Day 218: 8/7/11- Transfiguration for the Transfiguration (Henna Tattoo)

Day 218: 8/7/11
New Thing: Transfiguration for the Transfiguration  

Inspiration: The Feast of the Transfiguration 
Cost: $5
Time: About an hour                             
Bottom Line: Outward Sign of the Light of Christ 

Reflection: Yesterday was the Feast of the Transfiguration! Here is the Wikipedia description of the High Holy Day:

The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36) describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it. In these accounts Jesus and three of his apostles go to a mountain. On the mountain, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light, the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to him and he speaks with them. Jesus is then called "Son" by a voice in the sky, assumed to be God the Father, as in the Baptism of Jesus. The Transfiguration is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels.This miracle is unique among others that appear in the Canonical gospels, in that the miracle happens to Jesus himself.

In Christian teachings, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.

As it explained above, one of the most awe inspiring aspects of this event was the way Jesus brings us into his Transfiguration with him. We are invited into his glory through his actions and his identity as fully human and fully divine. Beautiful. 

So, to celebrate this amazing event in the life of Jesus and in our own life, I decided to transform my own figure by giving myself a henna tattoo. Two actually. When the disciples saw Jesus in his true form, he was resplendent, to beautiful to even fully behold. This was an outward expression of a powerful grace. To symbolize the magnitude of this event, I wanted to have an outward expression of my gratitude. Call it an embodied prayer.

For those who do not know, a henna tattoo is a form of body painting which has been practiced for thousands of years in India, Africa, and the Middle East. The henna is a paste made from the crushed leaves of the henna plant and then applied to the skin, it leaves beautiful markings that fade naturally over one week to ten days. Normally, these are placed on the hands and feet, but I thought that would be way to distracting while I was celebrating the Eucharist.

I decided on two different tattoos. The first was a mandala that Ken kindly painted onto my back using a stencil. This was so symbolize the wholeness of God's unbroken love for us.  

This is now painted on my back. 

 

Then I made a cross over my heart to give thanks for the love of Christ. Finally, by a happy coincidence, I was able to have my face painted today! This was done at the wonderful party of Little W. and was suggested by Delia.  

Thank you for the wonderful party, RS! We love you guys!