"Ms. Elspeth is one of Los Angeles’s early tea ceremony adopters in certain and predominantly white wellness circles. She was introduced to it after what she calls an “amazing chain of serendipitous events”: Her neighbors in Venice Beach had gone traveling and they found themselves detoured in Bali, unable to travel to Japan because the Tohoku earthquake had just hit, killing many thousands."
Yes, thank god for serendipitous events like an earthquake killing many thousands...to end up with...this...
176
the only one I know who can afford to do this is my friend who was a super rich former model. more power to the complete self absorption and beauty of ritual.
77
ah , the latest silly "woke" hipster pretentious nonsense, hilarious !!
35
Another story having me root for the zombie apocalypse.
119
It's interesting that Ms. Elspeth and her neighbors don't appear to have consulted any East Asian people in their research, only a white dude who changed his name. That's how authentic this all looks.
180
The photos accompanying this poetic piece are so beautiful. But the prose and model-beautiful subjects don't come close to papering over how silly these people are. You didn't invent tea, nor the ceremony for enjoying it. "It's wonderfully pointless." Whenever I meet these people in my home town, I think, how are you underwriting this silly purposeless existence of yours? Please go volunteer somewhere - your time and energy has greater purpose and potential.
113
“We’re in a time where people are so toxic, toxically lonely,” this was said with nothing but truth and facts as it’s foundation
10
Heaven forbid Americans take time to savor a beverage that they've been drinking for hundreds of years... Many people that work out are ridiculous but it doesn't mean that it's ridiculous to exercise. It's strange to mock people for spending time to relax and enjoy company during a ritual.
72
Without knowing or understanding, i have been doing a coffee ceremony every morning. I make a cup of coffee with hot milk and a little sugar, aerate it between 2 cups (with rims) creating a foam, and offer it to pictures my dear departed parents and laws, requesting them feel nurtured and bless all their descendents then I drink the coffee. I now realise i am present with them every morning. Bottom line - tea ceremony is nice. But every action is sacred and connected to everything around us. Need to remember it all the time.
131
Oh, yes, young lovely people with fully flexible bodies in a warm sun amenable to minimal clothing! Here in Detroit winters, those of us with painful knees and less-flexible bones take our tea in china cups or mugs, seated on chairs, inside, wearing sweaters, our only ceremony the loving companionship of long-time friends who know whether we prefer green or black, jasmine or bergamot or ginger, take milk or lemon, sugar or honey or not-- this works, too!
117
I found this send-up of California's latest wellness trend amusing, steeped as it is in privilege. This, despite the fact that as a former Zen buddhist, I am quite fond of this type of ritual.
But Elspeth's take on the ceremony and writer Emma Carmichael's critique of it, both seem to miss a major point about this practice, especially in terms of the eastern traditions from which Elspeth seems to be appropriating. Namely, and as other commenters have noticed, neither one seems to recognize the value of "ordinariness" at the core of this simple ritual.
For Elspeth, the ceremony is an adorned solution to a problem - a radical antidote to modern ills. Carmichael tears it down as the latest hipster pretension in the wellness experience economy. She's almost sickened by the idea that someone can find solace in what "tasted like hot water with something a little sour in it"
But what exactly is the expectation? it's just tea! It is simple and ordinary, even "basic," as the kids say. Nothing to see here, right?
And yet, as Zen reminds us, it is precisely in this ordinariness that the sacred lives. The lesson of the tea ceremony is not about unplugging from our ugly world, but about staying plugged in, dealing with the muck.
By caring for the mundane, we take care of the world. With care and intention (no boutique earthenware required), even a microwaved cup of Lipton brew can be an affirmation of the exquisite reality of being.
241
"Women who were once professionally beautiful." Great line, evocative, but exactly why did you describe your co-tea drinkers this way?
71
While living in Malaysia, the tea ceremony was informal and may have involved ‘pulled tea’, which we would all drink together after work. Or, it could be formal, kneeling and pouring tea for my future Chinese father and mother in law in a pre marriage ceremony. Or, perhaps a relaxing tea with a friend at a local tea house. All, wonderful experiences of the present.
22
Amazing this well off white woman could learn a zen practice in only two months, truly humbling and to share the blessing with the oppressed of Topanga and Los Angeles, oh bless, more such articles nytimes please.
139
I say tea, tea for everyone!
13
How can we be sure it's not Elspeth Baelyn?
17
I'm very happy to learn that she and the frontman of Incubus are still close.
59
@JL that is one awful band
20
Poor tea ceremonies. They've now gone the way of yoga.
53
Some rich white folks from LA were tragically detoured to Bali, read a book on tea written by a white man who took on an Asian name, and they now drink tea.
There are so many inspiring lives worth documenting, and a major newspaper landed on these ones.
295
Don't forget it was the Chinese during the T'ang Dynasty who first began tea drinking.
15
Can LA be any fruitier and self-important?
