heyho kiddos!

well... i believe this is the only time none of my works actually fit into a category of mine... either way, this chapter is gonna be quite a bit different from my usual chapters, for a few reasons >w<

so lemme just quickly explain the situation. a few days ago felycitaz published a chapter in her contest book, explaining that she needed help with two tattoo designs.
they were supposed to be rather simple, geometric, nothing swirly n fancy, basically. and they were supposed to have the following meanings:
1. unity of body and mind
2. unity/balance of fantasy and reality

and... this is where the chapter differs from most of my other chapters.

i usually don't mention religion. like... religion just doesn't belong to my art or stories... obviously they may get subconsciously influenced by them, but in the end, all of this stuff isn't religious.
now, if you were to ask me, i probably would answer that i'm an atheist, because i hate it when people think being part of a religion instantly means that you reject stuff like science or whatever, and i'm sick of explaining things and answering questions to random strangers.
but i am, in fact, a buddhist.

now, after seeing those two themes, my brain just decided to go running away with some inspiration and motivation... like... first thing i thought of when reading the idea for the first tattoo was just... you know... the chakras and the unity we attempt to achieve with meditation, mindfulness and the five main rules. especially the first one just yelled buddhism at me, whilst the second one... rather loudly said it, rather than screaming it out.

so, whilst i in no way i actually intended to draw tattoo designs (never would be brave enough to create something eternal like that), i still had some fun, portraying those feelings of calmness in geometric shapes and forms, taking the symbols of the chakras as inspiration and main basis.

either way, when reading this chapter, just be sure, that there was some deliberate religious intent behind it, that i basically was just messing around a bit, and that there really isn't anything you're missing, when you decide to skip the chapter because of that.

anyways, let's start with the unity between mind and body.

I decided to take the crown chakra (sahasrara) as the basis for the "mind" part here. it portrays a circle, with lotus leaves around it and symbolizes our connection to the infinite and the nothing. it represents your inner self merging with the source of creation, consciousness and oneness.
the thousand petaled lotus represents our connection to the divine, and how we, as being, are connected to the other creatures in the universe and how this connection is eternal.
the circle is the full moon, which symbolises openness and a conscious mind.

now... instead of an actual lotus, i decided to instead take a circle and add abstract "petals" to it through partial circles, making it sometimes appear like flowers on each of the four sides.

inside of that circle-lotus construct, we have a square, with yet another circle inside. this is my attempt at combining the root chakra (muladhara) and the throat chakra (vushuddha).
the root chakra represents the body, our physical form in this lifetime. this is the base for our current existence, which is why it's quite literally rooting us in our current plane.
the square shows the stability and foundation for all other chakras to build upon. The edges at the ends of the square are supposed to show the inverted triange, which is the symbol of earth. it grounds us within ourselves the energy with the chakra root.
the circle within the square should show the throat chakra. the chakra that represents communication and authenticity. the circle shows a full moon again, showing a purified mind. and since the circle originally is inside another inverted triangle, i just placed it within our square-construct. this inverted triangle basically shows our connection between body and soul, the communication of our consciousness and expressing our higher self.

i then added a quarter-circle thingy with lines, to frame the whole thing and ground the rather complex structure, with a rather simple counterweight, and an added extra circle for the sacral chakra (svadhisthana) and the solar plexus chakra (manipura).
the crescent moon of the sacral chakra, expresses water, and the way it represents the constant fluidity, movement and development of our lives. it shows us the cycles of everything, and how the only thing that is eternal, is change. the circles, that the crescent moon is built out of, also adds the topic of rebirth on top. reminding us, that birth, death, and rebirth, are all part of our never ending cycle in nature, and that it's an unstoppable part of who we are.
the solar plexus chakra, is associated with fire, showing determination, energy and power. and it gives a nice contrast, between the water element of the sacral chakra, both in elemental and geometrical terms.

together, we have the rather complex interior, of connections between mind and body, their harmony and basis for existence, whilst it's all grounded in our own power and determination in the never ending waves of change.

... man i really hope i didn't spell any of the chakras wrong.... i keep missing an "h" in some of them for some reason, so if you should happen to notice something, pls tell me ldghjsfvv

either way, after the first thingy was done, i thought a bit about the second one, and landed on this:

since i already had finished the first one, i felt a bit more comfortable in making the chakras a bit more abstract here, especially since this should represent fantasy and reality.

Again, we have the two crescent moons, showing cycles, change and constant movement. the fluidity of the universe and mind, felt fitting to fantasy and the surreal. since most of it is in our mind and can change and develop at our will.
the square structure around everything shows again the root chakra, reminding us that we are grounded in reality and our physical selves, and that fantasy and reality are indeed connected within ourselves. The two lines that form an inverted triangle, show the ither part of the root chakra.
the actual inverted triangle sybolizes the third eye chakra (ajna). this one is associated with light and wisdom. the third eye guides us through our higher understanding of actions, through wisdom and understanding. it shows our connection to the divine and true enlightenment of ourselves. and since the divine often are a perception of the mind, and less of the physical world, i decided that it might fit pretty well to fantasy (by which i obviously am not saying that the divine are a fantasy).

so yeah!

hope you guys didn't mind me rambling on about chakras, and find the little shape thingies i drew at least aesthetically pleasing ^-^

honestly, it was hella fun making these, and reminded me how much i love patterns and geometric shapes... maybe i'll make more stuff like this in future, who knows >w<

again... this isn't really my attempt at designing tattoos for fely... it's mainly just me getting inspired and messing around... (if you wanted to have them as tatts, i will ofc never say "no", just wanted to clarify that i created them for fun ^-^"""")

soo....

>>pats, cuddles, gives a blanket and biscuits<<

remember to take care of yourselves, okay? so until the next chapter, i'll say: