SLO Tattoo

Driving

How I love California

Valleys scarring

Golden hills

Arriving

Details and stencils

Inks, fine line, and filler

Last one is always the killer

Different pains

Burning, drilling, electric

Striated down through the belly

The hot knife that slices

Carving new vistas

Each scar is a story

Once scabbed, picked at, now

Healed, revealed, no longer raw

Simply incorporated 

Symbols, Sabien, or otherwise

Rite the tattoo experience

Pull the Sun, Three of cups

Understand

Willow leaves, sweet relief

Runic analgesic 

Cool summer breeze

Viola and Forget-Me-Not

Wheel of fortune

Wheel of fame

Let's remember

Lilith again

Thoughts on Tattoos

Thoughts on Tattoos

I am no longer afraid of mirrors where I see the sign of the amazon, the one who shoots arrows.

There was a fine red line across my chest where a knife entered,

but now a branch winds about the scar and travels from arm to heart.

Green leaves cover the branch, grapes hang there and a bird appears.

What grows in me now is vital and does not cause me harm. I think the bird is singing.

I have relinquished some of the scars.

I have designed my chest with the care given to an illuminated manuscript.

I am no longer ashamed to make love. Love is a battle I can win.

I have the body of a warrior who does not kill or wound.

On the book of my body, I have permanently inscribed a tree.

-Deena Metzger, Tree

Lori Anderson calls the body, The Nerve Bible. I see my body as an illuminated manuscript. 

Today we received luxurious couples massages at our timeshare in Carmel Highlands. As the therapist unveiled me, I thought about each of my tattoos, each of their stories. Our scars are our stories. Some people wear theirs on the inside. I wear mine on the outside, and they're pretty.

I endured my first tattoo when I was 18 years old, after a vacation in Key West, Florida.My boyfriend and I just saw the play, Talking With, Eleven Monologues with Extraordinary Women. The protagonist was covered in tattoos and told us each of the stories. I was entranced. The next day there was a bright yellowy orange sun inscribed on my left hip. Many, many years later it was joined by a blue crescent moon .

Now I am fifty-five, and have over three dozen. Usually I get about one a year but it just depends, notwithstanding COVID. My last tattoo was a mother-daughter bonding ritual when Amber came to Santa Cruz this February to get married. We both got inscribed one of our favorite quotes from the Talking Heads “Once in a lifetime. Same as it ever was.” 

I have mermaids, fairies, butterflies, dragonflies, Amber’s initials, pentagrams, hummingbirds, cats, the four directions, the red Chinese symbol for double happiness. There are black roses, pink roses, crimson passion flower, purple morning glories, pale green rosemary for remembrance, and my absolute favorite, bright orange California poppies. I have a huge back piece of an art deco woman by Mucha with a spray of olive green marijuana leaves behind her. 

I balance my tattoos between blackwork and color, neo-primitive and modern,  Celtic knotwork contrasting abstracts. Left and right, small and large, I've mapped out my body several times and choose carefully. I'll find an image or symbol  that I fall in love with, and pop it into my “Folder of Desire.” Minimally a year, but often many more will pass before I decide to permanently carve this particular totem on my body. 

For my 50th birthday, I chose  twin spirals with three dots (maiden, mother, and crone) on the inside of each of my wrists. Spiral in, spiral out. What is most significant is that they are the only ones that are always visible. I tend to cover my tattoos, and not just when I’m around my mother, who is appalled that I still “scribble on myself.” While tattoos are way more commonplace than thirty years ago, especially here in California, I think they are distracting. And they are so personal for me. Well, and for my lover, who else will see the way these particular vines twine around my breasts, connect with my spine, embrace my hip, grace my thigh, adorn my calves. Besides for the massage therapist.

My favorite tattoo is the roundabout sign when you go down to the wharf. I would walk by this every Wednesday when volunteering at the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center. I just knew this would be my next tattoo, because you know, in Santa Cruz, there is always a roundabout way.

Did you know?

 

Kayla has now published seven books as well both a tarot deck and an affirmations set!

BOOKS BY KAYLA

• Baby Crone's Tarot Playbook
• F is for Family: A Unique ABC
• Grandma's Got Tattoos
• Journey Through the Tarot
• Laphrodite's Guide to Mindful Menopause
• The Adventures of a Baby Moon
• Vibrissae: A Collection of Cats, Facts and Whiskers

Grandma's Got Tattoos

"Grandma, today I got bullied and teased.

I felt confused, ashamed to my knees.

With this huge birthmark on my face,

How will I ever fit in, ever feel at place?"

"Come sit on my lap, I have a story to share,

About my facial tattoos, piercings, and gray hair.

These are the stories of my life all they have to tell

Every wrinkle, stretch mark and scar,

They illuminate.the manuscript my body has known well

There once was an island, a peculiar place,

Where everyone was born with their story on their face!

