To Break and to Mend; Kintsugi

In Japan, there is an ancient art form called Kintsugi, which consists of mending broken ceramics using an adhesive mixed with pure gold or silver, so where the broken bits and cracks originally were, veins of precious metals criss-cross through instead.

The idea is a stunning one, and applicable to so much in life. The trauma we experience, the losses we endure, the pain we are exposed to; all of these things leave injury. Physical injury sometimes, and emotional injury as well.

When we tend to these hurts, notice them, speak to them, and give them the love they deserve, we begin to heal. As the healing takes place, the injuries turn to scars, signs of our resilience and strength, and our incredible ability to mend. When we honor ourselves, and the trials we have been through, or are going through now, we fill our own breaks with gold. We glue ourselves back together, jagged bit by jagged bit. And that’s just a wildly beautiful and rebellious act in a culture that so often works to hurt and isolate us.

Two of my friends have been playing with this idea lately, the wisdom of Kintsugi and how it applies to life. And as we go into this new year, I can’t help but feel that there’s a powerful message here.

That maybe in order to move forward, to heal from the things that have injured us, and to help heal the things we have injured in turn, our work is not to try and erase the scars we carry.

Our work is to embrace them.

photo by https://www.lifegate.com/people/lifestyle/kintsugi

 

I have two amazing guest posts to share here.

One is a poem by my friend Phil called “It Starts With The Fall.” It’s beautiful, and powerful, and true, and I love it.

The second guest post is a photo by Michelle Johnsen from her newest photo project, and a link to sign up to be a participant. The project is called GOLDMINE, and will be a physical manifestation of the idea of applying the principles of Kintsugi to our physical and emotional selves. The idea just blows me away and I encourage you to reach out to her through the link below if you think it’s something you’d like to be a part of. I have no doubt it will be a transformative and empowering experience for everyone involved.

So many thanks to Phil and Michelle for sharing your truly incredible work. Much love to you both.

You’ll find the poem and project below.

Thank you all for listening,

Love,

Natasha

 

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It Starts With the Fall

By Phil Watts

 

It doesn’t matter why it fell.

A careless nudge,

A fit of rage,

Tired wet hands giving way,

Did it feel free as it dove to the ground?

 

The snap tearing through the air is unmistakable.

A thing that was one, is now many,

And somehow less.

Why does it feel more broken when all the pieces are gathered together?

 

“Don’t worry, we can fix it”.

Words to calm a panicked fright.

 

“Don’t come over here”.

Invisible fragments wait ready to draw blood,

One last reminder of the thing that was.

 

No matter how careful,

You can never make it look like it had never fallen,

Fill the cracks with gold,

Make the fall a part of it’s beauty.

 

It always was part of its beauty.

 

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This is a photo from Michelle’s project GOLDMINE. Kelly’s scar was created through her battle with cancer. Please click on the link below and follow the directions to reach out to Michelle if you’d like to be a participant. So much dazzling beauty here. Thank you Kelly for sharing your experience with Michelle, and with us.

https://goo.gl/forms/z6MTCNOJJAocRFax2

photo by Michelle Johnsen

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Treasure

There’s the flock of birds over the field this morning
A hundred with dark wings, and then one with light,

And the three deer on the ridge over the river,
bellies soft and pale like the sky.

There’s the new moon approaching, stealthily blackening the night

And there’s the place in the river where the water rushes past, where the currents swirl and ice licks the edge of all the lichen covered rocks.

There’s the way the light comes through the big windows with the white curtains in the late afternoon

And there’s the wind through the boughs of the pine, moving, moving, always moving.

There’s the space where you used to live

And there’s the space where you live now.

There isn’t any difference really

In this great, big collection of things

What an amazing abundance of treasure
It has all turned out to be.

Thank you for listening,
Love,
Natasha

Photo by Natasha Herr