Tattoos are fairly common nowadays in the United States. In fact, people don’t even take a second look, once they see somebody with tattoos. Even if you have a full sleeve or half your body is tattooed, people wouldn’t even give you an additional look. This is why many people wouldn’t be too concerned about figuring out what their dream about getting a tattoo means.
That’s how everyday tattoos have become. But did you know that tattoos for the longest time had serious religious and spiritual meanings? Also, tattoos in many parts of the world indicate some sort of group identity that can mean life or death.
It goes without saying then that “Getting a tattoo is serious business”. It’s not something that you do lightly. That’s what’s happening now.
If you have ever had a dream about getting a tattoo, please understand that there is a mean or general meaning to it. But it all depends on the context. Focus on the other details surrounding your dream of getting a tattoo and you will get closer to the real effect of meaning.
The general meaning of tattoo dreams
When you see yourself getting a tattoo, or you see somebody getting one, this indicates that your subconscious is speaking to you about the impulsive side of your personality. This is a part of you, that tends to do things without thinking about long-term consequences and implications.
When the image of tattoos predominates your dreams, this can also relate to the part of yourself that is either apologetic about or simply feeling bad about things you did in the past. There’s a part of you that is agonizing over how you treated other people in the past.
In fact, this sense of guilt can be so strong that it can overtake a lot of your other thoughts and you end up making things worse. Put simply you’re adding insult to injury. What you’re really doing is you’re not trying to help other people, you’re trying to use them to make yourself feel better about things that you did in the past.
It’s all about serving your own guilt. And if things get a little bit heated or emotionally awkward, your number one tendency tends to try to lash back either in the form of an insult or try to hurt other people in some other way.
With all that said, though, depending on the context or the timing of the tattoo image in your dream, it can also indicate that you may be starting a spiritual journey. Now don’t get too excited. This doesn’t have to involve getting on a boat and becoming a Buddhist monk somewhere. It doesn’t mean reading the Bible or devoting your life to a spiritual path.
Spiritual journeys can also indicate a change in mindset. All of us have a mental operating system, which instructs us as to who we are, what we’re capable of where we’re going, and where we can and cannot go. When you change that operating system, your life takes a different direction.
Getting in touch with your impulsive nature
There’s a part of you that tends to take action without thinking things through. Your subconscious is telling you through tattoo dream imagery, that you need to be more mindful of the impact of your choices. Not only are you able to change things right here right now but you set in motion events and probabilities that may come to haunt you in the future.
This does not only impacts you personally but also those around you. Your subconscious is telling you to be more responsible and think things through. You may think to yourself that you’re just saying a word or you’re just doing things the way you normally do.
Well ask yourself, are you happy with the results you’ve been getting so far? If you’re not or you’re feeling frustrated, then you know the answer. Change your actions, and you will change the world’s reaction to the things you do.
Develop a healthier relationship with your past experiences
A lot of people are living bitter and negative lives because they simply do not give themselves permission to forgive themselves. Nobody’s perfect. Everybody makes impulsive decisions from time to time.
Unfortunately, in your case, there are certain things that have happened that you feel have taken your life down the wrong path. You cannot forgive yourself for making a pivotal choice that has led to many frustrations. Let go.
Please understand that you’re not the only person making these bad choices. Forgive yourself. Stop being so afraid of the past. Stop reading too much into it. Understand that the past happened and you need to learn from it, but you need to move on.
You are embarking on a spiritual journey
A lot of people who are spiritual are those who are spiritual for the wrong reasons. Many people who shouldn’t be spiritual are anything but bad. You are in the latter camp.
Please understand that spirituality also involves mindset. We all tell a story about ourselves repeatedly. And if we’re not careful regarding these stories, we end up living our lives in such a way that we feel sorry for ourselves and our lost potential.
Don’t waste your life telling yourself the wrong story and this is where your spiritual journey begins. Please understand that all of us are born pretty much with the same hardware. I’m talking about our physical bodies. But what sets people apart is the mental operating system that they choose to install.
