Question about rune

Hey, A few posts down I had talked about getting a rune tattoo, and still hope to do so.. but does anyone think it would be wrong for me to get one (or more) rune tattoo's if I really don't believe in the whole "power" thing of them? Ive been looking up information on them, and I seem to keep finding a lot of information from people who think they really work. Personally, i dont believe that shit and would like the rune tattoo's because they look nice, and the meaning behind them. Any opninions? Thanks.

You know, this is a reallly good question about spirituality in general. Really, the question has a lot to do with beliefs in spiritualism that go back as far as the births of religeon in general. This could actually be a good discussion. Very Joseph Campbellian. My opinion is that the human brain, and the human psyche are relatively untapped resources. I feel that a lot of the power of religeon may actually come from sources like the untapped power of the human brain, the power of the universal vibrations around us, and the sort of "flow" of creation and destruction in general. The hindus and buddhist have come up with really great ways to identify these sources, and probably come closer to anyone else at naming them. Point is this. I believe that anything you decide to assign power to CAN become a very real source of power indeed. In otherwords, a symbol has no more power than the assignation that it gets from it's human inventors. And, the recognition and belief that it receives from it's human worshipers. So, in otherwords, you could slap a pentagram on your body, and as long as you don't believe in it, or are not familiar with the meaning of it, unless somebody tells you what it's SUPPOSED to be all about, it will be nothing more than a series of lines. If you want to put the symbols on your body (runes) for nothing more than pretty decoration, they will be nothing more than pretty decoration. However, if you wish to assign religeous power to their meaning, you may be able to tap into beneficial source of power within yourself as a result of their presence. Maybe they will become a beneficial excuse to realize some internal power that you have that you have not tapped into before. Let me sum it up with this perfect example. Sometime back, I acquired a strand of Tibetan Prayer beads... a necklace of beads actually hand carved in the shape of skulls by the actual monks at the Dreprung Loeseling Monastary in Southern India. How do I know? Becuase I actually got it from them. It was given to me by the monks, they had carved them up. These are buddhist holy men, and as a result, this item was very special to me, and came to me with a lot of healing power and spiitual meaning. Could I have acquired this strand of beads at some local bead store in Boulder? Yeah, probably, (it would have cost hundreds of dollars and been reallly hard to find, but yeah, sure, with enough dilligence, you could get one) So is this one any more special than the others? Well, only in the fact that it has extreme religeous significance to myself and the monks. Because I, and they believe in it's healing properties and power, it has actually given me an incredible source of safety and power in some situations that I might otherwise have come out of either really sick, or reallly hurt. So, I say, they have great, great power. I wore those beads every day of my life as a protective charm right up until I sent them to a friend of mine who is battling some physical stuff, because I believe that they will help improve his condition. Will they help him? Yes. Why? Because I believe they will help him, and so do the monks. So, in otherwords, I believe that religeon comes from someplace inside, not some malevolent power out there that is seeking to do you in. In otherwords, I can be just as fulfilled through buddha as you (collectively) can through Christianity, as another person can through Shiva, etc. and all religeons deserve respect in their basic GOODNESS no matter who's they are. It's when any group of people starts to use their RIGHT and WRONGS of their beliefs to oppress any other group of people that are not of like mind that religeons turn evil, no matter who's it is. So what am I trying to say?? Well, if you want to put the runic symbols on your body as something pretty, why not? Go ahead. And if you don't believe anything more about them than that they are pretty, well then, I say that's a good enough reason to do it. But if you chose to believe in the power of their symbolism, then they may begin to manifiest themselves as something with real power... why not believe, and take advantage of that, no matter what anyone else thinks? It can be very powerful and comforting to believe in the symbolism that you've picked for your power. I never sustained a mountain bike accident while I was wearing those beads because I believed they protected me. Did they? I like to think so. Is it all bullshit? Maybe. But I've won money arm wrestling guys 3 times my size who were ripped because I (martial arts training) believed that it was impossible for them to put me down! Would love to hear what you guys think... Cactus

And another thing, one think I've always wanted to do was have some witch writing tattooed on me. But I won't do it. I just get the feeling I'm fucking around with something I don't understand. But someone else may not believe it at all, and it has no power for them.

