This might sound crazy to you, but I used to think getting a tattoo was something that would mark a moment in my life as a celebration… for example my age, turning 18 or 21, something cool to show my friends, even something to make me feel ‘in’ with the trend.
I got my first tattoo when I was 18 and then another when I was 21; each time I felt a high afterwards and wanted to show people how cool I was and how sexy my tattoo looked. It has been quite an experience for me to see how different I feel about tattoos now as I do not think they are cool or sexy at all – in fact I find them very much the opposite. What I find interesting also is that they take you away from seeing the real person and instead you just get drawn to the tattoo.
Getting the tattoos removed has been somewhat of an amazing experience for me, although little did I realise the pain and frustration I would go through to remove them. They don’t tell you that although the tattoo only takes 30 minutes to apply (depending on size), that it would then take 2 years plus to take it off with laser sessions every 4-6 weeks. They also don’t tell you the pain this treatment entails.
I have found that although this has been painful, if I really stay connected to myself throughout the process and really deepen my stillness, the pain is not as bad: but the times I have had a tattoo removal and not stayed connected to myself, the pain has indeed been so much worse. This to me is something I must share because often I find we are put off doing things in life that we know will help us because of the pain that it will incur. We can in fact look at this on many levels; for example physical pain and emotional pain – we often stop and put a wall up based on not wanting to feel hurt to any degree – and what I realised here is that the pain/damage that the tattoo was in fact doing to me by being imprinted on my skin was much more painful than taking it off.
Is it possible that tattoos do affect us in ways that we could not even imagine?
I have not quite completed this process yet but I am nearly there, and would never ever consider having a tattoo again. I now feel I finally have got my body back… that my body is all mine again. Somehow the tattoo left an imprint that was not me and at the time I was ok with this: now having gone through the removal process I have claimed my body back and I feel that this tattoo is not affecting me anymore, which can only ever be a good thing.
I can now feel how beautiful my body truly is on its own with no imposition of a tattoo or any other outer ideals and beliefs – like what my hair colour should be or what clothes I should wear or even how much makeup I should put on. Without getting caught up in any of these outer influences to dictate or have control over me I am able to feel and enjoy my true beauty, which has nothing to do with anything physical but instead is all about just being and letting myself feel the beauty I hold within. This is very powerful.
I feel that the tattoo removal process has given me an opportunity to give power to what I feel true beauty is, and not get caught in what the world is telling me it is or should be by any doing or action. Instead it really has been a question of just letting it come out and be seen by all, by firstly letting myself see me first.
True beauty is an allowing. It is not about a doing, which is what society seems to be saying it is. My focus now is to allow my beauty out rather than try and make myself beautiful.
Inspired by the work of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine
by Amina Tumi, 32 yrs, London Salon Owner
Further Reading:
Tattoos – The rise and rise of the body image crisis
Tattoos – More than meets the eye
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
I have a hairdresser who’s partner is a tattooist. When I first met her some 8-10 yers ago, she had no tattoos and over the years she’s now covered in tattoos. There is an art to them, but other than that, I do not see how our beautiful skin can be covered in ink, that has been engraved by a person’s energy.
Someone very close to me is in the process of having their tattoo removed and it’s been 2-3 years and the tattoos still remains, fading in the background, but still visible. It’s painful to have it removed and I observed at varying times their moods when it was removed, and this person is of a gentle and loving nature. But after they return from having a session, I’ve observed the anger, frustration and sometime their agitation, very notable.
What ever we place in our bodies is marked by the energy of another – are we aware of this?…
I’ve never been the biggest fan of tattoos. When in a relationship with a previous partner, it was associated with hells angel’s gangs and identification of the gang they belonged to. Whenever we were overseas, my partner loved the attention and his tattoos being admired, it all makes sense.
20 years later, tattoos are a common thing to the degree whereby we are looking for the real skin. If we really look deep down inside the missing key ingredient is to allow a person’s ‘beauty out rather than try and make’ themselves beautiful. After all beauty is so much more than our physical appearance, so why not let it out…
“What I find interesting also is that they take you away from seeing the real person and instead you just get drawn to the tattoo.” I hadn’t considered this before but it’s true, they are very distracting, and they seem to divert attention away from the actual essence of the person.
I have a beautiful family member covered in tattoos, and any part of her skin is now inked, from her neck to her arms. And yet when I look at her she is so beautiful, she just doesn’t see it the same way as I do.
Being covered in ink does divert attention from who you truly are, and it is a sure way to have this attention diverted away, but the true you will always remain waiting to come through, maybe one day if you so choose to do so.
The word Tatoo, sounds a little like taboo – and to make it more acceptable in society they have actually changed the name to ‘body art’…interesting how society takes something that was originally shocking to see on somone’s skin and changed the name to market it as something that people would want.
