The word tattoo is derived from the Polynesian word ‘ta’ meaning ‘to strike something’ and the Tahitian word ‘tatau’ meaning ‘to mark something’. Tattoo art history dates back to over 5000 years ago and is as various as the cultures and people that sport them. Tattoos to this day are increasingly popular, and are created by inserting coloring beneath the surface of the skin. One of the oldest known examples of tattoo art was found in 1991 on a 5000 year old ice man found in the mountains between Austria and Italy. This ‘ice man’ is the best preserved corpse ever found by archeologists and the skin of the ice man yielded more than 57 tattoos. The tattoos include a cross inside the left knee, six parallel lines above the kidneys, and numerous lines around the ankles. The tattoos were believed to be administered for therapeutic reasons such as arthritis. In 1948 more evidence of tattoos in history was found between Russia and China, 120 miles north of the border. Archeologist Sergei Rudenko was excavating tombs in the altai mountains in southwestern Siberia. 2400 year old mummies were found, and evidence of tattoos on the bodies represented different animals such as griffins, and magical monsters. The tattoos are believed to represent the status of the individuals, magical significance, or were simply decorative. Evidence of tattooing was also found in ancient Egyptian excavations. In 1891 remains of a priestess of the goddess of hathor were found dating from 2160 BC. The tattoos depicted lines, dots, dashes, and geometric patterns all over her body. In ancient Egypt tattoos were restricted to women as they were the ones associated with this ritual. The earliest evidence of Japanese tattoos were found on clay figurines on which the faces were painted and engraved with tattoo marks. The oldest examples date back to 3000 BC. The tattoos are believed to have magical and / or religious significance as they usually accompanied the dead, possibly on their journey into the unknown. The first written record of Japanese tattooing practices was found to date back to 279 AD. The Japanese seemed to be interested in tattoo art mostly because of its decorative qualities rather than magical ones. Japanese tattoo artists, called the horis, were the undisputed masters of their day. They used complex colors, perspective and designs; the classic Japanese tattoo covers the whole body!

Throughout history the tattoo bears the mark of the warrior ,ithe magical or spiritual initiate,iThe tattoo has also  regularly been associated with certain Christians of Western culture as well as  Coptic Gnostic Christians and those Druids which were converted to Christianity to save their hides and so merged the best of both spiritual paths into one belief system as suited their needs..

Indeed tattooing has been prevailent among most cultures of the Earth since before recorded history began. The Shamans of Siberia, the Native Americans of North and South America. The Aztecs, Mayans, Incas all used tattooing and body modification for ritual purposes.

The following documentation is from research simply documenting the obvious spiritual and religious link to the tattoo. the foundation, origin, meaning and purposes of the tattoo is spiritual and magical paths of all races and times including: paganism, shamanism, God & Goddess worship, Eastern, Western & Polynesian occult mysticism.

A tattooist in many cultures is also a shaman, magick-man, priest or priestess. According to the dictionary a shaman is a "intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc."

"Tattooing is often a magical rite in the more traditional cultures, and the tattooist is respected as a priest or shaman."
(Michelle Delio, Tattoo: The Exotic Art of Skin Decoration, p. 73)

"In Fiji, Fromosa, New Zealand and in certain of the North American Indian tribes, tattooing was regard as a religious ceremony, and performed by priests or priestesses."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 64)

"The actual tattooing process, which involved complex ritual and taboos, could only be done by priests and was associated with beliefs which were secrets known only to members of the priestly caste. . . Hambly concluded that historically tattooing had originated in connection with ancient rites of scarification and bloodletting which were associated with religious practices intended to put the human soul in harmony with supernatural forces and ensure continuity between this life and the next."
(Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 158)

The tattooist, shaman or the occult priest many times uses the tattoo as a point of contact, or inlets into the spiritual world. The tattoo is much more than just a body decoration. It’s more than just a layer of ink cut into the skin. In fact, the tattoo in every culture, in every country, up until the 20^th century, was a vehicle for pagan spiritual and religious invocations. Even today, in many countries (including the United States), the tattoo is believed to be a bridge into the supernatural world.

