On Friday, March 1, 2024, I got my first tattoo. And it was a spiritual1 practice for me for many reasons, including but not limited to the following threads:
In resistance to purity culture2, this tattoo was a radical act of bodily acceptance and autonomy.
I chose the moon phases specifically because of their significant spiritual meaning to me, especially as a disabled person. TL;DR: the moon is an important part of how I connect to the divine3.
Moon phases figure heavily into my forthcoming book.
Moons have symbolism for the bi community, of which I am part.
For all of these reasons, I could think of no better thing to put permanently on my body.
I love that there is a physical reminder on my arm that no matter the phase of life, by a love stronger than death, I am connected to all who have gone before and all who will come after—indeed, the whole cosmos.
And that is enough.
P. S. I want to hear from you: Have tattoos been a liberative experience for you? Let me know in the comments!
In Wonder,
Kandi Zeller (she/her)
When I describe or experience any tool/practices as spiritual, I want to acknowledge that that is not everyone’s experience. Any practice/tool I share is meant for all, regardless of spiritual label (or lack of label) or whether you experience these tools as spiritual or as some other adjective(s). Labels, while helpful in describing our experiences, are ultimately insufficient, so I want to hold space for that tension here.
My understanding of how God expresses Godself is expansive. Basically, I conceive of spirituality as our experience with divine love and connection. But even that feels a little religious-y. Put another way, I believe spirituality is the place where we as individuals and communities connect with the “force of love that holds up the universe” (in words sometimes attributed to Julian of Norwich), whether we conceive of that love as divine or as the love shared between fellow humans/other creatures or some combination of both loves. It is the place within our bodies and our communities where we find love and connection with all who have come before and who will come after.
I love this so much! It’s so perfect. I don’t have any tattoos (yet) but my daughter does and she’s studying to become a tattoo artist. I want her to do my first tattoo. 🥰
I got my first tattoo in 2017 while I was separated from my husband because of infidelity and other things that I found out about. For me, it was part of my rebellion against everything I’ve been told about how to be a “good wife and mother“ and how to “support my husband” and how to help him in his purity struggles by offering myself to him Whenever, and however. I had such anger (and still do) against the subculture and culture that forced me to enable my husbands behavior for 32 years that I was just done. That was before I completely left the church, but it was the start. Myself daughter and I got matching tattoos that say take heart John 16. I needed a reminder that I could take heart in my relationship with God because that had nothing to do with the evangelical church. Well, I’m tempted, and still would like to get a second tattoo, so far, that’s my one and only. But it was a very empowering decision!