True Gift of Tea Time

"Perhaps that is the true gift of a teatime celebration: It fills our cups with joy and warmth and friendship. May the echo of the teacups' message be heard not only at Christmas, not only on special occasions, but anytime friends come together."
Emilie Barnes, "A Cozy Christmas Tea"

A Small Garden

Over the balcony the cool moon shone bright
The fence gate was still ajar in this young night
Strolling lantern through the woods ushered my guest
Rising smokes from the bamboo bush responded to my tea request
Scattered dog barks accompanied falling meteors from the Autumn sky
Whiffs of wind carried melancholic tune from distant flute
We sat and talked long and deep till dawn crept upon us
The green moss was full with cold dew crimsoned by aurora of twilight
A poem by Zhen Ban Chiao
Painter & poet in the Ching Dynasty

Japanese Gardens

Elvis on T'ai Chi

"It's not just self defense, it's about...self control, body discipline, and mind discipline...and breath techniques. It involves yoga. It involves meditation. It's an art, not a sport."
~~Elvis Presley, Martial Artist

Brand New Day

Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others.

Thich_Nhat_Hanh
Source: Peace Is Every Step : The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

Portrait of a Lady

I smile, of course,
And go on drinking tea,
Yet with these April sunsets, that somehow recall
My buried life, and Paris in the Spring,
I feel immeasurably at peace, and find the world
To be wonderful and youthful, after all.
~~T.S. Elliot

A String of Pearls

Image by Mauro Cateb Creative Commons

May I suggest a great little book I really like,

108 INSIGHTS INTO T"AI CHI CHUAN
A String of Pearls
by Michael Gilman.

"It is a fact that every action of our body requires energy. Our basic metabolic rate is the base amount of energy our bodies require to exist. When we do work, a chemical reaction occurs using stored energy and leaving behind waste products. It is like burning a log in a fire. We end up with ash and heat. Or burning gas in an automobile leaves carbon monoxide and many other chemicals. There is nothing yet discovered that will use energy and not leave some waste.

Our bodies are the same. We use energy and have waste to deal with. If the chemical residue is not eliminated, the results range from a dull ache to complete shut down of the system. Rest allows the body to move the toxins out.

T'ai Chi is designed to allow for periods of rest following periods of work, usually half of the body works while the other half rests. There are also two very important periods of rest that I call the top and bottom of a roller coaster ride. It is the moment when up changes to down or down changes to up. When Yin changes to Yang and Yang changes to Yin. It is the moment between inhale and exhale. It is the crack between the wall to the infinite, it is the moment of enlightenment. Seek this moment out and gently stretch it with awareness. Your body and mind will find renewal."

I Saw Lu Yu off to Pick Tea at Tien Mu Mountain

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Originally uploaded by emmolovestea

Thousand mountains greeted my departing friend
When spring tea flourishing again
His profound knowledge about picking tea
Through morning mist or twilight clouds
That solitary journey has being my envy
Rendezvous in a temple of a remote mountain
We enjoyed picnic by a clear pebble fountain
In this silent night
Lit a candle light
Knocked a marble bell for chime
While deep in thought for old time.

by Huang Pu Zhen--
Tang Dynasty poet,
friend of Tea Sage Lu Yu


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Lu Yu, a Tang Dynasty Tea sage, and author of "Book of Tea," befriended many poets of his time. Many of them in turn, dedicated poems to him.

Tien Mu mountain is a mountain with lofty twin peaks located in northern Je Jiang province, with lakes of crystal clear water on each peak, hence the name "Tian Mu', meaning eyes of the sky. Tian Mu Mountain is famous for its Tea. During the time of the Ming Dynasty, Tian Mu Tea was already listed as "Imperial Tea.