Famous witch and author Laurie Cabot writes of the tattoo:
"The origins of tattooing came from ancient magical practices. . . "
(Laurie Cabot, Power of the Witch, cited in Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated by Dr. Cathy Burns, p. 301)

"According to Amy Krakow in her chronicle The Total Tattoo Book, ‘tattooing has had well-defined roles: marking a rite of passage at a stage of life, calling the spirits, proudly, defiantly or sneaky showing who you are via body art."

"Many native tribes practiced therapeutic tattooing. The Ojibwa, for instance, tattooed the temples, forehead, and cheeks of those suffering from headaches and toothaches that were believed to be caused by malevolent spirits. Songs and dances that were supposed to exorcise the demons accompanied the tattooing ceremony."
(Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 90)

"Tattooing is about personalizing the body, making it a true home and fit temple for the spirit that dwells inside it. . . Tattooing therefore, is a way of keeping the spiritual and material needs of my body in balance."
(Michelle Delio, Tattoo: The Exotic Art of Skin Decoration, p. 8)

Among today’s latest tattoo craze is "tribal tattoos", which are most remenisient of the Polynesian and even Celtic belief systems. Tribal tattoos are designs that bear serious symbolic mystical and occult meanings. Tribal tattoos, especially, are possible channels into spiritual and demonic possession.

"When the designs are chosen with care, tattoos have a power and magic all their own. They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul."
(Michelle Delio, Tattoo: The Exotic Art of Skin Decoration, p. 13)

Burmese tattooing has been associated with religion for thousands of years. Tattooing among indigenous North American groups including the Arapaho, Mohave, Cree, and Inuit (Eskimo) is rooted in the spiritual realm as well."
(Laura Reybold, Everything you need to know about the dangers of tattooing and body piercing, p. 15)

"Skulls imprinted on skin abound, and depictions of the Grim Reaper are commonly seen. . . These images, indelibly marked on the skin, reflect uncertainty about the future, and sublimate the pervasive fear of the unknown. Or cited by some to be a deep respect for the transitoriness of earthly life. Possibly, at the same time, to wear a death’s figure on one’s body may be an invocation of whatever undefinable forces of nature and the cosmos that exist, in an attempt to protect the wearer from such a fate."
(Henry Ferguson and Lynn Procter, The Art of the Tattoo, p. 76)

A Monk’s Tattooing Kit & Other Magical Devices

Burmese tattoo tool from the collection of the author with "elephant man tattoo weight, ca. 1920. There are many varieties of tattoo weights and each figure is believed to add specific power to the tattoo itself. For example, the figure of Zawgyi, an alchemist who is endowed with supernatural powers, would have been used when tattoo designs of a religious or protective nature were given. Tattoo weights with portrayals of Bawdithada were also believed to impart strength and protection. A tattoo weight depicting Mintha, a hero prince of Burma, was likely employed when designs were applied to a man’s body for beautification purposes. And weights that incorporated Belu demons holding a badashinlon (live mercury ball) or wish fulfilling stone were also supposed to impart luck. The example pictured here probably fulfilled a similar purpose because it likely represents the Hindu god Ganesh. Of course, the elephant is also associated with great strength which is another attribute that tattoo clients wished to incorporate into their bodies.

The tattooing tools I have seen in Thailand resemble a sharp two-foot long metal skewer split at one end about two inches to form a needle-sharp pronged tip. Similar devices are also used in Myanmar but they are heavier, shorter, the pronged tip is stouter, and the tool is capped off with a tattoo “weight” that takes the form of a deity or other powerful personage. Gold and silver tools were said to have been made for members of the Burmese royal family but none of them have survived to this day. Nevertheless, the space created between the two needle tips acts as a reservoir to hold the tattoo pigment. In Thailand, these tools look much like a shish-kabob used to barbeque meat and vegetables on the grill.

