Hi Everyone,

I wrote this article inspired by a throw-away remark a friend made. I’m not sure this is the best title, but it makes me laugh every time I say it. I thought I would post the article and see what people thought. All comments are welcome.

“How’s Your Wabi-Sabi?”

In Japan, wabi-sabi is the philosophy of embracing that which is flawed and imperfect. While this often was applied to craft, we could easily apply it to ourselves, our life, and those around us. Many modern & ancient philosophers speak about honoring our mortality, our feet of clay, and that all human beings are perfectly imperfect.

Many Japanese art forms welcome wabi-sabi. Ikebana, Japanese flower arranging, deliberately breaks one stem or branch to represent the imperfections of the real world. And they even incorporate the aging process when they design arrangements. They do so, deliberating creating new moments of beauty as the flowers reach their’ natural limits. We can contrast this against Western flower arranging, where everything usually tries to be fresh & perfect, and that which ages are quickly discarded.

In Kintsukuroi, “golden repair”, a pottery style, when a piece of ceramic naturally breaks it is traditionally joined w/ lacquer made from the sap of poison ivy. And the sticky sap is used as a glue to both repair cracks, and to hold fine layers of gold in place to highlight and accentuate the unique flaws. And isn’t it the imperfections we have that make us most interesting, and add depth to who we are?

As you consider the marks that life has left on you, if you are ready for a bit of wabi-sabi, DM me. I’d love to explore with you how hypnosis can help you more fully embrace all the different parts of you, and let your golden highlights shine.