In honour of Tea Spirit, we sit in ceremony with the five elements － fire, earth, metal, water, and wood － and we, with these human hands, come in at last to alchemise the leaves, a return to the Dao that is evinced by this very simple act of being at one and in harmony with Nature through our veneration of the Universe with respect for Cha Dao. A purified heart and mind allow us to transcend the ego, zoom out, to a state of tranquillity － the no-mind state.
We also honour Tea Spirit by choosing to drink living tea, allowing the age-old wisdom and free spirit of ancient trees to seep into our consciousness. In the words of @globalteahut, living tea must meet these criteria:
"🔸️ living tea is seed propagated, as opposed to cuttings;
🔸️ the tea trees have room to grow – upwards to produce large crowns, and between trees, allowing the plants to organise themselves;
🔸️ living tea is grown in full biodiversity, surrounded by natural ecology;
🔸️ living tea is, of course, grown without the use of any agro-chemicals (the Terrible Trio: pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilisers);
🔸️ and the relationship between the farmer and trees is one of respect and reverence;
🔸️ finally, no irrigation or fertiliser of any kind (even organic fertiliser). This allows the trees to be independent, developing strong and deep roots and connecting to the energy of the mountain."
I get asked a lot, and though I am no expert at all, here I shall share my favourite sources for living tea: @globalteahut, @livingtea, @chazhiji_official and @thechatong. 😌🍃🕊
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