#pierced

There are many cultures in the world where certain piercings stand for certain things...and the act of puncturing your body and putting a piece of metal in it is a practice that has been around for an indeterminate amount of time.

While modern archaeologists aren't exactly sure what the purpose of those ancient piercings are, Western cultures today still use piercings to denote social status, marital status, and even things as "personal" as fertility. 

In the U.S. putting these little objects into a hole in your skin has become somewhat of a taboo. People have begun to call it "body modification"--a title which is also associated with tattooing and stretching of the skin/cartilage of the body--but I don't see it that way at all.

I get piercings because I think of them as adornments to the sacred place that is my body. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not calling my physical being sacred because I'm a narcissist...I just believe that as a being that was made from the Almighty, I am a vessel and mirror of It's divinity. 

Now, this could start us on a rant about religion, but that's a post for another time. 

Continuing on, I have several piercings...some of which have healed over time and are now small marks on my skin, some that I have had for most of my lifetime, and a one that is a fresh little puncture in my exterior. 

Today, I got my rook pierced (it's the top one in the photo above), and I absolutely love it. Yes it hurt, yes it's going to take a long time to heal, yes I'm quite aware that I have a metal circle in my ear...but to me this is a symbol of my self awareness, and a gift to myself for the struggles that I have been through in these past few months. 

It is a declaration of strength for me, just as all of my other piercings are or have been.

This is why I am sharing it with you, readers/viewers/friends.

I am strong, I am resilient, and I have another badass piece of metal in my ear :)

-a