Tea for the Muse and Me

Sometimes when I'm drinking tea alone, I will pour a second cup and invite someone special to join me in spirit. This time, I invited my muse. She appreciates flowers and beauty and quiet. She's helping me plan a writing workshop for the spring equinox.

Making Space

Photo by Ana Martinez

“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?” 

~ Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Hello, fellow tea lovers - Wow, my blogging has slowed dramatically!  There are a number of reasons, but one is that I am making space for some new things in my life. My tea studies in Chado continue to grow and delight me, and I have recently begun a journey of facilitating writing workshops. Tea and writing are such good friends!

I will continue to blog, though less frequently.  I love hearing from you and appreciate your participation in this conversation about tea and life around it. Thank you!

Light and Shadow

Present Light

~Charles Ghinga

If I could

hold light

in my hand

I would

give it

to you

and watch it

become

your shadow.

I've been thinking a lot about light and shadow, how they support and usurp one another, constantly sharing and shifting. Light that warms us, feeds us, burns us, blinds us, that we both seek and hide from. Shadow that cools us, invites us, hides us, scares us, that we both seek and hide from. I'm trying to be intentional about their roles in my life and writing, labeling neither good nor bad. Just like the sun and moon each have a role to play, so do light and shadow, no matter how literal or metaphorical we get.

Poem Hunting

I'm poem hunting these days. Finding, tagging, cataloging poems that say just the right thing for just the right time. It's harder than you might imagine, and I love it. It's part of a new project I'm developing. No, not really. The truth is that it's part of a birthing process, to myself and to a new being in my life. Not literally, but I am in the final days before the big push to bring about something special, at least to me. It will be small and manageable, and with the hope of BIG GOODNESS for the people that feel called to join me. More to come on that, but for now, one of those poems:

Love Calls Us to the Things of This World
~Richard Wilbur

The eyes open to a cry of pulleys,

And spirited from sleep, the astounded soul   

Hangs for a moment bodiless and simple   

As false dawn.

                     Outside the open window   

The morning air is all awash with angels.

    Some are in bed-sheets, some are in blouses,   

Some are in smocks: but truly there they are.   

Now they are rising together in calm swells   

Of halcyon feeling, filling whatever they wear   

With the deep joy of their impersonal breathing;

    Now they are flying in place, conveying

The terrible speed of their omnipresence, moving   

And staying like white water; and now of a sudden   

They swoon down into so rapt a quiet

That nobody seems to be there.

                                             The soul shrinks

    From all that it is about to remember,

From the punctual of every blessed day,

And cries,

               “Oh, let there be nothing on earth but laundry,   

Nothing but rosy hands in the rising steam

And clear dances done in the sight of heaven.”

    Yet, as the sun acknowledges

With a warm look the world’s hunks and colors,   

The soul descends once more in bitter love   

To accept the waking body, saying now

In a changed voice as the man yawns and rises,   

    “Bring them down from their ruddy gallows;

Let there be clean linen for the backs of thieves;   

Let lovers go fresh and sweet to be undone,   

And the heaviest nuns walk in a pure floating   

Of dark habits,

                      keeping their difficult balance.”

Vintage Linen Inspiration

A friend recently sent me this gift of vintage linens.  Pure delight! They inspire me to make everyday things beautiful. I want to know more of the woman behind these articles. Who is/was she that so artfully and skillfully embroidered this cloth? 

Did she enjoy tea? How old is/was she? What's her name and where did she live? 

These linens bring to mind my own grandmother's hands. I am fortunate to have some pieces made by her, including an embroidered bed quilt. I remember learning to embroider with Grandma as my guide. I am a little nostalgic and sad that I didn't keep up that skill. 

Look at the great detail and lovely color selection of this flower basket. Who taught this woman her handicraft? Did she teach others? 

Did she work alone or with sisters or friends? I may never know the answers, but I take a moment to send my gratitude and respect to the woman whose mind, heart and hands so carefully worked these into beauty.

Writing Retreat

Opening the gate to new possibilities...

