Many deviants have been posting comments on my Healed Peace Scarification submission inquiring about my motives in getting the cutting done, and pointing out the apparent irony of using such a "violent" method to symbolize peace. For those of you who really do want to know my reasons, I am copying and pasting a Facebook note I wrote previous to getting the modification done, which explains my intentions. Bear in mind that this is all pre-scarification and quite out of date, but I don't have the time or patience to re-write it in the past tense. Comments and reactions are welcome.

"Many of you are aware that I plan to get a scarification cutting done in the near future. I've been planning on this for quite a while now, and I've had several people ask me about my reasons for this decision. Now that it is coming fairly close to time to get the actual cutting done, I figured I would post the design idea I'm chewing on, as well as the reasons behind what I consider to be an incredibly significant endeavor. I realize some people will never fully appreciate or identify with this, and I am not here to argue with those people or to try to persuade anybody to agree with me. I absolutely understand that most people would never consider doing something like this, and I totally respect that. I don't claim that scarification is for everyone, or that it ought to be; this is simply something that I feel like I need to do for my own sake, given the point I am at in my life right now.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the art of scarification, it is a body art similar to tattooing, wherein a given design is made in the form of a scar on the skin, rather than being applied in the form of an ink tattoo. This can be done through a number of methods, the two most common modern-day methods being cutting and branding (usually done with heat, as we often see in the raising of livestock). I intend to get a cutting (also known as a skin removal) done, which is more controlled and precise and yields a more uniform scar than a branding. In the practice of cutting, an artist will make precise cuts with a scalpel and remove the skin between, leaving open wounds in the shape of the design, which then, in ideal circumstances, heal into beautiful, uniform, keloided scars.

I have done a significant amount of reading online of testimonials written by people who have gotten scarifications done, and have been intrigued by the highly spiritual experiences reported in many of them. While this in itself is not the reason why I have chosen to undergo this process, it is helpful in explaining my real reasons, so bear with me here.

The cutting process is clearly quite hostile to the body, by common standards. When the human body experiences something this painful and unnatural, it essentially freaks out and releases great big amounts of endorphins to combat the pain. In addition, the mind will often be more or less forced into a meditative state in order to avoid focusing on the pain itself. Many of the testimonies I have read discussed intensely spiritual, meditative, and in some cases Samadhi-like out-of-body experiences, as a result of these physical circumstances. In every case these experiences were said to be extremely significant and even pivotal in the lives of those receiving the scars, and the scars themselves served as life-long, symbolic reminders of those important experiences. Just as an experience like that changes a person spiritually and remains a part of one's identity for the rest of his or her life, a cutting changes a person physically and remains a part of the body for the rest of its existence.

When I began considering getting a scarification, it was not one of those "just for the heck of it" ideas, after which a design idea followed out of necessity. Rather, my very reason for getting one was, and is, dependent on the symbol itself. Although it has taken me a while to decide on a specific design, my plan all along has been to get a peace symbol of some kind. Just as my Galactic Butterfly tattoo symbolizes that the values of unity and connectedness to the Creator are such an important part of me that I would have them permanently embedded in my skin, this scar will function as a permanent, physical expression of the high regard in which i hold peace, as a moral standard, a habit, and a way of life. To me this is much, much more than a piece of body art; it is a symbol, a statement -- to myself as much as anyone else -- of what I am willing to put myself through in the interest of peace. It is a statement that peace, as a code of conduct, is not a decision that is made only out of cowardice or fear of risking oneself for a cause; but that it is, in fact, an end in and of itself, worthy of great personal sacrifice. In a sense you could possibly even say it's a test of my priorities, as well as what is intended to be a jolt of my perspective. During the long and excruciating healing process following the cutting appointment, every time my pain is at the forefront of my mind, I will be reminded of the cause for which I have done this thing to my body, and that I cannot back down or chicken out."