon).  The seas were made by Huitzilopochtil’s sweat from the spiral dance.

These spiraling seeds of life are all moving together in perfect harmony – just as all the stars and planets are moving in gravitational orbit with perfection.  The Aztecs understood human life works in the same kind of rhythmic pattern, and this Aztec tattoo deftly depicts the flowing nature of life in all its perfection.

Another form of the Aztec legend states that in the beginning, there was an expansive void from which Ometeotl, the first Aztec god(dess) created himself.  Ometeotl was androgynous: both male and female, light and dark, good and evil (Ometeotl is represented by the center spiral seed in the Aztec tattoo symbol shown above).  Ometeotle birthed four children, who were deities and they were called the four Tezcatlipocas.  These four gods are represented in the four surrounding “spiral seeds” (medallions in the symbol) and are known as:

  • Quetzalcoatl: God of light, wind, mercy and rules the southern directions
  • Huitzilopochtli: God of energy, war, vitality, strategy and rules west directions
  • Xipe Totec: God of agriculture, spring, renewal, gold and rules the north
  • Tezcatlipoca: God of discernment, night, secrets, magic and rules the east

These four deities and their maker, Ometeotle, were considered responsible for all life and order as it is known today.  Hence, this is a powerful symbol of life; a powerful Aztec tattoo conveying cosmic order and harmony between all the elements.

Other pages of interest for your tattoo research:

Moon Symbolism

Sun Symbolism

Native American Symbolism

Mayan Symbolism

Caduceus Tattoos

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Caduceus Tattoos

Caduceus Tattoos

Caduceus Tattoos
(meanings at-a-glance):

  • Healing
  • Renewal
  • Life
  • Vitality
  • Harmonization
  • Unification
  • Integrity
  • Authority
  • Health
  • Circulation
  • Honor
  • Travel
  • Protection
  • Fair trade
  • Commerce
  • Transcendence
  • Dualism
  • Magic
  • Wisdom
  • Equilibrium
  • Fertility
  • Transformation

Caduceus tattoos should not to be confused with the Staff of Asclepius tattoos.  Even though both have come to be known as symbols of healing and the medical field, the caduceus is much more dynamic in its meanings (as you will see while comparing the at-a-glance symbolism between the two tattoos).

At its core, caduceus tattoos are symbolic of unification of opposites: Male/Female, Yin/Yang, Light/Dark.    The harmony of dual forces is seen by the opposing snakes wrapped around the staff. 

Themes of healing, homeopathy, nature and holistic approaches to health are captured in the serpents too.  Snakes in ancient Greece, where this symbol originates, were symbolic of transformation. 

The shedding of the serpents’ skin is symbolic of slipping off the old self (illness) and moving freely in the fresh, newly healed self (wellness).

The wings of caduceus tattoos symbolize higher thoughts, higher mind, high integrity and the intent to serve others in a higher capacity.

The staff or center rod in the caduceus symbol represents power, unification, and connection between heaven and earth (as well as the point of focus between duality).  The staff is the connection between high and low (thought and body) and facilitates easy communication between the two. 

Caduceus is a symbol of messengers in myth such as the Greek Hermes (Mercury in Roman myth) because the center staff conveys transportation of energy between mind and body (heaven and earth, male and female, shadow and light, etc.).

Deities who adopt the caducues include:

  • Hermes (Greek): Travel, Commerce, Trade, Speed, Messenger
  • Mercury (Roman): Speed, Intelligence, Youthfulness, Health
  • Anubis (Egyptian): Afterlife, Spirit, Protection, Preservation
  • Baal (Phoenician): Fertility, Abundance, Agriculture, Leadership
  • Ishtar (Babylonian): Fertility, Sensuality, Military, Love, Passion
  • Isis (Egyptian): Magic, Femininity, Motherhood, Fertility, Protection, Beginnings, Nature

For more information on this subject:

Caduceus Symbolic Meaning (full article)

Staff of Asclepius Tattoo Meaning

Snake Symbolism

Staff Symbolism in Tarot

Symbolism of Wings