So imagine the confusion, all the consternation,

When I was born without a mark on my presentation...

Growing up, no one took me serious,

Where were my markings? Was I delirious?

So I set off one day when I had nothing to do,

And that's how I got my very first tattoo…

I didn't have a plan, I didn't do the math,

Simply feeling lost, I set off on my path.

I set three intentions at the wishing well,

To feel young, well connected and simply quite swell.

I moved along, but there blocking my way,

A huge tree, fallen in the thunder rain!

I took a moment to consider, simply to ponder,

How would I get over this and continue my wander?

I knew it was big, more than I could handle

But I gritted my teeth, and over that log, I scrambled.

I scraped myself as I slid down the other side,

I was hurt, confused, lost--and so I cried.

"Don't be sad," said a voice, so I looked around,

There was a rose bush growing deep in the ground.

"Notice where you are strong, let go of feeling weak,

Let me help put more color on your cheek...

You will always remember to grow caring and tender,

Still with sharp thorns that can easily render.

Allow yourself to blossom with each tear you cry,

As you grow older, you'll discover just why."

I accepted her gift and went on my way,

Following the winding path down to the bay.

But before I could go further, take another step,

A big old gate was blocking me yet.

I felt all my doubts crash in on me,

What to do? There was no key!

But I looked closer, instead of moping,

And guess what? It was already open!

A little bit rusty, it squeaked as I slid by,

A little crusty bit caught the corner of my eye!

I felt so stupid. As much as I had tried,

I sat down to comfort myself, and so I cried.

"Don't be sad," said a voice, so I looked left,

There was a spider looming her weft.

"It's not complicated, it's quite simple,

Let me spin laugh lines on your temple."

I accepted her gift, and I took it to heart,

Already I knew I was far from the start.

Here at the crossroads, what decision to make?

An opening in a tree seemed the right decision to make.

I moved through the hollow, and what an astound!

Finding a world where no one was bound!

Here I met a relative previously unknown,

She was my higher self, where I had not yet grown.

"I would like to release what has been weighing me down,"

I passed a suitcase of money along with a frown,

"I've been keeping myself ransom, hostage to my fate,

But now I know I have the keys to the gate."

"Well done," she said, "Gold stars, kisses on both cheeks!

You have proved yourself strong when you thought you were weak."

And upon my forehead planted a kiss, "Goodbye for now!"

Which spread into the butterfly wings across my brow.

"Thank you for the blessing, I feel much stronger,

Just like how the summer nights grow longer.

I know that everyone is a story inside her,

That's why I'll become a union organizer."

"And so my child, as you look upon my face,

Notice every wrinkle, what they really trace.

The bloom of the rose has faded from my cheek,

But you can still see the thorns for I am not weak

Here in the laugh lines by my eyes,

I'm sure you see the spiders surprise.

And tattooed here on my third eye,

Is the butterfly, transformation in disguise.

"I see you, Grandma, I realize your beauty,

And now I understand that my personal duty

Is to love myself, moles, stretch marks, and scars,

For each has a story that takes us the most far."

Kayla Garnet Rose Copyright 2018

"But Didn't That Hurt?"

By Western standards, there is nothing ladylike about being tattooed. Standards of acceptable beauty for women still dictate unblemished skin. The female body can be adorned with ear piercings, make up and silicon implants, but any form of decoration that radically challenges main stream beauty standards is sure to raise eyebrows.

 Tattooing is an undeniably strong statement and, for many, a disconcerting display of trauma and ferocity. While some feminists may feel more comfortable with healing circles, new moon rituals and writing exercises designed to draw out the “inner child,” a newer generation of women may relate to the healing process in an altogether different way…it typically marks an important stage in a woman’s life— a process of discovering, exploring and learning on the very surface of the body.

Many women seek out tattoos for altogether joyful reasons—to celebrate ethnic, spiritual or cultural heritages; to mark exciting life transitions or to display lifelong beautification. to dismiss tattoos as a form of self-oppression is to miss out on a fascinating complexity behind each woman’s decision to adorn her body with one or more permanent designs. Much of the time, tattoos on a woman truly says something about her character, her life and her spirit —Silija J. A Talvi in Body Outlaws

On the Book of my Body

I am no longer afraid of mirrors where I see the sign of the amazon, the one who shoots arrows. There is a fine red line across my chest where a knife entered, but now a branch winds about the scar and travels from arm to heart. Green leaves cover the branch, grapes hang there and a bird appears. What grows in me now is vital and does not cause me harm. I think the bird is singing. I have relinquished some of the scars. I have designed my chest with the care given to an illuminated manuscript. I am no longer ashamed to make love. Love is a battle I can win. I have the body of a warrior who does not kill or wound. On the book of my body, I have permanently inscribed a tree. -Deena Metzger

My Key

What is a visionary consultant? In the simplest of terms, my job is to guide your body and mind to be in alignment, to experience balance in your heart and spirit. I am a faith healer, here to remind you that you hold the key to the gateway within. I am certified in both hypnotherapy and reiki, which I combine with tarot and astrology for holistic consultations. I have had my private practice for 19 years now.