This is where your spiritual journey comes in. You have to be honest with who you think you are. Stop being in denial. Ask yourself certain hard questions. And once you’re clear as to what the answers are, the decision is squarely in your hands.
Do you want to continue being that same person? or if you are unhappy in any way do you choose to be another person? Only you can answer this. Only you can go through this journey.
Tattooing someone in your dream
When you see yourself tattooing somebody else in your dream, your subconscious is telling you that you will be leaving some old friends soon. This doesn’t mean that you’re no longer friends. Instead, it means that you are changing so much from within, that you’re no longer going to be relating to each other at the same level.
You’re kind of leaving them in the past because you’ve moved on. Maybe you have become more responsible. Maybe you have become more adventurous. Maybe you have given in to other instincts that you may have. And you are finding yourself in a totally different emotional space.
Let that happen. Because the more you hang on to old friends, the more you cheat yourself out of the necessary changes you need to go through to become a better person. Rest assured that wherever you may end up emotionally there will be new opportunities for friendships and relationships.
What does removing a tattoo in a dream mean?
If you’re getting a tattoo removed, please understand that it is very painful. This is true in real life and it’s also true in your dreams. What your subconscious is telling you is that you have reached the point where you are willing to pay a high price to let go of old mindsets and old guilt about past mistakes so you can become the best version of yourself.
Fair enough. But removing a tattoo in your dream is actually making the necessary changes in your waking life is another thing entirely. Your subconscious is telling you that you need to choose to make necessary changes no matter how painful they may seem in your waking life.

Dreaming of having your hand tattooed
If the main focus of your tattoo dream images involves your hands or the back of your hands, your subconscious is telling you that you’re trying to show strength to people. You’re trying to project authority and credibility.
This is your way of affirming control over your surroundings. But you have to be very careful because a lot of people are suspicious. You have to back up such shows of strength with real competence, authority, and credibility. You can’t just spout off and say you know certain things and when people ask you about them, you look like a fool.
Dreaming of tattooing your legs
If your dream of tattoos being placed on your legs indicates that you are willing and eager to travel. This doesn’t have to be physical. It can be a form of intellectual travel. Maybe you tend to read certain books, and now you’re ready to read a wide range of books.
This is a positive sign. Because this means that you are growing personally and you are more curious about the world out there. You’re no longer content to settle within the neat, tightly defined box, the intellectual and emotional box you’ve put yourself in for so long.
What does it mean to get a dragon tattoo in your dream?
When the main image of your tattoo dream is that of a dragon, whether flying or underground. This indicates that your subconscious is detecting a rising level of passion in your life. This might be the ghost signal that you’ve been waiting for.
Maybe you’re trapped in a dead-end job. Maybe you are a freelancer and you feel that you’re not really living up to your fullest potential. Whatever the case may be now is the time to throw yourself out there and explore what else is available.
You’re not doing something completely new. Instead, you are building on what you have already figured out. So you can conquer new territories or at least explore a different side to your personal reality.
What does it mean to dream of a tattoo on your chest?
If you’re dreaming of getting a tattoo on your chest or the focus of your mental camera in your dream is a big tattoo on your chest. Your subconscious is telling you that if you want better things in life, or if you want a better relationship, you better be willing to fight for it.
Unfortunately, there’s a part of you that has become a coward. It’s become fearful of any kind of assertiveness on your part. Because it simply has gotten too comfortable. It’s willing to trade comfort, for complacency, stagnation, and decay.
You have to understand that any kind of relationship that is worthwhile is worth fighting over. You become better friends when you have disagreements. You become better lovers when you confront each other. That’s how relationships mature.
Unfortunately, there’s a part of you that is passive-aggressive and you basically assume certain things that you shouldn’t be assuming and you believe that your partner or friends are giving you a pass when they’re not. The only person you’re cheating is yourself.
If you want your relationship to be filled with passion, and to live up to its fullest potential, get ready to fight and there’s nothing wrong with that because the fight really is a proxy or a stand-in for honesty and sincerity.
