Interpreting Tattoos

Ok, so you've choosen your tattoo design and you're ready to get it done. It may look nice but maybe there are some implications to it that you might want to know. Below are a few interpretations:

Butterfly Tattoos - Popular amongst women, butterfly tattoos denote beauty, metamorphisis, freedom, happiness and fragility. Many cultures have associated the butterfly with the soul.

Dolphin Tattoos - Dolphins have been long associated with being symbols of spirituality and the divine. They are also a very popular chioce of tattoos amongst females.

Dragon Tattoos - In Japanese culture the dragon is said to be a symbol of supernatual powers, with incredible strength and a hidden wisdom. It was said the only way to journey past a dragon was to answer its riddles.

Japanese Koi Fish Tattoos - The Koi fish is typically a symbol for strength and individualism. Lotus flower and peonies are also two flowers that are very popular among Japanese tattoo artists and they provide good compliments to the Koi Fish tattoos.

Lotus Flower Tattoos - In Hinduism and Buddhism the lotus flower symbolises awakening to the spiritual reality of life. Most tattoo enthusiasts feel that the a lotus tattoo represents life in general. As the lotus flower grows up from the mud into an object of great beauty, it is hoped that people also grow and change into something more beautiful on their journey through life. So the symbol represents the struggle of life at its most basic form.

Stars Tattoos - Shooting stars express ones inner desire to be a star. They can also symbolize a brief fleeting moment in ones life, just like the brief wonder of seeing a shooting star race across the night sky. They can also be a symbol of reaching ones ultimate destiny.

Sun Tattoos - The sun is a powerful symbol across all cultures which is rich in meaning and symbolism and most commonly acknowledged as the "giver of life" without which all things would perish. When combined with the moon, the image is steeped in meaning. It can mean the interplay of opposites as in male and female, hot and cold, Yin and Yang. Both the sun and moon nourish us in different ways.

Tiger Tattoos - Tiger tattoos are renowned for their beauty and strength. The distinctive coloring of the tiger it makes for a very good tattoo. The most common depiction is the Chinese style of tiger which it was believed to be the opposite of the dragon and often appears alongside it. 

Zodiac Tattoos - Tattoos following the signs of the zodiac are very popular and can be easily personalized to one's taste. The symbols have developed from the ancient art of astrology and are a great starting point to deciding on a tattoo for yourself.