Lip and Eyelid Sewing Ritual

iam:Godzilla Riots recently experienced an eye and lip sewing by Pierre Rogers at Lucky Monkey in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which must have been quite intense. They write,

The sewing ritual helped me come to terms with the fact that events in my life are not always within my control, and that sometimes I am subject to the uncontrollable forces of the world. After understanding and accepting my own lack of control — and that it’s okay — I realized my ability to overcome my own fears and physical pain by focusing my mind and its thoughts. Intense concentration on my mental processes, I learned, endows me with an ability through which my mental conceptions and ideas are manifested outside my mind and into the physical world — my fear and pain are not real, expressing and personifying these thoughts only hold me back. Through mental concentration I may conquer any limitations and constraints that I create and perpetuate in my life.

Many more photos continue after the break.

See more in Eye sewing (Ritual)

130 thoughts on “Lip and Eyelid Sewing Ritual

  1. Damn, that’s pretty awesome. I think I’d freak out in that tsituation, definitely wouldn’t have theguts to do it. Respect, respect!

  2. Damn, that’s pretty awesome. I think I’d freak out in that tsituation, definitely wouldn’t have theguts to do it. Respect, respect!

  3. Eyelid sewing was probably one of the most mentally intense and emotionally challenging rituals in my entire life. Complete resignation of control… kudos. Takes balls, and she definitely has them.

  4. Eyelid sewing was probably one of the most mentally intense and emotionally challenging rituals in my entire life. Complete resignation of control… kudos. Takes balls, and she definitely has them.

  5. “Intense concentration on my mental processes, I learned, endows me with an ability through which my mental conceptions and ideas are manifested outside my mind and into the physical world”

    Now wait just a minute- do you mean to tell me that if you concentrate on a sandwich hard enough you’ll get a sandwich? I don’t think you’ve quite reached enlightenment yet. Maybe you should try stitching your nostrils shut, too.

  6. “Intense concentration on my mental processes, I learned, endows me with an ability through which my mental conceptions and ideas are manifested outside my mind and into the physical world”

    Now wait just a minute- do you mean to tell me that if you concentrate on a sandwich hard enough you’ll get a sandwich? I don’t think you’ve quite reached enlightenment yet. Maybe you should try stitching your nostrils shut, too.

  7. Is this really a ritual? I don’t think I’ve ever read of a culture who’ve had this as part of their traditions. If I’m wrong, please let me know.

  8. Is this really a ritual? I don’t think I’ve ever read of a culture who’ve had this as part of their traditions. If I’m wrong, please let me know.

  9. I never claimed anything like enlightenment. If what I said is too ‘Buddhist’ for you, too bad. Here it is in lamen: if I don’t think about it, or concentrate on something else, it’s not there.

  10. I never claimed anything like enlightenment. If what I said is too ‘Buddhist’ for you, too bad. Here it is in lamen: if I don’t think about it, or concentrate on something else, it’s not there.

  11. As long as a sandwich was a mental conception 😛
    Not personally my kinda thing but I’ve always wondered what a permanent mouth stich would be like.

  12. As long as a sandwich was a mental conception 😛
    Not personally my kinda thing but I’ve always wondered what a permanent mouth stich would be like.

  13. Commodore Josh == Asshole

    Ubermensch… Um… It’s only a ritual if some other culture does it? It’s not good enough if OUR culture does the ritual?

  14. Commodore Josh == Asshole

    Ubermensch… Um… It’s only a ritual if some other culture does it? It’s not good enough if OUR culture does the ritual?

  15. ubermensch: I have to agree with Shannon…Ritual doesn’t simply mean ancient tribal cultural rituals…Rituals can vary from tribal culture to simply that’s a very simple modern view of a ritual.

  16. ubermensch: I have to agree with Shannon…Ritual doesn’t simply mean ancient tribal cultural rituals…Rituals can vary from tribal culture to simply that’s a very simple modern view of a ritual.

