Thinking About Inking: Year 1X

College is an interesting time for everyone. For me it was relatively tame. I was a “good kid” who was involved in a puppeteering club and exploring amazing internet websites like eBaums World and Zombo.com. It was also a time in which I thought about exploring “Adult” stuff like smoking cigarettes and getting a tattoo.

The first thing (thankfully) didn’t take. Don’t smoke.

The tattoo thing also never happened but that never stopped me from thinking about it occasionally. As an artist it seemed almost ludicrous that I didn’t have some ink. It felt inevitable that I would, some day, design some piece of art or a character image that I would want immortalized on my skin. It never ended up being all that important, however. It was sent to the back burner to simmer quietly for years.

Fast forward to 2018. This year started out with a bang. It’s easy enough to say “This year everything will change!” but 2018 started out Real in that regard and continues to be chock-a-block full of blessings. Amongst (and as a result of) several quality of life improvements, I have found myself actively pursuing the Druid’s Path once more. Some would surely argue that I never truly strayed away and I’d much rather move on than make excuses, but suffice it to say things were Very Bad and medicine is real and good.

So here I am. The DP stretches before me once again, I am working with my Grove to give good ritual and bring blessings to the folk, and my calling sounds clear once again. Studying and reading feels possible now and no longer like I’m trying to eat beef through a straw. Things are working. This is good. Soon I’ll be writing my first ADF ritual for a public rite! It’s nuts.

So in all this another blessing arrived! My good friend and mentor Lauren from Nine Waves Grove announces she had completed her clergy coursework and was right on the cusp of ordainment! As a result of a great number of things and in celebration of this key moment of her life she would finally be getting ink.

And then it rekindled that old flame in me. Right. I had been thinking about this for a long time, hadn’t I?

Now I don’t need to make a long post even longer by espousing the usual warnings about tattoos. We all know the story by now. Don’t be hasty. Be sure it’s something you can live with, etc. These things are all true. But Lauren’s story of it being a reward for completing her clergy course really inspired me.

So I think as this year goes on I will do some research on artists and consider my first piece carefully. I’m leaning towards something ursine, as that has been a creature close to my heart for much and many years. My first instinct is some sort of elegant Ursa Major design… And then as a reward for completing my Dedicant Path work I will then mark the milestone of my first tattoo. Finally.

Take care, friends. I hope the changing season treats you well.