The Art of Kintsugi
Last weekend I learned the art of Kintsugi — not just the concept, but actually the hands-on practice of the art. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery using glue mixed with gold. In our class, we actually broke a piece of pottery and then glued it back together! We then painted the broken lines with gold powder. This activity was a holistic experience in connecting with body, mind and spirit. There was the physical breaking of the bowl and mending the cracks. My eyes filled with tears even as I walked up to take the hammer in my hand. Mentally I was challenged as I was forced to sit still while allowing the glue to dry, only to have the pieces break apart again when they didn’t quite stick together. I was fed spiritually as I was invited to connect the bowl to my own brokenness and work through the repairing process of grief and creating beauty around the broken lines. It was truly a beautiful experience. Kintsugi is poetically translate...