My clients range from cancer patients to folks with phobias, people in deep grief or trapped in anxiety. For a complete mindbody experience, I combine my services with a chiropractor, an acupuncturist, a massage therapist and a nutritionist. Together we provide alternatives to surgery & prescription drugs, to live more vibrantly on all levels, physical & emotional.

I am a priestess, and spend most of my day in prayer, meditation, ritual or energy work. Luckily I am also a hedonistic pagan, and believe in exploring all aspects of sacred sexuality, so even masturbating is one of the ways I connect with the divine every day, besides for blogging. I am blessed to live in a community that supports my livelihood and encourages alternative practices,and to work with other highly trained professionals in my field.

Anyway, this is my newest tat, a few months old, still kinda itchy and raised - smack in the middle of my spine, the artist had an incredibly light touch and was done in under an hour. Part of the tat looks like the symbol for Chiron, the Wounded Healer (go ahead, Google it, I know you want to). Chiron's message is: how do you change your deepest wound into your greatest gift?

Logo by Cherie Lovedog, Lovedog Tattoo Studio, Santa Cruz 2007.

Armband 1

This is my astrological mandala. My sun sign is Libra (keywords, I create beauty), I have Leo rising (pay attention to ME! I mean, um, I show...) & my moon is in Aquarius (I'm different - no shit).

When my daughter was around 3, we were sitting on the back deck talking about astrology. I told her that, as a Libra, I see my soul's purpose is to create beauty.

With big round eyes, she solemnly looked up at me and declared,. "Mom, my soul's purpose - is to watch videos."

Out of the mouths of babes...

Celtic arm band by Cherie Lovedog, Santa Cruz CA, 1997

Black Fairy

I found this image in a book of fonts -
it was my logo for "Fairy Thoughtful" gifts...
I love her little pot belly, just like mine. She's inked on my right shoulder, like a little guardian angel, whispering in my ear...

Folder of Desire

I found this image on a rubber stamp and fell in love with it right away. In my file cabinet, I have "The Folder of Desire" and whenever an image speaks to me, it gets popped in here. It might be years before I actually get it inked, but I really believe in THINKING about what one is about to permanently inscribe on one's body...

Black Mermaid

I've always considered myself a girly-girl, despite dressing as a tomboy when growing up. I had my hair down to my waist, and at one point could actually sit on it.

When I opened my bookstore, I deliberately cut all my hair off to look more dykey, to be a warrior in the streets & lover in the sheets. I had a butch little flat top for years, which was usually dyed some array of colors.

This mermaid is my long hair, cascading down my back, reminding me of my more gentle, feminine form. I actually found the flash in a tattoo magazine, and have seen another women with the same tattoo, only on both of her forearms in mirror images. Very cool.

I closed my store four years ago, and have been growing out my hair, wearing long skirts & dresses, feeling more like the priestess that I am than the need to call forth the warrior within.

Mermaid by Cherie Lovedog, Santa Cruz CA, 1995

Babylon

This was my second tattoo. Sweet kitty Babylon. Babs for short. Killed at two years old. On my back, she is behind me, but always a part of me. I know someone with the same tattoo. That's another story.

Aphrodite

I walk my own path
Alone and strong
And I have Aphrodite
Covering my back

I will not reveal to you
Love still raw and scabbed
I will wait
Until my healing is
Complete

12 hours over five months. Each session more intense than the last, as I would not fully heal between sessions. Layers upon layers, she worked in the colors as I worked out the pain, raw flesh, raw throat, raw to the bone.

Aphrodite (Mucha) on left shoulder by Robin Lovedog, Lovedog Tattoo, Santa Cruz CA 2001

Morning Glory Fairy

Morning glory fairy goes all the way from my ankle to my knee, peaking out the slit in my skirt as I walk up the stairs.

Originally all inked in pale blue, recolored twice, a continuing work in progress. My daughter said she needed friends, so I added the dragonflies & bee later.

Fairy by Robin Lovedog, Santa Cruz CA 1999

Labrys

In the tarot, blades represent the mental realm, and we are familiar with the concept of the double edged sword. The labrys is the double headed battle ax used by the Amazons, not just in war, but to plow the fields. This represents are ability to destroy and to create, specifically using both our right brain & our left brain, to destroy old outdated thought patterns and to create new fresh fields for seed thoughts to grow & flourish.

The two blades also represent the waxing & waning of the moon, the twining rose a blossoming caduceus.

