At some point - I'm not precisely sure when - I realized that one of my reasons for modifying myself is to express my spiritual evolution through the sequential modification of my chakras. This is not to say that every one of my modifications is acquired with this goal in mind, but those that aren't certainly do not hold as much spiritual significance.
At A Glance Author Alukh Contact Alukh@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Dana Dinius Studio Adorn Body Art Location Portland, OR I unintentionally began this journey with my first body piercing. Prior to my 18th birthday I was in possession of 2 tiny holes in each earlobe, one pair of which was hard-won while studying abroad in Ireland. I daresay even that would have been postponed until I came of age if not for the vast intervening distance that gave me the tiny bit of courage required to disobey my parents. They were not as upset as I'd feared when I gave them the news, but absolutely forbade me to get the cartilage or navel piercing that I truly coveted.
Fortunately, I came of age soon enough, and my 2 closest friends at the time pitched in to buy me a standard navel piercing. Had I known more at the time I probably wouldn't have suffered from needleshock, but the brilliant remedy of orange juice was discovered within minutes and I emerged from the shop with a dizzy grin on my face and a slightly-less-than-perfect piercing through the skin around my navel. A few weeks later I acquired the cartilage piercing that I had craved and, observing my parents' reaction to my new metal, decided that I would wait until I had moved out to add any more to my collection.
Time passed and I designed my first tattoo: a purple lotus with the word "akasha" cleverly hidden in the delicate lines that flowed symmetrically from either side of it. I had it placed at the base of my spine so that it followed the curve of my buttocks out to my hips. In the center of the lotus I had drawn an equilateral triangle, only partially understanding the connection I have to the number 3 but recognizing its importance anyway. A couple of years later I got a triangle piercing from a wonderful person named Dana. With it came the beginnings of comprehension concerning what I was doing to my energy centers.
It took another year for me to pinpoint exactly what it was about my standard navel piercing that felt incomplete. I searched the images of surface piercings and navel projects on BME and eventually decided that the best way to assuage my need for balance was to get a surface bar placed below my navel, forming another equilateral triangle with the top ball of my bananabell. After conferring with Dana over the phone I was advised to drive the 2 hours to Portland for a consultation. I put off the trip for a number of reasons, and when it eventually became the perfect time to get pierced I went with a backup mod in mind. If my optimism failed me and I had to walk away after only a consultation I wanted a lesser piercing to nurture until my surface piercing could be done.
Fortunately optimism prevailed; Dana had the perfect prototype surface bar in stock. There was only one of the internally threaded titanium bars, its 1 1/4" length milled flat. I selected a pair of black cabochon ends to match my navel jewelry and the entire package was placed in the autoclave while Dana sterilized surfaces and marked the best possible placement. It was only when I stood up to check the marks in the mirror that I realized, to my horror, that the bar could not be placed high enough to match my desired configuration without sacrificing any chance I had to heal it.
Torn, I spent the next 20 minutes weighing my options and scrutinizing my abdomen from all angles. I noticed that a equilateral triangle was still formed by the placement, but this one used the bottom ball of the bananabell as its peak, leaving the top ball hovering above it. It wasn't exactly what I had wanted, but I liked it enough to approve the marks and lay down.
Dana pierced me freehanded and with a needle, so a bit of massaging and pinching of the area was in order before the skin would lift free of the underlying tissue. The piercing itself took perhaps 10 seconds, and felt almost identical to a standard navel piercing, albeit quite a bit longer. The needle was followed by a threaded taper, to which was attached the freshly sterilized surface bar. It slid into place with remarkable ease and the end was quickly attached, leaving me with a slightly bloody belly and the sensation that something was stuck to, but not necessarily through me. This feeling persisted when I moved or breathed deeply and was accompanied by a very slight, bruised sort of pain. I later discovered that this was most likely due to the tissue actually being bruised, a theory that was confirmed two days later when the site of the piercing began to turn a vivid shade of yellow.
My assigned aftercare consisted of the usual twice-daily sea salt soaks, with the added step of keeping them each in place for a bare minimum of 10 minutes, and the usual admonition to not touch, bump, play with, or otherwise bother my piercing. The soaks were to be cold for the first week to minimize swelling, and hot afterwards to draw out lymph. Based upon my previous piercing experiences I was careful to take vitamin E and ibuprofen every day for the first week.
Conveniently enough, my wardrobe and lifestyle never affect the area around my navel. Not sleeping on my stomach is still a bit odd, but I have adapted. The only issue I have encountered so far is the damnable itching that seems to accompany any healing wound, which is made difficult to assuage by the extremely pliable nature of my abdomen. Attempts to carefully scratch close to the piercing never produce lasting results, so I have had to resort to determined rubbing with a q-tip on several occasions.
As of today I have had this piercing for almost 2 months and it appears to be healing without incident. I will write a follow-up experience when it has finished healing in the hopes that anyone else seeking to get and keep a surface piercing will learn from my experience. Until that time comes, be well.
Namaste.