Broken . . . But Beautiful!
Blog, December 26, 2016
Reviewing Our Lives
As we contemplate the Holiday Season and look to a New Year, we often review what we have been through in our lives. Throughout life we face situations where we become, for awhile, broken, crushed, and downtrodden. Many of us have felt like this lately, in light of the state of the world and how it appears and our own personal travails.
Some of us never quite recover from these moments in life. A heart gets broken in an unhappy love affair and you become closed and bitter, never allowing yourself to be vulnerable again to love. Or, you may decide on a revenge lifestyle and become a breaker-of-hearts, love ‘em and leave ‘em–especially before you begin to care again.
Any of us may lose a job and decide we were not worthy of the job, hence that’s why we lost it. Then, we become mired in self-pity and low self esteem. We begin to see ourselves as ‘broken’ individuals.
A New Way
There are others – many – who hit the road bumps and pick themselves up and dust themselves off. They look within and see where they made a choice or turn that didn’t work out the way they planned. They incorporate this self knowledge and go forward to the next life experience with wisdom and a chance to try a new way.
Many people, who see these life experiences as a burnishing of one’s soul, grow and learn to better handle life’s situations. How do we remain open to life and embrace it’s experiences?
Kintsugi
There is a wonderful Japanese technique that incorporates breaks or shatterings of pottery into a beautiful work of art – Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi, “golden joinery”. The flaw or imperfection is used as a highlight, not hidden but illuminating the piece’s uniqueness. Any powdered metal may be used; such as silver, brass, bronze, copper, as well as gold.
So how does this apply to us as we undergo sorrows and hardships? Anger, hurt, fear, sadness are all weighty emotions that often make cracks in our facade, even breaks.
How does Kintsugi apply to our lives? How can we undergo difficulty and come out stronger on the other side?
Being Kind To Ourselves
We have to be kind to ourself. We must have as much love and compassion for our self as we would for a friend. From this viewpoint we begin to mend. When we rise above the heavy emotion to a more objective viewpoint, we create a different ‘take‘ on the situation. We begin to transform the past unhappiness or sorrow into a learning or growth opportunity.
Though this takes a bit of time; by transforming and transcending the emotions of sorrow, sadness and the like into neutrality, expansion and perhaps, even peace, we repair our psyches. We use our mettle to rise through our pain to a new beginning. This is something that many of us do and incorporate into our lives.
Wabi Sabi
There is a Japanese philosophy interwoven with the art of Kintsugi that embraces the beauty in the imperfect–Wabi-Sabi. The importance of the history of the piece or person, where it comes from, what it’s been through and how it’s navigated through life are highlighted, not hidden away. Some call this “re-purposing”: something broken or tossed away is brought back in a different manner. Breaks and cracks add to the character of an item or person.
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in broken places.” — Ernest Hemingway, Farewell to Arms.
If we try and hide breaks in our psyche there is always a trace of the break–a pain, a distrust gnawing at our souls. What if it happens again? What will become of me? How will I survive? A flinching at life, a withdrawing.
Mending Psyche Breaks
If pottery can be beautifully mended we can do the same with our psyche breaks. Investigate your broken psyche, shine the light of love and compassion on self and allow yourself to come out stronger than before. Your breaks are what make you “uniquely you”.
A New Year
As we enter this new year of 2017, let your light shine. Be filled with love and compassion for self and for others. Proudly own your ‘breaks’. Breaks make you more beautiful.
We are ending a “9” year cycle (2+0+1+6 = 9). Hopefully, we have faced the reality of our past with an understanding of how it impacts our present and have decided how we want to create our future.
Hopefully, we’ve repaired our cracks and breaks with the gold of our wisdom. Our reality is made of everything that has ever happened to us . . . everyone we’ve ever met, anything we’ve done and any feelings we’ve had–felt or denied.
We’re entering a “1” year, (2+0+1+7=10 or 1+0 = 1) of new beginnings, initiative and creation. Let’s use our kindness, compassion, love and caring for ourselves and one another to move with clarity into this next 9 year cycle.
Leonard Cohen so aptly said, “There’s a crack in everything . . . that’s how the light gets in.”
Let your light and beauty shine for all to see.
A MESSAGE FROM ARCHANGEL JOPHIEL – DECEMBER 26, 2016
Ask Jophiel
Hello Dear Ones,
I wish to offer my services to you in a new manner as we soon begin a new year. Many of you have asked questions about all the changes Earth and Humankind are undergoing. Rather than continue to respond on an individual basis, I will be happy to respond to your questions in this monthly column.
I will respond to questions that would be of a general interest to all; not questions of a personal nature. You may continue scheduling personal readings for individual guidance, but many of the issues that are asked about can be addressed in a general manner that may be of service to all.
As an example of a general interest question, I will respond here to one asked recently about the recent election.
Dear Archangel Jophiel . . . I found the recent election to be disheartening and an indication that we as a nation and a world are slipping back into more of a patriarchal, authoritarian, exclusive society, rather than an egalitarian, inclusive world. Is there still hope? – S.T., Arizona
Dear S.T . . . It is understandable. At first glance the election may indicate a backwards step, but it is actually one more step in clearing Earth of energies that no longer serve Humankind. The polarities that have surfaced, very clearly I might say, in this recent election give a clear picture of what has been somewhat concealed before in societal actions and institutions. Issues are more outstanding and cleanly defined now, whereas before they could have been perceived as muddled or “not as bad as all that”.
You always have free will and that will always be yours, however sometimes before that free will can be executed regarding an issue, the issue must be clearly delineated. This delineation helps those who were unaware or unconscious of the issues to be much more perceptive and to make clear choices. Everything must come to the surface and be present in the light for all to see. Earth is still in the process of bringing all to the surface.
It is much like Spring cleaning where the home is completely turned upside down and all the furniture is re-arranged, with much sweeping of the corners and dark areas hidden from sight. You are in the midst of the heavy cleaning right now and hope is always there. The hope for a clean sparkling home with plenty of light, no cobwebs or hidden dust piles. The hope for fresh air and beauty to fill the home with joy and love.
Cleaning is difficult work and takes time to be thorough, but the reward is a place one is happy and proud to be in. Hope is always present in the midst of the chaos, the hope that this thorough cleaning will bring the desired results. The house looks incredibly chaotic during the cleaning and all is akimbo, but the eventual result in a home with room for all to feel comfortable in . . . an inclusive home. A home or world that opens it’s doors to all and has room and respect for the individual and the sharing of all.
We in the angelic realm can see a beautiful Earth at the end of this ‘housekeeping’. You all are doing an incredibly thorough and swift cleaning/clearing. Though it may not seem to swift to you, you must remember, there are eons of negative energies or dirt and dust to clean out and you are moving more rapidly than thought possible.
I trust this response gives you some insight into the type of questions you send in. Please address your questions to Ask Jophiel. I will respond to the chosen questions with due diligence in future columns.
Blessings Dear Ones,
Archangel Jophiel