58
She should set up a tea based co-working space company called We-Tea. She will be worth $Billions!!!
55
Maybe some of the homeless in Downtown LA can start their own version of this practice. Perhaps others would find peace and inspiration in their inner congruety or street zen. Would any NYT writer make the same stretch in trying to make them appear relevant.
41
Could this be - gasp - cultural appropriation? The dress. The tea. The ceremony. And I thought the NYTimes was "woke" with the best of them.
35
"Ah, South California....." -- Paul Simon, Punky's Dilemma
9
Yup. A complete waste of time. Vapid feminine culture at its best.
26
I live in LA and absolutely love Topanga with all my heart, but this is spot on (if transparently East Coast) analysis. The people in this article will read it and not understand the focus on their physical appearance--but that's the whole thing. Hippies in Topanga are so beautiful and unencumbered by money problems that everything always goes great for them, and they can use their time "focusing" on "spirituality." Good for them, but yes, to normal looking people this is just horseapples and foofery.
76
This article has inspired me. I have been looking for some way to boost my income in my old age and I think I have it. I will start the "hookah ceremony" here in Seattle. Come join Grandpa Boomer for a traditional hookah ceremony with old school strains and vibes. Don't expect to listen to Billie Eilish when Van Halen beckons across time. Just squeeze into some bellbottoms, let your hair down to Cher, put on some sandals, and oppose war. And for a limited time, join Grandpa Boomer for "Christmas on Shrooms" at the local zoo.
81
@tom harrison
I like it Tom. Christmas on schrooms. I wonder what emojis Paris would attribute to that?
19
Rituals are part of meditative practices in Asian cultures. However, they’re not commercial or exclusive.
I hope these ladies attain liberation and contentment in their lives!
12
It's hard not to read this as yet another form of appropriation of cultures of color reinterpreted, monetized, and "made known" by fashionable white people. A more interesting article would have cut through the wholesome smokescreen--or tea screen--and placed this trend in a larger context of other fads driven by appropriation and asked real questions about it. (Yoga, anyone?) It also would have questioned the economics of this practice. How much, if anything, does attending such a ceremony cost? Who profits here? It's good to talk about the merits of slowing down and connecting. We could all stand more of that no matter where we are. But it's better to be honest and probing about who gets to "connect" and how, without ignoring issues of appropriation, race, and privilege.
44
Love it! Society needs more attention given to emptiness, sitting, and learning how to be soft and still, and listen.
17
Something tells me this will soon be sold as a package by Gwyneth Paltrow.
82
Probably a better recreational activity than, say, four-wheeling on some fragile public land; but at 4:00 PM? Surely some must have been thinking of their upcoming bartending gig, tomorrow's third grade lesson plan, the audit report due at the end of the week, issues with managing a public transit system.... oh I forgot. By the way, my urologist said that tea may have been the cause of a kidney stone so best to drink with lemon.
12
Great story by Emma Carmichael. I love the skepticism.
Only thing missing, to me, was what does it cost to attend one of these tea ceremonies?
35
The author missed an opportunity to shed light on what is going on here: motivations, back story. Yes, it all sounds like a day at Antioch College in 1975, but this is 2019, so what is the story?
11
Try showing up in something that clashes with the carefully curated, and oh so Instagramable earth tones (I'm thinking golf clothes) and let's see how enlightened this group really is.
62
I remember the days in Topanga where the really cool thing to do was grow your own grapes, put them in a big wooden vat and then everyone would take off their clothes and stomp them. You’d laugh and laugh and slip and slide and there was actually some drinkable wine at the end of it.
19
Most people have to work for money
29
The amount of undercutting in this article is incredible. Tell us how you really feel!
18
@Grub It's what makes the article so good.
14
Agreed!
7
these people have too much free time. go and volunteer in a soup kitchen if you want to center yourself; do something for someone else.
30
Kojeve was right! End of history!
2
How much did it cost?
21
The literal definition of cultural appropriation. This woman has no real understanding of tea ceremony, which takes decades to master and, if performed properly, does not lend itself to hand-holding LA New Age nonsense.
34
Japanese people don't get all up in arms about the California roll (although most don't eat it). And most of the sushi and Japanese food ohh'd and aah'd in this paper is just plain inferior "takes" on Japanese food. But just because Japanese tea ceremony is a totally different thing, what's to be gained by downing people because of their perfectly harmless practice and their imitation Japanese food? Why don't we poke fun at folks who carry guns into Starbucks who need to intimidate people while pretending to glorify the Constitution? They're harming someone by making them feel tense. These people are doing none of that.
29
Looks as if only one other person noted the "free bleeding." Am I really so far out of touch (but I read the NYT!) that I'm the only reader to be astonished by this concept??
57
No, I am with you. I don’t get it, either.
16
I tried to consciously temper my cynicism as I began the article, but by the end, after the comment about all the people doing "atrocious things" in the world, I let go of any judgment. Maybe simply drinking tea with a few people is anything but "pointless" in this mad mad world.
