Kintsugi: From Broken to Beautiful
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Kintsugi: From Broken to Beautiful
I hit a wall last week in my recovery & in my process of working through everything I remembered this reference which made me feel all warm & fuzzy..... it really fits in nicely with my own recovery philosophy to imagine my own body, mind & spirit being sutured with golden threads as I heal those old & new wounds.... to remember it is a celebration of my journey rather than focusing on the scars left behind from all the wounds.... that this part of the process is about me alchemizing & creating (positive), not about all the negative aspects that caused the original breaks.
honeypig posted about this in the past but I cannot find the original thread to link. Here is the cut/paste from when she re-shared with another member:
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...usly-free.html (Like seriously Free?)
From this article:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/...ceramic-repair
This repair technique is called kintsugi, which translates as "golden joinery" and uses a special lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum, to fix the object in a way that highlights (rather than hides) the damage. It’s a way of repair that celebrates the breakage as part of the object’s history, rather than as the end of the story.
This one is even better, because it references the process more in relation to recovery work than the physical work of repairing objects as it originated:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/val-j...b_5903994.html
In other words, the transformation is not just about putting the pieces of one’s broken life back together, it’s about a total reinvention of self in which our shattered pieces are alchemized into a beautiful, thriving masterpiece.
honeypig posted about this in the past but I cannot find the original thread to link. Here is the cut/paste from when she re-shared with another member:
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...usly-free.html (Like seriously Free?)
Originally Posted by honeypig 
Hi, fts--I just saw dandy's request for this to be posted on your thread. May it bring you some hope and some strength.
There is an article here
Kintsugi, Centuries Old Japanese Method of Repairing Pottery with Gold
about this topic, the mending of broken items w/gold. It's all interesting, but the most pertinent part is this, I think:
...the practice is related to the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which calls for seeing beauty in the flawed or imperfect. The repair method was also born from the Japanese feeling of mottainai, which expresses regret when something is wasted, as well as mushin, the acceptance of change.
There is an article here
Kintsugi, Centuries Old Japanese Method of Repairing Pottery with Gold
about this topic, the mending of broken items w/gold. It's all interesting, but the most pertinent part is this, I think:
...the practice is related to the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which calls for seeing beauty in the flawed or imperfect. The repair method was also born from the Japanese feeling of mottainai, which expresses regret when something is wasted, as well as mushin, the acceptance of change.
From this article:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/...ceramic-repair
This repair technique is called kintsugi, which translates as "golden joinery" and uses a special lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum, to fix the object in a way that highlights (rather than hides) the damage. It’s a way of repair that celebrates the breakage as part of the object’s history, rather than as the end of the story.
This one is even better, because it references the process more in relation to recovery work than the physical work of repairing objects as it originated:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/val-j...b_5903994.html
In other words, the transformation is not just about putting the pieces of one’s broken life back together, it’s about a total reinvention of self in which our shattered pieces are alchemized into a beautiful, thriving masterpiece.
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Thanks for sharing-what a beautiful concept. I'm envious of other
languages and cultures that have words and customs surrounding
ideas of beauty and life's struggles and imperfections. Love this!
languages and cultures that have words and customs surrounding
ideas of beauty and life's struggles and imperfections. Love this!
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 11,481
Here is the original thread that FS was looking for, although I think the only thing included there that she didn't touch on in her own post is the song that I heard at church, "Japanese Bowls" by Peter Mayer. That's how I learned about this in the first place.
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-thoughts.html ("Japanese Bowl"--song and thoughts)
And thanks for bringing this up at this particular time, FireSprite, b/c I really needed to be reminded of this right now.
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-thoughts.html ("Japanese Bowl"--song and thoughts)
And thanks for bringing this up at this particular time, FireSprite, b/c I really needed to be reminded of this right now.
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,780
Originally Posted by honeypig
Here is the original thread that FS was looking for, although I think the only thing included there that she didn't touch on in her own post is the song that I heard at church, "Japanese Bowls" by Peter Mayer. That's how I learned about this in the first place.
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-thoughts.html ("Japanese Bowl"--song and thoughts)
And thanks for bringing this up at this particular time, FireSprite, b/c I really needed to be reminded of this right now.
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-thoughts.html ("Japanese Bowl"--song and thoughts)
And thanks for bringing this up at this particular time, FireSprite, b/c I really needed to be reminded of this right now.
I really needed it too Friend.
Originally Posted by DesertEyes
It means that as a codie I have a "Kitsugi broken heart"
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