Labrys tattoo by Tatiana of Terra Nova Tattoo, 1990

California poppies

My soul sister, Madame Scorpifly, designed the most beautiful two tattoos that travel up her calves - this is a merging of her designs, going down my back. Easily one of my personal favorites, I love the bud, bloom and decay...

Sun & Moon

When I was a senior in high school, I went to Key West for winter break. We saw the play Talking With: Confessions of Eleven Extraordinary Women written by Jane Martin.

One monologue was about a middle aged woman who led a desperately boring life, until one night after her divorce, she was accosted in a parking lot and her face sliced with a knife. Rather than getting plastic surgery, she realized for the first time people noticed her. The lights come up on stage & you see she is completely tattooed, she then describes the meaning of each one, and how her life was transformed from that moment.

This story struck me deep, and I got my first ink a week later, this sun above my hip bone, which has blurred and faded over time, despite being recolored twice. It was not until recently that I added the moon, who is so crisp in contrast. The moon image is from a label from a cigar box - "Double Happiness Brand Cigars".

I had the honor of performing Talking With on stage for three weeks when I was 23 and living in Northern Idaho (on the Canadian border, no less). The make up artist would paint my body each night, intertwining my tattoos with the ones from the play. So much fun, to become the character I admired.

And boy, do I get noticed. It's pretty rare that I show my tatts in public any more, I just don't really want that much attention (except here on my blog, don't get me wrong.) When I do show my colors, I love feeling a part of the freak show, and seeing who is brave enough to walk up and say just hi. It cracks me up how intimidated people are by my tattoos, when I am the sweetest, nicest, SHYEST person at heart. My body is an illuminated manuscript, and I love to share my stories.

When I see other folks with tattoos, I always take a moment to flash a smile, raise my eyebrows, and simply say, "Nice ink."

Sun by Julie Moon of Dragonmoon Tattoo Studio, Glen Burnie, MD, 1984
Moon by Robin Lovedog, Lovedog Tattoo Studio, Santa Cruz CA, 2003

Passion Vine

Today

Robin fills in
Fiery phoenix hummingbird
And today
The pain is over
I’m just a littler bit sore...
Here comes the itchy part
The irritating part
Before my skin reveals
Fresh healing...



Passion vine around left breast by Robin Lovedog, Santa Cruz, 2004

Double Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds represent
unfettered joy,
embracing what makes you happy,
counting your blessing,
and opening to pleasure...

 

Double Happiness

Couple of folks have asked the stories behind my tattoos, so inspired by Trinity I decided to post bloggettes on each, then you can vote on your favorites. I started getting inked at 18, average one a year, and now have 27 totaling about 60 hours of work from nine different artists.

Not my first, but if I only had one tattoo - it would be this one, Double Happiness. Tattooed in red above my heart, it is a symbol of hope and wholeness.

I do not believe in Plato’s concept that our soul’s are split apart at birth, and we search the earth for other other half - usually we think the better half.

I am a whole person. You are a whole person. Together, we are double happiness - sharing our resources and creating something we could not create alone.

When I look down my chest, it looks like the double venus sign, but more than that, like two dancing figures wearing funny hats. Double the pleasure, double the fun - I know, I sound like a gum commercial...

In the ancient Tang Dynasty, there was a student who was on the way to the capital to attend the national final examination, in which the top learners would be selected as the ministers in the court. Unfortunately, he fell ill halfway when he passed through a mountain village. Thanks to a herbalist doctor and his daughter, he was taken to their house and treated well. He recovered quickly due to the father and the daughter's good care. Well, when he had to leave, he found it hard to say good-bye to the pretty girl, and so did she. They fell in love. So the girl wrote down the right hand part of an antithetical couplet for the student to match:

"Green trees against the sky in the spring rain while the sky set off the spring trees in the obscuration."

"Well, I can make it though it is not easy. But you'll have to wait till I have finished the examination." replied the student. The young girl nodded in significance.

In the examination the young man won the first place, who was appreciated by the emperor. Also the winners were interviewed and tested by the emperor. As luck would have it, he was asked by the emperor to finish a couplet, which would need a right part as the answer. The emperor wrote:

"Red flowers dot the land in the breeze's chase while the land colored up in red after the kiss."

The young man realized immediately the right part of the couplet by the girl was the perfect fit to the emperor's couplet, so he took the girl's part as the answer without hesitation. The emperor was delighted to see the matching half of his couplet was so talent and harmonious that he authorized the young man's identity as Minister in the court and allowed him to pay a visit to his hometown first before holding the post. The young man met the girl happily at home and told her the emperor's couplet. They soon got married. For the wedding, the couple DOUBLED the Chinese character, HAPPY, together, on a red piece of paper and put it on the wall to express the happiness for the two events. And from then on, it has been taken on and became a social custom.

Double Happiness Tattoo by Robin Lovedog, 2003