  17. Late one day Don Juan told Castaneda to catch two lizards (with no equipment) and then to use the fiber of a century plant and thorn of a prickly pear to sew shut the eyes of one lizard and the mouth of the other without damaging them. Castaneda did all this promptly, with no trouble – in twilight. He didn’t explain how he turned cactus fiber into thread, how he turned a thorn into a slender needle, or how he held two lizards still while stitching their eyelids and lips shut.

  18. Late one day Don Juan told Castaneda to catch two lizards (with no equipment) and then to use the fiber of a century plant and thorn of a prickly pear to sew shut the eyes of one lizard and the mouth of the other without damaging them. Castaneda did all this promptly, with no trouble – in twilight. He didn’t explain how he turned cactus fiber into thread, how he turned a thorn into a slender needle, or how he held two lizards still while stitching their eyelids and lips shut.

  19. “The sewing ritual helped me come to terms with the fact that events in my life are not always within my control, and that sometimes I am subject to the uncontrollable forces of the world. After understanding and accepting my own lack of control — and that it’s okay — I realized my ability to overcome my own fears and physical pain by focusing my mind and its thoughts.”
    Makes perfect sense to me. It’s the opposite of what athletes do, physically, but similar mentally, i.e. focusing your mind to overcome a constraint on your body.

  20. “The sewing ritual helped me come to terms with the fact that events in my life are not always within my control, and that sometimes I am subject to the uncontrollable forces of the world. After understanding and accepting my own lack of control — and that it’s okay — I realized my ability to overcome my own fears and physical pain by focusing my mind and its thoughts.”
    Makes perfect sense to me. It’s the opposite of what athletes do, physically, but similar mentally, i.e. focusing your mind to overcome a constraint on your body.

  21. If it’s meaningful for YOU, it’s okay if no other “official” “older” culture has it as a ritual, I think.

    Same for holidays.

  22. If it’s meaningful for YOU, it’s okay if no other “official” “older” culture has it as a ritual, I think.

    Same for holidays.

  23. I wouldn’t go quoting Castaneda, considering the fact (and its agreed upon by scholars) that he made up Don Juan and used the earlier material of others to flesh out his story. But hey, he gave directionless New Agers a way to claw onto something ‘indigenous’ and exotic.

    And Shannon, what does it say just above the lil box where you type comments?

    “If you just want to prove that you can say the meanest thing about something you don’t understand, go somewhere else. This is a community of friends, and the IAM/BME TOS applies here.”

    You shouldn’t go calling someone an asshole , Commodore Josh could’ve worded his comment differently, but he was posing a legitimate query as to the perceived ambiguity of Riot’s statement.

  24. I wouldn’t go quoting Castaneda, considering the fact (and its agreed upon by scholars) that he made up Don Juan and used the earlier material of others to flesh out his story. But hey, he gave directionless New Agers a way to claw onto something ‘indigenous’ and exotic.

    And Shannon, what does it say just above the lil box where you type comments?

    “If you just want to prove that you can say the meanest thing about something you don’t understand, go somewhere else. This is a community of friends, and the IAM/BME TOS applies here.”

    You shouldn’t go calling someone an asshole , Commodore Josh could’ve worded his comment differently, but he was posing a legitimate query as to the perceived ambiguity of Riot’s statement.

  25. reminds me of reduced heads of head-hunters.
    maybe it’s not actually a ritual, but many (almost all, I think) ancient people thought that mouth was a kind of door for the soul: that’s why head-hunters used to sew the lips of their enemies’ heads. to stuck into it the soul and it’s powers. (and, btw, that’s why we put a hand on our mouth wen we yawn: thus our soul doesn’t go out and nothing “demonic” can enter.
    hope my english isn’t too bad 🙂

