Klipot & Armour

A hardening

Jewish religion talks about “klipot” (shells), a sort of hardening that takes place when one sees things that they shouldn’t see. The klipot impairs one’s sensitivity and ability to conduce divine light. It is said that once formed, klipot cannot be removed – but I could be mistaken. This is why religious Jews apply serious censorship to their families: no television or free Internet surfing, definitely not for the children.

An armouring 

Body-centred psychotherapy talks about “armouring” (who coined the term first?). Armouring is hardening around the heart and in the body. It can be removed, but only with the appropriate bodywork.

Facing klipot

I’m doing lots of heart-focused breathing these days. Facing klipot, or armouring, and remembering things that I looked at voluntarily or accidentally that led to hardening in the heart and body; thinking of the things that my parents saw in the war, things that my grandparents saw, when no-one and nothing was there to shelter any of us from seeing the unseeable, and from forming hard crusts.

Finding Light

Those who practice innocence swear by it. The rest of us use touch, breath, movement, voice and attention to undo, at least in part, that which cost us our innocence. The light favours those vessels that are pure; but light also finds its way through the cracks of us, the broken ones.