"The first cup moistens my lips and throat;
The second cup breaks my loneliness;
The third cup searches my barren entrail but to find therein some thousand volumes of odd ideographs;
The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration-all the wrongs of life pass out through my pores;
At the fifth cup I am purified;
The sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals.
The seventh cup-ah, but I could take no more! I only feel the breath of the cool wind that raises in my sleeves.
Where is Elysium? Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither."
Lu Tung (Chinese poet during T'ang Dynasty) "Tea-Drinking"
"I long for Americans to be converted to simpler lives, simpler structures, and preservation of open space. But how do deep, radical conversions come about? Not because some righteous neighbor scolds about herbicide, but because one feels the relentless gnawing of one's own soul. Because one is spoken to by a little house or a great blue heron, or by the offhand remark of a happy person at peace with herself.
Some deep bell in the self reverberates to a bell struck outside. Anyone who comes to any level of ecological understanding has done so after a long internal process."
The Barn at the End of the World:
The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd
By Mary Rose O'Reilley
"In religion the Future is behind us. In art the Present is the eternal. The tea-master held that real appreciation of art is only possible to those who make of it a living influence. Thus they sought to regulate their daily life by the high standard of refinement which was obtained in the tea-room. In all circumstances serenity of mind should be maintained, and conversation should be so conducted as never to mar the harmony of the surroundings. The cut and color of the dress, the poise of the body, and the manner of walking could all be made expressions of artistic personality. These were matters not to be lightly ignored, for until one has made himself beautiful he has no right to approach beauty. Thus the tea master strove to be something more than the artist -- art itself. It was the Zen of aestheticism. Perfection is everywhere if we only choose to recognise it."
Kakuzo Okakura, The Book Of Tea
"Let us imagine a family table. Some of the people sitting at the table are blood relatives and some are family by choice. After all, what do we mean by family? We mean people who are deeply and lovingly connected to one another (for better and worse), people we can count on. In a pinch I can call my sister. I can also call on one of my close old pals who is related to me by bonds, and bonds can be every bit as strong as blood, just as blood can be much less consequential than a bond."
Laurie Colwin, More Home Cooking
"I believe we were all put here to discover our own truths and honor them to the fullest. I don't believe that man went through eons of evolutions to become lemmings or sheep. Each and every one of us has a unique spirit that is begging to be nurtured. Maybe nurturing that spirit would truly evolve our species."
Dan Price
Radical Simplicity: Creating an Authentic Life
"There is time for everything."
Thomas Edison
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"What is the most wonderful thing for people like myself who follow the Way of Tea? My answer: the oneness of host and guest created through 'meeting heart to heart' and sharing a bowl of tea...you feel one with nature, and there is peace... "
Soshitsu Sen XV, Tea Life, Tea Mind
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It is an utter delight!
"I am sorry to tell you that I am getting very extravagant & spending all my Money; & what is worse for you, I have been spending yours too."
~ On Tea & Shopping
Letter from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra,
18 April 1811
from Tea With Jane Austen by Kim Wilson
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"Another fine thing for the soul,
after a meal in the evening, is
one of those herbals teas which
French people used to call
tisanes.
They are simply hot water poured
over a few dried leaves of mint
or verbena or lime flowers or
camomile. They can be drunk
with or without sugar, and a
twist of lemon may be added.
They smooth out wrinkles in
your mind miraculously, and
make you sleep, with sweet
dreams too."
M.F.K Fisher
"How To Comfort Sorrow"
"Like Japanese art and poetry, the Tea Ceremony is delicate and lovely. While it appears fragile and simple, it is strongly symbolic and profound. In Japan devotees spend a lifetime in the study of Teaism with its manifold implications in religion and philosophy, in art and architecture, flowers, nature and personal deportment. Those proficient in the art and serving ceremonial tea are equal to whatever adventures and misadventures life may bring, as Teaism develops insight into Nature and Man."
