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Body Mods by Unkle P At Rituals The Piercer / Scarification Artist Peregrine comes from the Latin peregrinus. That is the root of my given name, Perry. Peregrine or peregrinus means "traveler, stranger, or foreigner" and comes from an old legend of a wanderer who would suddenly appear in a village with no history, no family ties or clan affiliations, quite simply, no past. He would stay a while, teach, and share knowledge, and then just as mysteriously as he came, he would disappear again. It's said that these strangers were from another realm, and were sent to impart knowledge to humans and assist in their progress. There are certainly days when I feel that I'm from another realm; or some of my clients are. I would imagine that many of the things that these peregrines imparted to the humans in the villages they visited ended up being commemorated via ritual acts. Many rituals involve practices of body modifications, and in my own brand of logic, I suppose this means that I just might have been destined to get involved with body modifications and ritual acts involving the human body, mind and spirit. Or then again, maybe I do it just because I really like the feeling of a sharp needle or a scalpel blade penetrating skin, and watching the body of the person before me change into something new … someone new. I was trained in Body Piercing by serving an apprenticeship with The Reverend Mad Jack of Body Basics in Chicago. I also learned a great deal from the two other piercers in that shop, Mita Saldana, and Arthur Scott. In fact, if Arthur hadn't helped me out after I was stupid enough to get my ear pierced at a mall, I might have never become a piercer. I later went on to buy Body Basics from Mad Jack. Unfortunately, we had to close that shop in January of 2000, due to financial reasons involving new zoning ordinances in the city of Chicago and a "less than easy to find" location. After that time, I began working at Top Notch Tattoos in Elgin, IL. I chose Top Notch because my reputation is of ultimate importance to me; and while I could have gone to work in a less reputable, but busier (as far as piercing is concerned) shop, I never want my name associated with anything less than the best quality work available. In July of 2001, I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to finally open Rituals. I say "fortunate" because we closed the shop 3 weeks after it opened. Many of you reading this might think "what a tragedy" he was only open for three weeks and then had to close? Well, I am one of those people who doesn't take subtle hints well. I most often need bricks tossed at my head to get my attention, especially when it involves life changes. So, with that in mind, the "tragic" closing of the Rituals retail location ... was one of those bricks. I am changing my life a bit here in my 36th year. I will have a REAL job for the first time in almost 10 years. That real job will keep me occupied Monday thru Thursday, which, of course leaves me Friday, Saturday and Sunday to do as I wish. I wish to work, I wish to travel, and I wish to have fun. I only want to work with serious people who are serious about the body modifications they are receiving. Yes, you can be serious about getting your navel pierced, and I'll be happy to give you the best navel piercing available, with the best aftercare available, and the best quality jewelry I can find. I'm not saying I won't continue to do basic piercings for those who care, or whose friends bring them to me. What I AM saying is that I no longer have any desire to be in a storefront location, competing with every shop around, based simply on price. If you want quality, if you want high standards, if you want the best you can get, then seek me out, and you will receive it. While I was apprenticing with Jack for body piercing, I also observed his techniques for branding and cutting, and went on to do extensive research on my own in these areas before developing my own tools and techniques to perform these procedures. As my reputation grew in both the Body Modification scene and the Ritual/Fetish/Spiritual scenes people began asking me to perform other modifications, sometimes in ritual or ceremonial settings. When I can research these modifications, and feel that I can perform them in a safe and clean manner on a person who has thoroughly thought out what they are doing to their body, I usually consent to performing the modification. I will NOT ever perform a modification that I cannot gather enough information on, or that presents a health risk to my client, or on a client who I believe is just doing something like this on a whim, or just to "be cool". I believe I enjoy my profession so much because of the people I come in contact with. Believe it or not, I actually still get a great deal of pleasure from doing that very first navel piercing on a young woman, or piercing the ear of a 40 year old suburban accountant. Then of course, there's always the 82 year old guy with the genital piercings, and the people who've come in asking to receive the traditional piercings of their ancestors. Whether these people realize it or not, they are taking a step towards owning their bodies, and choosing what to do with them. And whether they've extensively researched the history of the piercing they've chosen, or are simply doing it for reasons of fashion, by the movement of my needle, they are joining in the long line of ancient traditions of body modification. Many of you know Unkle P as "Pere" or "Peregrine", but after he hit the big 4-0, he began to take on more and more the role of either the slightly perverse uncle to the younger players or role players in the scene, or the wise and experienced uncle who you can talk to about stuff that your parents just wouldn't understand. The role .. and the name .. stuck.
Copyright © 2001 by Rituals. All Rights Reserved. |
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