Welcome back.
When we think of wholeness,
Some of us may associate it with completion or even perfection.
But perfection is not a necessary condition for wholeness.
In some cases,
It's the opposite.
Imperfection.
That is actually what makes something more exquisite,
More whole.
Within the ancient art of Japanese pottery,
There's a special technique known as kintsugi,
Golden repair.
The art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer,
Dust it or mixed with powdered gold,
Silver or platinum.
With this technique,
Each time a unique work of art is created,
Each with its own story and beauty,
Thanks to the unique cracks formed when an object breaks.
Today,
We'll explore a kintsugi imperfect wholeness meditation to empower you to reconcile,
Heal and integrate the fragmented parts of yourself and nurture the essence of wholeness from deep within.
If it feels good for you,
Let your eyes half or fully close.
If you prefer to keep your eyes open,
Then guide your awareness inwards and tune in to your breath.
Notice the rhythm of your breath as it enters and leaves your body.
Feel the solid ground beneath your feet.
With a subtle sway,
Every inhale and exhale,
Your wave of breath,
Allowing you to soften and connect with the earth's support.
Notice the air around you,
Whether it dances with movement or perhaps it remains still.
Guide your awareness to the symphony of sounds unfolding in this present moment.
And now guide your awareness from outside to inside.
What can you sense and feel and hear or taste within you?
As you connect with your inner landscape,
Begin to connect with your mind's eye.
And picture in your mind's eye a ceramic bowl,
Empty yet brimming with potential.
This vessel is you,
A conduit for life's creative impulse to flow through your actions,
Words and creations.
As you visualize this bowl,
See clearly its shape,
Structure,
Color and texture.
Is this bowl large or small?
Is it deep or shallow?
Is it shaped uniformly or is it irregularly shaped?
Notice any cracks,
Any seams,
Any chipped and broken parts of this bowl that are symbols of your own imperfections and vulnerabilities.
As you see clearly this bowl,
Connect with this bowl as a representation of the creative vessel that you are with the potential to fill.
We will now prepare to engage in the radical act of breaking the mold.
When we break the mold,
We allow the bowl to shatter into countless fragments.
This act symbolizing the profound transformations you undergo throughout your life.
Breaking free from what was is not defeat but a declaration of radical liberation.
When you break the mold,
You empower yourself to allow a courageous release into the unknown.
Let's take a deep breath in and see and feel this bowl suspended,
Floating,
Held and cradled by the invisible hand of the divine.
With your next breath out,
See,
Feel and allow the bowl to be released.
See and feel it hit the ground and shatter into countless fragments and pieces that float around.
See and feel every single one of these fragments and pieces,
Every intimate part of you.
These fragments may be big,
Small,
Uneven,
Smooth.
See each of them reflecting a part of yourself,
Some public,
Some private or hidden,
Some permanent and some ephemeral.
See and feel all of them.
And for each fragment,
Visualize and connect with it.
See how it may be linked to a specific event or particular time period in your life,
A fragment or part of you that you have lost or left behind.
For each fragment,
Connect with a quality of yourself,
How you've grown,
Changed or persisted and what you wish to carry forward and act out in your life.
This might be courage or patience,
Maybe compassion or authenticity.
Take as long as you wish and need,
Connecting with each fragment and part of yourself.
When you feel ready to move on,
We will now reintegrate all of the fragments through the art of Kintsugi,
Through your veins of gold.
Join both of your hands,
Connecting the sides of your palms with each other,
Forming a base to provide support for your bone.
Visualize the healing and refining gold powder in your hands and watch as from your hands,
Golden threads begin to emerge,
Weaving through all the fragments,
Binding each of the fragments together in a tapestry of wholeness.
See the golden powder start to rise and float and twirl,
Forming golden threads,
Golden veins that spiral and connect with each of the fragments.
Watch the golden veins as they trace and line and caress the edges and rims of each fragment and feel the separate pieces begin to merge and take shape,
Guided by the shimmering veins of gold.
From countless separate fragments,
See how larger pieces start to emerge and take shape.
Feel the pieces come together bit by bit,
More and more,
Until within your palms,
You see and feel your whole bone lined with veins of gold.
As you visualize this bone,
See clearly its new form,
Shape,
Structure,
Color,
And texture.
Admire and appreciate the veins of gold running throughout your bone and how they shimmer and shine in the light.
Feel how tangible,
Solid,
And complete this imperfect wholeness is in your hands,
A living embodiment of your values and aspirations.
You are welcome to stay as long as you wish here.
If and when you feel ready to conclude this meditation,
Gently and slowly rest both of your hands in your heart,
Allowing this ball to be kept deep within you.
Feeling this imperfect wholeness inside of you.
Anytime you need this reminder,
You are welcome to revisit this meditation and come back to this gesture of your imperfect wholeness.
If your eyes are closed,
Gently and slowly let your eyes blink open.
Thank you for joining me for this Kintsugi Imperfect Wholeness Meditation.