Some monks use a pointilinear style, while others achieve fine line-work that looks very machine-like. The inks that the monks use are personal recipes, and some are thought to have special “protective” qualities due to their unusual (and magical) ingredients. For example, some arjans in Thailand use sandalwood, steeped in herbs or white sesame oil. Oil extracted from wild animals such as elephants in must, galls of tiger, bear, python and even cobra venom or the chin fat from a corpse are said to be used. Others mentioned to me that the exfoliated skin of a revered monk was added to Chinese ink mixed with holy water to make their tattoo pigments. In these cases, it is believed the tattoo thus created from such an ink would cause those people who interact with the wearer to behave as if they were in the presence of a monk; that is, the tattoo would cause them to be somewhat reverent and treat the bearer of the tattoo with respect.

None of the men who enter a monk’s working space mumble a word before they are tattooed, and usually two male friends will stretch the client’s skin for the tattooist. Some tattoo patrons begin to shake and go into light trances while being tattooed, while others go into deep meditation. Other than the occasional grunt from a semi-possessed client, the areas around which the monks work remain eerily quiet. Regardless of the patron, who may be possessed or not, the monks continue to work the pigment under the skin only stopping to wipe off the flowing blood. After the tattoo is complete, the monk mumbles a prayer, and blows on the tattoo to activate its magical power. This action also fuses the patron with the monk’s meditative and transcendental powers, as well as that of the Buddha's.

According to survey and statistics, Scutt lists the reasons why people get a tattoo and the number two reason – "to secure a place in heaven".

 

"Reasons for getting a tattoo:

2. To secure a place in heaven.
5. To propitiate malignant spirits at time of death.
6. To acquire special characteristics through totemism and ancestor worship.
9. To make the body sexually interesting."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 13)

Dr. Hambly, probably the greatest tattooist historian and researcher that ever lived, writes over and over, that tattoos are based on pagan spiritual and religious rituals. Any serious and honest study of the origin and foundation of the tattoo will clearly expose a supernatural intent of tattoos.

Tattoo enthusiast and historian, Steve Gilbert, in his popular, Tattoo History: A Source Book, cites some of the historical facts Hambly found in his extensive research.

[Hambly] "retailed a wealth of examples which he had culled from field work by anthropologists in many parts of the world. Tattooing was supposed to: prevent pain; protect against gunshot wounds; cur illness; confer superhuman strength; preserve youth; enhance the supernatural powers of a shaman; ensure the survival of the soul after death; identify the soul in the hereafter; attract good luck; protect against witchcraft; ensure the protection of a deity; confer occult powers; prevent drowning; exorcise demons; ensure the protection of a totemic animal or spiritual guardian; record a pilgrimage to a holy place, etc. . .

Hambly reported that previous investigators had often been misled because obtaining information as to the religious and magical uses of tattooing was fraught with difficulties. In the myths of many cultures tattooing was of divine origin. The actual tattooing process, which involved complex ritual and taboos, could only be done by priests and was associated with beliefs which were secrets known only to members of the priestly caste. Anthropologists were often misled because their informants either did not know or would not reveal the secret significance of the rituals and taboos. Hambly concluded that historically tattooing had originated in connection with ancient rites of scarification and bloodletting which were associated with religious practices intended to put the human soul in harmony with supernatural forces and ensure continuity between this life and the next."
(Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 158)

 

NOTE: for those who may have an interest in receiving sessions of Magickal and Ceremonial tattooing. I do perform some of these rites in private sittings on off-days where I use around a 200 yr old tattoo kit from Burma which has only been used for Magickal Tattooing. These sessions can range from $500 to $1500 for an entire day if need be and are performed in a sacred manner in accordance with the traditions involved in the particular rite and application and culture being drawn from. Please call or come by for more information. I can reproduce many of the  Southeast Asian styles and designs but have not been initiated into these magical paths strictly speaking.  I am however an initiate of a number of Hermetic Paths of The Western Mystery Traditions of Magick and a practicant of Ecstatic Buddhism, Alexandrian and Gardnerian Witchcraft and a Reiki Master/Teacher and Energetic Healer...Thank you..Blane Hoffman