Irish Tattoos: Tattoos-the Ritual

Tribal people have had a long tradition with tattoo rituals. Marking their rites of passage from boyhood to adulthood, young men would often be tattooed. The deeply meaningful process of tattooing contains many of the symbols associated with ritual such as blood, symbolic elements and the awakening of the astral body by the experience of pain.

Tattooing and its updated practice can be regarded as an almost mystical experience similar to the exchange of energy experienced during tantric sex or modern day sex magic. The person who is receiving the tattoo opens themselves up and trusts in much the same way as opening your body up to the tattooist and is associated with the ecstasy and release of sex.

The Irish tattoo and tattooing is very much a personal decision. Irish tattoos are not gender specific, but rather are gender neutral. When you say yes to the tattooist, you are giving that person permission to inflict a permanent mark on the body while drawing blood causing pain in the process. Anyone would have to agree that this is very personal indeed. All the elements of ritual can be seen here from the marking of the body often with sacred symbols, like the Celtic cross, the drawing of blood (representing life-force) and inducing pain which is seen by many as something very spiritual.

Historically, prior to the advent of modern medicine, many people believed that pain was something that brought the individual closer to their God. Painkillers weren't used so that they experienced pain fully. As a result, some believe that practices such as branding, suspension, amputations and other extreme body modifications are a reaction to the spiritual emptiness or 'pain' of modern day living.

This kind of spiritual emptiness of the modern world presents the obvious need for people to seek out meaning in their lives. Just ask any tattoo parlor tattooist. What is apparent to anyone working in the tattoo industry is evidenced in the surge of people seeking tattoos that have an ascribed meaning to them. This includes Irish tattoos. People are seeking tattoos with spiritual significance more than ever.

Some people go so far as to believe that the placement of symbols, sigils and seals as tattoos, can help with illness or grief. Modern day tattoos hold deeper spiritual meanings for so many, the world over and that is what makes the art of tattooing so much more than just a fancy craft. It is often seen as a means of personal expression and even art. The Irish tattoo is just one of these expressions.