Bamboo Tatts and Destiny

"This is your destiny. It is not for fashion. With tattoo, you get a mission." 

 Ask a Thai about the significance of a bamboo tattoo and then prepare yourself for an explanation incorporating mystery and magic. It was Saturday afternoon at the beach, when this petite Thai woman, and good friend of mine, May, began a story of power, strength, and ghosts, that would continue through the evening of my Thai tattoo experience. Do you know what gives the Thai army strength, power, and luck? Sak Yant tattoos. May almost whispered to me as we lit the candles and prayed during the initial steps of my tattooing, "It made them a ghost army and just like this, the tattoo will protect you".

Sak Yant Tattoos

Sak Yant is the Thai name for sacred geometrical designs inked into the skin. Sak is the Thai word for tattoo and Yant, or Yantra as it is known elsewhere in the world, is the Thai name for a geometrical design believed to posses magical powers of protection. 


The Sak Yant tattoos are normally inked by Buddhist Monks or Brahmin priests/holy men. Each of the different Sak Yant tattoo designs is said to carry a certain protection, some Thai’s believe that when a design is inked onto your skin by a Buddhist monk you then become imbued with that protection.

Yant tattooing is an ancient Buddhist tradition practiced in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The prayers tattooed around the Yant are written in Pali Sanskrit, the original language of Buddha, using ancient Khom or Khmer lettering. 

Each Sak Yant tatto has it’s own particular design, method and meaning Each Sak Yant tattoo also has a prayer ( Kataa ) that accompanies it and is the final step of the tattooing process as the monk speaks the Kataa and blows it’s words into the newly inscribed tattoo, awakening it’s power. The Sak Yant is said to become alive and to continue growing with it’s owner for the rest of their lives.

The interesting thing about getting a Sak Yant tattoos is that you are not supposed to pick the design. May and her cousin, the artist who would create my tattoo, selected the design while taking into consideration what kind of person I am and through praying for guidance in this decision. Once the artist has decided, the spot is also locked in. You can not get certain tattoos in certain areas, thus you have to essentially submit to the process. I was nervous, not about the pain, but about the lack of control I had over something that would be permanent on my body - I didn't know where the tattoo was even going until May leaned over to me as I sat patiently, despite the nerves, and said, "He's made his decision, it will be in the middle."


Well, okay ka. (Thai-English or T-English speak that has taken over my diction.) Let it happen.

A little freaked out..... hahaha

Bamboo tattoos are made when the artist takes a bamboo stick and repeatedly pokes the skin with the sharp point on the end. This is what makes bamboo tattooing such a specialized art form.

Since this is a spiritual process, white clothing is mandatory for both the artist and the person receiving the tattoo. Additionally, both parties must honor the spirits with prayers to channel the power of the spirits into the tattoo. The artist prepares the room by setting up a shrine and will also chant or repeat prayers during the process - with a final prayer at the end - thus sealing the magic in the tattoo.

It was amazing.

The next day, we went to Wat Chalong, one of the famous Buddhist temples in Phuket, to honor the spirits and pay respect for the tattoo. May guided me though the offering process and the prayers as the harmonious chanting of the monks pulsated through the room. It was almost surreal being a part of the throngs of people filling the temple. Engulfed in clouds of smoke from incense and candles, we sat amidst colorful and ornate shrines - feeling power in the atmosphere. May turned to me as she described the meaning and significance of each practice and said,

"This is your destiny. It is not for fashion. With tattoo, you get a mission." 

As a demonstration of the value placed on teachers in the community, Part 1 of the mission includes traveling to my tattoo artist's hometown to honor his teacher. Through these journeys, I am supposed to learn about the meaning of my tattoo, the magic contained in it, and my destiny.

Lotus flower offerings

 Wat Chalong

I have to say, this was one of the most insane, but amazing experiences. Insane for me, because I had to let go of any inhibitions and just let it happen. Controlling Nicola - letting someone tattoo her with what he believed was chosen for her and putting it where it was destined to go???? I haven't ever thought that much about an individuals destiny or what my personal beliefs concerning destiny entail, but I will say that it was an honor to receive such an amazing tattoo and to get a glimpse at the significance that lies behind it.

 

 Destiny? I'm 23 years old, with an 8 year old's heart. Never before would I have imagined myself in this magical country - for a year nonetheless - getting a sacred bamboo tattoo. Yet, here I am.

Destiny? I'm lost a lot of the time. I don't have the answers, but I'm learning about life, questioning the cosmos, and dreaming of what this world has to offer me. I'm constantly trying to make sense of this world, and though dwarfed by the magnitude of these punctuation marks, on a mission to find out what they might reveal.