Sometimes around mid afternoon I have a craving for a cup of tea and perhaps a couple of cookies to go with it. I am not sure when this ritual started. Perhaps when I lived in Victoria British Columbia where it was first introduced to me. I fell in love with all the different ways that tea is served. Then I started collecting tea pots just because I loved the shape or colour of them.

Earlier in my life I had a whole collection of cups and saucers that were given to me as shower gifts when I got married. Over the years when I was downsizing many of them were passed on. Now I just have a few that I cherish because of where they came from. Two of them are from a tea set that was my grandmother’s. One was a gift from the Empress Hotel in Victoria. One is from my mother’s set. The others are all from different friends who have passed them on to me to memorialize someone special in our lives.

Connecting through Ritual

There is something about making a pot of tea and serving it in a china tea cup that gives me a sense of peace and calm. I have several different varieties of tea in my collection. Some are loose tea and others are in bags. When I make the loose tea I use a Stirling silver tea strainer to pour the tea into the cup. It was part of a tea set from my other grandmother.

As I reflect on this simple act of serving tea I realize that it is a way for me to connect with my ancestors as well as friends who have gifted me with tea pots, cups and boxes of tea over the years. I am by no means a tea expert or pretend to know a lot about tea. I just enjoy the flavour of it and the ritual that goes along with making it. Sometimes I prefer to drink out of a bone chine mug especially on a cold day when I want to wrap my hands around the warm cup. When I really feel like treating myself to something special, though, I enjoy my tea cup from the Empress Hotel.

Family Traditions

My dad was an avid tea drinker. In his later years he had an office in our house and there was always a pot of tea and mug sitting on his desk. He used to laugh and say “I am just sitting here swilling tea”. My sister has his tea pot now and we recently talked about the memories of our dad it brings up.

When I was a little girl my mom would have her friends over to play bridge and I was charged with the responsibility of picking out the tea cups and placing them at each place setting on the table. I was always so excited to pick my favourite ones.

My grandchildren all like to have tea parties and drink from their favourite tea cup. Two of them live a long way away so we have FaceTime tea parties from time to time. I even showed them how to crook their little finger when sipping their tea. We all get a good chuckle out of it.

So to all of you who enjoy a cup of tea now and then know that you are not alone. In fact tea ceremonies are held around the world in different countries. I was told recently that in Japan when a couple gets married the parents of the bride and groom sit together and the bride and groom serve them tea. What a lovely way of honouring their parents.

Spiritual Practice

There is something Spiritual about a tea ceremony or ritual no matter how simple or involved it may be. Whether you are serving yourself or sharing with others there is a connection that brings us together. The pouring out of the tea for one another and sharing in the savouring of the flavour is a mindfulness practice. It slows us down and brings us into the present moment. Perhaps that is why I feel that call to stop and have a cup of tea in the afternoon. It is an opportunity to stop what I am doing and simply be present with the tea for a few precious minutes. One day I will learn the art of reading tea leaves in the bottom of my cup. In the meantime, I will enjoy the ritual and savour the flavour of my afternoon tea.

What are your favourite rituals? Do you have a special time of day when you like practice something that brings you into the present moment. I would love to hear from you.