The Meaning Behind Willow Smith's Otherworldly Tattoos

Smith got her first tattoo in 2020 to celebrate her 20th birthday. It's an outline of the Seed of Life on her left arm. With its seven interconnected circles, the Seed of Life symbol is viewed as a representation of the interconnection of life on Earth and universal existence.

Smith recounted her father's reaction to her first tat on "Red Table Talk"'s tattoo episode. "I showed it to him and he said, 'Everything is in divine order,'" she recalled. "'Your path is your path, and I love you.'"

Smith boasts a large tattoo of Metatron's Cube on her left forearm, which comes from ancient geometry. The archangel Metatron oversees the flow of energy in the world in a mystical cube known as Metatron's Cube, which contains all of the geometric shapes and patterns in the universe. Smith hasn't spoken about her personal connection to the tattoo, but various cultures have assigned different meanings to the design, from healing and protection to balance and harmony.

Another famous child, Paris Jackson, also has tattoos of Metatron's Cube and the Seed of Life — something the two bonded over in a 2021 "Red Table Talk" interview.

Smith got matching tattoos with her mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, and grandmother Adrienne "Gam" Banfield-Norris in May 2021. They even documented the process on "Red Table Talk". The matching tats from celebrity tattoo artist Dr. Woo depict three lotus flowers in various stages of bloom and symbolize the three generations of Banfield-Norris-Pinkett-Smith women.

"The lotus represents spiritual enlightenment, and we hear the saying, 'Through the mud grows the lotus,'" Willow explained while getting her tattoo. "From the bud to the blossom to the bloom, I feel like [it] expresses the spiritual journey but also the three of us: I'm the youngest, my mom is the middle, and Gam is the fully bloomed lotus."

In 2021, Smith got the Hindu goddess Saraswati inked on her hand by tattoo artist Anka Lavriv. "THANK YOU for adorning me with this beautiful representation of Saraswati (सरस्वती), the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning," Smith captioned her Instagram post about her tattoo session.

While the goddess Saraswati takes up the majority of her left hand, Smith's fingers are adorned with various tiny tattoos, including a snake, fish bones, crescent moons, and an eye. She hasn't spoken publicly about their meanings.

Smith got a tattoo of a flower on her left bicep in November 2021. She captioned her Instagram post of the piece "GRATITUDE," giving a hint to the tattoo's possible meaning.

In March 2022, Smith filled out her sleeve on her left arm with a large tattoo of a hand reaching out toward a galaxy. For this piece, she went to LA's Raymond Jimenez, who also did her flower tattoo.

The cosmic design is a natural fit for Smith. She told Allure in 2021 about her love for the otherworldly as well as other things that have inspired her body art: "I've always been into everything and anything extraterrestrial," she said. "I've also been into goddesses throughout history, mythology, and religion — representations of the divine feminine."