Manatee UU Fellowship NEWS

Some of you may have seen the Facebook post where I talk about my getting a tattoo on my right arm. You may have wondered what is the story behind the tattoo. What does the tattoo mean? You may have even wondered if it is appropriate for a minister to have a tattoo.

For me, getting a tattoo was not a spontaneous event. I would see friends with tattoos and think: I would never want that tattoo on my body for the rest of my life. So, my getting a tattoo had to be something deeply meaningful to my life. It had to be something that I would not become bored with or regret having later on in life.

This particular tattoo was about 14 years in the making. I had already come to the mindset that if I found something that would be deeply meaningful I would have a tattoo. The Monarch butterfly has had a lifelong influence on my life. My grandmother introduced me to raising Monarch caterpillars and watching their amazing life journey. So, there are the sentimental memories of my grandmother with the Monarch. Since childhood, the Monarch has always been a spiritual guide for me. Whenever negative things happen in my life, the Monarch appeared in some manner to let me know all would be well. The Monarch is always a source of joy.

It is equally miraculous that as they leave their winter home in Mexico, they travel north. It takes about four generations of butterflies to reach Canada. That final generation in the fall flies the four thousand miles back to Mexico and to cluster together in the trees for the winter. They are the longest living generation. The Monarch butterfly is also culturally a part of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). This day is the day when the ancestors return to the families to visit and celebrate with them. The Monarch’s return is thought to be the ancestor’s spirits returning.

The tattoo Monarch on my arm designed by Cesar M is a symbol of the immigrant rights movement from 2011/2012. Some of you may recall that at my last congregation, I assisted in co-founding Somos Tuskaloosa (We are all Tuscaloosa), a grass roots immigrant advocacy group formed in response to Alabama’s HB56, which was a heinous anti-immigration law passed in 2011 the day of the E4 tornado that ripped through the immigrant neighborhoods of Tuscaloosa.

The chalice being a symbol of the Unitarian Universalist faith reminds me to hold all in the center of love. This tattoo specifically focuses on the lives of immigrants. The tattoo was done by Jose, also an immigrant who arrived here as a young child.

I’ve answered the first two questions. The last question: Is it appropriate for a minister to have tattoos? That’s a subjective answer. I will say this, in the process of getting this tattoo I was able to have a conversation with Jose about Unitarian Universalism’s values and the motivation for my getting this tattoo. I have had other people ask me about the tattoo and it opened the door again to speak of my faith. Without this tattoo, these conversations would never have happened.

Tattoos are personal choices. For me at this point in life, it is also a deeply spiritual one. Reminding me of my covenant to hold love in the center. In what ways do you remind yourself to hold love at the center?

Blessings, Fred