Leaving a Mark

I'll begin by saying this book interprets what I'm reading, hearing, seeing, and experiencing. It appears many others are on this distinct path alongside me. Although I try to avoid it, some of the subject matter is rather complex. Some of these sentences are a fucking mouth full. I cannot get too caught up in retaining all the specifics; for some of you, it will only push you farther from the book's principles. Although if you need the complexity, feel free to dig as deep as you please. It all fits. Just know that true healing exists in our unconditional love for one another. All these techniques I speak of are just mental mechanisms to be used as stepping stones for this journey of rejuvenation and insight. It's also important to understand that this series of books is just another pathway—there are many. It's not what you know; it's what you use. Overanalyzing the treatment will only evade mastery. By allowing our flesh to go where the mind tells us, we'll continue to stay in the same cage. It's more evident that we escape the ties that bind us by following our hearts. I try to relate this guided journey that I walk the modern-day body art enthusiast through to what the Tibetan Lamas call Mystic Rapture. 

Leaving a Mark is about the many holistic expressions of body modification, piercing, and tattooing. This manuscript describes a fusion of bodywork, science, and spirituality. Some view it as an introduction to the healing arts, while I'd like to think of it as an effective way to present shamanhood into circles that are yet to have any exposure. I wouldn't call myself an expert on this stuff, but I've been intimately studying such content for almost a decade. I'm twenty-eight now, and I'll continue my education in many of these fields for life. 

When reading books like this, the writer can present several degrees of intelligence; it's a matter of semantics (language). People need to be college-educated, with an extensive vocabulary, to grasp material like this firmly. I have had the opportunity to sample many books written by authors with various levels of brainpower. This has allowed me to identify many people's methods and styles to relay this information. Sadly I couldn't help but notice that most people cannot understand half of what these guys are saying because of their complex lingo. My work is one bridge, but many more need to be built. 

While you continue to read, ask yourself: "How does this subject matter relate to my lifestyle? How can I pass the word around?" Please don't confuse my work with the dumbing down of ideas that others have explored, as if this text contains no originality—as if it's a mere synthesis. I want to think I'm presenting a fusion of my ideas and others clearly and straightforwardly that, hopefully, is palatable for most of you. "That's been one of my mantras—focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."—Steve Jobs—BusinessWeek interview, May 1998. The more straightforward to comprehend we make this subject matter, the more truth shines through. More than not, complicated content is nothing more than misinformation; at best, it is reserved for eggheaded, left-brained people; bless their hearts. Although I might have "flown over the cuckoo's nest" a few times, I can assure you this book is not for the birds. 

This is dedicated to describing the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual corridors that a genuine appreciation of body artistry and modification represents. This book concerns the basic precepts of human addendums, focusing primarily on the immaterial. So I'm saying that these books focus on the basic principles of human enhancement—all across the board. The two books that follow will build upon what is presented here. As we advance through the chapters, you'll find the metaphysical transitioning into corporeal reality through a combination of modern and ancient technology—the cutting edge of current neuroscience and age-old insights from those who spent years understanding the nature of their bodies and how energy moves through them. I have developed a form of energy adjustment through body art that acts a lot like healing. And, of course, this works if we understand that the body is already energy. 

So this book isn't just about a microdermal piercing on the back of your neck or a tattoo on your ribs; it's about much more. It will talk about how the brain and the heart work, how our bodies' energy work through chakras, and other esoteric knowledge. All of that must be presented and discussed to understand what's at stake when we mark each other. So if you're looking for how to perform traditional body art, this isn't the book for you. But if you're looking to transform your life, maybe even heal and come into contact with energies you can't begin to imagine yet, welcome to the journey. In the attempt to encapsulate, under one umbrella, everything that my work stands for, I had to compromise a value and name this modality. I try to avoid naming anything, but I call it Dynamic Body Art Therapy. 

In short, Dynamic Body Art Therapy is a term used to describe a variety of medicinal body art rituals that have been utilized for centuries in many different cultures around the world, including our own, which are now being coupled with modern technology to alleviate illness of all kinds. Interestingly enough, when done correctly, these treatments evoke optimal health and well-being for both recipients and practitioners. I agree with Richard Dawkins's notion that it is fallacious to equate merely being old with being full of accumulated wisdom. However, these ancient cultures and customs have a tremendous amount of truth. This book embodies what happens when both of these mind states give birth.—As a designer baby brought into this world by a wise old dad and a gorgeous young mom. 

