WHAT'S IN THE CUP?

I am constantly being asked questions about tealeaf readings people have done themselves. Usually they find the answers they are looking for once we have approached their question from several different angles.

Like the chair we move around the room until it not only looks right but feels right in the space. I thought it may be interesting to blog an example of this process when working with the leaves.

In a recent reading a dog appeared very close to the handle, the area representing family and friends. It was halfway down the cup to the right of the handle. Even though the dog was right of the handle, meaning an event or experience in the future, the dog was jumping anticlockwise, indicating departure.

The dog is a complex symbol; seen as a loyal, trustworthy friend, hunter, warrior or Anubis- conductor of souls to the underworld or the dog at the feet of the fool in the tarot card- ready to embark on new territory, are just a few examples.

So we have a dog leaving in the future. Let’s liken the dog to the chair we move around the room, by keeping an image of a dog in the mind and then letting go of it. During your day as random thoughts pop up you will find the right space for the dog.

From, I don’t own a dog, to, am I taking somebody’s loyalty for granted or am I ready for that quantum leap, thoughts will flow. Eventually the dog, like the chair, will be in the right space and the answer will feel right.

The French have a saying ‘to be comfortable in one’s skin’ I think that is how it feels when we have faced the answer to our question even if it isn’t always the one we want to hear.

FAIRY TEATIME TALES are published by www.bookguild.co.uk

TEA AND SCENT

Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world – Tein Yiheng

Jasmine, bergamot and rose are common flowers to be mixed with tea. Flavouring tea with flowers works well and the overall effect is as much in the combined scent as it is in the taste. All of these scents, including the delicate scent of tea, are known to give a sense of well-being and this too could be part of their popularity in tea blends.

Each scent has its own vibration, known as notes, as in musical notes. These vibrations appear to affect our frame of mind in much the same way as music can. They both have the ability to vibrate through our consciousness and change our mood.

It would appear that everything in the universe is a vibration. The eye sees colour vibration, the ear hears by vibration and now through the research work of scientist and perfume guru, Luca Turin, it appears that we smell by vibration. Our taste buds send messages to the brain by nerve impulses (vibration?)

If I loose my sense of smell, as I sometimes do in the hay fever season, I find it hard to cook, as I rely on my sense of smell more than my sense of taste. I can usually tell by smell exactly what is needed to bring out the best in the dish I am cooking.

In my herb garden I grow vervain in a sheltered spot that gets full sun. Vervain leaves make a delicious tisane. It has a fresh lemony scent and makes a lime yellow liquor when infused. It tastes exactly as it smells. It is a good after dinner drink as it possesses digestive and slight sedative qualities. It blends well with fennel seeds if a stronger digestive brew is necessary after a very rich meal.

I enjoy blending herbs to make infusions and I enjoy drinking flavoured teas. I’m not sure whether it is by vibration or ingestion that my sense of well-being is enhanced, a bit of both I would imagine. Just the word aroma sounds magical to me as it conjures up endless thoughts of past, present and future experiences. From far away lands to a freshly mown lawn outside the window, our imaginings can easily drift off on the vibration of a scent rising up from a cup of tea.

FAIRY TEATIME TALES are pubilshed by www.bookguild.co.uk

RUPERT MacTWEED

Rupert MacTweed, seen here looking resplendent in his rugby shirt, is an artist’s assistant. He is a great inspiration to Pamela while she is working on the artwork for Fairy Teatime Tales. He finds things on walks that end up in the stories, feathers are his speciality. He found a beautiful pheasant’s feather on the very day this picture was in production, awaiting the feather to be added. Sticks are another of his great finds and important for wand illustrations.



I am sure Rupert is a magician as he seems to magically find what is needed to help the work progress. I know he is also saying thank you with these gifts, for the lovely long walks he is taken on. As you can see from his pictures he is the epitome of a gallant gentleman.









When Pamela and Rupert come home from their walks one of the fist things Pamela does is make a pot of tea. Working together over the years, Pamela and I have learned that we have a lot in common, a love of tea, a love of the country side and a great respect for the magical talents of Rupert MacTweed.














