The Way of Tea Spread (3) by Glass Owl

Glass Owl

The Way of Tea Spread (3) by Glass Owl

"Tea is instant wisdom — just add water!" ~Astrid Alauda

This spread was inspired by a tea poem by Chio Jen (Tang Dynasty) which I found here. This spread's layout is in the shape of a bowl (or a tea cup without a handle.)


The Way of Tea

A friend presented me
With tender leaves of Oolong tea,
For which I chose a kettle
Of ivory-mounted gold,
A mixing-bowl of snow-white earth.
With its clear bright froth and fragrance,
It was like the nectar of Immortals.



1----------3
------2-----


1. The First Bowl of Tea ~ This washes the cobwebs from your mind
The first bowl washed the cobwebs from my mind —
The whole world seemed to sparkle.



2. The Second Bowl of Tea ~ This cleanses your spirit
A second cleansed my spirit
Like purifying showers of rain,



3. The Third Bowl of Tea ~ This sets you free, allowing you to see a greater truth
A third and I was one of the Immortals —
What need now for austerities
To purge our human sorrows?
Worldly people, by going in for wine,
Sadly deceive themselves.
For now I know the Way of Tea is real.
- By Chio Jen (Tang Dynasty)
 

seedcake

Beautiful! Next lovely spread by you. Thank you so much for sharing.
 

dancing_moon

A beautiful poem and a great spread. :thumbsup:
 

Wendywu

I did enjoy reading this! And what a useful spread :)
 

celticnoodle

Oh, I LOVE IT!!!

I think this is great and will use it for my June Psychic Tarot Reading Circle. Its such a sweet looking spread! :) thank you, Glass Owl.
 

Glass Owl

Ah, I see that beginagain has been using this spread with the Ludy Lescot deck over in the Reading Exchanges forum:
http://tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=219564

I wouldn't have never thought of using the Ludy Lescot deck (along with its unique lwb card meanings) with this spread but the results are quite intriguing! The Ludy Lescot Way of Tea - I love it!
 

jolie_amethyst

This spread produced one of my favorite introspective readings yet--very useful and positive!

Looking over the Ludy/Tea thread (must get that deck!), it looks like the spread worked best to provide a more general reading, rather than one targeted at a given subject in a querent's life. Does that fit with what others have found in using it?
 

kaesrel

I absolutely adore this spread! I love tea, and this spread is just perfect with how it captures the beautifully introspective quality of the poem and tea drinking. I can't wait to try it out!
 

Glass Owl

Looking over the Ludy/Tea thread (must get that deck!), it looks like the spread worked best to provide a more general reading, rather than one targeted at a given subject in a querent's life. Does that fit with what others have found in using it?

I think so. The positions of this spread do lend themselves to a general reading (or one where you are open to receiving whatever message the cards wish to provide) rather than asking a question about a particular subject.
 

Chimera Dust

This is a lovely spread, especially since I love tea! I'll have to try this sometime soon. Thank you. :)