In the beginning, the book will cover the fundamentals of what we do and how to do it. You'll learn how the ways we think, feel, and breathe dictate the geometrical force fields that surround our bodies. These fields set up grids. We've found whichever grids predominate indicates the current state of the universe. We will touch on latent human abilities, such as telepathy and the employment of Geometria, which is essentially surveying at the highest level. We will bring up how drug use, used in the proper context, can serve as a gateway to alternative dimensions.

In some cases, we will promote things like cybernetic integration and cutting-edge cognitive (Cognitive—1800s; based on the Medieval Latin word cognitīvus; related to the brain and the waves it lets off; mental capacities.) experiments to enhance these shamanic activities. We'll get into the significance of bloodletting and ancient stone technology. We will also expose the dangers of this line of thought. Some sections might turn into a history lesson, but we only do that to show you how primary world cultures coincide with each other through body art. 

We'll also discuss some abstract relationships we share with outer space. We'll pay homage to the divinity within the color spectrum. You might even find a new appreciation for sound or simply further your knowledge about it. We learn as we evolve; our survival mechanisms conform to our surroundings. It seems our reason for living is to develop and grow. Those are just a few topics brought to light in this volume. This work primarily involves quantum-charged and tricked-out body jewelry and modified equipment. We use these tools to penetrate all layers of our existence. Practitioners inject their clients with a series of energies, including prana, light, vayu, chi, radio waves, zero point, and so on. In this book, we keep things relatively simple. The goal is to orient the human body in an auspicious manner. 

In truth, all forms of this therapy can be done with anything—from non-toxic inks, oils, herbal spreads/bundle wraps, and markers to simply waving your hand across the specific spots in a wand-like fashion. With a strong intent, even your hands can restore another's unique vibrational frequency. This core is to place symbols, codes, and geometries over the targeted body part(s). This is why we call it a therapy rather than tattooing or piercing; we don't have to permanently alter the skin to get positive results. In that case, we'd consider the more advanced practice dermagraphic chakra puncture. But please try not to name anything unless you need to. As you increase your scope, you'll utilize a variety of upgrades to tattoo and pierce your subtle energy systems. There has been much criticism for blending pieces of diverse beliefs in the past, and I don't expect that ever to change until we stop trying to separate ourselves. There are specific underlying facts that religious leaders come to accept as "the links." We've applied such traditions in the creation of our therapy. This treatment relates more to the central branch of spirituality known as ontology, which is the investigation into the types of things in the world and what relations these things bear to one another.   

I've been drawn to investigative mythology and religious text since I was a young child. Dozens of books, including The Sefer Yetzirah, Revelations, and the Risâla of Qushayri, shine through in these pages. Everything I include here has been vetted through dozens of personal and online references, but unless I was physically there, most of what is written are potentially hearsay. Humanity must come to terms with this uncomfortable fact, or it will continue to fall victim to brainwashing. In reality, Google is now becoming a form of divination; we've synthetically created this stream of universal knowledge on the physical plane for all to tap into. However, this isn't always the most reliable resource. I realize it's not hard to post just about anything you want on the Web, so both spoken word and written text must back up all content to have any clearance around here. Technology and magic are becoming the same. Despite what some of the planet's indigenous cultures generally believe, these devices can perform miracles when used with loving intent. Although I think the Earth's endemic tribes are correct in that this technology is a double-edged sword, I happen to veer more toward one end of it and choose to use it. That doesn't mean I don't have the utmost respect for the people's existence. The fact is such folks are keeping the original grids alive and intact. More on these "grids" later. 

Even though I have nothing but love for our ancestors, the truth is I've outgrown sayings like "How are we going to know where we are going if we can't remember where we came from?" Think about it. Does someone need to know where they've been to go to, say, Boston? Going somewhere is more like you need to know where you are, what factors are affecting you now, and what is in play. Do we need to know what happened 10,000 years ago to decide the nation's future? Instead, the question is, "What effects from 10,000 years ago are still affecting us now that we have to take into account." History, per se, is unnecessary, except that it illuminates our decision-making in the present. Yet I still feel as though, in many ways, these ancient people are far more advanced than most of us in the industrialized world. 

Regarding healing people through body art, cultures across the globe have laid the foundation long before my generation. We are now gathering what we know and building upon it. The results are astounding. The idea is to get every single soul to transition through this shift as safely and securely as possible. There is an entire network of us desperately trying to get every last person through so that we may all move forward without exception. This is why I choose to engage the body art industry, knowing I'd be surrounded by a very diverse and often cynical crowd. Let's face it; if our goal is to get all of humanity to transcend, we must come from a nonjudgmental place—even for the ugliest forms of society. It's time to heal those who we perceive are wicked. To see within the darkness is our spirit's most primal goal. This concept is Egyptian in origin and, oddly enough, has nothing to do with good or evil. But we'll get into this later.