While many westerners associate the camel with nomadic desert tribesmen and cigarette mascots, the actual animal carries deep and poignant symbolism. The camel has long been an ancient totem for travelers and those who are about to embark on an epic journey with no immediate destination in sight. They must rely on the camel to guide them, and subsist on...
The earliest depictions of deer were found in ancient cave drawings, with Native Americans in particular devoting a great deal of time to the study and reverence of this graceful creature of the wild. Many myths and legends surround the deer, with some Wiccan, Celtic, and Neo-Pagan followers believing the great horned deer god to control the seasons alongside the...
Celtic tradition honors the bear as the incarnation of the Primal Mother, to whom we are all children and therefore under her eternal protection and guidance. The Celts followed a faith that was tied to the earth and seasons; just as the bear takes to hibernation in winter so too did the Celtic people pass the cold, barren months in...
Moving both alone and in packs, the wolf represents the journey we must all take to meet our true selves. For this reason, the wolf is a popular subject in traditional tattoo art. The wolf’s natural beauty and striking features are ideal for adapting into tattoo designs. The wild wolf is a very powerful symbol and often shown to be...
Animal skulls have been implemented in cultural ritual, worship, and ornamentation for thousands of years, each skull appointed the powers of its animal possessor. Today many choose to tattoo the skulls of their own animal guides onto themselves, totems of both strength and protection, as well as a tribute to the macabre beauty of all living things. Bear, bull, wild...
Due to its symbolic virility, force, and unyielding temperament, the bull has long held an iconic place among various cultures around the world. Ancient Greek, Mesopotamian, Roman, and Egyptian civilizations all revered the bull as sacred to sacrificial offerings, while the Celts and Druids regarded it as a powerful aid in fertility, tribal protection, and wealth. In astrology the sign...
There's no denying the foreboding first impression of a scorpion. But beneath the almost alien-like exterior lies a complex beauty and nervy resilience worth exploring. Commonly associated with the astrological sign of Scorpio, the creature has long represented darkness, passion, solitude, treachery, and dangerous but irresistible passion. Until it finds a mate the scorpion lives in relative darkness and isolation,...
The Native Americans, as well as Celtic tribesmen, regarded the wolf as a creature embodying one's journey into deeper levels of consciousness, a pathfinder prowling by night under a mythical--and often misunderstood--guise. In astrology the wolf is depicted in the form of Sirius, whom aboriginal tribes viewed as the guardian of the ancients' final resting place in the heavens. Modern...
From the proud astrological sign of Leo to Aslan, the fabled ruler of Narnia, the lion is the king of both man and fellow beast, a symbol of courage and regal bearing. In African belief the lion represents self control and discipline, while medieval Europeans held the lion as one with royalty, often even keeping them as courtly pets. A...
Imagine a lion standing near the edge of a mountain with the sun hitting the ferocious creature's silhouette just right. There is something undeniably majestic about that image, which is why some men turned to the lion when tattooing their hands. A man's hand is his power and strength. The hand is a tool, and it is also a weapon....