9
"A couple members of the group eventually broke off to free bleed in the property’s gardens."
What?
78
It's great this article is bringing awareness to tea and tea culture, there certainly is amazing tea out there waiting for Westerners to take their first step towards preparing it in a move traditional style, loose leaf.
However it's uncomfortable when people speak of Wu De and his acolytes, as many in the tea community find the group uncomfortable and do not want the Global Tea Hut to represent the best of contemporary tea practice. It's a fine line to hover -- between appreciating a culture and appropriating it-- we'll let you decide on this one.
22
I wanted to get into this. But after I read the out-of-office reply it all seemed very pretentious. Not at all like the vibe I've come to associate with a Japanese tea ceremony.
25
@Koho
I enjoyed a tea ceremony in Osaka in 1994. It seemed to be very much about tradition, ritual, and exact gestures. It was highly choreographed. It could just as easily have been a military parade that was choreographed. The tea itself, while highly prized, was almost immaterial. The ceremony seemed to be mostly a beloved opportunity to display mastery and tradition.
Americans seem to enjoy taking Asian rites and removing everything Asian about them (I'm a Wall Street Jew, so I don't have a dog in this). In Japan, to me, the tea ceremony said, "we Japanese value mastery, tradition, and protocol even in the most seemingly mundane of activities, such as drinking tea."
I'll tell you what, when a professor of Japanese culture at UCLA does something like this, I'll be more eager to withhold judgement. Here, it just seems like some Californians who want to enjoy the sun without seeming like beach bums.
18
Yet another example of elite largely while neo-colonialism. Such experiences have a long history. Glad you actually talked about her teacher and trips to Taiwan.
9
Her teacher is some white dude.
14
I think whenever, and wherever, women or men gather and attempt to be present in the moment is worth doing. And people will do it in their own way. People with money may feel more comfortable with the niceties of life while they open themselves, and that is completely fine. We all have different cultural reference points.
17
This is nice, once or twice. As a life, not so much. But maybe when I’m in my 80s or 90s, I’ll give it a try.
4
@Greg
you mean like Jane Fonda - who is in her 80's-
I'm being sarcastic.
Jane Fonda is NOT sitting doing NOTHING. She is actively participating in & drawing attention to the fact that our planet is in dire trouble. i.e. climate crisis-
and spreading awareness is more of an act of kindness and crucially needed than sitting around doing nothing.
On a personal level I meditate and believe in the power of being still and promoting good energy and wellness.
However, this seems more of a selfish elitist mentality, like the sage sitting in a cave alone and contemplating Life, than actively participating in and generating Energy, Wellness Love and Service to others which is much harder to do than sitting in your comfort zone with like-minded participants taking tea-
I am all for sacred rituals - Japanese tea ceremonies, etc. but Jane Fonda is doing something courageous & beneficial~ for the Benefit of All Beings...
18
Something about tea invites people to treat it with ceremony.
I started really enjoying tea when a martial arts friend would brew it before our workouts; he introduced me to Taiwanese oolong tea, which was a revelation. He would brew it in a little plastic brewer and we'd drink it out of styrofoam cups. It was a ritual.
On occasion, I've had gongfu tea with someone who really knows how to do it, brewing the same leaves over and over into tiny cups of liquor that start bright, and green, and then deepen, and then fade.
But really, I enjoy it most alone, in nature, unhurried.
I don't know if I'd get along with these ladies in conversation; in fact, I'm sure I'd find them insufferable, but that says as much about my crankiness as it does about anything else.
However, I'd jump at the chance to enjoy tea with them, in quiet, in that beautiful setting. I think it's perfectly fine to make up your own tea ceremony; I've been doing it myself, since I was properly introduced to the plant. There's just something about it that invites a ceremony.
21
@Patrick
I hope you're not still brewing it in a plastic "brewer" and drinking it out of styrofoam cups...horrible!!
5
Western culture is so empty on certain spiritual levels that I do understand the need to reach for something from the East, and quiet sitting while drinking tea is always good, especially in a beautiful setting. Only that the tea drinking ceremony involves a lot of self-discipline and effacement of one's one ego, as I understand it. The danger is that when these traditions are plucked from their native context and reformulated by (wealthy) Westeners who are doing it on a more or less DIY basis, that they become denaturated. People in Japan spend decades studying tea from a teacher who also spent decades studying the art of tea. These lineages mean something.
54
So: no money is involved at all? Ms Elspeth does this all for love?
How does she pay rent, for groceries, medical care etc.
Sorry, what I've learned in a long life is, if it seems to good to be
true, it probably is. Very few saints around.
22
Ok I have come to appreciate the ways of the west coast. I see the appeal, it’s probably less stressful there.
5
@Tessa
except for living with the uncertainty of catastrophic destruction from fires & earthquakes --yes less stressful
4
Not going to outwardly pass judgment on this group and their newly stylized version of the time-honored, cross-cultural (from East Asia to Western Europe) practice of taking tea with friends. But perhaps we can set aside our own opinions, worthy as they may be, and consider this article as a reminder to stop, slow down, and take some tea with a friend -- the sooner the better.
