star tattoo
Stars With the Star Tattoo
Well, first of all let’s talk a little about stars. Just so that
we are all on the same page about why stars are important symbols…
When we look up toward the skies above during a clear
night, as Carl Sagan would say, we can see billions
and billions of stars.
For eons, the shining and twinkling stars above have
awed humans. Many cultures and religions have
attempted to explain the purpose of these celestial
stars where the gods reside. Stars have been found
carved in caves. We have used the stars to measure
our time and direction.
By definition, a star is a massive ball of plasma energy.
In case you were wondering -- a star is bright because
of the nuclear fusion that is happening inside its core,
which releases incredible amounts of energy that radiates into outer space.
There is another category of star tattoos that are
called, “shooting stars.” But, “shooting stars or even
“falling stars” are REALLY meteors that are burning
through our atmosphere on the way down to Earth.
They still make beautiful tattoos.
In short, stars have always been an important part
of our lives and sure – we sometimes take them
for granted because they are always consistently
in the skies and they last forever.
Now let’s talk about some of the hundreds of
variations of star tattoos. They could be “shooting stars.”
Stars grouped with the sun, planets, and/or the moon.
There are lucky stars, pentacles, many different colors
of stars and the number of points in the stars.
Nautical star is a symbol of protection and guidance.
Sailors would have these tattooed on their forearms
for a good luck symbol for finding their way back
home from a sea voyage. However, many people
attach a meaning to the Nautical star as
“finding their way through life.”
And the biggest star of them all
(at least from our perception) is… the Sun!
The Sun is the greatest star of them all because
we depend on it for our survival. It is the largest
object in our solar system. And this is a fact, 98%
of the total mass in our solar system is the Sun!
The Sun is so big that 1.3 million Earths could
fit inside it. It has been estimated that our Sun
is 4.6 billion years old. And don’t worry; they
say the Sun has enough fuel for 5 more billion years…
One of the more important criteria when deciding
on a star tattoo is how many points do you want on your star.
The four-pointed star can be the Christmas star,
which refers to the star associated with the birth
of Jesus in the bible.
The five-pointed star is commonly called the
“star fish” star. The Lone Star of Texas is a white,
5 pointed star. However, the five-pointed star
can also be used to represent the Pentagram. The
Pentagram was a symbol of health for the ancient
Greeks. But the Pentagram can also be used as a
symbol for Paganism and the devil. A word of
warning, avoid the upside down Pentacle if you
don’t wish to be considered a Satanist…
Jewish Star of David was named after King David
of ancient Israel and looks like two triangles
placed on top of each other. This 6-pointed
symbol has been used since the Middle Ages.
In fact, this symbol can be found on the flag of Israel.
The seven-pointed star is considered a lucky
number. Some of you may be familiar with the
term, lucky sevens. To many people, the
seven-pointed star is considered a symbol of
magic. Many police officers wear this star symbol badges.
The eight-pointed Star is the cross of Saint
John. It originated in the Maltese Cross, the
emblem of the Knights of Malta, and was used
by the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem at the
time of the crusades. Each point of this star is
called a tenet that represents the knightly virtues of:
· Tact
· Perseverance
· Gallantry
· Loyalty
· Dexterity
. Explicitness
· Observation
· Sympathy
Most firefighters wear this symbol because
the tenets represent the qualities required of these men and women…
A simple nine-pointed star is created by 3
equilateral triangles; each turned 40 degrees
from the others and when placed together
creates a Tetrahedron. The 9-pointed star is
also the symbol for the Baha’i faith. As you might
guess, the number nine is the largest single digit so
this kind of star can also be a symbol for completeness.
There are hundreds of variations of star tattoos
that you can choose from. Many of them are spectacular
to represent the brilliance and uniqueness of the
stars in the skies above. Again, avoid the upside-down
pentacle if you want to avoid being stigmatized as a Satanist.
Becky McClure believes that the MOST important
word after you made the decision to get inked is
“Patience!” Pick the right tattoo design. Pick the
right location on you. And then pick the best artist
you can find for your new body art.
Her website at http://www.dream-tattoo-design.com provides a wealth
of informative articles and directions to a huge tattoo design gallery.
