One of my favorite artistic traditions comes from Japan and is called Kintsugi, the mending of broken pottery with gold. It reminds me of the deep wounds of the heart that we all have experienced in our lives. Even though we’re unique as individuals in how our paths unfold and how we move through our challenges, all of us still experience wounds of the heart.
A Kintsugi artist, instead of hiding or disguising the past that has caused the break in the pottery, transforms the piece’s damage and history into something beautiful. The piece of pottery glimmers with cracks that are filled with gold, giving the pottery an appearance that is unique to itself, unlike any other piece. A creation of a glorious, new life!
How do we make sure that our deep wounds of the heart don’t cause us to become hard-hearted or without forgiveness or compassion for ourselves and others?
How do we make sure the pain we feel doesn’t lead to feeling ill will toward another? Keeping them at a distance as we struggle with trusting or connecting with others.
In Scivias, St. Hildegard shared about the person we can become “…who is without any blemish of hard-heartedness, ill will, and unfairness.” As this person, your heart is open and flows with love, empathy, and compassion, in and out like your breath.
You accept others and yourself. You forgive easily. You are open to love.
St. Hildegard also spoke about her vision of a person in sapphire blue who’s surrounded by light and warmth. “Imagine a very bright light, and inside it there is a person who is the color of sapphire. This person is completely surrounded by a very pleasant fire of reddish color. The very bright light completely surrounds this fire of reddish color, and at the same time this fire completely surrounds the light. Both the fire and the light surround the person, existing as one light with one force of potentiality.”
We can imagine this bright light and reddish fire coming to infuse the wounded cracks of our heart with warm, healing gold. Our hard-heartedness melts away. We are able to, once again, feel love and compassion for ourselves and open our arms to let it flow to others in the world.
Consider the following in your own life:
- Where have you felt hard-heartedness, ill will, and unfairness toward yourself or another? When did this start and why?
- Picture molten gold that shines with a bright light and warm reddish color. Let your wounds that resulted in your hard-heartedness be filled with the warm, healing reddish-gold light. You are being filled with compassion, love, and understanding.
- Once you are filled with these healing forces, listen inwardly. Where are you called to extend this healing force in the world? Where will it go? What will it do?
Hold these questions in your heart within your meditation or before bed. See what bubbles up to help you to heal the wounds of your heart.
If you would like support to heal the wounds of your heart, I invite you to contact me for a free 30 minute initial consultation.