  26. reminds me of reduced heads of head-hunters.
    maybe it’s not actually a ritual, but many (almost all, I think) ancient people thought that mouth was a kind of door for the soul: that’s why head-hunters used to sew the lips of their enemies’ heads. to stuck into it the soul and it’s powers. (and, btw, that’s why we put a hand on our mouth wen we yawn: thus our soul doesn’t go out and nothing “demonic” can enter.
    hope my english isn’t too bad 🙂

  27. Eyelid sewing scares me ,but then anything to do with eyes kinda freaks me out. Mouth sewing on the other hand facinates me, I cant say I will ever have the guts to get it done but its def on my to do list.I think for me personaly it would be a ‘ritual’ experiance as an abused child having to keep secrets. Ahhh maybe one day.

  28. Eyelid sewing scares me ,but then anything to do with eyes kinda freaks me out. Mouth sewing on the other hand facinates me, I cant say I will ever have the guts to get it done but its def on my to do list.I think for me personaly it would be a ‘ritual’ experiance as an abused child having to keep secrets. Ahhh maybe one day.

  29. i am too under the control of my fears to do this. the needle so close to my eye… this takes real guts and i admire that. props dude serious PROPS

  30. i am too under the control of my fears to do this. the needle so close to my eye… this takes real guts and i admire that. props dude serious PROPS

  31. what a beautiful thing this is.
    The sheer thought process that cab be sparked off by this physical and (in comparison to the psycological and mental results) minor act is beyond a doubt one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen in my life.

  32. what a beautiful thing this is.
    The sheer thought process that cab be sparked off by this physical and (in comparison to the psycological and mental results) minor act is beyond a doubt one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen in my life.

  33. Jon P – You know, if someone’s “legitimate query” includes telling someone that they ought to kill themselves, then I think that their right not to be called an asshole is abdicated!!!

  34. Jon P – You know, if someone’s “legitimate query” includes telling someone that they ought to kill themselves, then I think that their right not to be called an asshole is abdicated!!!

  35. wow, awesome pictures and its good to understand the logic behind it, i wonder how they sterilize the thread

  36. wow, awesome pictures and its good to understand the logic behind it, i wonder how they sterilize the thread

  37. Pierre continues to amaze me with the awesome things he is willing to do and help you get done. the pictures are awesome. and chances are the thread is just thrown in his statum

  38. Pierre continues to amaze me with the awesome things he is willing to do and help you get done. the pictures are awesome. and chances are the thread is just thrown in his statum

  39. I do not think I could do eyelid sewing. That takes some definite guts and determination. Amazing stuff.

  40. I do not think I could do eyelid sewing. That takes some definite guts and determination. Amazing stuff.

  41. Pierre did an awesome job and miss Godzilla riots did awesome as well. i was a helping hand in this(hens the other set of hands in the photo’s) and right after this Pierre put 15 beads in my wiener:)

  42. Pierre did an awesome job and miss Godzilla riots did awesome as well. i was a helping hand in this(hens the other set of hands in the photo’s) and right after this Pierre put 15 beads in my wiener:)

  43. You probably get a lot of requests for interviews but I’d love an interview about this.

  44. You probably get a lot of requests for interviews but I’d love an interview about this.

  45. Mike Moore – You did an awesome job yourself. Gauzin it up, making sure that my blood tears didn’t get all over my clothes. If you hadn’t been there to hold my eyelids open I doubt I would have been able to have my lids sewn. Muchas gracias! 😀

    Nicholas Smith – I haven’t had any requests to do an interview per sa, but I’ve had a handfull of people ask for an experiance story. I plan on writing one as soon as finals are over with next week.

  46. Mike Moore – You did an awesome job yourself. Gauzin it up, making sure that my blood tears didn’t get all over my clothes. If you hadn’t been there to hold my eyelids open I doubt I would have been able to have my lids sewn. Muchas gracias! 😀

    Nicholas Smith – I haven’t had any requests to do an interview per sa, but I’ve had a handfull of people ask for an experiance story. I plan on writing one as soon as finals are over with next week.

