Shooting star tattoos are a very popular image, being versatile and pretty. They are suggestive of wishes coming true. They are also indicative of a persons desires to achieve success or stardom. A shooting star tattoo can incorporate a ‘trail’ of smaller stars, which is very pretty and delicate, a great way for a tattoo to cover a slightly larger area but still remain subtle. These tattoos are also a symbol for success and good luck, albeit of a short lived nature. Shooting star tattoos can also symbolize a brief fleeting moment in ones life just like the brief wonder of seeing a shooting star race across the night sky. Brilliant and stunning but lasting only a few moments before they burn up in the atmosphere. They can also be a symbol of reaching one’s ultimate destiny and are popular among stars of Hollywood society. The color of the tattoo can also have a significance. The purple hues depicted in the photograph for example, denote wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic. It can also convey an underlying desire to achieve great wealth or material success. The lighter hues of purple around the shooting star tattoo may also convey a sense of nostalgia or a desire for romantic love.
If your looking for a particular meaning attached to shooting star tattoos, I’m sorry to disappoint you. There really is no predetermined symbolism for a shooting star. Back in many of the ancient cultures the aboriginal people thought that shooting stars were either the gods themselves or some sign from the gods. Thus the ancients would ascribe their own cultural meaning to these momentous events. Sometimes it might mean that more sacrifices are required by the gods or maybe it is time to plant the corn. Each of the different cultures had their own beliefs about what a shooting star meant. However, almost every culture held the star in high symbolic importance. In modern times we see shooting stars more for their beauty and brilliance and not as a message from the gods themselves. This allows us to ascribe whatever meaning we want. One of the common meanings that get ascribed to the shooting star tattoo is a seize the day symbol. A shooting star comes into the sky quickly and then burns out brilliantly all in a short span of time. Thus has lead some people see the shooting star a symbol to live life to the fullest. So, go ahead and get a shooting star tattoo and Carpe Diem (or seize the day)!