I've been away at a writing retreat. I'm learning to facilitate writing circles following the Women Writing for (a) Change principles and practices. I love it! I spent last week with 12 kindred spirits, nestled in a beautiful retreat center in Cincinnati, OH. We wrote of our experiences of being women in this world. We practiced deep listening and responding to one another's writing in safe and nurturing ways.  This style of writing in community is about honoring the path of each voice in the circle. The intention is to encourage and lift up each person's words. The experience is not at all like a critique-based workshop. 

The local hosts were so thoughtful! They prepared our rooms with flowers and candles. I added some tea things and had a very peaceful writing corner. 

Hours spent writing and listening are a gift, and I learned that I also needed to get out of my head and into my body each afternoon. I went for walks and runs. The surrounding community is full of historic homes and inviting benches.  

I am still discerning where this path will take me and am very excited to be on this journey! (I still have my day job, too.) I know this path will include heart, bravery, the help of others, and tea!

Days in the Desert

I haven't blogged for a week as I've been in the desert, nourishing my soul. I spent time there with women from this amazing community:  Women Writing for (a) Change, Bloomington.

 In fact, we've been basking in the sun in Georgia O'Keeffe's desert at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM.  In the photo above, the flat topped mesa toward the right is called Pedernal, but it's also known as Georgia's Mountain because she painted it regularly and her ashes were scattered there.

Time to write, time to hike and time to go horseback riding.  Life is good!  Socks was my trusty steed.

On the last day, three women and I set out on a sunrise hike to Chimney Rock.  It may sound like a cliché, but it truly was a spiritual experience hiking with the sun, greeting the moon and climbing to the top where we whooped with joy and then offered our gratitude and prayers.  

Joy in the beginning

Joy throughout 

Joy in the end

Tea and Truth: Sipping and Writing

Yesterday was a special day for me!  After a year of thinking about it, I hosted a small writing group.  It's something I've wanted to do since being in China.  I'm grateful to the participants who bravely shared their writing and gently offered feedback about where this idea could grow/go.  (To see a few Tea and Truth writing prompts, go here.)

I enjoyed playing the hostess.  I put together gift bags for the writers (above), with a few chocolates and tea, and envelopes that I've recycled from old calendars. 

We began the workshop with introductions over tea.

I chose an aged oolong tea because I wanted a tea with a lot of depth (a metaphor for these women and our writing).  I had hoped that the tea experience would be a nice way to settle into the group, and I think it worked well.  This time helped us form community and provided a comfortable starting place for me.

We enjoyed a few nibbles, including these almonds, dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in matcha.  I'm showing them just because they're pretty.  "-)

I owe much to the Women Writing for (a) Change group in Bloomington, IN.  In that writing circle, I fell in love with writing in community and learned how to take writing risks and trust in myself.  I also learned to trust my writing in the ears and hands of others.  This stone heart (found on an OR beach) represents trust and gratitude.  Yesterday we passed the stone as we shared our writing.

We wrote and shared, each following her own thread.  I am humbly reminded how quickly time passes when one is in the "flow" - that dimension of time that can't be explained.  When the clock made it round to our final 30 minutes, we celebrated with glasses of sparkling tea and a discussion of the day.

Now I'm rich with good feelings.  I'm sorting through the ideas and thinking about where I want to take this.

2013 Tea Calendar from an Adventuring Woman

I'm so proud of my friend Lindsey!  She's spent the last year traveling around Asia to study at tea farms.  She's an intrepid soul, and a creative and generous one too.  I miss her, but I'm thrilled to read of her adventures.  She has just released her 2013 tea calendar.  I've already purchased a copy!  You can find it at the online store here.

 

My tea article in Sparrow Magazine

I'm excited to announce that I've had an article published in the online magazine, Sparrow.  Below are the first few lines.  You can read the full article here.  Enjoy!

My tea ritual
My fantasy tea ritual begins with a sun that always shines before I rise, involves time spent in meditation, and finishes with a perfectly laid breakfast table. That just isn’t possible for me. Instead, I raise my teacup to the idea of an honest tea ritual, one that is doable within the complexities of our lives.