  47. Wow, i stop looking at modblog for a few days and something I did ends up here! Chelsea did amazingly, and Mike I don’t know what would have happened if I wouldn’t have conned you into helping me. Expect some photos from Chelsea’s pull and whatever other things she decides to let me help her with, there was a lot of good energy in the room(especially coming from Chelsea), so I am really stoked to have been able to help Chelsea out with her journey.

  48. Wow, i stop looking at modblog for a few days and something I did ends up here! Chelsea did amazingly, and Mike I don’t know what would have happened if I wouldn’t have conned you into helping me. Expect some photos from Chelsea’s pull and whatever other things she decides to let me help her with, there was a lot of good energy in the room(especially coming from Chelsea), so I am really stoked to have been able to help Chelsea out with her journey.

  49. love it!!! i think it’s really great that someone is able to do that… feel… and develope her/his mind that way, i thought so many times about the idea of being blind and deaf as a ritual… I think that’s a really interesting topic…
    my admiration to her for that ritual!

  50. love it!!! i think it’s really great that someone is able to do that… feel… and develope her/his mind that way, i thought so many times about the idea of being blind and deaf as a ritual… I think that’s a really interesting topic…
    my admiration to her for that ritual!

  51. I find lip-sewing pretty fascinating and I hope one day I have the chance to do it… Yet regarding eyelid sewing, only looking at pictures of other people with their eyes held shut by threads gets me really frustrated… However I really agree that it’s concentration that could help overcome one’s limitations. And maybe one day I’ll grow up and realise that after all I can’t control everything!! Anyway, I must say that I have immense respect for all those people who go through such rituals. Kudos to you, Godzilla Riots!!

  52. I find lip-sewing pretty fascinating and I hope one day I have the chance to do it… Yet regarding eyelid sewing, only looking at pictures of other people with their eyes held shut by threads gets me really frustrated… However I really agree that it’s concentration that could help overcome one’s limitations. And maybe one day I’ll grow up and realise that after all I can’t control everything!! Anyway, I must say that I have immense respect for all those people who go through such rituals. Kudos to you, Godzilla Riots!!

  53. P.S.:I’ve probably rubbed my eyes more than 30 times since I started looking at the pictures on this page and I’m trying not to blink just in case I can’t open my eyes again!!

  54. P.S.:I’ve probably rubbed my eyes more than 30 times since I started looking at the pictures on this page and I’m trying not to blink just in case I can’t open my eyes again!!

  55. oh dear god. eyelid sewing is terrifying to me. i cannot imagine the strength needed to go through with this. if someone came near my eyes with a needle i would start screaming uncontrollably and run away.

  56. oh dear god. eyelid sewing is terrifying to me. i cannot imagine the strength needed to go through with this. if someone came near my eyes with a needle i would start screaming uncontrollably and run away.

  57. smufc – One of my buds who came along could stop his eye from twitching for DAYS after that night…for all I know it still could be freaking out. XD

  58. smufc – One of my buds who came along could stop his eye from twitching for DAYS after that night…for all I know it still could be freaking out. XD

  59. @ John P – Casteneda is what came to mind when I saw the images. Literature, whether fiction or non, is rooted in our collective conscience and affects our thoughts and actions.

  60. @ John P – Casteneda is what came to mind when I saw the images. Literature, whether fiction or non, is rooted in our collective conscience and affects our thoughts and actions.

  61. godzilla riots: I would like to include your text and images in my lecture on ‘possitive aspects on voluntary pain’. If I may? Much respect to you!

  62. godzilla riots: I would like to include your text and images in my lecture on ‘possitive aspects on voluntary pain’. If I may? Much respect to you!

  63. woah, that’s pretty intense.
    although, it looks beautiful and the outcome mentally seems like it was worth the blood and tears.

  64. woah, that’s pretty intense.
    although, it looks beautiful and the outcome mentally seems like it was worth the blood and tears.