34
I'm picturing an American gal wearing an outfit vaguely resembling but not exactly a nun's habit sitting in a circle under a tree with a handpicked group of thin, wealthy, pretty ladies somewhere in Japan, teaching them to say the rosary. It's meditative with a spiritual meaning in someone else's culture, so even completely out of context and treated as another form of consumable self care, it must be good for you and a good idea, right?
19
I happily consume any type of food (alcohol, gluten, meat, dairy and sugar), and yet I get indigestion when I hear of gathering of the gorgeous, or the use of the term “ceremony” (be it religious or secular). Nevertheless Ms Buck statement that there is “no intentionality around being together aside from what’s come to be called ‘fun,’ which a lot of times means some kind of annihilation of presence or obliteration of clarity together.” resonates with me. I long for casual gatherings that keep laughter and alcohol at bay.
14
I enjoyed the article and concurred that it was wonderfully pointless, a complete waste of my time, but without a doubt I felt enormously enhanced.
4
I looked at Ms. Elspeth's website for a link to her publicist and found none. That must mean that the Times considered this practice newsworthy. I applaud the paper's focus on California events, and I hope to read more such articles, especially about collective survival rituals and strategies practiced by communities of color.
19
There is plenty of time for in-car tea ceremony while crawling up the 405 to the 10 to the 1 to the 27 in rush hour. My venti soy matcha latte nestled peacefully in its' zen mid-console cupholder home is probably the closest I will get to this nonsense. I will try to be more mindful while I sip on it in bumper to bumper.
47
@danish dabreau - What I miss most about living in L.A. are the commercials that read like your first sentence - "Just take the 405 to the 10 to the 1 to the 27, to San Ventura Highway and you're there!" The only city I have ever lived in that has a dozen superhighways that get you nowhere fast.
12
Hahaha! Spot on.
7
Take an ancient practice and turn it into money-spinning fad. How very American.
46
I love how simultaneously ancient and futuristic this is and Topanga is one of the few places in coastal California south of Malibu that has not been completely overbuilt and destroyed by humans. The State Park there has some breathtaking sections and connects to the Backbone Trail where you can hike for some 60 miles in the coastal Santa Monica Mountains into proper wilderness with the last of the mountain lions watching over you.
28
@JS Actually the mountain lion population has been increasing for many years.
3
Topanga is also great for hiking - which I greatly prefer.
27
Having been borne into a British family, spent many years drinking tea around the world and been raised in Southern California minutes from Topanga Canyon, I must say that Ms. Elspeth, her oak tree and her tea ceremony are something of a yawner, and to the extent notable at all, it's all kind of humorous really. The fact is that people have been participating in vapid or vacuous "ceremonies" in Topanga Canyon for quite along time. My time there was I suspect far more interesting, e.g., we spent the day in the surf at ZUMA beach and relaxed later among the oaks smoking a different herb. But seriously, there is an unfortunate pretentious air around Ms. Elspeth's feigned mysticism, which is quite contrary at least in my experience to what you see in Asian tea ceremonies or even the casual cuppa shared among working class folks in the UK on a break at work. Ms. Elspeth's "intentionality" or "authenticity," while surely harmless, is ultimately little more than trafficking in new age snake oil. Clearly its a seller's market.
236
As a second-generation Los Angeleno, I just have to shake my head and groan. Even I can't stand this sort of woo-woo on the West side.
104
The Way Of Tea is something that is sacred to Japanese culture. One must study for many years to become qualified to conduct a tea ceremony. Potters who make the chawan used in the ceremony are considered Living National Treasures, there are museums devoted to the practice and accoutrements of tea, the making of the tea scoops and the tea whisks are highly refined and respected craft. This woman may call what she is doing a “tea ceremony” if she likes, but in my opinion (and I am a white woman who highly reveres Japanese tradition) it is not, it is a fancy coffee hour for privileged white women. Live and let live, I have no objection to her activities, but I do object to the attempt to elevate it to the level of a centuries old practice. That is misleading at the very least, and unfair to those who literally devote their lives to The Japanese Way Of Tea.
132
@Mardi Yes, Mardi. The traditional tea ceremony is not about the cup of tea so much as it is about the process, about exquisite focus on each step, as you describe -- a meditative process in itself. And it is about just one cup of tea. "Five or six rounds" in "about an hour" is more like a wine tasting than the millennia-old ceremony this gathering purports to practice.
23
@Mardi I think that if we apply a purity test to everything people want to try we denigrate what makes them happy. I am glad to see people enjoying each other’s company in the great outdoors without their phones. This might not be the tea ceremony with the age old lineages you are thinking of, but these people seem happy with the practice they are participating in.