I have a "truth" on my arm and people still lie to me anyways! Most of the time, they ask what it means, and I just say it "means what it means".... because I think people pay attention to what you have on your body out of curiosity, but don't care as much as we think they do. What you decide to get will never mean to another as much as it means to you.All that matters is how you feel, if it's in your heart do it. That's just my philosophy anyways! Tima

That's what I'm saying. I agree with you. Who cares what others think... YOU pull your power from it.

Hey Dave...firstly thanks for your post....As far as the rune thing goes....If ya don't "believe" in that shit as you said but you like the design I say go for it...what is 90+% of all tribal tattooing?...just purely for the aesthetic value...that is ...how it LOOKS. If you like a design, and I have seen some really cool looking runic stuff then by all means get a good artist and get it inked on yer hide Now I know that to some people these runes are associated with faith and religious nad even supernatural powers but we don't ALL have to have those beliefs do we?....I respect a persons right to belive in whatever they want...just please respect MY belief to NOT BELIEVE!...TAz PS Oh yeah Dave ...when ya get it send me a pic!...T

Thanks for the replies. Pretty sure im still going to do it, but now i'm still even a little more worried about it, becuase i've found out theres a whole religion around this stuff. I thought everyone knew these were myths! haha.

Well, maybe they are, and maybe they aren/t! To the practitioners of those religeons, the power was as real as Christ is to Christians for example today...!

By the way I am the recipient of that necklace from Al....since I have had posession of it I have been able to reduce my pain medication to almost nothing!....I am becoming a believer....well and also with the help of the shamans medicine bag that Als Beautiful little girls sent me...one or the other is WORKING!! Just ask the TAzettes!!!! WA...HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Glad to hear it's doing some kinda good Taz man!... Ya just gotta believe. The mind is a powerful thing, and there are forces out there we know nothing about. With like over 250 monks pulling for ya, you can't very well be alone, can ya? If you want to see who I got the beads from Taz, go to www.mysticalartsoftibet.org/Monast.htm. The bag was blessed by a Soux medicine man. It ain't Christian, and some may not like that, but I'll take it where I can get it!! Talk at ya later bro....

I think any symbol can create change if you empower that symbol to do so. The symbol doesn't have to stem from a religious nature. I'm planning on getting a tattoo of a swan. To most people when they see it, they will just see a graceful bird. To me it has become a symbol of my inner resources, a symbol of patience and perserverance in the face to confusion and strife, and a symbol that cannot fully be explained in words. Because of this new found inner strength coming from my swan I have been able to continue down the difficult path of self discovery (I'm an art therapist, it's necessary to do this for my career, but mainly I do it for myself). Basically, if you want it cause it's pretty, that's fine. I know, that I personally wouldn't want anything on my body that didn't mean something. Especially because I believe that tattooing something meaningful on your body can help you in many different ways. Tattoos and the visual arts in general can be utilized for decades and even centuries(speaking of visual arts) to portray meaning. So why not utilize the art for what it can do for you. To each his own though. All that really matters is what you think about it now, and how you're going to feel about it in the future.

Man, you sound just like..... Me! And Taz! I think we're gonna get along fine!

I'm always glad to get along with people who know more than me! Espeically when it comes to tattooing, this chickadee doesn't know anything (except for what I like that is!)

Dana, you can throw down with us anytime! I Look forward to it!

i have a rune tatt, but for different reasons than you are looking to get yours. though i think any tatt you get should be about more than it "looks nice" since it is with you forever, i will say that runes are also an alphabet (no spirituality attached). they were used as an alphabet in many culturwes, nordic, celtic, germanic, etc. but again, its not like buying a shirt. try thinking a little more deeply about any tatt you are going to get.