  65. this is one of the only things that i actually squirmed when looking at. most things i can handle, but this kinda grossed me out.

    takes a lot of guts tho. kudos for that.

  66. this is one of the only things that i actually squirmed when looking at. most things i can handle, but this kinda grossed me out.

    takes a lot of guts tho. kudos for that.

  67. holy smokes!
    eyes are my big phobic hangup-specifically, sharp objects by eyes. muchas cojones grandes to have it done…or to do it.
    i was told to check this out, and i feel like i need safety goggles.
    nice work pierre!

  68. holy smokes!
    eyes are my big phobic hangup-specifically, sharp objects by eyes. muchas cojones grandes to have it done…or to do it.
    i was told to check this out, and i feel like i need safety goggles.
    nice work pierre!

  69. Beautiful photos the eyes were very interesting to see. That really would have been quite the experience! Im really glad to see these shared here!

  70. Beautiful photos the eyes were very interesting to see. That really would have been quite the experience! Im really glad to see these shared here!

  71. Håvve – I don’t see why not, just as long as credit is given to the appropriate individuals. 🙂 If you do end up using the pics and text could you send me the slides from your presentation? I’d really be interested in seeing them!

    [email protected]

  72. Håvve – I don’t see why not, just as long as credit is given to the appropriate individuals. 🙂 If you do end up using the pics and text could you send me the slides from your presentation? I’d really be interested in seeing them!

    [email protected]

  73. Shannon, I was not suggesting she kill herself at all. Instead of “nostrils” read “ears” and you’ll read it as it was intended.

  74. Shannon, I was not suggesting she kill herself at all. Instead of “nostrils” read “ears” and you’ll read it as it was intended.

  75. i cant begin to imagine how much you would have to trust somebody before you let them near your eyes with a needle.

    to look at, this is great. and it’s true about thinking pain away – mind over matter

  76. i cant begin to imagine how much you would have to trust somebody before you let them near your eyes with a needle.

    to look at, this is great. and it’s true about thinking pain away – mind over matter

  77. … lip sewing is amazing. I don’t think I could EVER do the eye thing… but the lips… yeah…

    plus I’ve always thought it to be really hott. Only God knows why…

  78. … lip sewing is amazing. I don’t think I could EVER do the eye thing… but the lips… yeah…

    plus I’ve always thought it to be really hott. Only God knows why…

  79. So maybe now you are a primordial creature who had felt the pain of smashing into something that rips you flesh straight to a newborn eye nerve, and those otherwise subtle vibrations are still causing your protiens to crystalize as ear bone.

  80. So maybe now you are a primordial creature who had felt the pain of smashing into something that rips you flesh straight to a newborn eye nerve, and those otherwise subtle vibrations are still causing your protiens to crystalize as ear bone.

  81. I knew all of that without getting my face sewn to its self…. still must have been an interesting experience.

  82. I knew all of that without getting my face sewn to its self…. still must have been an interesting experience.

  83. Don’t know if anybody is still following this, since it’s been several years since the last post, but I would like to experience this and was wondering what I should know beforehand about the process and it’s possible complications. I’m very trusting of the person that will perform it; she’s a qualified RN, with plenty of experience in suturing (and needle work) but I like to be well informed before I go jumping into things. It’s possible I will also have my limbs sewn together aswell, concurrent with the eyes and mouth, adding to the overall experience of ‘having no control’.

    email is [email protected] (would give out main, except I never post it publicly)

  84. Don’t know if anybody is still following this, since it’s been several years since the last post, but I would like to experience this and was wondering what I should know beforehand about the process and it’s possible complications. I’m very trusting of the person that will perform it; she’s a qualified RN, with plenty of experience in suturing (and needle work) but I like to be well informed before I go jumping into things. It’s possible I will also have my limbs sewn together aswell, concurrent with the eyes and mouth, adding to the overall experience of ‘having no control’.

    email is [email protected] (would give out main, except I never post it publicly)

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