Body piercing has always been more than just aesthetic adornment. Across cultures and centuries, it has served as a deeply spiritual practice—a rite of passage, a form of self-discovery, and a vehicle for transformation. Today, many people still feel a powerful connection between piercing and personal identity, healing, or expression of inner truth. One of the most important figures in bringing this understanding into the modern world was Fakir Musafar.
Who Was Fakir Musafar?
Fakir Musafar was a pioneer in the modern primitive movement and is widely credited as one of the most influential voices in the contemporary body modification community. With a background that fused art, performance, anthropology, and deep spiritual inquiry, he viewed the body as a sacred vessel and a canvas for ritual and transformation.
His work wasn’t just about piercing—it was about transcendence. He explored the boundaries of body and spirit through suspension, branding, and other ancient body rites, many of which he chronicled in the groundbreaking documentary “Bizarre Rituals: Dance Sacred and Profane” and in his book “Spirit + Flesh.” Both works offer an intimate glimpse into Fakir’s world—a place where the body becomes a path to the divine.
Spirit + Flesh
In Spirit + Flesh, Fakir shared his life’s philosophy through stories, essays, and photographs. This book continues to serve as a sacred text for many who seek to understand the deeper meanings behind body modification. Through its pages, Fakir invites us to look past the surface and into the soul-level intentions of piercing, scarification, and other practices. He showed that pain can be transformative—that it can open doors to healing, strength, and spiritual awakening.
My Time with Fakir
In 2015, I had the incredible honor of attending The Fakir Intensives—a life-changing experience that allowed me to learn directly from Fakir himself. These classes weren’t just technical; they were deeply spiritual. They taught not only how to pierce with intention and respect, but also how to see body modification as a sacred practice rooted in centuries of human tradition.
Spending time with Fakir was something I will always hold close to my heart. He carried such deep wisdom and humility. He listened, he taught, and he left space for each of us to explore what body modification meant to us personally. I feel proud and humbled to have shared space with him while he was still here with us.
Why Spirituality Still Matters in Piercing
Today, it’s easy for piercings to be viewed solely through the lens of fashion or trend—but for many, they still carry immense spiritual significance. Whether someone is reclaiming their body after trauma, marking a milestone, or simply aligning with a version of themselves they’ve always felt inside, the act of piercing becomes sacred.
At its core, spiritual piercing is about intention. When you walk into a studio not just for a decoration, but for a transformation—you’re stepping into a tradition that spans cultures, centuries, and states of consciousness. Fakir’s work reminds us that there is space for both beauty and depth in our industry.
Carrying Fakir’s Legacy Forward
As a professional piercer, I strive to uphold the values that Fakir lived by: integrity, intentionality, safety, and spirituality. The lessons I learned from him remain embedded in how I approach each client and each piercing. I believe in honoring the body and the person who inhabits it.
Fakir Musafar may have left the physical world, but his spirit is woven into every act of conscious body modification. His legacy lives on in studios like mine, where piercing is more than just a service—it’s a ceremony.