S A C R E D W A N D E R
“Tea is not something that you pour with unawareness and drink like any other drink. It is not a drink, it is meditation." – Osho
The Apoteacary | Tea Experiences
When we slow down and focus our attention to the moment, we attune to our senses and can effortlessly drop into a gentle inward journey towards the center of our being. By doing so, we can ease into a place of emptiness and receptiveness. And in those spaces the creative juices may start flowing, inspiration & epiphanies may start popping up, even a peaceful stillness can occur.
Tea is a way for you to do just that. It creates a beautifully woven balance and allows you to experience a level of true presence within yourself. This is no ordinary tea in a tea bag, therefore this is no ordinary offering. Through what would seemingly look like a mundane activity, there is an array of magic & deep yet subtle exchanges happening at the table.
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Our Tea Experiences brings a lovely depth of unexpected joy and of replenishment & renewal.
“Tea is not something that you pour with unawareness and drink like any other drink. It is not a drink, it is meditation." – Osho
why is this an offering?
At its essence, tea is simple. It is uncomplicated, unassuming, unadulterated and does not require much other than ones willingness to be present with it. Tea creates an opportunity of artfulness and grace with the potential to invoke a physical, mindful, contemplative, healing, and/or enlightening awareness. There is no straightforward answer as to what you may experience in the tea ceremonies. You can search for countless online articles about gongfu tea and many can speak so eloquently about the technicality of the art, but rarely will you find someone’s deeply shared experience.
what is gongfu tea?
“Gongfu Tea” means making tea with skill. A time honored tradition and practice that requires a certain level of effort, dedication, passion and humility by the person who is pouring the tea. After many years of practice, the tea master cultivates a deep connection to the tea leaves & tea ware. It is from this connection that the greatest gifts of the ritual and ceremony can be exchanged between the person pouring and those receiving.
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Gongfu tea consists of a skilled tea practitioner, tea tray, tea tools, clay pots and a variety of tea leaves from the camellia sinensis plant. At first glance, the ritual involves multiple infusions of the same tea within a small teapot. However, more thought & intention goes into this process that is unseen by the naked eye but felt in the cup. You may drink one, two or five types of tea. And depending on what season it is, which tea leaves are being steeped and how they’re prepared, the energy between the tea pourer & the receiver(s), or the time of day creates a unique experience that no tea ceremony is exactly the same.
Our tea ceremony is not stuffy. Depending on the flow of energy, it may be a casual conversational ceremony or naturally lead into a spontaneous silent & meditative one. It can also be both. The most important thing at our tea ceremonies is to have no expectations. Just like water is flowing, soft and yielding… it also needs some sort of vessel or container to stay in form. The same analogy can be applied to our tea ceremonies.
what should i expect during a tea ceremony?
Because each ceremony can never be truly duplicated, one can have a unique experience each time they sit at the table. It’s all dependent on how present you are in the moment and how open you are to receive.
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You will learn a little about the tea being served and maybe a dab of tea history. However the real experience is in the cup. Tea is also known to have a myriad of health benefits. For example, one healing property in the camellia sinesis plant is l-theanine, an amino acid which helps produce a relaxed state of mind. When we relax, we can gently ease into a place of emptiness and receptiveness. In those moments, the creative juices may start flowing, inspiration & epiphanies may start popping up, even a peaceful stillness can occur. Laughter often happens, even tears might fall (also called a state of “purification”). The only way to best describe the Tea Experience is by simply joining us for one… or three…
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Tea within a group setting can also create a synergetic dynamic. Nourishing shares & exchanges between people may occur and quite often “tea drunk” effect may naturally happen (triggering a natural state of bliss & happiness).
health benefits
The tea experiences has been linked to:
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