Kabbalah, the ancient tradition of Jewish mysticism, which is studied by many celebrities (the best known of which is Madonna), has also found its way into the world of tattooing.
The most popular Kabbalah tattoos are the 72 names of God. With this trend, Britney Spears has led the way, inking one of 72 names, a combination of letters that signifies healing. Since many are unaware of all 72 names and their meanings, this may take a bit of explaining.
What are the 72 names of God in Kabbalah?
The 72-part name of God is made up of 72 triads of Hebrew letters, all derived from the Biblical text of Exodus 14:19-21. To derive the first name, you put together the first letter of 14:19, the first letter of 14:20, and the first letter of 14:21. To derive the second letter, the second letters of each of the three verses are combined, and so on up to the seventy-second and last letter.
Kabbalah scholars use Gematria to analyze the 72 names and discover the particular spiritual meaning of each one. Gematria is a Hebrew numerology system, which assigns a numerical value to each of the Hebrew letters. A sum is then calculated for a word or phrase, and words or phrases with identical numerical values are believed to have a spiritual relationship to one another.
Some examples of the spiritual meaning of some of the 72 names that also make Kabbalah tattoos:
The third name SYt means to work miracles.
The fifth name MH$ means healing.
The twelfth name HHa means unconditional love.
The eighteenth name KLY means fertility.
The thirtieth name AVM means the construction of bridges.
The thirty-sixth name MND stands for bravery.
The forty-fifth name SAL means prosperity.
The forty-eighth name MYH means unity.
The forty-ninth name VHV means happiness.
The fifty-second name aMM means passion.