Ceremonial Tea, Remembrance, Release, and Resurrection
Ceremonial Tea, Remembrance, Release, and Resurrection
Each tea ceremony combines elements of ritual, herbal seminar, meditation, and community Dialogue. Although our tea master often provides a dialogue to focus on, more often than not this peace is guided by the participants. Each one in our circle is like an individual herb in the tea formula prepared for us to enjoy. Bringing their own unique character, personality, and medicine. Therefore being in community together creates a complex medicine rich, and potent for us all to enjoy.
The power of resurrection is exemplified by the season of spring, bringing forth a renewal of time and space after winter's icy face. However, the death of winter is really only a clever facade, as all though there is death of a variety of forms, there are many life forms that live on in a hibernated state.
The continued growth of each plant is dependent on its ability to release. The same can be said with us, like a snake shedding their skin just for them to replace it quickly. Even larger and more flawless than before.
Resurrection then involves the laying of something to rest, in order to give something else new life. We can think of this as qualities, activities, or habits that stand in the way of our greatest vision of ourselves.
Death is other times a need to rest, not only in the sense of rejuvenation from general exhaustion. But also serves as a time to process, and digest life's wisdom. I have found that in times of transition deep rest is often vital to the overall integration of new gifts.
Likewise sickness is not always a result of some failure within, but oftentimes is a message from our own organic intelligence that it is time to be easy or slow down. Even in the word depression we can hear words, deep and rest. However because we may not acknowledge it, our subconscious forces it instead.
For this reason it is helpful to simulate illness. Self care including nourishment, sleep, and deep breathing are fantastic medicines for overcoming illness, and should be employed every so often even without sickness as the stimulant. By simulating our own death and resurrection we may be able to avoid the forced shutdowns, in essence providing what the body needs before we are desperate.
Here we see the age old maxim playing out.
Why does a vampire sleep in a coffin? to hide from death. Therefore it is through surrender to the energy of death that like the cottonwood and bats and bears in the winter, we live on into the summer.
Within our tea ceremonies is always a glass for those who have passed, and those otherwise who can only attend in spirit. We take a reverent moment to invite in, channel, and hold space for the beings who walk in the fringe. To speak a name is to remember, and remembering is the medicine. As the sanskrit word avidya means forgetting and is thought to be the source of all illness. As truly by remembering ourselves, and therefore all that we are connected to, is a deeper healing wisdom.
Although we call it a tea ceremony or tea circle, I can best describe what we do as a multidimensional medicine retreat. As the overlapping layers of different forms of tacit medicinal practices creates a unique restorative practice. I wish I could say this diverse experience was my invention, but in fact this spiritual elevator that crosses through realms of spirit, matter, and minds has existed as long as family dinners. And will exist as long as there are herbs to fill our tea pots.
