Tea Magic

If you’re a tea drinker- especially the kind that works with loose-leaf herbal teas, I want to share a few bits of inspiration with you in this post.

First, tea is magic. The simple act of brewing herbal tea is a ritual in and of itself. It allows us to slow down, step into the present moment, and engage fully with what’s happening. For folks doing work with the plant spirits, this is a prime opportunity to connect more intentionally with the plants who offer their color, aroma, flavor, medicine, and magic to us with each sip of tea.

Because tea is ritual, it can be crafted into an act of true magic. The combination of elements via the bowl, water, steam, and heat along with the presence of whichever plant spirits are steeped in your cup makes for a gateway of magical potential… and the best part is that it’s incredibly easy to transform your everyday tea drinking process into a ritual where magic and transformation can happen.

Here are a few things you might consider and explore the next time you brew a cup of herbal tea:

• Contemplate and connect to the ways that the elements of making tea reflect the elements of the cosmos: bowl for earth, water for water, steam and scent for air, heart for fire… bowl for land, steam for sky, water for sea, etc.
• Spend time holding the dried herbs between your palms, breathing with them, and infusing them with any petitions or prayers you may have. All the better if the herbs align to your purpose or are plant spirits you have a personal relationship of reciprocity with.
• Allow the steeping time to be something of magic and mystery. Get curious about how the plants might be infusing their magic and medicine into the water- and how it’ll feel as it moves through your body.
• Create ritual workings around your tea. Make tea altars or make tea at an established altar. Offer the first pour to your spiritual allies as a sacrifice. Add in recitations, visualizations, or ritual actions that align to your greater spiritual practice.
• While drinking the tea, try to follow the energy of the plants as they move from mouth to belly to being. See where they go, how they go, and how it feels to have them within you. Explore places where the energy can’t seem to get, or areas where the body buzzes with plant power. This is a meaningful way to learn how individual plants work with you.
• Consider growing a small tea garden where you steward a few tea plants from seed to harvest to drying- then craft them into tea you drink or share.

Enjoy!