Hang fire, hang fire, put it on a wire

Heading into last weekend, I knew the conditions were in place for me to get the tattoos I'd been planning on getting for weeks. Everything was coming together seamlessly, which is how it goes, I believe, when you have an intention and feed it regularly with enthusiastic attention whilst maintaining an uncluttered mind that has ears to hear and eyes to see.

By Friday, I had narrowed down what I wanted my tattoos to be. After weeks of research, I decided to forgo getting mandalas on my wrists because I learned they would lose definition over time. And since I was determined to have tattoos on my wrists I decided to go with a simpler, but equally meaningful, image: the om symbol. Simple but powerful: the sound of creation.

I decided, more intuited, that I wanted the Hindu script on my left wrist and Tibetan script on the right. I also left room for other ideas should they arise; I didn't want to be too rigid. I was confident I'd end up with the om symbols, though, because I was seeing them on my arms sometimes when my eyes were closed and sometimes when they weren't. Soft images, unbeckoned.

After my morning meditation on Saturday, I called Spira and she was receptive to the idea of coming with me to get my tattoos, which was great because all along I wanted her to be there with me, though I would have gone on my own if need be. I even convinced her to get one of her own, though she didn't need much convincing. I went to her place and we printed out the symbols I wanted and she printed out some sacred geometry images she was interested in. I considered going that route, but wasn't sure if one of them, particularly the flower of life, would fit on my wrists.

We went to a place called Skin Art in Cambridge, not far from Spira's place. She had been there before and had a good experience. Early on in the process, I had asked people I knew with tattoos for advice. Everyone was helpful, but most of them recommended a place that was a long drive away with waiting lists that could take weeks or months. I was also told there would be a consultation visit. Because I was planning on simple tattoos on my wrists, I didn't think it was unreasonable to expect to walk into a place and have it done on the spot. If I was getting something more complicated, then it would be a different story. So, the fact that Spira and I were doing this local as walk-ins was just what I wanted.

We met with a guy named Ed who said he could take us right away. We came at the right time; not long after people, including a group of college girls who wanted Red Sox "B" tattoos, started coming in. After a while, people were being turned away.

Ed went to work on me first. It definitely wasn't a pleasurable feeling, but it wasn't quite painful. It helped having Spira there to chat with. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. It took about 45 minutes for both wrists. I had no "What have I done?" moment, no remorse. Once the tattoos were applied, it was as if they belonged. Spira's tattoo, the seed of life symbol on her arm, took about the same length of time as both of mine. We were both giddy; it was fun getting tattoos together.

Everyone with tattoos says once you get one, you'll want more. I wanted more right away. I'll sit with these a while and maybe in a couple of months, I'll see where I'm at. In the meantime, I'm still tending to the ones I have, letting them heal.

I wasn't sure how my mother would feel about this development, but she was really cool about it. She told me she was happy that I did something for myself, that I hardly indulge myself. She even said she liked them. Perhaps she would have had a different reaction if I got them was I 18. Who knows.

So there you go. I feel great about what I did. When I meditate and practice yoga all I have to do is look at my wrists for inspiration. These tattoos, more than vanity, bolster my commitment to the spiritual path, which is never ending. I'm glad I did this. It felt right.