Here’s my real-life tea ritual, involving the first few minutes of my workday...read the rest of this article at Sparrow Magazine! 

Introducing: Dainty Dining

Dainty Dining: Vintage recipes, memories and memorabilia from America's department store tea rooms

I am incredibly excited to share with you a new book, released by a long-time blogging friend, Angela McRae of Tea with Friends!  I'm so pleased to be a part of the book release blog tour.

Angela sweetly sent me a copy of the book, and I devoured it in one sitting!  It's a fun way to learn about our country's history in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  You'll read inspiring life stories and hear echoes from a time when ladies put on gloves to go shopping, and then to tea!  You'll see historical photos of what the stores and tea rooms looked like in their day.  You'll be tempted by delicious recipes from the luncheon and tea menus.  For example, find instructions to make Seafood Newburg, Chicken a la King, and many types of pie (chicken, rum, strawberry, and on!).

Dainty Dining chronicles the stories of these beloved department store tea rooms, how they came to be, their owners, unique atmospheres, and specialty recipes. 

Sadly, by the time I was born, the glory days were gone for department store tea rooms.  I have been lucky enough to take tea at the Rotunda at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco.  (This is a salvaged portion of the original beaux-arts building, The City of Paris Dry Goods.) I also visited the reproduction L.S. Ayres Tea Room at the Indiana State Museum.  Now, with Dainty Dining in my hands and a cup of tea at my side, I fill my head with visions of a time gone by.

Do you have stories about department store tea rooms?  I'd love to hear them!

More info:

• The Dainty Dining blog, with purchase information
• Find recipes from the book at this newspaper article

Meeting Pearl

Steph and Pearl Dexter, Editor and Publisher of TEA A Magazine

Photo by Lauren Hall-Stigerts

I remember my first year of subscribing to TEA A Magazine.  When the current edition would arrive in the mail, I would read just the cover and inside page, then put the magazine away.  I would do the same for each article, reading one at a time and saving the others for later.  In this fashion, I could extend my reading pleasure for as long as possible.  That was over 10 years ago, and I must confess, my practice today is much the same.  I enjoy this magazine and I don't want to be rushed when I read it.

I had the opportunity to meet the editor and publisher, Pearl Dexter, at the NW Tea Festival in October.  What a special thing for me!  Pearl and I had a long conversation about the pros and cons of publishing magazines online. 

I've recently become an online subscriber to TEA A Magazine (and given up several other magazine subscriptions), an effort to align my values of living gently on the earth with my consumption habits.  Please don't misunderstand.  I miss the glossy pages and colorful images.  I miss receiving the magazine in the mail.  Yet the bigger picture swayed me, and I have been quite pleased with the online version.  The images are equally as colorful and I can review the magazine on my laptop even when I'm not connected to the Internet.  My archives become electronic, saving precious shelf space since we've downsized.  It's a winning proposition for me.

As for meeting Pearl, I was impressed at how she took the time to converse with me, at length, about my experiences with the online version and agreed enthusiastically to be in the photo (and on the blog).  I'd also like to give special thanks to Lauren Hall-Stigerts, who happened to wander near and snapped the photo for us.

Do you subscribe to any online magazines?  I'd like to hear about your experiences.  Alternately, if you subscribe to TEA A Magazine, tell us what you love about it.

Tea and Truth: A Teacup Overflowing (and Giveaway!)

Like many of you, I'm anticipating a Thanksgiving Day that will provide me a full belly and a full heart. Though far from my family, we are grateful to be sharing this special day with good friends who welcome us into their home as they do their own family.  My teacup overflows with good things, and I am thankful. 

Is your teacup overflowing, and if so, with what?  This writing prompt is an especially meaningful one for me, as I've been working to incorporate a practice of gratitude into my life.

Preparing: I invite you to carve out time over the next week, before or after the busyness of the holiday, to sit, sip and write.  Gather your materials and make a cup or mug of fragrant tea.  If you've got some pu-erh on hand, now is a great time to sip it as pu-erh has long been used as a digestive aid, but please drink whatever you find pleasing.

