Personal Tea Ceremonies
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves–slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
For October’s Full Moon (2022), BDC partnered with special guest Francina Kahl, CEO + Founder of Be Still Tea to learn about the energies of stillness and presence that tea offers us and to teach us how to have a personal tea ceremony.
Using the energies of the full moon, we gathered in a women's circle format. This event was for all cis and trans women, as well as non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centers around the experiences of women.
Women circles on the full moon honor the cycle of completion, transformation, illumination, celebration. It was the first full moon of the Fall season in the northern hemisphere, and it represented the time of the season when hunters kill large game in order to store meat for the winter that is coming. October moons remind us all it is time for planning, for deep nourishment, and community sharing to prepare for the colder months that are to come.
Tea Ceremony Takeaways
Some insights from our time together include:
Tea is a plant. Like any living thing, it tells you what it needs (e.g. more water, more sun). It’s up to us, humans with the potential to care take and engage, to notice if we are paying attention and listening to the plants and herbs around us and what they need.
Tea selection is personal, not external. Tea invites you to ask yourself in that time and place, “What do YOU need?”. So often, in this society and culture, we instead ask another, “What do you recommend?”. But even from the point of selection, tea invites you to become self-aware of your own needs and to access that, you must be present with yourself and listening. For instance, if you crave a cooling sensation–maybe its mint; if you crave a warm digestive, perhaps its ginger.
Tea is an act of transformation. The moment the water hits the tea leaves, a transformation begins. Leaves begin to transform, open, shift in color, expose themselves differently, the water also shifts and aromas begin to release into the air via steam. Transformation happens within the human body as well, as drinking water hydrates the body and the plants properties make their way inside you.
Mrs. Kahl, Be Still Tea founder then led us through a series of practices and journaling prompts that helped us access stillness, body awareness, and memories or stories that were ready to be acknowledged and integrated in the here and now. This created a pathway of exploring self-love practices and sensations. One woman said: “I love the simplicity of this practice!”
Practice Your Own Tea Stillness Ceremony
Select a tea and vessel, any tea, any vessel (with your intuition)
Get personal with your tea leaves: look, feel, smell, touch them
Pour hot water slowly and watch the tea leaves transform. Notice with all your senses what is happening
After appropriate steeping time, remove leaves and whisper words of gratitude
Take the first sip of tea with complete awareness and all your senses.
Journal: What came up for me as I prepared and sipped my tea?
Teacher Spotlight: Francina Kahl
Image: Francina Kahl, Founder and CEO of Be Still Tea
Mrs. Kahl’s message to us for the evening was: “We can only love from the overflow that exists within the body. And we must begin with loving ourselves.”
Proceeds from our evening’s circle went to her foundation, the Rohan Birthmother Adoption Fund, helping a child get adopted and supporting birthmother care.
Her tea company, Be Still Tea exists to help people create space to be still, find themselves and connect with their feelings and emotions. Shop her collection of teas, gift boxes, and steepers and support a Black-woman owned business all year around.
Join Us Next Time
BDC hosts virtual monthly women circles on the full moons for healers who lead and leaders who heal. Read about past moon circle themes and teachers on our blog or sign up for our next gathering here.