This is my tattoo immediately after it was...

This is my tattoo immediately after it was finished (thus the redness). I got it last September at Stingray in Allston, MA by the awesome Josh Wallis. The idea came from the time I spent on a Lakota Sioux reservation.

Eagles fly higher than any other bird, which, according to folklore, brings them closer to the Creator and gives them a different perspective from anyone else. Eagles are seen as messengers for the Creator, and seeing an eagle during a prayer ceremony is a sign that someone’s prayers have been answered; similarly, holding up an eagle feather will catch the attention of the Creator. Therefore, eagle feathers are held in very high esteem. In many American Indian cultures, eagle feathers are only given to select warriors after going through something particularly difficult or extraordinary in battle.

To me and to many American Indian cultures, the eagle feather represents resilience, strength, courage, wisdom, dignity, and hard work. I told myself that when I felt that I had earned my own eagle feather, I would allow myself to get the tattoo. Two years after hearing these stories, I called up and made an appointment. Much of the time, I just admire it for how beautiful and awesome it is, thanks to Josh; but whenever people ask me about the meaning behind it, I’m reminded that I got it as a symbol of my own personal battles and resulting resilience. The eagle represents rising above a difficult past and loving darkness as much as light, which is exactly how I’ve come to live my life.

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