Tea Magic with the Tea Druid

It has been a while since I’ve posted a blog. Mainly because my life has been blessed with some wonderful projects. We have a big Halloween event coming up to benefit a wonderful charity, Transfiguring Adoption. I’ve been working on a couple of books. One is a kids book series known as Sproutz n Podz and a book on Tea Magic. It has been wonderful and I feel blessed.

I’m inspired to share some of the tea magic with you. But first, I want you to get to know me a little better. So, you can understand the journey I have been on to get me here. It has been challenging, rewarding, stressful and adventurous. This is not to be boastful of my accomplishments, but to show that we, as humans are more than just one thing. Our journey takes us in so many directions. It’s funny how, when introducing a person to another person we label them. Please meet so and so, he/she is a realtor or a chef. Then we believe this person to be just that. Humans are complicated. We have rich and in depth lives. We are more than just that “label”. So, I hope this allows you to see a little more in to who I am and the journey I have been on.

I’m CJ Jackson, one of Tea and Tarot’s owners. I am a Certified Nutritionist and Master Herbalist. My husband and I owned a spa for over 8 years, where I was able to assist so many people with their health through nutrition and herbs. It was very rewarding. I have been a practicing Taoist Druid for over 20 years. I have been reading tea leaves and oracle cards for over 10 years. I have been an Entertainer, Director, Producer, Stage Manager and Creative Director since high school back in the late 80’s. I have worked in the Marketing world for over 15 years (many of these thing overlap). Lastly, I’ve been a Tea Master/Minister for over 20 years. I have enjoyed sharing my love for teas and herbs and the rituals/ceremonies that go with them to many people. Through this journey of life, it always circles back around to the teas.

Now, enough of that, I want to share with you some of my love and experience with teas and herbs and how I use them in my day-to-day magical practice for manifestation, meditation and honoring this beautiful world we live in. I hope you enjoy it.

In many magical practices, individuals use cauldrons, wands, athames, chalices, etc. I went through those phases too, until I found the beauty of tea rituals. There is nothing wrong with these items, if that is your path. That is the beauty of your personal spiritual journey. For me, I built my “altar” and “practice” around tea and beverage rituals.

Utilizing a cast iron teapot, instead of a cauldron with a brazier underneath. The teapot, like the cauldron, represents the feminine. Teapots act as the womb and where you “brew” your potions and elixirs. Both, the teapot and the teas/herbs represent the element of earth. Then you heat the water with the fire element. The aroma of the herbs/teas represent the element of air. However, in my day-to-day practice, I also use incense that I blend or make depending on the purpose. Either way all elements are represented, prevalently.

So, the teapot holds your liquid brews and spells, but what about burning other objects. That is the blessing of the cast iron brazier that you can boil your water on or keeps your pot warm. The teapot brazier represents the element of fire. As it is the vessel you build the fire in.

On a side note, my husband always personalizes my tea magic items by knot tying charms and crystals to my teapots and other accessories. This adds a little more magic to my workings.

Onward, in lieu of a wand or athame, I use a ritual spoon and tea pick. Both of these represent the masculine energy. The pick is used to break apart Puerh teas. I also use it to carve symbols in the tea light candles that I place in the brazier under the teapot to keep the brew warm. It can also be used to direct energy, like a wand.

The ritual spoon acts as the athame that you would place in the chalice or cauldron during ritual. It is used to place and stir the herbs/teas in the pot (representation of insemination/fertility). It represents the element of fire… movement, as you stir the brew.

Then, of course, there is the teacup. This acts as your chalice/goblet.

I also have a different teapot for each pagan “holiday” season. These are not just used for décor, but once the teas are brewed in the cast iron teapot, I transfer them over to the decorative teapot for serving. I do this whether it is me or if I have a client/guest visiting. It is also used in my daily rituals to cool the boiled water to the right temperature to brew certain teas.

These teapots are decorative and whimsical. It helps me to keep a sense of humor and enjoyment. Here are some examples of my seasonal teapots.

Samhain: Pumpkin

Yule: Holly

Imbolc: Cute Little Sheep

Ostara: Colored Egg with Bunnies

Beltaine: Hot Pepper

Litha: Lemon/Honey Bees

Lughnassadh: Strawberry

Mabon: Apple

Now, many of those that follow the “path” understand or have a lot of reference of herbs and their coinciding properties. But many don’t know how versatile the actual tea plant, Camelia Sinensis, is for magic. So let’s take a look at the tea plant itself, and the teas it produces, and how it can be utilized in “magic”.

The Camelia Sinensis plant creates all the different types of tea on the planet. What gives it, it’s different flavors, appearances and aromas are how it’s grown, where it’s grown and how it’s processed. But, it all comes from the same plant.

Tea and it’s properties:

White tea: (air/crown) purification, clarity, concentration, cleansing, removing curses, consecration

Yellow tea: (air/solar plexus) raising vibrations, abundance, joy, clairvoyance, communication, confidence, solar energies

Green tea: (earth/heart) luck, money, success, healing, fertility, balance, nature connection and happy home.

Oolong tea: (fire/sacrum) strength, success, celebration, creativity, good fortune, optimism and encouragement

Red/roobois teas: (fire/root/sacrum) creative energy, movement, love, passion, courage, strength, sexuality and vigorous health

Black tea: (earth/grounding) protection, power, lunar energy, banishing, deep meditation

Puerh tea: (earth/grounding) animals, stability, endurance, focus and finances

Blue butterfly/peony tea: (water and air/throat) emotional healing, self empowerment, open communication, meditation, peace, intellect, intuitiveness

Incense can add to the magical experience as the element of air.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little introduction to tea and tea “magic”. I’ll be excited to share my Tea Magic book with you, when it’s released.

Have a bright and blessed day!!