Well Last Friday one the the questions for five question Friday, was Do you have a tattoo? My answer was Yes, I have a dragonfly tattoo on my right hip. It didn't end there though, I started rambling about why I got it, I caught myself and said that I would blog more about the meaning behind the dragonfly so here it goes,
I wanted to get a tattoo for years but I didn't want to get something to just get one or get something that I would regret down the line. So I decide that I would take my time and get something meaningful to me. I would look for hours and hours on the web for the perfect tattoo. Did I want a flower, something cutesy, a symbol, a word ,or something else? Finally, after years I decided that I would get a dragonfly. One decision down, next is decide what type of dragonfly to get? Do i get it in color or do I get in just in black? The main thing was that I wanted it to mean something so before I decided on what kind of dragonfly I decided to look up the meaning of the dragonfly and this is what I found out.
There is more to the dragonfly tattoos than just the beauty and creative possibilities opened by them. There are also deeper meanings, and also deeper meanings that have their roots in many cultures and in ideas that are hundreds of years old.
One example of the dragonfly being embedded into a culture is in the case of the Native American astrology teachings. According to these teachings, the dragonfly is a totem animal spirit guide for people of all ages and for both men and women. The dragonfly spirit represents change and wisdom, the need to tell of dreams or wishes yourself. It can supposedly guide you and help you make your wishes reality.
Other meanings behind dragonfly tattoos are based on the real dragonfly that we know of. It is actually a very interesting creature that goes through many changes and has some distinct characteristics. The dragonfly is a very old species that was even around when the dinosaurs were still roaming the earth, and although the modern day dragonfly is quit a bit smaller in size, it can still boast an approx. 7 inch wingspan. Since dragonflies have survived so long, it can be assumed that they are good at surviving, are strong and adaptable. They are in fact show all of these features, and they are especially known for their strength which is used to hunt flies and mosquitoes and the dragonfly has a very strong jaw for catching such insects. The dragonfly also, similar to butterflies, has to go through a ritual metamorphosis. This fact is the basis for many fantasy designs dragonfly tattoos that are created to show the changeover, although this is often done in the form of a fairy or some other mythological creature. Before the dragonfly becomes the beautiful creature we know and recognize, it goes through a fairly long middle stage where it can be called ugly, however, once its wings open its beauty also opens. This was taken from
http://www.beautyassist.com/tattoos/dragonfly.htmlI had went through a very rough time and I felt like I needed to always Have a reminder that the situation that I went through does not dictate the person who I am. So now that I look at my tattoo I am reminded of what I been through but also that I can move on.
Here is My Tattoo
This brings me to
1. Do you or have you ever wanted to get a tattoo?
2. If you have one, why you get it and do you regret it? If not why /why not would you get one?
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