iNKED with iNTENT

My journey at Recess began in the summer of 2019 when a dear friend, Laura Jean-Jacques, invited me to their exhibition BELONGING Art Experience. A TV monitor in the lobby highlighted a workshop exploring physical movement and storytelling with participants of Recess’s Assembly program for system-impacted young people that combines somatics and creative expression. I didn’t know the technique's name or what the participants were giving voice to at the time, but I knew transformation was happening for those in motion in that space, and I wanted to play a part. I’m now blessed and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the ecosystem of Recess as an Assembly Youth Educator. I facilitate an artistic and leadership development course called Maps To Manifest, a program that supports young people in developing the tools they need to create the lives of their dreams. I’m always looking for ways to grow in my artistry and spirituality. Upon reading the press release of Conjuring The Past, Marking the Present: Ancestral Healing Through Shamanic Reiki, Tattoo, and Sound, I knew I wanted to participate in the experience. The Session space at Recess was transformed into a spiritual space curated with care by the new collaboration between sculptor and body modifier KING COBRA and Reiki Master Hue Hallums.

A changed place

Stepping into the sanctuary, my eyes were transfixed on the parachutes billowing from the floor, creating the feeling of walking on clouds nestled in a womb, devoid of external distractions and with an invitation to turn within. The community altar on the left was adorned with shells, candles, green foliage, and plants that brought a calming sense of peace and introspection, beckoning the energy of ancestors. COBRA and Hue’s intentional design set the stage for a holistic healing that combined energy work with tattooing, co-authoring a profound chapter in my life’s path.

As I meet COBRA and Hue in the center of the womb, my heart beats with excitement, wonder, awe, reverence, and gratitude as I felt care through their eyes in the silence of grounded breaths. I shift out of my habitual thinking as an educator, always planning two steps ahead and helping others in their life’s journey. Instead, I lean into listening to my internal voice as they facilitate a discussion on my personal blocks and my aspirations for how the tattoo I will be receiving will manifest. I came to the space seeking change and growth as a communicator and making some shifts within my intimate relationships. I identified my intention to embrace my energetic connection to femininity and masculinity and build upon my self-confidence. There was no rush in the download. Each question was akin to an invitation to speak aloud what no longer served my highest good.

A womb of rebirth

Marking completion in the first step of the ceremony, COBRA flips their iPad, revealing the design they felt most resonated with the goals I had set to heal and uplift my past discontent. COBRA then requests confirmation and acceptance from both Hue and me. This tattoo was a collective decision agreed upon by all three of us physically present, as well as our collective ancestors and spirit guides unseen in the earthly realm. While this is not the first time I’ve gotten tattoos as shields, representing familial bonds, or as life reminders, never before had I entrusted someone else to choose the design of such a personal talisman. This marked a change for new beginnings.

COBRA selects a design rattle stick with a pointed guard. Hue illuminates the synergy between the two elements: a rattle to shake up energy and the point to be precise in thought. I nod in agreement, impressed by the depth of their listening and surprised by my own immediate alignment with this choice. I envision the symbol in the center of my chest, and we share a small deliberation to finalize its size.

Curious about COBRA’s process of creating the symbols for each guest, I learned that each symbol arrived through a meditation/channeling practice as they prepared for the ceremonies. The planting of COBRA and Hue’s collaboration took to soil when the two met, COBRA at first as Hue’s reiki client. During their second session with one another, Hue shared his desire for a tattoo, and the two spoke at length, developing the concept for Hue’s first tattoo. COBRA began drawing on Hue’s body, and the final piece was selected. As Hue received his tattoo, he started giving himself energy work to ground himself and noticed that the combination led to a more peaceful and less painful experience. Their work to find space to share their combined reiki/tattoo ritual brought COBRA back to Recess for this iteration.

A place of care

I’m next invited to sit at the altar, journal, and thank the ancestors who are present. After a few moments, Hue begins a sound bath, beckoning me to the treatment location in this rite of passage. I’m gracefully guided up a mountain to transition to the tattooing station. Laying down on the table, Hue places small brownish grounding moqui balls in my hands, and the tattooing begins. As COBRA begins penetrating my skin, I can feel the needle meticulously dancing across the canvas of my chest. Thinking this would feel similar to some of my previous tattoos, I braced for the pain, ready to muscle through the discomfort, followed by a numbness that lets up when the artist is done. However, this was no pop-up shop purchase. I listen to Hue’s voice as he guides me to anchor into my breath and focus on the flow of healing energy through reiki. There was no pain with this tattoo.

Where I was granted permission

Hue’s sound bath washes over my auditory realm. Each instrument he selects resonates with different energy centers of the body, harmonizing with my manifest intent. Like gentle caresses, the sound waves soothe my spirit, creating a symphony that masked discomfort. COBRA and Hue’s collaboration creates body, mind, and soul interconnectedness. I feel as if I’ve only been lying down for five minutes as COBRA shares that they are finished. I don’t rush to the mirror to look at the final product, but instead, I breathe and feel inward to detect new internal shifts.

Finally, I look in the mirror and see all of me. I see the tattoo. I love the tattoo. My rattle is more than a tattoo. Connected to my ancestors, it is a physical guide reminding me of my interconnectedness to all that exists. I feel spiritually held and blessed. I smile ear to ear.

To release and receive

KING COBRA's and Hue Hallums' intentionality in curating this session experience was evident at every juncture. Whether engaging in yoga sessions, surrendering to the vibrations of the sound bath, or receiving the transformative tattoo, participants were guided through a sacred space where healing was not just a destination but a continuous journey. The art etched onto their bodies became a walking testament to the myriad ways healing is necessary and achievable within our communities.

It’s important to note each ceremony started with a two-step process. Completion of an online questionnaire reviewed by Recess aimed to orchestrate the arrangement of the artists-designed tiered pricing of sessions. There was a price for BIPOC folks, a higher price for non-BIPOC folks, and the ability to add a donation to subsidize others. These sessions were crafted to cater to the unique needs of BIPOC participants, acknowledging the historical weight borne by this community in terms of racialized violence and generational trauma, in contrast to their white allies.

This experience's core was the profound understanding that healing begins with the breath. In rhythmic inhalation and exhalation, individuals found a connection to the present, a point of departure from the burdens of the past and the uncertainties of the future. The breath became the conduit through which ancestral energies, channeled by the community altar, flowed into the present, offering solace and guidance.

Conjuring The Past, Marking the Present was more than a mere artistic collaboration; it was a spiritual odyssey. KING COBRA’s and Hue Hallums' unique blend of shamanic reiki, tattoo artistry, and sound healing demonstrated the transformative power within the union of body and spirit. Each participant emerged from the session adorned with a physical testament to their journey, a renewed sense of self, and a deepened connection to the eternal rhythm that sustains us all.