My Reiki Tattoo: A Symbol of Healing in the Skin

Body mods have been on the scene since ancient times, traceable to as far back as 1.5 million years, and they also encompass scarification, branding, and implants. Professor John Rush outlines the processes and procedures of these radical physical alterations, showing their function as rites of passage, group identifiers, and mechanisms of social control. He explores the use of pain for spiritual purposes, such as purging sin and guilt, and examines the phenomenon of accidental cuts and punctures as individual events with sometimes-profound implications for group survival. Spiritual Tattoo finds a remarkable consistency in body modifications from prehistory to the present, suggesting the importance of the body as a sacred geography from both social and psychological points of view.

Reiki is an ancient and profoundly simple system of "laying on of hands" healing derived from Tibetan Buddhism. In the West, Reiki has been kept highly secret for many years. ESSENTIAL REIKI presents full information on all three degrees of this healing system, most of it in print for the first time. Teaching from the perspective that Reiki healing belongs to all people, Diane Stein breaks new ground in her classic guide to this ancient practice. While no book can replace the directly received Reiki attunements, ESSENTIAL REIKI provides everything else that the healer, practitioner, and teacher of this system needs.

In this highly readable and vividly illustrated book, best-selling author David Fontana traces the origins of hundreds of symbols and symbol systems that have impacted human culture, art, history, literature, and even dreams. From chakras and the I Ching to the tarot and the zodiac, from mythical beasts to magical numbers, these are the symbols that shape consciousness. Visual artists, students, and soul searchers of every stripe will want to deepen their knowledge of these intriguing icons.