An Ouroboros is a symbol of a snake eating its own tail. It appears in many cultures and has various meanings, often relating to infinity, the cyclic nature of things, etc. I think it looks cool.
Tattoo by Kali Farrell
OK, besides looking cool... In short, for me the ouroboros tattoo symbolizes the book of Ecclesiastes, "Meaningless, meaningless! Everything is meaningless" etc, and especially the phrase that comes up a few times "there is nothing new under the sun," that's the snake coming across its own tail and devouring it, thinking it is something new. Another phrase that comes up a lot, "this too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind," i.e. the snake chasing after its own tail.
I wouldn't say I think time is a circle or a spiral or whatever, I think those analogies only go so far, but I think at the end of the day we have the same interpersonal challenges that we've always had. Many "new" solutions are hardly novel. There are advances in science and technology and manufacturing and whatever, but the same human challenges. You can see that in the fact that many stories from past eras are still very relatable, and the reason the best sci fi and fantasy works are so captivating is because of the human struggles more so than the cool fictional elements.
I also see the snake eating its own tail as a symbol of the erasure of people groups, cultures, identities, etc for the "advancement" of others, when really it's all the same snake (we are all human) and it hurts all of us to hurt others. There's a lot of this happening, this is nothing new under the sun, and it sucks.
Back to Ecclesiastes, I find the whole book a source of existential crisis and simultaneously a source of comfort. In that same way, it reminds me of a graduate cosmology course I took; sitting down and doing the calculations and (trying to) understand the realness of the scale of the visible universe was a wild existential experience, but it put all the problems I have and the problems I see around me into perspective. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes basically sums up the takeaway with 3:22, "So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?" He continues talking about all the things he looked towards and found meaningless, and continues to come back to that sentiment, and that is the comfort I find.
I feel it is important to note that I don't think that sentiment is to say that one should only look out for oneself and keep one's head down; see the bit about the snake representing the erasure of cultures, I think that is horrible and I do what I can to fight against it, to find and shed light on the breadth of beauty found in every corner of humanity. To me, that sentiment is just a reminder of where to find meaning and joy.
We are meaning making/seeking creatures, and I stubbornly hold onto the faith I was raised in; it is my way of finding meaning. I was lucky to not be raised in a problematic environment where the narative was us vs them, things weren't questioned, broad rules based on a few Bible verses, etc. Instead, my parents actively engaged in discussion with us and others, and demonstrated that it is ok to not have all the answers. So the snake has some of that meaning as well. I like to say my Mom rebelled so that I didn't have to, and that she didn't rebel so hard that she stopped at the first few verses of Ecclesiastes.
So yeah, I've been thinking of this tattoo for a while. You might say it's meaningless but it means a lot to me 😸🐍