Siin<p>I have the immense privilege of living with one of my recent new tattoo clients for a while, and getting a deeper look into the emotional shift and spiritual transformation that occurs after our ritual is complete. It is also a reminder to me to be clear with my clients about what to expect from in-depth tattoo ritual - because the work does not end when the ritual does.</p><p>We pulled through imagery related to self-love and purpose, and it was clear during our channeling that she needed the ritual to be focused on reclaiming agency and releasing shame that was hindering her from truly engaging deeply with her purpose and relationships. When we sat down to meditate before tattooing, the element of water was coming through her solar plexus, the place where the tattoo was to be located. Her menstrual cycle was over 80 days late, presumably the result of stress being held deep in body tissues and alerting the nervous system. </p><p>The ritual was beautiful, loving, intimate, and it felt like we'd known one another forever. I feel truly blessed to do this work. She is brilliantly pleased with the tattoo, but is navigating intense dreams, others in her life visiting her in her dreams (and remembering it!), a sense of dissolution of Self, and moments of intense emotional release. And the day after the ritual, her cycle returned. At breakfast this morning she mentioned that she felt like this was preparation for the transformation we've called upon, but that there are aspects of it that are pulling up unexpected things, and we discussed that this process may take time to truly culminate in concrete rebirth. This does not just happen overnight, and often we must earn these passages through iterations of ourselves.</p><p>This is another spiritual worker, someone who is no stranger to ritual, embodiment, magick, and she was surprised to find tattooing as a modality so powerful. But it truly is - when done correctly, and with intention. But like other spiritual experiences, the ceremony itself is not the end. The real work happens after the hormone rush of tattooing, when you return to your life and navigate the path towards your intention. Doing the work of working with your newly embodied intention is as important as the practitioner's own psychic ability and spiritual container. </p><p>This is why I've shifted to offering levels of iniation: because I cannot in good conscience hold everyone in this kind of intense ritual. I do hope, though, that through offering less participatory rites I can begin to welcome beings on a path towards readiness, a path towards accepting and honing their Divine power, and that there is the opportunity for us to collaborate in stages that honor where you are at in existent state.</p><p>There is a tool here for liberation of consciousness and community that is often misused or overlooked, but this week has been a blessed reminder of this practice's purpose and place in this crazy world we live in. </p><p><a href="https://pagan.plus/tags/Ritual" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ritual</span></a> <a href="https://pagan.plus/tags/WitchCraft" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>WitchCraft</span></a> <a href="https://pagan.plus/tags/InkWitch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>InkWitch</span></a> <a href="https://pagan.plus/tags/SigilloSacro" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SigilloSacro</span></a> <a href="https://pagan.plus/tags/RitualTattoo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RitualTattoo</span></a> <a href="https://pagan.plus/tags/Occult" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Occult</span></a> <a href="https://pagan.plus/tags/Liberation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Liberation</span></a> <a href="https://pagan.plus/tags/Musings" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Musings</span></a></p>