Sipping: Feel the warmth of the cup in your hand.  Close your eyes and inhale the aroma. 


Writing:  Take a few moments to let images come to you...what in your life is overflowing?

• Is it joyful? Is it sadness?
• Is it full of longing or is it full of release?
• Is it a material thing? Is it a hope or a memory?
• Don't worry about writing sentences.  Write down the images as they come to you. 
• Or maybe it's a sound, a fragment of a sentence, an aroma - whatever it is, jot it down.
• Don't limit yourself to one item. If you're a list maker, this is a great time to use that technique.
• Let the hand and body be connected, and write what presents itself.
• Date this and tuck it away.  You may enjoy reviewing this piece throughout the year, or even next Thanksgiving.

All my best wishes to you on this Thanksgiving holiday.  Thank you for participating in this blogging series!  And check back tomorrow - we'll have a light-hearted look at a way to serve your Thanksgiving meal!


Prizes: Leave a comment in this post, telling me something that is overflowing in your life or tell me what you think about this writing prompt.  I'll draw a winner next Wednesday.  On that note, congratulations to Snap who won last week's drawing!  Give me a few days and I'll have your prize in the mail!

Tea and Truth: Falling in Love with Tea (and Giveaway)

Congratulations to Angela winner of the giveaway from last week's writing prompt!  And thank you to everyone who left comments, I read each and every word.

Writing Theme for Week #3: Falling in Love with Tea

This week, let's reflect upon our relationship with tea.  Did you fall in love over time, slowly with each sip, or was it love at first site? 


Preparing: Gather a pen and paper, or your computer. Put on some music that fits your mood.  Make a cup of your favorite tea...you know, the one that captured your attention or sent you over the moon  (for me, it was Bai Hao Oolong).


Sipping: Slowly sip the tea.  Inhale its aroma.  Let the memories swirl up and into your mind and heart.


Writing: Try out these writing prompts, or go with what moves you...

• Think about a moment in time in which you had a deep and abiding appreciation of tea.  Describe the setting with details...
• How old were you?  What was happening in your life at the time?
• What were you wearing, do you recall?  If not, take a guess and embellish with details.
• Where were you sipping?  Describe the setting - color of walls (if inside), the chair, the temperature, the quality of light, the sounds.
• Who was with you?  Were you sipping alone or with company?
• What tea were you drinking?  Do you recall its flavor or scent?
• What did the china look like?  A favorite mug, a delicate cup and saucer, a celadon gaiwan?  Describe the pattern, the feel of the vessel.
• Now let's write about why we fell in love with tea.
• For many of us, it was the experience of afternoon tea with its beautiful china, delicate foods, delicious tea, and companionship.  Was this "it" for you?  Tell me this story. 
• Was it tea alone, in a quiet moment of contemplation? 
• Was it the caffeine combined with the calming?
• Was it the exploration of tea's diversity, flavor, character, aroma, etc.?
• Write about WHAT it is with tea that captures your heart. 
• Note:  For me, this is an evolving story.  I can't pick just one instance, and so I tell the story in different ways each time it's asked.  Pick one story and go long, or write snippets of several - whatever works for you!

Prizes: Leave a comment in this post, telling me what you you think about this writing prompt OR share a snippet of writing. We're all winners by reading your comments. I'll announce the winner, chosen randomly, next week. Happy writing!
*Image in this post is from Microsoft Online Images.

Tea and Truth: Tea Alone, Tea Together (and Giveaway)

Kudos to all the people who participated in the writing experiment last week.  I've been filled with joy reading your responses.  THANK you!  The winner of last week's prize is Rosemary!  She will be receiving some special tea I brought back from Darjeeling, along with additional writing prompts!

Writing Theme for Week #2:  Tea Alone and Tea Together

This week, I'm inviting you to think about tea on two levels... taking tea alone and with others.  To start our exploration, here are two quotes from Sen Soshitsu - Grand Master XIV, Urasenke School of Tea.

On Drinking Tea Alone...
"In my own hands I hold a bowl of tea; I see all of nature represented in its green color. Closing my eyes I find green mountains and pure water within my own heart. Silently sitting alone and drinking tea, I feel these become part of me."