FAIRY TEATIME TALES are published by http://www.bookguild.co.uk/

ZEN OF TEA

Last week I was invited to a Chinese Tea Ceremony. I went with my friend Jane Pettigrew. It was an enlightening experience. Although I enjoyed tasting such rare and special teas I won’t be writing about them here, as Jane has already written a very interesting blog about the teas and the ceremony on her blog ‘Jane’s Passport to Tea’. You can find her blog at http://www.worldteas.com/

I will focus more on the things that caught my attention during the ceremony. The first thing was the jade green table cloths. They were damask and embossed with cockerels. As I had just posted my ‘One chick’ blog, I was pleased with the synchronicity here and thrilled to be told that they were a symbol of bringing light from darkness. I had written something similar on my ‘One chick’ blog.

The introduction to the tea ceremony was ‘Every Day is a Good Day’. The purpose of the ceremony, to cultivate the calmness of the mind and experience the joy of life through
Chinese tea ceremony, music art and meditation.

The first thing the Priestess or Tea Master did was to light an incense stick and placed it on the tea table. This was a special Temple incense to help calm the mind. Then we were led into a meditation. We were asked not to speak through out the ceremony and while the tea was being prepared, we listened to peaceful, uplifting temple music.

On our table the tea set used for the ritual was decorated with peaches on the branch. Afterwards I was told that this was a symbol of a ‘Thousand Springs’ as peach trees and the fruit symbolise immortality. The peach is said to have brought enlightenment to the monk Lyn-Yun.

The temple music and the slow, gentle way the Priestess went about preparing the tea made it easy to stay in the moment and leave all the clutter of daily life behind. Each cup of tea tasted different, each cup of tea was delicious.

As the Priestess bent forward in her tea preparation, we could see three tiny bald marks on her head, made in a straight line.
As soon as the ceremony was over, one of the first questions I asked was the significance of these marks. The Priestess told me they were burned on to the novice’s head with hot incense when they took their vows. The marks stood for the three sacred promises they made when they entered into monastic life.

I found this most interesting and it made me think of all the mythologies and folklore where three is important. For Pythagoras and the Chinese mystics it is the perfect number. In folklore three pops up all the time. Turn a silver coin three times under a new moon, for good luck.
Three heroes need to go forward before the monster can be slain. Three Billy goats had to cross the bridge to rid it of the troll.
In Fairy tales, folk are granted three wishes and spells have to be repeated three times.

How different the Chinese tea ceremony was from our own tea ritual. Yet as I looked at all of the symbolism and thought of the similarities in their meanings in both of our cultures, the world seemed a much smaller place and people seemed to have much more in common.

FAIRY TEATIME TALES are published by www.bookguild.co.uk

FAIRY PLACES AND TEA FROM A THERMOS

Two weeks ago on a sunny day I took pictures of some of my favourite fairy places in the Lune Valley. My children grew up here so it is rich with happy memories for our family. I am fortunate to still have friends living in the same homes they were living in at that time so going back is a bit of a delightful time warp. It still gives me inspiration and I am still in awe of the beauty of the area. It truly is a magical place.





I have heard of many fairy places around Great Britain, from famous fairy bridges to not- so-known fairy wells. Beetham in Cumbria has its own fairy steps cutting through Beetham fell. On the Isle of Man is a famous fairy bridge and there is also one on the Isle of Skye and on Dartmoor. Harmby in Yorkshire has a fairy well and I am sure there a quite a few in Derbyshire.




When we walk the dogs down to the river bank there are lots of places I feel are fairy places. These are the places that inspire Fairy Teatime Tales. There is Geoffrey’s bridge,
Wild Garlic Wood, the Fairy Tree, The Witches Tree, and Dingle Lane to name but a few.

Picnicking on the river bank is one of the nicest things I remember from living so close to the river. A thermos flask of tea a must on days that sometimes turned cold by tea time.





Tea from a thermos can be very good if it is brewed correctly. I asked my friend and tea guru Jane Pettigrew http://www.janepettigrew.com/ for her advice and she kindly sent me these instructions on how to brew tea for a thermos flask.



