Last Saturday I was fortunate to take part in a 'Sacred Scar' day. An opportunity to receive a tattoo in ceremony and ritual. It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life to date. In the days immediately afterwards this piece of writing came to me, its a narrative of the event and all at the same time it isn't.
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Quietly they arrive in ones and twos, slipping through the
door on the peaceful street in the early morning light.
Slowly they begin to move around the room, starting the
journey into ceremonial space. A drum begins to gently sound, bringing in the heartbeat
of the Great Mother to hold her daughters.
In the corner, the red-headed witch sharpens her needles and
makes ready, watching the women with a midwife’s eye. Checking the energies,
sensing the fears.
The drumbeat rises to a more urgent rhythm as the first
sister comes forward and presents her skin to the needle. Her sisters raise
their voices in a rich harmony of love and power, carrying her through as the
marks emerge on her kin.
One after another they flow into the witch’s chair to
receive their sacred scars. Reminders of their stories, of who they have been,
of who they will become.
The drumbeat and the voices endlessly circle….and then…it’s
done. The sisters gather to hold one another, to share the tears and the joys.
Then, quietly, in ones and twos, they slip away again. The
red-headed witch shuts the lid of her needle box. Their work is done, until the
drum calls again.
Awen is a healer and ceremonialist based in the West Midlands, UK.
www.wildmagpie.co.uk
