Compass and Sun

Click image(s) to see the larger version(s).

These images come to us from Scarlet who was kind enough to share two of her tattoos. Here's what Scarlet had to say about the top tattoo:

If I remember, it was called "Black Horse Tattoo" in Ironwood, MI and the guy (the owner, I believe) was incredible... unfortunately, I couldn't get back up there to get my new one...

The tiny mark is a compass/medicine-wheel located above and behind my right hip. It was my reward for putting myself through a series of coming-of-age and dedication rituals to mark my passage onto my new path and took me three years to get the courage to do. It was the perfect way to mark my journey and meant so much to me, even though it is very small. I like to say that it's so I always have a compass with me and so I can never get lost! lol! Wherever I go, there I am!

The second tattoo of the sun was inked by the fine folks at Body Ritual of Milwaukee. Here's what Scarlet had to say about it:

The Sun is the closest I have yet come to finding a "patron"... while many witches feel called by the moon, I've always been fascinated by the sun, the power it holds, the gifts it brings us and how our Earth interacts with it. The four major rays with four additional minor rays, echos the pattern of my earlier tattoo and its same symbolism (directions, elements, seasons of the year, the crossroads, etc), but now the mid-directions and the wheel of the year play a part. I searched for some time to find an appropriate image for the center, considering yin-yang, a pentacle or even a tree of life, but realised if I had to pick a "matron" that it would be the element of water, embodied most powerfully in my life by my spiritual and physical closeness to the Great Lake Michigan. I chose a rolling wave of Her holy waters to honor Her role in my spiritual life in partnership with the all-powerful Sun. I got this tattoo to honor those entities and the knowledge that they will forever impact my life. This one, also, being longer then the first, taught me the value of meditating during application and how discomfort can be a valuable magickal tool...

Thanks so much to Scarlet for sharing her tattoos and the hands down best tattoo explanations ever offered up to NeoPagan Ink!