10
@Mardi, you're comparing apples and oranges. There really is a Chinese tea "ceremony", if you want to call it that. It's simply a way to brew an excellent cup of oolong tea, and you don't have to intone "Ohm!" while doing it. To say that the apple is not worthy of the orange is unfair, to say the least, even when it's polished up in a mystical way.
3
Whenever I can be present in the moment to whatever it is that I may be doing such as sitting down and drinking tea mindfully it is not a waste of time. It is something very nourishing that I cannot find elsewhere. This is my aim in my daily life in everything that I do. At least that's what I strive for.
12
@tom gregory
thank you! Well said.
mindful while washing dishes, performing any other daily task is the real practice of meditation. NOT only sitting in a quiet room -
brewing tea and drinking it allows us the time and space to slow down become patient, be thankful, be present nourish our soul and appreciate every detail and minute of our life-
8
I scanned this article for a price. Didn't see one. Probably intentional.
25
It's funny how many people get worked up by this.
No one seems to get worked up by men sitting around drinking beer.
94
@DR :
well, they're not selling it as 'the answer to it all' either.
16
True, but I haven't read an article recently calling attention to the mystical qualities of drinking beer . We men just call that watching football .
18
@DR I see your point. The difference could be that a group of men sitting around drinking a beer could be for men (and women) from all walks of life; this seems like there are requirements in how you dress and who you are. Or perhaps that was just for the photo op, to be Pinterest perfect and Instagram worthy.
3
And what is the cost of the privilege to attend one of her “tea ceremonies?” I’d venture to say it’s not accessible to most. Maybe enlightenment only comes when you’re affluent.
44
Or affluent-adjacent...when you can namedrop a slew of d-list celebrities to help establish some relevance to insecure American standards...unfortunately whilst trying to come off as authentic and woke.
6
@Shannon - Then do your own ceremony.
5
This is not Japanese te a ceremony . it seems to involve a lot of navel gazing. It lacks art, focused conversation, kindness among friends, and most of all, delicious tea and treats.
36
What's with the weird racial comments? Is there some problem with "mostly white women" getting together to drink tea? And a bunch of bonding spiritual technobabble? Why does it matter what race they are? Why is this so important that it must be exposed and debunked?
It's a bunch of people sitting on a blanket drinking tea. There's almost no financial barrier to anyone at all who wants to, to do that. It's not a class nor a race thing, it's the same as any other form of social bonding, from watching the game to church to yoga to going to the barbershop.
61
@SusanStoHelit Sorry, but it reeks of privilege, separatism, sexism, and racism.
9
@SusanStoHelit :
Agree the "white women" comment was stupid and unnecessary....but, c'mon, it that really all Ms Elspeth is selling here? AND what is the cost to participate?
4
This seems like cultural appropriation.
How much is charged to attend this tea ceremony?
18
@Lizzy Please stop using the phrase “cultural appropriation”; it really betrays a lack of familiarity with the real world.
6
Just another form of attachment?
3
This is all fine except for the part where rich people in Topanga Canyon (an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County) are passed off as representing "Los Angeles". Once again the NYT sees what it wants to see and disregards the rest.
32
@George B. Woods It's the "Greater Los Angeles" area, I guess. For example, as a Navy vet, I volunteer at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare Center (a/k/a West LA Veterans Center), which is actually in the Brentwood neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. Thank you for your input.
I do tea. have for years. The way of life that tea points us to is away from violence and compulsion.
First you have the tea. Then you taste it.
Dr. Michael S Bever
Mountain Home, AR
21
Respect from Pea Ridge and one tea-loving Arkansan to another!
10
The level of snark in this article makes me recoil more than what any of these beaded ladies are doing. Obviously these folks make for an easy target - white privilege, cultural appropriation, funky yoga pants, yadda yadaa... we get it.
Ms Carmichael is trotting out yet another wearisome example of embittered East-Coasters pointing fingers at all the inexplicable hippies and long-hairs out in California. If playing tea party out in the woods (and paying good money for it) makes people feel good, let them. There's a lot worse out there to get exited about.
101
@Chuck Huss
the point is, c'mon, the nasty "white women" comment aside, what does it cost to participate in this? Who is making money from it, because I'm willing to bet someone is.
1
..... women who were once professionally beautiful......
???????????
73
@kathy Thank you for pointing that out.
3
@kathy
precious crew
if i had to suffer through this ridiculous wanna be zen thing, i would for sure put vodka in my cup
73
@pamela Perhaps that is why loose clothing is preferred - not too difficult to hide a flask under there
10
Sitting together for a tea ceremony wherever will not make these women "friends"...LA's a weird place, doesn't really know how "real" friendship" works...
13
This is racist and appropriative. Good old white lady "high priestess" vibes, made in LA.
14
Sounds like GOOP to me.
97
What does the racial composition of the group or groups matter? Topanga is obviously a largely white area. Would the NYT do a story about a chatterboxy gathering in largely black Roxbury and add race to the mix? White folks, black folks, Latinx folks, and every kind of folks sometimes talk and sometimes don't. Gawd. There is nothing the Great Awokening hasn't wrecked.
