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"Where better to care for the soul than in the details of our daily lives?....The soul has an absolute, unforgiving need for regular excursions into enchantment. It requires them like the body needs food and the mind needs thought... An enchanted world is one that speaks to the soul, to the mysterious depths of the heart and imagination where we find value, love and union with the world around us. As mystics of many religions have taught, that sense of rapturous union can give a sense of fulfillment that makes life purposeful and vibrant." ~ Thomas Moore.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Porcelain Shabby Chic Tea Bowl Joys

Hello Everyone....

It was a rough year 2015, and so it is being said by so many I keep hearing.....and I was having a hard time. Now I would like to engage in some of the joys of living again and I hope to remain in this precious place of Spiritual comfort, to care for my Spirit.

I had been looking online for Matcha Tea Bowls and I kept falling in love with the rarest and wouldn't you know it, the most expensive Japanese Matcha Bowls made by the most sought after artists, and some of those bowls can be well over $150.00. I personally don't feel any tea bowl should be that pricey. But I kept watching this one bowl from an Etsy shop, a woman in Bulgaria Europe who makes beautiful ceramics. Finally this past Christmas I was able to buy some things and I bought this bowl. It is so much more beautiful in person. I love this lacy bowl.....and I am using it almost every morning now for my morning Matcha. It is the perfect size and the green of the tea looks beautiful with the blue.


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 It is very shabby chic, n'est ce Pas?


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I feel things of beauty should be used as often as possible. Some people save their special things for rare occasions. I savor them, as rare occasions are far too few to enjoy the greatest beauty in your possessions and you are denying yourself beauty on a regular basis. Eeking out special times for beauty is not my way. I dont' have a future I have now. So now is the time for me to enjoy the greatest beauty and the best quality of everything I possibly can on a regular daily basis, not only with things I use but things I consume or use on my body or in the home.


Here are my very un-professional pictures, in the cozy of a dark morning lit by candle light only.


 




I am finding that I enjoy ritual mornings. I love knowing that I will be lighting pure beeswax candles in the dark, loving the natural flicker of gentle flame, and that no crude lighting will be part of morning welcoming. Then I take out the utensils I need for the Matcha, and the Matcha tea container. I am finding I am making the same moves every morning and this is soothing to me somehow. I am also trying to move with grace and poise as this is a mindful meditation.

                            I put the lights on just to take pics for you,
                            then they went off again :D
                            and sorry a few are blurry,
                            I am not so steady with a camera especially
                             in the early morns.


 









 John, my housemate a couple years ago on his cruise, got me a beautiful wooden container which I didn't know what to do with but it is absolutely perfect for storing Matcha Tea.





I put the water in the pot to almost boil, but turn it off just before, the timing requires attention.
Then I put the strainer over the Tea Bowl, and use the bamboo tool for picking up the Matcha powder to put into the strainer. It requires a very fine powder consistency to dissolve completely in the water.








 Once the Matcha powder is strained through, a small amount of water is added to be whisked with the bamboo whisk, to create a froth.




 Once it is frothy, the rest of the water is added, and then it is drunk. I can finish this in 4 sips. It is a very short ritual, to consume one of the healthiest  teas in the world, leaf and all. I love its delicate sweetness, greenness of taste and the beautiful color....and its health benefits.










Thanks for visiting.


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