conflict of symbols?
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:56 pm
hello all, i have spent a lot of time reading on easterm philosophy and have decided to get a tattoo to represent the ideals that i have gained from this so as to hope to maintain my purity and object of consciousness.. so to speak. ive been drawing it a million different ways for about 2-3 years and have finally come up with something that fits the idea just right, but i need some advice. here is the last sketch..
it wont let me post links so youll have to bear with me, type in the following and then dot jpg:
filebox.vt.edu/users/bgully/TAT2_sm
my main question is of conflict of symbols. the basic concept is this: i want it to represent and mark a remembrance of the passion and quest for truth and what is right, common to ones college and 20 whatever years so that it doesnt get lost as i get sucked into the soulless working world.
the following is a kind of explanation of the tattoo and the idea behind the interrelation between the symbols. it is a very simplified account of each of their meanings so please dont focus on technicalities unless you believe i am really wrong about my perception of any of the symbols - in which case, speak up and let me have it!
the koi represents me as i am a pisces and it is also representative of strength and determination in japanese culture. it is inside a yin-yang supposed to represent the constant internal struggle/balance (chinese origin). the water goes up and represents, loosely, the world, my environment. in it, if you tilt your head to the left, there is the aum symbol (im not too good at drawing the traditional japanese style water so hopefully when the artist gets their hands on it and redraws it would look better and be a little bit more clear, but still somewhat surreal) this has a ton of different meanings and is of hindi origin (ill talk a bit about it although i think we all have a fairly good idea as to what it means since it is so common in tattoo culture). the three gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas), the idea that everything is one/interrelated, the idea of ultimate truth, enlightenment, the notion of three things combining into one etc etc. therefore it perfectly represents what the ideal or goal of the tattoo is (and i am a big fan of eastern philosophy as you can see)
but do the origins of these three symbols create a conflict of meanings? im mostly talking about the yin-yang vs the aum symbol. the yin-yang fairly directly tries to state that there is a balance in this world between two powers, and the aum says there are three (loooooosely) and is mostly talking about consciousness while both state that everything is part of the same.
it wont let me post links so youll have to bear with me, type in the following and then dot jpg:
filebox.vt.edu/users/bgully/TAT2_sm
my main question is of conflict of symbols. the basic concept is this: i want it to represent and mark a remembrance of the passion and quest for truth and what is right, common to ones college and 20 whatever years so that it doesnt get lost as i get sucked into the soulless working world.
the following is a kind of explanation of the tattoo and the idea behind the interrelation between the symbols. it is a very simplified account of each of their meanings so please dont focus on technicalities unless you believe i am really wrong about my perception of any of the symbols - in which case, speak up and let me have it!
the koi represents me as i am a pisces and it is also representative of strength and determination in japanese culture. it is inside a yin-yang supposed to represent the constant internal struggle/balance (chinese origin). the water goes up and represents, loosely, the world, my environment. in it, if you tilt your head to the left, there is the aum symbol (im not too good at drawing the traditional japanese style water so hopefully when the artist gets their hands on it and redraws it would look better and be a little bit more clear, but still somewhat surreal) this has a ton of different meanings and is of hindi origin (ill talk a bit about it although i think we all have a fairly good idea as to what it means since it is so common in tattoo culture). the three gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas), the idea that everything is one/interrelated, the idea of ultimate truth, enlightenment, the notion of three things combining into one etc etc. therefore it perfectly represents what the ideal or goal of the tattoo is (and i am a big fan of eastern philosophy as you can see)
but do the origins of these three symbols create a conflict of meanings? im mostly talking about the yin-yang vs the aum symbol. the yin-yang fairly directly tries to state that there is a balance in this world between two powers, and the aum says there are three (loooooosely) and is mostly talking about consciousness while both state that everything is part of the same.