We have been exploring our understanding of spirituality, using the concept of Kintsugi. We have listened to the Kintsugi story of the Emperor and his son, where a precious bowl was broken but became even more special once it has been repaired with gold from the son’s crown.
Kintsugi is a Japanese word meaning ‘golden joiner’. Artists use golden glue to repair broken pottery bringing unexpected beauty. Sometimes in life, things happen that make us feel cracked or changed. Just like the golden glue in the story, spirituality can be seen as the gold with which we fill the gaps that may be caused by these ‘wow’, ‘ows’ and ‘nows’ moments.
- The ‘wows’ are the awe and wonder moments. The times when you want to breathe in and capture the feeling, holding onto it as long as you can. The ideas suggested by the children include holidays, exciting trips and visits, a stargazing. We think there are lots of wow moments at school.
- The ‘ows’ are the blows life can bring, that may cause us to feel sad or in pain.
- The ‘nows’ are the everyday ordinary times. They are the times when we are able to be present in the moment, being open and aware of everything going on around us. In school we use ‘SpaceMakers’ to take time to pause.
In these still times (now), great times (wow) and hard times (ow), there is a chance we may feel like we crack open a little- open to new possibilities. These moments are spiritual moments, when we may feel closer to ourselves, others, nature, or for some people, God. The children are enjoying our thought-provoking discussions.