31
Why is it necessary to state that these groups are predominantly white? The Times would be a better journal if it simply dropped this divisive language altogether.
50
How is that not a relevant aspect of reporting?
5
I politely disagree. I think it helps give context.
4
Must...not....be....snarky.......
80
I know...it’s hard not to do when it’s so easy...
4
It's not surprising that wealthy, progressive westerners have misapprehended yet more "Eastern" mysticism to fill the yawning voids of their sad lives... The Japanese Tea Ceremony (different in many ways from what is described here, but there may be significant parallels) is less about serenity and peacefulness and more about ritual and discipline through a banal act. The roots of that ceremony are in the necessity to apply ritual and meaning to ordinary tasks, such as working in rice fields, as a way to transcend the grunt of work and find some art in repetitive tasks. This philosophy has served an astonishing and venerable work ethic over the centuries.
Mistaking the ceremony as pure meditation misses the point.
133
@Todd this is a bit like complaining about how children looking for Easter eggs have lost their connection to the concept of resurrection. It happens!
12
@Kassis , except the eggs have nothing to do with the Christian resurrection; they're just another pagan ritual (in this case, about spring and renewal) subsumed under a Christian holiday. (Eddie Izzard has a funny routine about this, worth watching.)
12
@Kassis Actually it's more like complaining about how adults looking for Easter eggs have lost their sense of proportion. It happens ... sadly!
6
Live and let live is my reaction to this article.
But it has made me reconsider one relatively new aspect of life here in Los Angeles. Remember bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic? It's rush hour all day long in Los Angeles. Some of us still
practice bumper-to-bumper as we creep along or while we're at a standstill. "Tighten it up, folks, and we all may get through the next green light!" But more and more drivers are leaving huge spaces, vehicle-sized or more in some cases, between their vehicle and the one they're behind making a bad situation even worse.
But maybe it's for meditation purposes. I thought it was only so they could selfishly sink into the texts that they were reading or tapping out and not worry about rear-ending the vehicle they were behind. But maybe they're all using that screen they're all staring at on the device in their hands selflessly as a focus for meditation.
4
@Paul Connah Tailgating isn't a good idea regardless of traffic situation.
5
@Paul Connah I took driver’s training back in 1975. We were taught to keep one car length per 10mph behind or ahead of the other car. Sounds pretty hilarious now. My experience driving in LA is that if I left a 10 foot space behind a car someone would try to muscle in. This is why people leave NO space between cars in LA.
@Kb
I hear you, but you're talking about a more fluid situation moving at 10 mph or more and trying to
discourage the weasels who refuse to signal that they want to be allowed to change lanes.
When the traffic is crawling or stopped at a light
you will see hand-held-or-dashboard-mounted device-focussed people leaving large, sometimes giant, spaces between cars in Los Angeles.
I applaud the cultivation of sacred space among those who wish to invite quiet reflection, or Abiding Practice as it is sometimes called, and the creation of Satsang (a gathering of like-minded individuals coming together for the purpose of upliftment). However, I agree with those commenting that the types of people engaging in these practices should keep it off The ‘Gram. I’m trying to say this without judgement, and as a yoga and meditation teacher myself, this has been something I struggle with personally. There comes a point where beautifully documenting your spiritual practice on Instagram feels phony, if you’ll allow me to channel Holden Caulfield for a moment. I am waiting patiently for the day that wellness guides, yoga teachers, and anyone else in the business of helping people find spiritual awareness...whatever the process may be...eschew the paradoxical draw to document it all on social media.
66
Seems elitist from the outside. I hope these groups seeking wellness can also incorporate some form of community service.
55
Brian, are you thinking a FEMA Camp?
2
Afternoon coffee with friends would have the same effect, plus a caffeine boost which is always welcome.
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Ms. Elspeth,
All events are serendipitous, and if you wish to minimize your exposure to technology I suggest staying off Instagram.
Namaste.
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Sitting with others, friends or otherwise, quietly for a time and in congenial conversation, can lead to calm, perhaps an intimacy with self and others.
The tea “ceremony” may be one way among many to “be” with one’s self among others and fulfill the human desire for connection.
The flow of words whether explaining the ceremony or sharing the quiet and verbal space can seem ‘airy-fairy,’ ‘woo-woo,’ pretentious, or ‘out there.’ It can be challenging (and undesirable) coming up with words about an occasion which one may not want to use words, instead, be in the experience, the feelings of it.
There may be, as I believe Ms. Elspeth eluded to, many different ways to experience a tea ceremony and similar intentional occasions.
10
We all need a strong dose of humility: we’re not that important that we have to devote all of our time trying to change the world. Tea under a tree in Topanga, for no purpose but itself, is a palette for anything you’d like. Alas, I’m far too anxiety-ridden to be capable of such calm reflection of nothingness, but boy, I sure could use it.
