Kintsugi - Golden Repair
Kintsukuroi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery, re-joining the pieces back together with gold. This exercise in “golden repair” mends areas of breakage using lacquer dusted or mixed with precious metal. Also known as kintsugi or “golden joinery” this precious work treats the breakage and repair of a ceramic vessel as part of it’s history, rather than something to disguise.
The Japanense philosophy of wabi-sabi embraces the beauty of imperfection. It describes the notion that nothing is perfect from the start. It is a spirit of discovering and appreciating the beauty, especially when an object changes over time. It is a way to navigate the world and to appreciate beauty while encountering the continuance of change.
The roots of wabi sabi emerge from the the Buddhist teachings of the “Three Marks of Existence”. First, one must embrace impermanence. One may observe the fleeting and transient beauty of cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. Second, one must find solace in the personal growth that results suffering. Third, one must practice the absence of self, being separated from self-centered thinking. Looking past ourselves one realized that our lives are a journey of being continually in growth and in the flux of change.
Some may argue that this golden joinery highlights damage and points to brokenness rather than it’s original state of wholeness. Others share the art is about highlighting damage, but instead offering sensitivity, appreciation, and compassion to the need and area of repair. One can choose to focus on the damage or appreciate the healing.
I have heard Kintsukuroi called “the art of precious scars”. This is the Power of the Holy Spirit - the crafter, the embracer, the repairer, the joiner of our brokenness - so that we may be made whole in this world. In the times that we are broken, cracked, in need of healing, in need of inspiration, in need of a sign, in need of a reminder, we need not look an further than the places and times within our own vessel where there is a line, a patch, a river of gold knitting us back together again.
God’s Spirit ensures us that we can become even stronger and more beautiful if we can choose to focus not on the damage, but appreciate the healing. We remember why the “Parakletos”, the Advocate of the Holy Spirit is called in. God’s indwelling Spirit of gold fills our cracks, inspires our gaps, heals our wounds. We are not perfect. But we are stronger, more beautiful, and more valuable when we allow ourselves to be held in the hands of our Divine crafting Spirit working to fill In our gaps and make us whole.
Isaiah 43:19 shares, “Behold I am about to do something new”. What if we held up our lives and this time as a period of healing? We are aware of the cracks! What if we could instead focus on the hope of golden joining and re-knitting?
The United Church of Christ reminds us, “Wherever you are on your journey you are welcome here.” Whatever and whatever is on our journey we have the “Spirit joiner filler” dwelling and weaving gold healing energy as close is every breath. This is the Good News of the being Easter people.
Some share in greetings and partings “Namaste” or “the Spirit in me recognizes the Spirit in you. I offer “Para-kletos Kint-suk-uroi” - “The work of the Spirit Advocate strengthening me with golden repair recognizes the work of the Spirit Advocate strengthening with golden repair in you”.