Yijing Tea Ceremony- Assimilating the Image
Pick an auspicious heavenly moment- eclipses, full moon, new moon, quarters, solstices & equinoxes, planetary transists, sunrise or sunset. Keep it simple but it is good to align yourself and awareness with the Heavens above. Gather your rice paper sheet cut to 4”x4”, brush, water and tea bowls. Ceremonial matcha works well and will be used in this example. Draw your image lightly on the rice paper with plain water or matcha water as if you are a calligrapher. Quick light strokes, no perfection required. The paper will wither under water so you really only have one chance. No thinking, just be spontaneously free. Allow the image to dry and then place in ceramic bowl. To burn properly it must be completely dry. It is helpful to look closely at the image that appears. It is alive, communicating and carries with it information.
Ignite the rice paper. It will burn fairly quickly and reduce to a black ash. You may have to re-ignite pieces that did not burn. The goal is that the whole sheet and image return to ash. Then pulverize the ash with a small bamboo utensil or other tool until it is a fine powder like Matcha tea. Now add matcha tea to the bowl.
Mix the matcha and ash together until uniform. A matcha whisk works well. Add a little bit of hot water (160 to 180 F depending on your matcha) and stir to make a thick uniform paste. Then add more water and whisk further to froth and make the final drinking tea. Quietly observe the bowl of tea. Visualize the Yijing image floating on the surface. Then slowly drink and swallow. Follow the tea and image down your throat and into your stomach. Allow yourself the time and space to assimilate the image.
Slowly this tea will digest and be absorbed deeply into the blood and tissues of the body. The spirit and essence of yijing image will now be in the fiber and cellular level of your being informing, guiding, protecting in a very profound way. As a superior medicine it will remain with you for as long as it is required.