20
@MWR I think you mean template or blank slate, not palette, maybe.
1
@MWR :
Why did the writer, who was fine about snarking "white women" not mention what it costs to participate?
4
I used to live in China. One of the most common scams foreign tourists encounter when roaming the central parts of Beijing or Shanghai is the invitation to a tea ceremony, where credulous tourists are encouraged to vastly overpay for an "authentic" experience. It appears this well-known scam has made its way to the Western hemisphere.
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"A couple members of the group eventually broke off to free bleed in the property’s gardens." This one was really just thrown in there without context...
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@Isa
I was flummoxed by "free bleed." Was it thrown in as a euphemism? After five or six cups of tea, I wouldn't be free-bleeding, but I'd sure be looking for the bathroom.
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@Pinesiskin - Free bleeding is menstruation without tampons or other devices....
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@Isa Right?!? I was flummoxed when I read this and had to skim the rest of the article looking for an explanation. Is "free bleeding" a thing? I can't believe I have to ask this, given that I live in Santa Cruz.
22
There is a sad desperation emanating from these people that cannot find a quiet place on their own, for free, to sign up for this "ceremony".
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@Kat Everyone could go and forest bath and find it relaxing and rejuvenating without the tea. Ms. Elspeth did, however, pick a beautiful canyon, which I have hiked, to relax with the group.
6
We need aggressive wealth redistribution.
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@Charlie
I'm with you, Charlie.
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@Charlie
I think that is precisely Ms. Elspeth's aim, but not in the socialist sense; she's letting charity begin at home.
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@Charlie
Is that because the people portrayed in this story appear to be wealthy? Frankly, what I have is mine and mine alone.
3
I was in Japan during the Tohoku earthquake. It wasn't really part of "an amazing chain of serendipitous events." It was a horrific tragedy.
This all looks like narcissism dressed up as pseudo-spirituality.
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I wish I was good looking enough to get into this wellness industry ...
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@S.G.
love this!!
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@S.G. ha!
Indeed one must definitely have to have the "look" to get in.
12
White people; and affluent white people at that.
I get that tea ceremonies are a cultural thing in some countries, but this, this is something else.
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@matt harding
you didn't notice the product placement of 2 POC in the photo shoot??
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@matt harding ... all this may indeed be quite narcissistic, but let's not turn this thing into an anti-white privilege rant. The photo showed two, maybe three (perhaps four with a bit of a stretch), people of color.
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@matt harding
Many commenters here focus on race and nothing more. What is wrong with a group of white women (at least one was black) having tea? Do you think that black groups of women make sure to invite a token white to their activities? I am baffled by this one-trick pony approach to life.
20
I'm not sure how these tea ceremonies of Ms. Elspeth actually are; it was hard to tell, considering the judgmental tone that pervaded this article. Leaving any possible judgments aside, tea ceremonies have a deep history throughout varying cultures. Japanese tea ceremonies specifically came to mind, in which I've only experienced calm and real sense of ritual.
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@Lola I agree, the essay seems to simmer with unqualified judgement (anti-L.A. elitism via elite Nytimes style section?). It misses the opportunity to put tea ceremonies into historical or cultural context. It similarly evades any substantial conversation about race while commenting on the whiteness of the women. The photos published along with the article portray a multi-ethnic group of participants. Curious editorial choices!
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@Lola Not all judgments are bad and often it is a very good thing to form an opinion about vacuous social practices--there is a pretentious air by Ms. Elspeth, which, quite contrary to what you see in Asian tea ceremonies or even the casual cuppa shared among working class folks in the UK on a break at work. Ms. Elspeth's "intentionality" or "authenticity," while surely harmless, is ultimately little more than trafficking in new age snake oil. Clearly its a seller's market.
14
I find it interesting how much irony is applied in postings to such a simple practice. It seems for many to be a default platform from which to observe the world. I practiced Zen (sitting meditation) for several years in the 1990's; it was one of the most valuable experiences of my life.
7
A wonderful approach. Whatever promotes serenity I'm all for.
But for those of us out here more on the front lines -- i.e. Oklahoma -- the practice needs to be one that plays all the time, tea or no tea, trees or no trees, and that is the practice of simply being as kind and as nice to others as possible. Wherever and whenever. The anger raging here seems to be ready to explode in any situation at any moment. So our "ceremonial" practice needs to be for the anger -- whether bubbling beneath the surface or out there for all to see and hear -- to be met with something very different than just more anger.
The very nice man who helped me with an account issue at Bank of America this morning told me that yesterday he was cussed out by four people. At a bank. He didn't say so but I imagined he might have had a rough evening when he got home.
So yes, I encourage all forms of inner work that keeps you out of the red zone, but we need to take that with us everywhere we go. I find myself saying that my political activism now is primarily just being nice to people. Let those who might be churning in anger get a whiff of a different kind of energy.
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@Charlotte Amalie
Thank you, that's an excellent reminder to all of us.
