Today marks the 59th anniversary of Sylvia Plath’s death! RIP!

(27 October 1932, Boston, USA – 11 February 1963, London, UK)

That is why I would like to finally share my own Sylvia Plath inspired tattoo!

After posting more than 1,000 tattoos on my tumblr and insta for more than 11 years, I finally followed Plath’s advice to “Wear your heart on your skin in this life.” and I finally welcomed myself to the “Sylvia Plath Ink” club last year!

Done at the most magical place https://www.auratattooreykjavik.com/ in Iceland by the very talented tattoo artist Anna.

I know it’s maybe not the most obvious choice for a Sylvia Plath inspired tattoo, but it refers to the epitaph on her grave that reads: “Even amidst fierce flames the golden lotus can be planted.”

Her husband, Ted Hughes, used to recite it to her when she was feeling particularly low.

Initially, the quote was believed to come from the Hindu scriptures Bhagavad Gītā, however it is from the novel “Journey to the West”, often simply known as “Monkey”, written by the 16th century Chinese novelist and poet Wu Cheng'en.

In Eastern traditions, the lotus flower symbolizes enlightenment, purity, rebirth, and triumph over obstacles. It grows naturally in ponds and starts out rooted deep in mud. In order to blossom, it must make its way through the murky water until it finally breaks the surface to emerge and bloom in the sun, beautiful and whole.

For me, it also symbolizes strength: the lotus can be planted “amidst fierce flames”, it can grow through mud.

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