Dreaming of a tattoo on your neck
If you are getting a tattoo on your neck in your dream, your judgmental side is coming up and if you’re not careful, it might overtake you. You tend to read too much in a situation. And in reality, you let your insecurities speak for you.
You tend to miss a lot of opportunities this way. Stop doing that. Instead, seek first to understand and step into people’s shoes before you insist on being understood. You’d be surprised at how this little change can open a lot of doors and dramatically improve the quality of your relationships and your social interactions.
What does a tattoo dream mean?
When you’re getting a tattoo, it could mean that you are in the process of making a permanent change in your life. But you have to pay close attention to what I’ve said above. Understand the context. Don’t just jump in with both feet. Because the consequences of the choice that seems so clear in front of you are going to last for a very long time.
The implication of dreaming about getting a tattoo
There’s a hidden danger to dreaming about desiring a new tattoo. A lot of people read too much into the process. A lot of people believe that if they do one thing, or do they do something that’s fairly shallow and superficial, then their life will turn out much better. Well, in reality, only they have the power to make that kind of change and it has nothing to do with a tattoo.
Zero in on your ability to make changes. How? When you change how you think, you change the internal script that you constantly tell yourself. When you change that inner voice, what you talk about starts to change. You start telling people other things.
These in turn create a different reality. And the emotional impact of this internal reality that you have brought about affects your actions. And when you start doing things differently, your life starts to change. Why? For every action, there is a reaction.
That’s the point where the world sits up and pays attention because everything else prior to that point is happening inside your head. There are so many people focused on intentions, motivations, and all that. None of that matters. What matters is the action you take that this is an objective reality.
When you get to that point, thanks to your changed mindset, things become possible again. This is what the tattoo really means because it’s not the act of getting one. It’s the commitment that is represented by that tattoo because it is for life. It indicates a decided change.
What does it mean to dream about having a flying dragon tattoo?
There is a passionate side of you that can be counted on to unlock the power, strength, tenacity, and stamina you need to do whatever it takes for however long it takes to achieve your goals. Everybody has this power, but unfortunately, we buried it.
That part of you is whispering to you through your tattoo dreams. It wants to reconnect with you. The question is, are you going to master it? Or is it going to be your master? The answer is not as clear as you think.
Dream interpretation of a feather tattoo
If you see yourself getting a feather tattoo or walking around with a feather image on your skin, this is a conscious symbol of respect, trust, and honor. These are very important aspects of your life that you need to cultivate. Because if you do, they will open new doors for you. They can also bring about the entry of new people.
Should you be afraid of your tattoo dream?
It’s very tempting to see yourself as this conventional person that does things by the book. And when you see yourself getting a tattoo or fixating on the image of a tattoo, it may seem so threatening. It’s obvious that you are conversing with a part of your total persona that you normally are not in touch with.
This is very scary to a lot of people. But the truth is, there are many different aspects of you, and for you to live a truly effective and impactful life, you have to connect with the many different layers that make up who you are. There’s nothing to hide. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. There’s nothing to shy away from.
The key here is to not only acknowledge but embrace these different aspects of yourself. Because they do play a role in how the rest of your life and how your personality matures over time. In truth, they can act as some sort of emotional support base or emotional mystery ingredient that you need to get the kind of clarity that is required for you to live a more purposeful and intentional type of life.
A lot of people have a tough time with this. Because they say to themselves, “Well, I’m only this type of person” or “I can only do certain things” or “I am this kind of personality”. Well, the moment you stop putting yourself into a definitional box is the moment you start living a life of real freedom.
Give yourself permission to be free. Give yourself permission to be who you really are and that all begins with the choice to be more self-aware.
You might also want to read these:

Dream interpretation and symbology have fascinated me ever since I read Freud’s classic, “The Interpretation of Dreams.” Ever since, I have explored Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist as well as Jungian psychological ideas about the meaning of dreams. Thanks for joining me in my exploration of the amazing intersection between our conscious waking world and the rich expanse of our subconscious-the home of our intuition, instincts, and hidden potential.