On Drinking Tea With Friends...
"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."

Now let's write!

Preparing:  Gather a pen and paper, or your computer.  Find yourself a comfortable place to write.  Once your implements are settled, make yourself a cup of good tea.  (Go out and buy some loose tea if you need to.)

Sipping:  Pour yourself a cup, and mull over these two quotes.

Writing:  My idea this week is to adopt the forms form these two quotes, they're so beautifully written.  I enjoy practicing the forms of the best writing I can find.  Try out these forms or venture on your own.  Enjoy!

• Tea Alone: Start with this phrase and finish the lines, "In my own hands I hold a bowl of tea."
• I see....
• Closing my eyes, I find...
• Silently siting alone and drinking tea, I feel...
• What other details would you like to add? 
• What other experiences does this bring to mind?
• Tea Together: "What is the most wonderful thing for people like myself who follow the Way of Tea?
• My answer:...

Prizes:  Leave a comment in this post, telling me what you you think about this writing prompt OR share one of your lines.  We're all winners by reading your comments.  I'll announce the winner, chosen randomly, next week.  Happy writing!

*Images in this post are from Microsoft Online Images.

Tea and Truth: A Month of Writing Prompts (and Giveaway)

This new blog series is a promise I'm keeping to myself.  A gift from my China trip was the connection of disparate ideas into a unified vision, related to tea and writing.  It was an Ah-ha moment to say the least, a moment of epiphany to be more precise.  I realized that I could shape these two passions into a cohesive package, one of value to myself - and my hope is to others, as well.

And so, with this first step, I begin...

Please join me in Tea and TruthTM. This is your invitation to join me each Wednesday this month, to sip tea and write.  To reflect, review, rewrite, respond, rejoice and renew.  Each Wednesday I will post a new writing prompt.  I welcome your company in these journaling opportunities.  (Plus Giveaways, Giveaways!)  What you write can be for you only, or to share - it's up to you.  (Prizes, prizes!)  It can be a one-time quick writing session never to be returned to, a journal entry, a poem, a memory on paper, a letter, a piece you work on over time, a page or two, a paragraph, a sentence or a word.  Just write, and allow tea to be the nectar of your muse.

And there will be prizes in the form of giveaways!  I hope you play along!

Writing Theme for Week #1:  Tea for Two

I'm inspired this week by Day of the Dead remembrances.  I vividly recall, from my New Mexico days, the gifts and merriment in the graveyards.  Initially, this was a foreign idea to me but as I learned more, I began to see the joy and respect involved. 

Preparing:  Gather a pen and paper, or your computer.  Find yourself a comfortable place to write.  Once your implements are settled, make yourself a cup of good tea.  (Go out and buy some loose tea if you need to.)  Bring out your favorite pair of mugs or two cups and saucers, because you're going to have a guest today as you write.

Sipping:  Pour yourself a cup, and pour one for your guest.  Sip slowly and think about this:  Who has gone before me that I want to invite to tea today?  Hold this person in your mind as you begin to write.

Writing:  Let this be a free-form writing activity.  Don't stop to edit or review.  Just let the pen flow and turn off the critical voice.  This is about truth, and the best way to get there, in my opinion, is to get out of my own way.  The following thought starters may be useful for you to get the pen moving, but go with whatever works!  Stick with today's theme, or go off on your own. What matters is that you keep writing.  Try it for 5 minutes at least, 10 if you can!  Go...

• Who have I invited to tea today?
• Why did I choose this person?
• Now go deeper - why else did I choose this person?
• Have a conversation over tea...go ahead, respond for him or her.  It's OK, it's YOUR writing!  You are safe and in control.
• Now the tea is growing cold (and you've finished yours)...how do you end this conversation in a way that leaves you feeling good?

Thank you. 

Prizes, prizes!  Leave a comment in this post, telling me what you like (or don't) about this writing prompt.  I'll pick a winner each week for a to-be-determined fabulous prize involving tea and writing.  If you mention this on Facebook or your blog, tell me about it in the comments, too, and you'll get a second entry.  (If it doesn't auto-link to a blog with contact info, be sure to leave me a way to reach you.)