When brewing tea to go into a thermos flask, it is important to separate the leaves from the tea liquor before pouring into the flask. So, it helps to use a teapot that has an infuser basket. Or you can use a re-usable infuser basket or a large paper filter that fits inside any type of teapot.

Brew the tea as normal as follows:

- Fill your kettle with freshly drawn cold water so that there is plenty of oxygen in the water to bring out the full flavour of the tea.
- Set the kettle to boil and meanwhile, choose a suitable teapot and loose leaf tea or tea bags (allowing 2.5-3 grams of loose leaf tea or 1-2 teabags to 190 ml of water).
- When the water is almost boiling, pour a little into the teapot, swill around and empty out.
- Measure the tea into the teapot. For black tea, pour the water onto the tea just as it is coming up to a rolling boil. For green and white tea, heat the water to approx 75-80 C and then switch off the kettle before pouring the water onto the tea. Or bring the water to the boil and allow to cool for 4-5 minutes before pouring onto the tea.
- Brew for the correct number of minutes, so set a timer to suit the tea you are brewing. (Large leafed black tea needs 3-5 minutes, small leafed black tea needs 2-3 minutes. Japanese green teas need 1-1.5 minutes, Chinese green teas need 3-4 minutes, white teas need 5-6 minutes).
- Heat the thermos flask with boiling water and then empty.
- When the tea's brewing time is up, lift out the infuser basket and pour the tea liquor into the flask. Or strain the tea through a tea strainer into the flask.- Put the lid on the thermos immediately and tighten carefully.
- Carry milk and sugar separately in the picnic bag

Sitting on the river bank sipping tea, with the sunlight dancing off the water is a wonderful way to pass the time and day dream of the land of Faerie. The sparks of sunlight suddenly become river sprites. A water vole scurrying through the grass along the edge of the river bank soon dons a green and yellow stripped blazer and wears a straw boater on its head and runs home with a story to tell.

FAIRY TEATIME TALES are published by http://www.bookguild.co.uk/

NEWS FROM PIXIE GREEN

Very sad news from Pixie Green, only one of the eggs the broody hen was sitting on, hatched. It appears that the other eggs were unfertile. The mother is very protective of her precious hatch and keeps it hidden under her wing most of the time. It has been hard to get a photo of ‘One Chick,’ who is a French Wheaton Maran. At the moment we don’t know whether it’s a hen or a cockerel. This we will know in about six weeks’ time.

If ‘One Chick’ turns out to be a cockerel he will be given a very grand name. If it is a hen it will most likely keep the epithet of ‘One Chick.’ There is something in the strutting arrogance of a cockerel that demands a grand name. They are often named after kings or sometimes mythological cock gods. They are a symbol of good as they herald in the sun that banishes the darkness. They are often seen on church weather vanes as an enemy of evil. It is said that they will crow on the day of judgement in a fanfare that will waken the dead. There is an old country belief that if a cock crows on the doorstep it is a sign that there will be an arrival of a visitor.

We once had a Maran cockerel with a grand name I have since forgotten as my father called him ‘Jaws.’ He was the most vicious of creatures with enormous spurs and an ability to jump up very high. He attacked anybody who came near the hens or the nesting boxes. Collecting eggs was a hazardous job. Wellington boots offered no protection, as ‘Jaws’ jumped up way above them leaving shark tooth like gashes in the thigh of the unprotected egg collector. I truly believe that even wearing belly waders and gauntlets would have been useless against ‘Jaws’ attack.

My father came up with the answers. He used a metal dustbin lid as a shield and like a gallant knight he would fight off ‘Jaws’ while one or other of us collected the eggs. Over the years ‘Jaws has become a bit of a family legend. He was a large, handsome cockerel but as his story is told he grows in stature and attitude. He has been called a giant of a bird, magnificent, a regal specimen with diamond sharp spurs, a beak like an eagle’s and eyes like a hawk.

I hope that if ‘One Chick’ is a cockerel he will be less vicious than ‘Jaws’ but if he does become an aggressive king of the roust at least my brother will know how to handle him.
‘One Chick’ is already a bit of a legend, it being the only chick to hatch from a cluck of twelve. I’m sure it won’t be long before he is the inspiration for a fairytale character.

