Dolphin Tattoos and Tattoo Designs
The Divine Bridge Between The Water World and Humanity?
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“To the dolphin alone, nature has given that which the best philosophers
seek:
Friendship for no advantage. Though it has no need of help from any man,
it is a genial friend to all and has helped mankind."
(Plutarch)
The popularity of the dolphin tattoo design can most definitely be traced
back to a long standing empathy and understanding between our two species. Humans
and dolphins have co-existed for quite some time now, and the more we continue
to learn about these creatures, the more we come to believe that the dolphin
carries a divine spark that separates them from other animals.
It has long been believed that dolphins serve as our connection between the
world of men, and the underwater world of the sea. This interconnectedness between
the dolphin and humanity has led to great understandings and innovations, like
dolphin interaction and therapy. Swimming with dolphins has helped children
to cope with handicaps, overcome learning challenges and soothed the suffering
of individuals with severe depression or mental anguish. It is a sought after
experience for people with various problems and from different walks of life.
Our affinity with this amazing creature has spawned the tribute of dolphin
tattoo designs, living breathing art that testifies to the character, traits
and symbolism of the dolphin, and in some way attempts to absorb this creature’s
qualities into our own bodies..
Dolphins, Our Ancient Friends
The name dolphin means “beaked”, and the species includes not only
your typical dolphin, but also the orca, more popularly referred to as the killer
whale. Mammals like us, these creatures are warm-blooded, intelligent and give
birth to live young.
They arrange themselves into families known as pods, and have developed a very
sophisticated method of communicating using clicks, screeches and sonar.
Dolphins are smart and quick creatures, with maximum speeds of 30 mph and an
intelligence that is comparable (or even possibly above) that of chimps and
other apes and primates.
While dolphins require air for survival just as we do, they have an impressive
ability to hold their breaths for several minutes and are capable of fast and
deep dives exceeding 1,000 feet!
The dolphin has been in fellowship with man for as far back as nearly anyone
can remember. The Australian aborigines considered the dolphin to be a sacred
animal, and it shows up often in their native arts. Sometimes it is the playful
dolphin frolicking in the waves, other times the dolphin is portrayed more seriously
underwater, where it must hunt, feed and protect itself and its pod from dangers.
In the realm of Native American spirituality, the dolphin spirit bears both
kindness and “play energy”. It has also become a representative
role as the keeper of mysteries. Dolphins are regarded as the custodians of
the lost and ancient wisdoms of the world, as well as the symbolic messenger
of knowledge from our unconscious minds (underwater) to our waking, logical
brains (the surface). The dolphin serves as a constant reminder to us to make
time to play and have fun, regardless of the heavy, burdensome situations and
circumstances that surround us.
The magnificent dolphins have served as sacred mounts for the gods, including
Poseidon (Neptune) and Venus (Aphrodite). They are the patrons of sailors, who
believe that their appearance on the bow wave is an indicator of good luck and
a safe voyage.
Within Our Dreams
Our interaction with dolphins doesn’t just stop there, dolphins also
show up often in our subconscious minds in the forms of dreams. While traditionally,
the appearance of a dolphin in your dream might be a negative omen that your
will soon be coming under an new government, today the meaning of dolphins has
grown along with our understanding of these gentle, intelligent creatures.
In dreams, dolphins will often communicate to us that their spirit is always
with us, guiding us and helping to protect us. In other dreams, the dreamer
will magically morph into the form of a dolphin, and be accepted as a playmate
to go and frolic with a pod. More commonly, dreams of dolphins can speak of
several virtues or situations, including:
- Trust
- The rhythm of life, and finding our place within it
- Pranha, or the Breath of Life
- Water Energy and power
- Change
- Wisdom
- Balance
- Harmony
- Freedom, or
- Safe travel
The dolphin has joined the ranks of creatures that have captivated us not only
in our waking ours, but in our dream lives as well.
Dolphin Tattoo Design Ideas:
Because the dolphin can mean so many different things to wide groups of incredibly
diverse people, there’s no wrong way to design a dolphin tattoo. It should
be noted though that most dolphin designs depict the dolphin breeching or playing
on the surface, and rarely swimming through the depths of the sea.
Dolphin tattoos may include several members of a pod, or perhaps just a mother
dolphin and her calf or her mate. Dolphin designs integrate well with both Celtic
and tribal tattoo designs, and can be manipulated to create fantastic armbands.
Two dolphins forming a circle, with noses to tails can make a perfect design
to surround navels or nipples, and you can always combine dolphins with other
popular tattoo designs to make your own unique statement.
Pink dolphins, blue dolphins, silver or black dolphins – regardless of
the size or color, the dolphin’s eyes will still shine with that nearly
human intelligence which they uniquely possess. Alone or in pods, paired with
mermaids or whales, the dolphin will always serve as our unique link to the
underwater world.
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