Q&A Ritual Body Piercing Experience w/ Dae Jedic
- Posted on
- By Fe(lix) Wild & Dae Jedic
We sat down with our Ritual Piercer at Mom’s Custom Tattoo & Body Piercing in Spokane, Washington to get a better understanding of the craft.
With clients being curious about what the process would be like to go through one of these experiences, we decided to go right to the source.
What is your name?
“Dae Jedic. My first name is pronounced just like ‘day’ but spelled D-A-E; that’s me!”
That’s very cute! What do you do at Mom’s Custom Tattoo & Body Piercing, Dae?
I’m a Body Piercer and I also guide folks through ritual experiences that can include a body piercing but can also just be a sound or energy work session.
What is your story about being a body piercer?
I’ve been a piercer for 11 years and began my career in Athens, Georgia. I am an AFAB (assigned female at birth) trans person and my beginning in the industry also happened to coincide with my beginning to live as my authentic self, using he/him pronouns and presenting more masculine.
Receiving body piercings was some of my first steps into a larger concept of modifying my body to fit into the true vision of how I wanted to be in the world. I was good friends with my local piercer and after getting a bunch of work done at the studio was offered an apprenticeship in 2010.
It took me about a year and a half of observing and helping with setups and skin prep before I actually began piercing while being observed. After about 4 years in that studio, I moved to the Seattle, Washington area in 2016 and joined a studio that allowed me to become an APP member. In 2020 I moved across Washington to the east side and joined the team here at Mom’s.
You mentioned you were an APP Member. What does that mean?
The Association of Professional Piercers (www.safepiercing.org) is a non-profit organization that spreads health and safety information related to body piercing to professional body piercers and health inspectors.
To be an APP member you have to meet certain criteria including jewelry material standards (like high-polish implant-grade materials), standards of conduct (see A Piercee’s Bill of Rights https://safepiercing.org/know-your-rights/), and studio environment (such as having hands-free access to a sink and an autoclave on site).
How did you first become interested in piercing as a spiritual medium?
I think that there are many elements that have led me to practice body piercing in a spiritual manner, but I know that one of the first examples I came upon was the work of Fakir Musafar. I can remember seeing some of his photos and being utterly beside myself with fascination and inspiration. I wanted to learn how to do that with my body! As I grew as a body piercer, I learned more of how Fakir’s experiences with hook suspension (such as the O-Kee-Pah ceremony from the Mandan tribe of Native Americans) and the kavadi (a dance of burdens from the Savite Hindus) were inspired by ancient indigenous practices.
This inspired me to investigate my own ancestral lineage to learn who exactly my ancestors were and what traditions they participated in. It also led me to learn that every single culture has a type of body modification practice that is a shared rite of passage for all humans. As a trans person, changing my body into how I want it to be has been an empowering experience that has certainly included piercings and tattoos. My own participation in body suspension has allowed me to see and feel the spirit world in ways my skeptical sides cannot explain. This has led me to the desire to assist others on this journey as a guide through ritualized body modification.
My personal spiritual practice is earth-based and consists of honoring the elements and my Italian and Polish ancestors with a strong aversion to cultural appropriation. I try to be aware of the root of a practice and if it’s mine to participate in, such as not using sage smoke and instead using cedar or something my ancestors utilized such as oregano or chamomile.
Are there any special objects or tools you use when doing spiritual work?
Totally! The main tool I have are my hands. As human beings, we all have the ability to channel and move energy around with our hands. As a body piercer my hands are one of my most important assets. As a ritual worker I use my hands paired with mindfulness for clearing the energy in the space before we conduct our ritual as well as for clearing the client’s energy field at the beginning of our time together.
Another tool I like to implement is a tuning fork. The hertz or frequency of a tuning fork is really powerful on the environment it’s used in through the phenomenon of entrainment. In this process we observe a powerful vibration influencing the rate of less powerful vibration, bringing it up until the vibrations match. This is the same premise behind binaural beats where one listens to two separate tones in each ear and through entrainment, the brain creates a wave that is a balance between the two frequencies. This can affect the waves of the brain to bring about a calm state, reducing anxiety and stress. In my experience, sound is a powerful medium and one of my favorites to work with.
So, what would it be like to have a Ritual Experience with you?
Walk us through the process.
The first step I take with someone interested in a ritual with me is a consultation. This is a free consultation where we discuss why they are feeling called to this experience and what they would like their ritual to consist of.
You can book a service here: Spiral Sound Healing Services
During our consultation we’ll also talk about jewelry options and if the client wants to include any genuine gemstones in the jewelry used in the experience. Crystals can be programmed with intentions, so this is another way we can imbue the piercing with a purpose. There are many beautiful pieces that we can completely customize.
There are so many modalities that we can include, so it helps us get a feel for each other, make sure we are a good fit for working together and that both of us feel comfortable. I’m a certified Sound Therapist and Crystal Practitioner, so I like to find out if there are any elements that the client wants included such as crystal sound bowls or crystals they like to work with. It's also helpful for me to know if the client has any sensitivities to smoke (I often like to cleanse the space earlier in the day before anyone arrives) or any music preferences for our time together. I prefer to create an environment with music while we’re picking out jewelry and preparing for the experience. I intentionally choose music that will create a certain vibration in the studio space, so it’s good to know if there are any songs or artists to specifically include or avoid.
On the day of the ritual I ask that the client shows up well rested, well fed, and hydrated. It can also be beneficial to not participate in any mind-altering substances for the 12-24 hours leading up to the experience if possible.
Once we’ve chosen the jewelry and taken care of the things we do during a regular body piercing experience (such as going over aftercare and cleaning and marking the skin) I’ll construct a circle of protection around us in the piercing room. To do this, I call upon the elements and the spirits, our angels, well-ancestors, and guides we cannot see, and ask them for their presence and protection. Then I’ll usually do something specific for the client, a prayer of intention or a song of dedication. I may play a sacred instrument or hand them crystals to hold and work with during the piercing. If the client has requested I may charge the jewelry with their desire for this experience. Then we’ll practice some breath work and do the actual piercing. After the piercing is finished I’ll check in with the client to see how they’re feeling and then we’ll thank the spirit world for their presence and protection before closing the circle.
This appointment type sets aside 2 hours for us to have plenty of time to work together but it usually takes 1-1.5 hours.
What kinds of things do your clients typically want to let go of or step into?
We all have our baggage, right? Lots of folks want to move through negative experiences, let go of ways of thinking, or mark a new time they’re beginning in their lives. Some folks want to reclaim their body after violence or an assault and others want to celebrate a big change such as a breakup or a marriage.
What about people who do not believe in God or a Higher Power?
Could they get a service like this from you?
Yes, absolutely! Some people already have a spiritual practice or deities that they work with that we can honor during our time together, but for others, I will just call upon Universal Source Energy which is the energy that you and I came from.
We came from something whether we want to consider that the union of our parents or a great spirit or just the randomness of evolution.
Source Energy can be a way of removing the layers of religious trauma many of us have been harmed by so we can focus on our souls.
How do your clients generally feel after the session?
Most of my clients report feeling very relaxed, empowered, or with a new view on life. Some have reached out after our time together to follow up with how their lives have changed and it brings me a ton of joy to know that this experience really is helpful for others.
This has been such a great interview! Thank you for taking the time with us at Mom’s.
Of course! Thank you for hosting a space where we can chat a bit about these services.
Where can people find you on social media?
Dae's Website: Spiral Sound Healing
Book with Me: spiralsoundhealing.com/services
IG: @DaePiercing
TikTok: BodyPiercerDae