I want to get a new tattoo that represents the gray area between my dark and light sides. I imagine that my demon birds (i.e., swarming negative thoughts or lame chick thoughts) are ravens, picking at the inside of my brain until I either ignore them, distract myself from them, throw imaginary rocks at them until they disperse, Xanax them to oblivion, or throw my hands over my head and cower in the corner and let them have at me until I'm worn out. I originally viewed my demon birds as my dark side, but they ultimately help me get to my light side so they seem to represent shades of gray. At first, I imagined a pair of ravens - one representing dark/evil, the other representing light/good - with one ribbon strewn from the dark/evil raven's beak to the light/good raven's beak. The ribbon would start out black on the dark/evil side and fade to light gray on the light/good side to represent shades of gray and their role in helping me bridge my opposing sides. So, in my role today as Dissertation Procrastinator Extraordinaire, I looked up various meanings of ravens. Carl Jung's description resonates with me:
The raven symbolizes the shadow self, or the dark side of the psyche. By acknowledging the dark side, we can effectively communicate with both halves of ourselves. This offers a liberating balance and facilitates tremendous wisdom. Through the constant unveiling of inner depths, and the positive/active utilization of inner impulses, the esoteric secrets become exposed to the light of our own consciousness.
To that I say: welcome, Darkness.
After reading Jung's description, it seems a tattoo of a single raven is more befitting.
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| Source: http://corvidcorner.com/wordpress/2011/05/raven-desktop-wallpaper/ |
Source of Carl Jung's raven symbolism: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/raven-symbolism.html
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