Chiron + Kintsugi

poster print by Martin Howard via Flickr

With Chiron having just stationed direct in Pisces, the archetype of the wounded healer is quite strong. And with that we may be finding ourselves tapping into the places where we feel wounded, our personal “ouch” spots. As we connect to the cracks in our heart, we may find that emotions and tears flow forth more readily these days.

Yet remember that where we feel wounded and deeply hurt, the place in our heart where we feel there to be fissures from sorrow, may also serve as a reservoir of our gifts. Through that place we know what it’s like to be mortal, and experience ourselves to have shared connection with humanity, interwoven rather than isolated and separate. And while we may not be able to “fix” ourselves, our experience can help us to stand for others, helping them to heal from the support of someone whose direct experience shares a resonance with theirs. Our wound becomes our medicine, a salve for ourselves and for others. This is a gift of Chiron.

When I think of Chiron, I often think of the Japanese art of repairing pottery known as Kintsugi. This art uses precious metals mixed with lacquer to repair cracks in ceramics, with the scars not something that are hidden but something that are extolled, the canvas that allows for greater beauty. It embodies the philosophy that breaks and subsequent repair are part of the essence and history of an object rather than something that should be shrouded or covered up. It has similarities to wabi-sabi in that it embraces the flawed or the imperfect.

Let us now, during this powerful Chiron moment, embrace and celebrate our flaws and imperfections, knowing that they are part of our essence and life history, that they are part of the chords that connect us to others and a well of elixir that we can tap into to be of service to others.

---