The Alchemy of Tattooing

This episode we are talking with Stephanie Big Eagle. Stephanie is Lakota and Dakota on her fathers side, Nordic and Haudenosaunee on her mothers side. Stephanie Big Eagle is a traditional handpoke tattoo artist, the owner of Thunderbird Rising Studios, and author of Thunderbird Rising. We explore the tattoo traditions, of which so much has been lost, of the Native American Nations. The spiritual and ceremonial aspects of the tattooing and the revival of such an important cultural practice and identity. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephbigeagle/ Website: https://www.stephbigeagle.com [https://www.stephbigeagle.com/] www.thunderbirdrising919.com [http://www.thunderbirdrising919.com/] Book: Thunderbird Rising: https://www.amazon.com/Thunderbird-Rising-Reconnection-Resilience-Empowerment/dp/1737512211/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=thunderbird+rising&qid=1635197592&qsid=141-0253157-8127214&sr=8-1&sres=1737512211%2CB098LQWS8R%2CB097CGVXGZ%2C0913056049%2CB08ZQ8K6KH%2CB07M8P5VF2%2CB098DR4V76%2CB07QCQNKG7%2CB06WVFMYWT%2CB00SARHPKS%2CB084PV952N%2CB08D1XX766%2CB000OOKJ58%2CB00DOTL5EE%2CB08L6W3W63%2CB094SYV22L [https://www.amazon.com/Thunderbird-Rising-Reconnection-Resilience-Empowerment/dp/1737512211/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=thunderbird+rising&qid=1635197592&qsid=141-0253157-8127214&sr=8-1&sres=1737512211%2CB098LQWS8R%2CB097CGVXGZ%2C0913056049%2CB08ZQ8K6KH%2CB07M8P5VF2%2CB098DR4V76%2CB07QCQNKG7%2CB06WVFMYWT%2CB00SARHPKS%2CB084PV952N%2CB08D1XX766%2CB000OOKJ58%2CB00DOTL5EE%2CB08L6W3W63%2CB094SYV22L] Contact Shane... ancestortattoo@gmail.com Website: ancestortattoo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanetattooer/ Title music: Ngā Tai Tawhito, Kiki Pounamu https://smarturl.it/kikipounamu

WHAT IS THIS This Meditation of Smoke and Flame is a semi-active mediation where we can ask for insights or guidance and journey to the otherworld. This is a meditative state that brings in elements of Scrying. We use Flame and Smoke. Both these elements have meditative effects and are also considered the in-between places. The thin veil between this world and the otherworld. In this meditation we connect with the Flame we see… to the Flame within us… our sacred flame… our spiritual fire… our source of inspiration. We also connect to the Smoke and let it guide us with its flow and shapes, it’s journey and it’s access to insights. SET UP For this meditation you will need a candle… if you can find sustainably made pure beeswax candles… then these are best… as the burning of pure beeswax stimulates the pituitary gland in humans which in turn triggers the intuitive parts of the brain. You will need some form of incense… stick incense or cone incense… or I prefer using charcoal blocks to drop resin or dried herbs or leaf on… my favourite is pine resin… juniper and cedar… also sage. This meditation is best done in a dark room or space so that the light of the flame illuminates the smoke as it rises. The set up… we want the incense or burning charcoal placed in front of the candle… play around a little bit with the exact location… sometimes directly in front is good… sometimes just to the left or right of the front of the candle gets better visual results for the smoke. PURPOSE The purpose of this meditation is really whatever you want it to be. Set an intention beforehand. If you have a question or are searching for some insight on anything… then set this as the intention for the meditation. The reason I find this style of meditation useful is that I’m not spending the moments clearing my mind of thoughts. I let the smoke of the incense and the flame of the candle take me on the journey. For periods through the meditation I can find myself blissfully drifting… clear of thoughts and concerns. As I watch and observe the swirling smoke and the illumination I feel I am entering another realm. In fact I am. Here is where we receive our insights… our answers… our guidance… here is where our Intuition is most powerful. Rather than concentrating on clearing my mind… I let what comes come. What messages am I receiving… what epiphanies am I awakening. What am I hearing… what am I seeing… what am I feeling. This journey will be experienced in whatever way yours takes you. Everyones experience is different. It may be very visual… it may be more of a feeling journey. Remember… in the Otherworld we may receive our information very differently than this realm. Learn to take notice of how you receive. You may have visions… you may have internal audible… you may just have feeling. But take notice of other aspects of receiving… in the otherworld the rules of this world don’t always apply. Really observe how you may be receiving… you could be hearing a thought… or are you feeling a vision… maybe you are seeing a feeling or thinking a sound. Take note of how this Otherworld communicates to you. Most importantly… go with the flow… let go… have fun… and enjoy awakening your inner wisdom through your journeys with Smoke and Flame. Download PDF Instructions: https://a76f09dd-6212-4777-b46e-971fdb361695.filesusr.com/ugd/41a3a5_8af8f68ccc644d6fa3152f07eefff4fa.pdf