With the current climate and various parts of the world in lock down, or restrictions, I’ve been informed by my hairdresser, that her partner tattooist has never been so busy. People are spending money to mark a memory onto their skin, they do not know what to do with their spare time that has been forced upon them. It is interesting to observe what humanity are engaging in. Indulgence in shopping or inking themselves (and no doubt other things too)…
These days it is unusual to find a young persons body that is not tatooed. In fact it is more common to find tatoos on a body that to find the natural clean skin. Yet clean un-tatood skin is so beautiful…
Amina – an absolutely gorgeous blog and I love how you have ended it too with “True beauty is an allowing. It is not about a doing, which is what society seems to be saying it is. My focus now is to allow my beauty out rather than try and make myself beautiful.”
I agree Henrietta, this blog is quite a gem, it’s exploring tattoos and beauty in a way that is new to me, a lot of wisdom to appreciate here. It’s a reminder too of the wisdom we all have and how we can grow each other by sharing it.
It really is that simple, we are all naturally beautiful, ‘ My focus now is to allow my beauty out rather than try and make myself beautiful.’
The word ‘beautiful’ just doesn’t cut it when describing the depth of who we all are, we are a wordless beauty that goes beyond anything that words can possibly convey.
Thank you Amina, We are so used to following others in trendy fashions like tattoos and never get to fully understand the ramifications? Maybe would always ask the Questions first before we get into anything that could possible disconnect us from our essence?
“True beauty is in allowing” – absolutely. True beauty communicates much more than what the eyes can see and defining beauty by image has done nothing but harm, it is a deliberate reduction by which so many of us have been played and seduced.
Your previous attitude to getting a tattoo is pretty standard for how they are perceived and used by most people I speak with. I have heard that removal is quite painful, not just physically but having to deal with the emotional reasons for the tattoo in the first place. I really liked reading how you now appreciate the beauty of your body – so no tattoo is needed to add to this.
Yes, I have heard tattoo removal can be quite painful, and leave nasty scarring in some cases. I would say the answer to this question is very possible, ‘Is it possible that tattoos do affect us in ways that we could not even imagine?’
“My focus now is to allow my beauty out rather than try and make myself beautiful.” How beautiful it is to live this way.
True beauty comes through us and is common to us all. False beauty comes from us and is apportioned to a few.
Tattoos do distract you from the actual person. I couldn’t help stare at a ladies legs on the bus the other day as I tried to work out what her tattoos where. Reading this makes me think should the situation happen again (very likely) to instead see the person rather than the ink.
Great observation, Leigh, and therefore how tattoos are a means by which they can hide, though the irony is that for most people they believe it is a means of being seen.
I find it interesting how a tattoo only takes 30 mins to apply and 2 years plus of sessions 4 weeks apart to remove them, and it is a painful process. Surely that would be enough to put you off having a tattoo if you knew that.
True beauty is an allowing, how very true!! It’s there in us and it’s for us to allow it to be expressed and seen.
It would be interesting to know if you felt different or if life changed in any way after you had the tattoo, it seems to me a life-changing choice as you say to give away part of your body and I wonder if the consequences are immediately felt or the effect is longer-lasting. How amazing that you put in the work and time and commitment to claim your body fully back, and I absolutely love your last line about letting out your beauty rather than trying to be beautiful. It’s really struck me over the last few weeks how much of life is about rediscovering how incredible we actually are rather than constantly coming from a point of feeling less or not enough.
“…life is about rediscovering how incredible we actually are rather than constantly coming from a point of feeling less or not enough.” How lovely Meg, a beautiful gem of wisdom expressed here to live by.
Not only coolness or sexiness do not come from outside. What comes from outside are true obstacles for you to connect to and, embody, them.
It is quite astounding how we have as a humanity reduced ourselves to thinking that we are identifying who we are by lines we have etched into our skin, along with the many other activities and lifestyles we do, which are considered in our current culture as ‘normal’. Yet all along who we are is already a given and accessible through our connection to our body and it through this relationship that we our relationship with who we are comes to life, naturally and with great effortless power.
Beautifully said Carola, in fact, that is what we often fight when we get a tatoo – we hold a deep sensitivity and can feel the connection but the pain of not living this or feeling like one can live it is intense. Perhaps the Tatoo is a way to fight that pain or to numb oneself so one does not feel the connection that we all crave so deeply?
This is a very beautiful and powerful reminder Amina ‘My focus now is to allow my beauty out rather than try and make myself beautiful.’
True beauty is far more than skin deep and comes from our connection to self and Soul.
What you say about not wanting to feel pain is a very interesting point. I can feel how I have opted for the comfort of staying where I am at even though it might be actually harming to my body and myself, thinking that making a change would be too much of a hard work. The pain I might experience in that process is not a pain that is caused by the change itself, but a pain revealed that has been buried and I was numbed to and accepted as part of my make-up.
So true Fumyio. It’s not the change that causes the pain it’s that it stirrs up what’s already within us that needs to be addressed! We avoid the responsibility of dealing with our issues by staying comfortable.
I like how you point out that tattoos take you away from seeing the real person. I find that with so many things we do, how we dress, the make up we wear, the things we like, the food we eat .. , we use these things to hide or be someone but we have yet to learn to use these things to support us and with some to see if they do/can support us at all.
We can often just see the behaviours also, instead of the true essence of the person.