Of tattoos and totems

I would never describe myself as being overtly visual. Supposedly all people fall into either a visual, auditory, or feelings oriented classification, and I certainly feel more attuned to sound than I do to feeling or seeing.

However. Of late, as with so much else about me nowadays, I'm finding I'm quite a bit more visual than I thought.

I swore I would NEVER get another tattoo after I got my first one (quite painfully) on my left shoulder. It was a permanent souvenir from my trip to Toronto a few years ago; a couple of hours after some ink and needles and whining, and I was sporting a pretty red maple leaf just above my left scapula. (Take THAT, Uncle Sam!) The application right on the bone of my shoulder blade was very unpleasant; I'm just not into pain. Don't let anyone kid you -- being poked rapidly over a long period of time with a sharp needle is not a trip to the pleasure palace (at least not for me). One was ENOUGH, I said.

And then came the Temporary Tattoo. A coworker had some as a lark, and she spread a rather elaborate semi-sleeve, all dark black ink with splashes of red, into the soft white space between my right wrist and elbow. Almost at first glance I was in love. I mean, in love. I felt tribal and marked. I felt young and hip and dangerous. (Dorks don't need much to feel dangerous, okay?) All recollection of the pain of my maple leaf faded into forgotten, and suddenly I was plotting ... what would I like to put permanently in that space?

I LOVED being able to SEE my mark, however temporary and trivial it might have been. This was a wholly different reaction than the one to my way-over-my-shoulder-can't-ever-see-it-except-in-summer tat. I was so very into seeing something there on my body. It made my soul sing.

My inclination is to pick a potent symbol that speaks to me on a lot of levels -- a symbol like honeycomb and a bee. I have long believed that bees, especially queen bees, are my totem animal. I should probably see a shaman and confirm that, because lately I would say maybe that's not really my totem. But suffice it to say that I I exist for the hive of my friends, I feel driven to keep things running at a high level, and there can only be one of me in my group.

However, even this imagery isn't what I have in mind. It has to be really spiritual but also vested in the flesh. After all, it will be etched into my flesh for the rest of my life, so I think it makes sense for it to be a image that quantifies me, if that's possible. Something that reminds me of my strengths and weaknesses. Something that is both sensual and mystical.

So I'm putting this out there, for the people that know me well ... what should I have stitched into that delicate and sensual but strong place on my right forearm? What image do you think says ME. To you.