The Vietnamese Tea Ceremony or A Tribute to My Father in his Shriner’s Hat or A Rocket in My Pocket

My memory of the Tea Ceremony in Minnesota at the 1991 Conference prompted me to attend this year’s Tea Ceremony. The splendid quiet, followed by gentle sharing from the heart made last year’s ceremony a moving spiritual experience.

Well, T’ai Chi Chih has taught me that “spiritual experiences” come in many different forms. Didn’t Justin say something to the effect that each word spoken is a spiritual lesson if we know how to listen. And so, this year’s Tea Ceremony turned out to be a moving spiritual experience all of its own.

The stifled laughter was followed by stifled laughter and then more stifled laughter. As it began to build I worked harder and harder to stifle my own laughter and to keep within the serious ceremonious mood that I thought was necessary to contribute to the spirituality of the experience. Each time I thought I was about to get it under control my eyes would meet someone else’s laughing eyes and my inner stifled laughter felt like it would explode making me explode in the process. This was so beautifully expressed in Meara’s poem. I literally stifled my laughter until I wept with joy.

Yes, this year’s Tea Ceremony was every bit as spiritual as last year’s. It is essential to my spiritual unfoldment to be tickled by the everyday experiences of life and to laugh out loud with joy. What seemed like a very long time of stifling my laughter while we attempted to seriously (and quietly) crunch our cracker and sip our tea, taught me that holding back my laughter and joy is as painful as holding back my sorrow and tears. Each must flow so that I may be part of the Chi flow of life.

I appreciate Jean and Chris for hosting such a fun party and all my beautiful (you were so right, Suni) T’ai Chi Chih sisters for your presence, acceptance and verbal or silent sharing. I will laugh out loud with Joy every time I think of each of you and our tea ceremony.