The Japanese Tea Ceremony
Julia V. Nakamura, 1965
"Imagine you were given the assignment of making a rather bland, nearly ripe, just picked apricot as assertive and flavorful as it could possibly be. If you cut the apricot in pieces, set it out in the sun to blacken, bring it inside and spray it with a fine mist of water, and repeat this procedure, then cut it up in smaller pieces, mash them, sliver them, and twist and roll them, and finally squish and pack them, you would produce some version of a dried apricot that has a lot more flavor than a fresh one. This, in the broadest of terms, is what turns a green tea leaf into a black tea.
"When freshly boiling water pours over these twisted, rolled-up leaves, all that stored up flavor is released. The swirling and writhing of the leaves mark the moment when this happens. This moment is called the agony of the leaves. The plantation owners and workers, packers, buyers, shippers, and tea people the world over wait for this crucial moment when tea comes back to life."
Helen Gustafson, The Agony Of The Leaves
The Cup Of Humanity From
THE BOOK OF TEA,
by Kakuzo Okakura
"Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. In China, in the eighth century, It entered the realm of poetry as one of the polite amusements. The fifteenth century saw Japan ennoble it into a religion of aestheticism -- teaism. Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of social order. It is essentially the worship of the imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life."
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All contents copyright 2006
Maitri Libellule
... since January 1, 2006
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Friday, October 06, 2006
AS SUMMER MOVES INTO AUTUMN, THE LAST OF THE SUMMER MOON TEA ~ MOON TIMES ~ FULL MOONS...
A Deeply Flavorful Tea When I Am Sorely In Need of Replenishment, Renewal, Release: Summer Moon Tea, Flavored Black Tea ...
"Late nights, warm breezes, fresh flowers growing in your garden. Something different is awaiting you. Opposites attract and we offer you this limited edition summer tea. Ripe juicy papaya, magnificent sweet mango. Combined with a surprise finish that will leave you wondering while gazing up at the summer moon. Delicious hot or iced! A tempting and necessary treat day or night! This is another in our summer 2006 Limited Edition Teas. There are VERY limited quantities available of this special blend. Be sure to get yours today." From SBS Teas.
"Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody"
Mark Twain
This tea is so good that as soon as I tasted it I went, instead of straight to update this blog, to place my monthly tea order with SBS Teas and ordered a pound of it. It is a limited supply tea and there is still some left but I shall be revelling in it for many months to come...
And how very true was Twain in his statement. We each of us have all of the elements of the earth inside of our bodies ~ bones, salt water, more... ~ and we will, upon occasion, come upon those dark times, and perhaps it is not that we try not to show them to anyone, but perhaps these are the times that we go underground. I know I do. And this is a very deep time for me.
I am coming into my Moon Time, and it is the final phase of what will be the monthly moontimes at all for me. I am perimenopausal, and I find that I go deep within myself at these times, even more so than the powerful inward pull of the regular month's cycles I have had all of my life. My periods were always long and hard, and now that I am approaching menopause they are not easy but they are different, and I go far deeper inside myself when this time arrives. I enter the dark side of the moon for comfort. I become very quiet. I commune with no one. I read and write and draw and paint and knit and do other fiber work, but I am very, very quiet while doing it. Tides and time are changing inside of my body, and even more in my life, as time passes, and Cronehood approaches, and I am ready to take on the mantle of the Crone. This requires much preparation.
Today I was very, very quiet. I sat down to answer e-mail and couldn't look at it. I deleted all the junk mail, saved that which needed to be saved, anwered a rare few, and then did my work, some little here on the computer, and I spent most of the day drawing and sketching and painting and reading in my big comfort chair ~ oversized, worn, and full of pillows. I didn't want to speak to anyone, communion with my animals was enough, and even they sensed the change and were quieter than usual. It's a funny thing how as the full moon approaches, all of Nature's creatures feel the shift.
There is a deeper shift happening inside of me than I have ever known, and with each moontime, I go deeper and become one with all the women that have come before me. This tea empowers me. All the women who came before me reach back to take my hand as I reach back to take the hand of the woman behind me. We are an unbroken circle. Perhaps this whole book and my entire life are about a woman learning how to come into her own power and then pass it on to heal and help others.