FAIRY TEATIME TALES are published by www.bookguild.co.uk

Video with Russell Grant

Here is a link to a video of me on the Russell Grant Show with Patsy Palmer for anybody who is iterested in Tea leaf Reading.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yG-90S2i3Eg&feature=related

TEA TRAYS

Today we live in a fast track, highly stressful world with an overload of information that has reached torture level for a lot of people with very little time to relax. Most of our modern health problems are stress-related, in fact the world of medicine is finding out more and more about stress and how it affects our physical health. Time-out is more important now then it ever has been but finding one minute to live in ‘the now’ almost impossible.

I find that setting a tea tray with the same thought and attention to detail associated with Chanoyu or Japanese tea ceremony is a good way to relax. Like preparing a room for a tea ceremony, the objects I put on my tea tray are very carefully considered. I begin by thinking about why I am setting the tea tray, as I am acting out a ritual and everything I place on the tray will have a profound effect on the energy I create.

Is my tray for the purpose of meditation or for a tealeaf reading? Is it to symbolise a celebration or for a healing bedside tonic? Is it a tray for me or to share with somebody?

I prefer to use wooden trays and the type of wood will set the mood along with the china, the linen and the flowers. Wood has its own special energy and I have collected several beautiful old wooden trays over the years and still look out for them for friends.

Oak is a symbol of strength and its energy is very sympathetic to the vibrations given off during a tealeaf reading.

Ash is associated with magic powers and healing; the druids used the tender spring ash leaves to make a cleansing tisane for general health. They believed ash wood absorbed sickness and made their decorated, healing wands of this wood. Ash wood seems to draw electrical energy towards itself, as it is known to attract lightning.

Beech is a wood for sad occasions. Beech trees are known to be good listeners. Country folk say that if you have a problem, sit under a beech tree with your back up against its trunk and share you problem with the tree and you will feel its support and wise council.

Honey-coloured fruit woods are perfect for a celebration tray and it is the perfect tray to set on a wet afternoon in front of the fire with a loved one.

I like to buy old wooden trays rather then new ones, even if they may need a little TLC to bring them back to their best. I am very aware that wood is very precious commodity and we need to use as little new wood as possible.

After I have decided on the tray I think about the flowers.

Cabana are the flowers chosen and arranged by the tea master to decorate the room for the tea ceremony. Each flower is chosen to help set the mood for the unique experience that each Chanoyu creates. The Victorians developed a whole language of flowers based on a rich folk lore of symbolism and omens. Country folk still say that it is unlucky to bring black thorn blossom into the house.






Roses have always been associated with love and, depending on their colour, different types of love. Red is for passion, pink for unconditional love and a yellow rose portrays the love of friendship.

Lilly of the Valley symbolises a return to happiness. The French call it Muguet and it is still given on the 1st of May as a symbol of love and happiness.

Natural oils contain the life force of the plant and their scents give off a vibration which perfumiers describe as notes that range from base notes to top notes. Three or more essences mixed together create a chord.





Colour is important as colour affects our mood. For example, yellow is uplifting, blue is cooling and lavender is calming.



When I choose the flowers for my tea tray I take into consideration the season, the symbolism, the scent and the colour. Whenever possible, I try and find flowers and herbs that are growing in my garden.

I have a collection of hand-made antique tray clothes. They were made at a time when life wasn’t quite so hectic, I’m sure each stitch was made with love to create such beautiful work. There was plenty of time for the embroiderer to calmly consider her life and the lives of those around her. I often use a white work tray cloth as it goes with any china I choose.



I have different china for the many different reasons I am laying my tea tray.






All of the handles of the cups, jugs and teapot should face the same way to create an aesthetic balance. I am very careful that the vase I choose for my flowers complements the china. I have a silver posy vase that was gift long ago from a very dear friend and I find I use this the most as it goes with almost everything.

Once my tray is set, the last but not the least important thing to do is to choose the tea I am going to brew. Within this ritual and preparation I have created a place of seclusion from the outside world that is in harmony with the universe, a place to be alone in or to enjoy with other company. FAIRY TEATIME TALES is published by http://www.bookguild.co.uk/