Tea Grotto Blog

It is that time of year when the natural world beckons, calling us to be present and appreciate it splendor and bounty. Easily we move ourselves out of doors as the weather warms and the springtime bursts forth in its amazing display of foliage and life force. As we step outside we are reminded what a “miracle of vegetation” tea really is and that the Ancients experienced tea drinking directly within the mountainous regions of old China, Korea and Japan. Here hermit aesthetics and sages, founders of both Taoism and Zen developed the true ‘way of tea”.

The practice of drinking tea in gardens was contrived and developed to preserve this pristine environment and experience. Nature inducted the monks and lay practitioners in to heightened states of awareness and meditative bliss. Tea taken in these surroundings awakened an inherent sensitivity. When the senses are engaged in tea drinking the whole person is enlivened and one is more likely to experience “ …the taste that tea and meditation are one”.

I have once again returned to my element sipping wonderfully refreshing, fragrant teas in my back yard garden in the early morning. I am entertained by mockingbirds, sparrows, finches, and hummingbirds both serenading and performing flying dances that confound my eyes. Enlivened by night-blooms of various exotic cactus plants, datura blossoms, aromatic herbs, and perennial flowers from calendula to roses I sit entranced savoring the tea. Without much effort nature invites us to open up and enjoy the gentle warmth of the air, the aliveness of the season, and the relaxation contained in enjoying this moment with a cup of well-brewed tea.