Notes: 

• These writing prompts are meant to be starting points for you to explore writing and tea.  They are by no means a method of therapy, tho we all know that good tea and writing can be therapeutic.
• A shout-out to my writing friends at Women Writing for (a) Change, Bloomington.  I think of you regularly.

James Norwood Pratt: A Call to Action

Steph and James Norwood Pratt

Norwood has a new book - the Ultimate Tea Lover's Treasury.  We both have stories in the Tea Reader.

I had the chance to hear James Norwood Pratt speak twice in the past week, and I am the better for it.  I heard him first at the Northwest Tea Fest in Seattle.  Yesterday, he spoke at the Chinese Garden in Portland as part of the Tao of Tea's month-long Essence of Tea celebration. 

Listening to Norwood speak was delicious.  He regaled us with stories of tea's history, transitioning smoothly to the present by calling us to become tea ambassadors.  "Each one of us needs to reach one of them [non-tea drinkers]."  I agree with Norwood and found myself inspired!  Tea offers so many cures for today's social ills of being over-sugared and over-busy. I find myself contemplating how I can further share this message with my community and be of service. 

Veerinder Chawla, founder of the Tao of Tea, introduces Norwood

Norwood signed his book, "To my colleague Stephanie."  It's a small thing, but hugely meaningful to me because of this man's large influence in the American tea industry.  To be called a colleague is gracious, inviting, inclusive.  It motivates me to do my part.   

James Norwood Pratt inviting us to become tea ambassadors



Exciting News: Tea Reader

Two authors:  Virginia "Cinnabar" Wright and me, holding the newly-released book

This just in from the NW Tea Fest!  The book A Tea Reader:  Living Life One Cup at a Time is out!  The official release date is Oct 10, so I just about jumped to the roof when I saw a copy at the Phoenix Tea booth here at the NW Tea Fest!  I am so honored to have a story in this collection.  The compiler and editor is Katrina Avila Munichiello, and my heartfelt thanks to her for seeing this project through.

I cannot overlook the irony of the story I submitted.  It was about leaving my beloved friends in New Mexico in 2004, and my struggles to find deep connections with other women in my new home town.  And here I am, living that again today.  And as before, it is tea and writing that have brought me to deep connections with amazing women in my new hometown.

o

If you are interested in the book, please purchase it at your local independent tea shop or book store. You'll also find it online at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, etc.

Forever Stamps (or, to tarry)

Forever stamps plus postcard stamps

When was the last time you allowed yourself to tarry in the post office, to take in all the stamps that are available to you?  It's a sign that I'm on sabbatical that I've recently taken the time for this pleasure.  That's something I intend to change once my time off is over.  I need to tarry more for myself, rather than running to the beat of another's drum.

When you next visit the post office next, make it an adventure.  Check out the wide variety of forever stamps!  Selections include the ones above (except the flowers on the bottom right - those are postcard stamps), plus many more!  While the liberty bells are lovely, they are getting a bit old, you know?  I'm so glad we now have many choices.

I'm super pleased with the "Go Green" series below.  I bought two books of these.  (Note:  These are books of 16.)

For me, postal stamps are a fun way to send a happy thought out with bills, business correspondence, and especially letters.  Before I open a letter, I enjoy taking in the stamp and the postmark.  They invite me to tarry.

"Green" forever stamps - Use the green one in the middle, too!

National Letter Writing Week

Some favorite stationery and a helpful book

Did you know that this is National Letter Writing Week?  That's a cause near and dear to my  heart!  I love to write and receive letters. 

I find that a letter can take as long as an hour, or as short as 5 minutes.  It depends on the tone and how much I have to share.  Alexandra Stoddard has written a lovely book about letters, and the Griffin and Sabine trilogy is another favorite.

Do you have 5 minutes to write a short note to someone?  Tell her how much you appreciate the support.  Tell him how much you love him.  Only have 2 min?  Write a postcard!  Tell me who you'll write to...