Had another dream about using a hand poke tool for tattoo. Not as vivid and specific as the one from last year, which had instructions, and surely last night’s appearance was influenced by my recent research tangents on traditional tattooing and archaeological pickings around timeless body markings and their purposes .. the tools .. the age .. all the speculative threads being connected to paint a picture .. but I don’t find the timing of it to be unrelated at all. I feel the exact opposite. It’s all interwoven.
This morning I had to chew on this dream and why it keeps appearing and it feels inevitable that I will pick the hand poke practice up in the future. In addition to the intuitive / energy work tattoo that I offer already, this method feels like it can go even deeper for people to experience a ‘modern’ ceremony and going about it in a way that is relevant to our fusions of past / future in the present. There is so much that can’t be recovered, but the Art of reaching into deep mystery and translating it to the flesh is timeless and the same.
It is also my steadfast observation that most people are craving something in earth-rooted ritual without knowing how to access it. There’s weird, culty baggage associated with this language.. something that I personally advocate against; because it’s a Way of Being; but how would perspectives change in these studies of ancient times when people actually experience tattoo that is steeped in true healing and intent?
Most of us white kids have no contact with a land-based connection that is spiritual or not watered down or appropriated. None of this is to demean the practices that people find safety and solution in – none of this is to bypass what has been, or what is, or what works for you – although shit needs to be called out in the process, too – just how badly it’s all been dissected and picked apart in the process – but all of this I’m writing is merely a personal perspective on looking for a way forward and acknowledging, that in my own upbringing, I have had to feel it out on my own (it’s why I Love the group Heilung so fucking much). But that’s not any different than how it has always been done. It’s an environmental collaboration the whole way. And I know that I am just barely scratching the surface of it, based on what I have personally experienced: The Real Deal and not the trendy fluff. There is a vast difference.
Additionally, hand poke is easier to pack and prepare, and for the many years that I have offered tattooing in the outdoors, it’s nice to think of having a small toolkit rather than a hefty backpack of plastic and mechanical gear to bring along on a trek.
