Monthly Archives: August 2012

Anchor tattoo

The Anchor tattoo is a design that has been a fixture of modern western tattooing for the better part of two centuries, and has even more ancient symbolic roots going back several millennia.

The anchor symbol is often incorporated with other design elements and is a central nautical design theme of many military service tattoos, particularly those tattoos found among sailors, marines and naval aviators. Other common design elements found with anchors are sailing ships, mermaids and other nautical symbols.

The anchor is a favorite of individuals who are associated with marine or naval careers, and is closely identified with sailors all over the world. Many young sailors got an anchor tattoo after their first crossing of the Atlantic.

In ancient times the anchor, like the fish, was a symbol with ties to the early Christian church. An anchor tattoo can be thought of as holding one steadfast, like an anchor holding a great sailing ship safe in harbour, against winds and currents that might carry it astray. Crucified Christ incorporated in an anchor tattoo design, done in morbid tattoo parlor in cash and carry mall Makati Manila, Philippines.

cancer astrology tattoo

The Western astrological sign Cancer of the tropical zodiac (June 21 – July 22) differs from the astronomical constellation of Cancer and the Hindu astrological sign of the sidereal zodiac (July 21 – August 9).

In the tropical zodiac it represents the balmy expansiveness of mid summer. In the sidereal zodiac it is associated with the myth of the Lernaean Hydra, one of The Twelve Labours of Herakles.

In some cosmologies, Cancer is associated with the classical element Water, and thus called a Water Sign, forming Watery Trigon with Scorpio and Pisces. It is also one of the four cardinal signs (along with Aries, Libra, and Capricorn).

It is the domicile of the Moon or “House of the Moon”, and this concept might originate from an ancient belief that Moon was located here at the creation of the world. Cancer is also the exaltation of Jupiter, and the traditional astrology claims it is the licity of Mars, one of the three lesser dignities which the modern astrology does not recognize. cancer astrology tattoo done in morbid tattoo parlor in cash and carry mall Makati Manila, Philippines.

souvenir tattoo

Spanish client gets a souvenir tattoo of baybayin translation of carpe diem and latin word animus iocandi which means intent to joke, tattoo done in morbid tattoo parlor in cash and carry mall Makati Manila, Philippines.

spider tattoo

The Spider is another popular tattoo symbol that crosses many tattoo genres and is prominently featured in the traditional tribal tattoos of many indigenous peoples around the world. There are very few cultures that do not have stories aboutspiders within their mythological histories, no doubt in part because spiders can be found on nearly every part of the planet, even on far-off islands, as spiders can travel vast distances using their webs as little parachutes! And who amongst us has not been fascinated by the webs that spiders weave and the way they capture their prey. Such images have fired the imaginations of men and women since the dawn of time.

Native Amercan storytellers speak of Spider Woman who existed at the dawn of creation before humans arrived. Not surprisingly, she taught the people the art of weaving. Today, the Spider is a symbol of fertility, balance and harmony, and is often personified as Grandmother, the teacher and protector of wisdom. Spider shows up on prehistoric Native Americanclay carvings. It’s a stylized Spider with a cross carved on its back, which, according to some archaeologists, symbolizes the centre of the earth and the four cardinal directions – north, south, east and west.

You can adopt the Spider also as a mark of creativity and cunning, and when found dangling at the end of its thread, see it as a symbol of good luck, because it’s thought to be bringing down joy from heaven. Amongst weavers, worldwide, the Spider tends to be the symbol of their craft.

From ancient Greece comes the tale of a beautiful maiden named Arachne, who was so brilliant a weaver that the goddess Athena became jealous. According to the myth, Athena made Arachne’s life so miserable that the maiden died. So great was Athena’s remorse that she resurrected Arachne as a Spider, so she could spin beautiful webs for all time.

Spider gets a particularly bad rap in Europe, a hangover from the days of the Plague when the Spider was thought to have spread the disease. Naturally, it became an object of fear and loathing. For some people, their fear ofSpiders became a medical condition, a phobia called ‘arachnophobia’, named for the Greek maiden, Arachne.

If you or your forbears hail from bonny Scotland, you will know all about Robert the Bruce and the Spider. This legendary king of Scotland took refuge in a cave after being defeated in battle by the English. Seeing no hope of recovering his kingdom, he was prepared to leave the country and never return. In his depression, he watched a Spider at the cave entrance building its web, and in the process failing over and over again. But the Spider did not give up. King Robbie was inspired to fight on, and is known for instructing his men, “If at first you don’t succeed — try, try and try again.” It’s a saying familiar to every schoolchild in Scotland.

In popular culture, today, the Spider and its web represent a force that’s even more treacherous. You only need to observe it processing innocent victims caught in its web to know that it’s a deadly, blood-sucking carnivore. It’s no surprise that evil, flesh eating Spidersare the life-blood of comic book characters, children’s games, and ghost stories. They spell terror and fatal entrapment, and every one who loves a horror story, loves Spiders.

Though Spiders can bite, few are fatal. The much feared Tarantula, the largest of the Spider family, is in fact a gentle, good-natured giant — unless provoked. But beware the pea-sized Black Widow Spider. Her venomous nip can be nasty. You can recognize her from the red markings on her abdomen. And the venom of the fabled Brown Spider in Australia is one of the most potent poisons on the planet.