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@Charlotte Amalie That's what I do! I just try to be nice to people - all the time. Too little kindness in our world today. People seem so surprised by the kindness - and so thankful for just a little.
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@Long Islander
The best comment here. Or anywhere.
26
Instagram was the first thought that crossed my mind when I saw this piece and the accompanying photos. And sure enough, she's another of those Instagram wellness women, there's so many of them- always of a certain age and always good looking- promoting their lifestyle and associated service and merchandising sales. Glad I can enjoy my Turkish organic black tea in my simple mug without dressing like a monk and sitting under a Eucalyptus tree in SoCal, or of over sharing my experience.
150
This sounds wonderful. I'm sure we could all benefit from some quiet and serenity in our lives.
And to let go of the judging.
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@Stevem :
and the article mentions nothing about cost to participate or social media involvement.....don't you think those things are important in this scenario?
3
@ResWY exactly my thoughts! I mean it sounds lovely to to sit under a tree in Topanga and drink tea. But if they are so worried about what young white men are doing they should place all their resources (whiteness and money) to fun control.
2
I live in Venice. This article makes me want to move away and never come back.
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@Darren exactly what i did a decade ago
6
Wyoming sounds nice
7
Doing nothing, or wu wei in Zen, is deeply restful and contemplative. Studies show women deal with stress not in the masculine way of 'flight or fight,' but in women's way of 'tending and befriending.'
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@CEF - Yep. It's one of the reasons they think women live longer than men.
6
I hope it wasn't Chinese tea. I've been told that due to recent industrialization Chinese teas can have heavy metals present in them. Also, was it Organic tea? Non organic teas have tested positive for many insecticides. If you come have tea at my house for $75 per person I'll share the secret to which tea I drink - of course we will drink the tea in silence first. Everyone will be"woke"
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@henrik it looked like she was breaking apart a block of puerh tea, which would be Yunnan province, China; however, it was square, so no idea what was up with that because most puerh comes in discs.
But that study that you seem to be citing from ERPH examined puerh from Yunnan for heavy metals.
2
@henrik Tea in Taiwan is different and Taiwan and China are not the same country.
1
Practicing Quakers have been doing this for over a century as a basic part of their "meeting for worship," which is done mostly in silence. No hokey beads, outfits, or herbs necessary.
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@MrDeepState Thanks! As a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), I was about to say more or less the same, although I expect I would also get something out of the tea ceremony at Topanga Canyon, just as I did as a visitor in Japan.
Quakers have held mostly silent Meetings for more than 350 years. Quaker contemplation is balanced, albeit in a different way from the one described in this article, with engagement with the world and each other.
We also enjoy socializing. My most cherished memories of Quakers and tea are from my two-year period in England, another culture with tea rituals. All British Meetings are of the "unprogrammed" (mostly silent) variety, where we participated in both Meeting for Worship and a sociable "cuppa" afterward, replete with discussions about whether one puts the milk in first. Unprogrammed Meetings in the U.S. and Canada tend to have a lively period for coffee and tea at rise of (i.e., at the end of) Meeting.
There are other Friends Meetings and churches in the U.S., typically away from the east coast, which are more programmed (more similar in format to mainline or Evangelical Protestant churches). All, however, have some place for silent reflection. All also offer the opportunity for "small f" friendship.
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@Klord :
and for free!
3
@RLiss Of course, there is no charge to attending a Quaker Meeting for Worship, although contributing to the Meeting, financially and/or in other ways, is a responsibility of membership, as it is with other religious communities. In the long haul, the profound Quaker silence also comes with substantive religious and moral responsibilities, such as the peace testimony.
I would hope that those who take the time to understand the tea ceremony at Topanga Canyon also come out with a commitment to make the world a better place.
5
Kudos to Magdalena Wosinska for a beautiful pnoto at the article head.
Californians have tried it all, and the time has perhaps come to return to simpler gratification of the senses.
As to my taste, I like tea only as a very strong brew, of strength of not less than three tea bags per cup or four per mug.
5
I don't know if i'd be quite that formal, but I switched to tea last year on the advice of my doctor. It's better for my Blood Pressure than coffee and I do find a measure of calmness that had eluded me. Clarity of thought.
In Nepal, tea is a very important part of life, and so I would have to disagree with the other respondent who dismissed it as a "first world problem."
More like a "first world solution." We'd all be happier if we drank more tea, and we would probably also get more done, even though that may seem paradoxical.
23
hmm, can't decide if this seems like something interesting to try or is simply a "first-world problem" for people who are wealthy and therefore have abundant time during any day to do nothing.
Sorry I have to go scrape the snow off my car.
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@ResWY - It's probably a bit of both.
I start every day of my life with a cup of tea sipped all by myself before I plunge into a busy day.
This tea ceremony thing isn't for me, but if it makes people happy and they're not harming anyone then I'm happy for them.
40
Well demolished, ResWY.
9