(Part 2): This episode we’ll be looking at Intuition and Divination and incorporating these aspects into our work as Conscious Tattoo Artists, assisting us in our Intuitive tattooing and how it benefits us in our lives beyond our work. We look at ways of enhancing our Intuitive abilities and we bring to attention some of the barriers that interfere with our natural growth and mastery of our Intuition. Acknowledging and using our Intuition in our work and becoming more of an Intuitive Artist brings forth so much more depth, meaning and resonance… more purpose and understanding. Whether we’re creating and designing our tattoos Intuitively and through Divination beforehand… or at the time of tattooing… we are bringing in profound energies, perspectives and Universal assistance. We are connecting to the Divine and bringing this into the design. It’s truely magical. Throughout this podcast I quote some of the words and discussions from a few other people who hold knowledge on these subjects… Josh Reid… Alan Watt… Michael Tsarion. I have included these because what they have said really relates to this subject and I think they have explained some of these concepts really eloquently and concisely. So… check them out as well. Contact Shane... ancestortattoo@gmail.com Website: ancestortattoo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanetattooer/ Title music: Ngā Tai Tawhito, Kiki Pounamu https://smarturl.it/kikipounamu

(Part 1): This episode we’ll be looking at Intuition and Divination and incorporating these aspects into our work as Conscious Tattoo Artists, assisting us in our Intuitive tattooing and how it benefits us in our lives beyond our work. We look at ways of enhancing our Intuitive abilities and we bring to attention some of the barriers that interfere with our natural growth and mastery of our Intuition. Acknowledging and using our Intuition in our work and becoming more of an Intuitive Artist brings forth so much more depth, meaning and resonance… more purpose and understanding. Whether we’re creating and designing our tattoos Intuitively and through Divination beforehand… or at the time of tattooing… we are bringing in profound energies, perspectives and Universal assistance. We are connecting to the Divine and bringing this into the design. It’s truely magical. Throughout this podcast I quote some of the words and discussions from a few other people who hold knowledge on these subjects… Josh Reid… Alan Watt… Michael Tsarion. I have included these because what they have said really relates to this subject and I think they have explained some of these concepts really eloquently and concisely. So… check them out as well. Contact Shane... ancestortattoo@gmail.com Website: ancestortattoo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanetattooer/ Title music: Ngā Tai Tawhito, Kiki Pounamu https://smarturl.it/kikipounamu

This episode I’m talking with master of the traditional Maori art form of Ta Moko... Gordon Toi. This episode was recorded at Gordons home and private studio in Mapua... in the South Island of New Zealand/Aotearoa. Gordon shares with us some of his vast knowledge of the origins of Ta Moko, where the lines got their meanings from and the connection to the journey. Gordon being one of the most highly respected practitioners of the Puhoro shares with us its importance as a rite of passage and continued connection to the ancestors. We touch on how the carved look of the facial tattoos may have been achieved so successfully by the ancestors which present an ancient technology or knowledge that evades us today. The precision and detailed carved effect of the skin shows incredible skill and something we are unsure of achieving today. Gordon finishes off with words of how important the revival of Ta Moko is and where it can be taken in the future to heal, represent and identify. Gordon Toi: https://www.instagram.com/gtoinative/ Contact Shane... ancestortattoo@gmail.com Website: ancestortattoo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanetattooer/ Title music: Ngā Tai Tawhito, Kiki Pounamu https://smarturl.it/kikipounamu