Sak Yant (Magical Tattooing in Thailand).
Sak (tattoo) Yant (yantra) is a form of tattooing found in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos and is believed to have started during the Khmer Empire that covered this region from the 9th — 15th centuries. They are respresented by Buddhist, Hindu and Animist iconography and symbology and are applied with a long lance like needle ( that was traditionally bamboo but is now more often steel) . Traditionally they are given by Buddhist monks, ex monks or Reusi (hermit scholars and protectors of traditional arts/sciences such as traditional medicine, meditation, Sak Yant, alchemy, palmistry, astrology and more). In simple terms Sak Yant are spells put on the body and most people get them to attract what they do want and protect against what they don’t want. I’ve always liked the designs but never thought I would get one , but given that this trip was during a transitional point of my life I decided to explore getting one.
If I have a belief identity then it would be secular humanist Buddhist (not incompatible in my opinion), so I surprised myself a bit by becoming interested in having a magical spell tattooed on my body; but I figured to myself that if I made some intentions for my life , found a tattoo that was in alignment with them and that I liked anyway, then what could go wrong. So I went ahead.
