Friday March 28, 2025, Westward Look Inn, Tucson AZ
Tea Ceremony: The Light that Shines Though Everything
with Catherine Reynolds
When society laid aside the old stories in the name of “progress,”we stepped away from our connection to Nature, forgetting our place and responsibilities within it. We collectively forgot what it meant to be enchanted by and entangled with the world, to the detriment of the entire planet.The plant Tea (Camellia sinensis), when consumed in Ceremony, offers an initiation of return – both to the old stories and to the power that comes from remembering our interconnectedness with all beings. The myths around Tea’s origins even point to humanity’s ancient reciprocity with Nature; the Tea tree herself playing a part in the mythic exchange.
Tea Ceremony is both an art form and a means of connecting to something greater than ourselves. It offers a simple and elegant solution to begin to rebalance the imbalances humanity has wrought on the planet for centuries. A relationship with Tea is one that values reciprocity with other sentient beings, respecting and honouring the inherent intelligence of Nature.
Tea offers a deeply sacred, feminine medicine – a light that shines through everything – which can only be experienced when we relate with her as an intelligent, sentient Other. In Ceremony, we are co-collaborators with Tea, returning bowl after bowl to our entanglement with the animate Earth. She reminds us that the human, the animal, the natural and the celestial are one; each and every thing intertwines and is interchangeable. In other words, we can experience the entire universe in every single bowl of Tea.
Note: This workshop has limited participation, but the presenter is willing to repeat the ceremony at another time; sign up at the registration table.
Catherine (Cat) Reynolds is a Tea Ceremonialist and Nature Mystic living in Canada. She is an Animist, poet, and storyteller – speaking to trees and birds more often than she speaks to people. Cat holds an MA in East-West Psychology. Her work is focused on ecopsychology, connecting people with the animate Earth, encouraging re-enchantment and sparking remembrance of what it means to be a part of (and not separate from) Nature.
Read all about the ASWM Conference and register here.