”Women must give birth, men have to be tattooed,” says one Samoan tattoo song, expressing an age-old idea of equality between the sexes. Both must endure pain. In traditional Samoan society all young males had to be tattooed when they reached their late teens. Otherwise they were not considered real men. Nowadays, the custom is no longer general, but it is still associated with manhood and male prestige, and hugely popular.
As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better.
(Source: simply-quotes)
a test, or sign?
it can be hard to know if a trial you are going through is a test or a sign. sometimes God/the Universe will give you tests to make you stronger, teach you lessons, build your bonds of trust, bring you closer to Him and the people you truly love. and sometimes, a trial you’re going through will be a sign from the Almighty that you need to leave or let go. they can feel very similar —tests and signs— but i’ve learned that there are a few key elements to each. a test is like a plateau; it will dip you down into grief and darkness, but you get adjusted to the dark, grow, get stronger and climb out onto level land with a new lesson in hand. a sign is like a mountain range; it will continuously dip you down into low-lows, with only fleeting and quick highs. and this pattern repeats…and repeats..and repeats with no reprieve. now think about a situation - any situation- in your life that is giving you grief, stress, sadness. a job, a friend, a parent, a significant other — even yourself. is it a test? or is it a sign? will you get through this situation a stronger person? or have you just dealt with the situation for so long that you’ve gotten used to feeling miserable? another thing —you must take care to sit, observe, listen. sometimes i would go looking for signs as an excuse to leave when it was really a trial that would have made me a stronger person. instead, i decided to punk out and leave so i wouldn’t have to face it or deal with it. and other times i’ve ignored signals, turning at the wrong corners and getting lost because i was so use to feeling a certain way, or being with a certain person or thinking it was me who needed compromise; i was comfortable in my darkness.
intuition is a beautiful thing. trials, tests and signs can be beautiful things, too. they are usually pushing you towards something positive.
Monday.
I always show snippets of my gold bracelets, so i thought i’d show a silver bracelet:
This one is my Bali bracelet. It is divided by an organic shaped metal bead with orange Czech beads on one side and African Heishi spacers and sterling Silver Bali charms on the other side. The color Orange is a balance between spirit and sexuality; fertility and virginity. Orange fluctuates between the material and spiritual worlds as it is a combination between red and yellow.
This is one of my favorites! 24 of my handmade bracelets will be up for sale on Monday, May 20 for those who have asked. If you don’t see anything you love, pleasssse don’t buy it. I swear i will be making more, whether i sell them individually here or on my shop (granted i keep it open). I want you to absolutely love anything you buy from me.
I’ll post the link on Sunday. Stay tuned.
Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” ― David Mitchell
inthenaturalstate asked: Do you sell your bracelets and jewelry over the Internet? Because I really love them but I don't live in DC.
I will be! They will be available for purchase starting next Monday, May 20th. Full details to come. Thanks for your interest, love :)