Tonight I found the most profoundly beautiful website as I was doing the research for this piece. It is Native American and the site is The Walkan Circle, "Indian Women" ...
"The honor of the people lies in the moccasin tracks of the woman.
Walk the good road....
Be dutiful, respectful, gentle and modest my daughter...
Be strong with the warm, strong heart of the earth.
No people goes down until their women are weak and dishonored, or dead upon the ground.
Be strong and sing the strength of the Great Powers within you, all around you."
WARRIORWOMAN HAS FULLY AWAKENED
This woman has been kind, gentle, and has such love.
All of this has been given with the blessing of the Great Spirit above.
But Great Spirit gave her something else and she didn't know it,
The Great Spirit gave her the blessing of being a Warriorwoman as
Now her light is lit! This Warriorwoman has come fully alive today,
She is no longer anyone's slave or prey.
She is taking back her life today,
And those who know who she truly is, can stay.
No longer will she live the lives of others,
She will give back the blame and responsibilities of others where
It belongs, For she also has the Bear and Wolf inside her,
Which is now so very powerful and uniquely strong.
The Warriorwoman now knows what road she must follow,
For others it will be too hard to swallow.
Her life was taken from her unknowingly many years ago,
And this Warriorwoman is taking back her life before the next winds
Blow. Oh Sister Moon you give me the strength,
As a Warriorwoman to conquer what's on my path,
High above and way beneath,
And the much needed strength to take on the wrath.
This Warriorwoman is fully awakened and is taking a stand,
Taking the problems by the horns with my hand,
I will conquer that is all there,
All and who comes as they dare. Warriorwoman has fully awakened,
And many will see that they have mistaken,
Of robbing her of her life, they as a thief,
Warriorwoman will conquer! And have no grief!
This warriorwoman will protect her people, her son, and those who
Need her. If anyone hurts them, look out!
They will hear a GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRR,
As they run and shout!
This Warriorwoman is taking back her life,
Taking back the respect that was taken from her throughout the years
Ever so slow. This Warriorwoman is removing pain and hurt from within the heart
Caused by the knife,
From all those who are both family and foe.
I am claiming what's mine, and my dignity, From those who live in this society of vanity.
I am claiming back in full my heritage,
And as a Warriorwoman I am going to clean up many years of carnage.
For now standing in front of you,
You see this Warriorwoman, you see me.
Someone special has taught me to be free. From this day forward for me, no more slavery.
Gentleness, kindness, and love is part of me, and so is my dignity.
This in NOT WEAKNESS, as other believe,
But this strength is within me and you.
I will listen to the Spirits and grow,
I will travel in the whispering winds as they blow.
All the work I now do will be for Our People and all nations,
I will protect and guide the future generations. Now it is time for me to travel on my new path,
As a Warriorwoman conquering all wrath.
If you ever see me and want to meet me,
Please come, and I will also teach and share with you how to be Free.
And so I sit here in awe, barely knowing what to say or how to follow those deep, deep words. I believe it best that I sit with my tea and go back to wordless pursuits. Drawing and painting, thinking and dreaming, not running from my body but feeling it, as we feel the Earth's changes we feel the changes inside of our bodies as well. A deep empowerment is entering my body and with it comes tremendous responsibility...
"Oh Sister Moon you give me the strength,
As a Warriorwoman to conquer what's on my path,
High above and way beneath,
And the much needed strength to take on the wrath.
This Warriorwoman is fully awakened and is taking a stand,
Taking the problems by the horns with my hand..."
This Summer Moon tea will help me remember, will help me ride the tides of this Moontime inside of my body, and flowing out around me into the world. Past menopause and into Cronehood we surely do become Warrior Women, and I feel the spirit growing strong within me everyday.
Ride the Moon. Bodysurf the tidal waves. Drink your tea.
Maitri
Posted at 11:36 pm by maitri
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