The Tea Room

Inspiration And Creativity
"Poets are the hierophants of an un apprehended inspiration
the mirrors of the gigantic shadows
which futurity casts upon the present. "

which futurity casts upon the present. "
—Percy She

Magick has a kind of poetry to it, in the way it goes
together, in the invocations and spells. 

And modern Witches are the poets who use inspiration, creativity, and imagination to create 

new forms of magick suited to our ever-changing
world. If the metaphysical arts become stagnant, the possible
energy they can create dies. 

By its very definition magick  a change, and therefore we must use a little creativity to keep up with that transformation process
But what happens when you go to inspiration's well and
find it wanting? 

You've scanned dozens of books, talked to various-
 people, and just can't seem to find something that motivates invention. That's when you need to quaff a few beverages that can provide the internal nudge 

you're lacking. 

Some of the ingredients  recommended for creativity are:
allspice honey mead
water yellow beverages wine
almond dandelion lavender
maple flavoring mint sage
pomegranate juice
Make these when the moon is full, and drink them from a
silver-toned cup. For crystal tinctures use green or clear quartz.

Iced Herbal Teas

by Marilyn Edmison - Driedger

One of the benefits of cultivating a herbal garden is being able to sit
and admire the scenery while also sipping it.

A variety of herbs have been used through the ages for medicinal
tisanes, love potions and even witches brews. Myself, I like to keep it
simple. A hot pot of mint tea steeped with a little honey; or a blend of
"lemony" herbs to finish off a day. All from your garden view.

Mint (mentha) should always be propagated by stem or root cuttings. You
must be warned that this hardy perennial likes to grow everywhere, fast.
It's a good idea to plant this prolific herb in a container or out
behind the garage where it has room to roam. There are many flavors to
choose from, spearmint (mentha spicata), peppermint (mentha piperita
vulgaris), orange mint (mentha piperita citrata) and English mint
(mentha spicata cv.) are common tea mints. In 1995 a new mint was
introduced " Hillary's Sweet Lemon". Stems, leaves and flowers can all
be used to make a great tea.
 

Anise-hyssop (agastache foeniculum) is a very pretty perennial that
makes a great tea, especially if you like the taste of licorice. The
first year I grew anise-hyssop, my one plant was not enough but, I
quickly found out that a whole row was too much. Oh the fun of
gardening!

There are many "lemony" herbs and all make a great tea. Lemon balm
(melissa officinalis) is a favorite. If you or a friend are feeling a
little grumpy a hint of lemon balm will cheer the spirits.
 

Lemon verbena (aloysia triphylla) is native to South America and
therefore not hardy in our climate (tender perennial). It has to come
indoors for the winter or be treated as an annual. The wonderfully sweet
scent is stronger than lemons and is, what I feel, the best of the
"lemony" herbs. It is propagated from cuttings . My lemon verbena tree
has been with us for 15 years. It is in a large clay pot that I place
outside for the summer and bring indoors before the first heavy frost.
It usually drops most, if not all of it's leaves, but given a sunny
window and a weekly watering, it has always made a come back. Each
spring, I take rooted cuttings and plant them directly into a row in the
garden. By autumn each cutting is four to five feet tall and at least
that wide. Harvest leaves me with plenty of lemon verbena leaves for not
only teas but also potpourri. And once again the "mother" lemon verbena
comes into the house.
 

Lemongrass (cymbopagon citratus) is from the Orient. This "tender
perennial" has a strong "lemony" herb flavour to add to the tea blend.

Of all the many basils, lemon basil (ocimum americanum) is one of the
best for tea. Lemon basil is a very tender annual; meaning if you even
mention the word frost, the plant will freeze on the spot and turn
black.

All of the tea herbs can be brewed fresh or dried; alone or blended, and
served hot or iced. Recipes can be found in all of the better herb books
but I like to experiment.
 

The Herbal Touch tea is a blend of the above "lemony" herbs for high
notes and a portion of mint for blender notes. Like perfume, herb tea
has an array of notes.

When brewing tea, the tea pot should always be pre-warmed. Boiling water
is added to the pot into which goes three to six fresh stems
approximately four inches long of the desired herbs (I always rinse the
herbs with cold water before use), or less the amount if the herbs are
already dry. At this time I add a small amount (1 tsp) of honey to mix
and steep with the herbs. The longer you steep, the stronger it becomes.

When I need large quantities of tea, I use a coffee percolator which
holds thirty-two cups. After bringing the water to the ready point, I
add a giant tea bag full of herbs made from an eight-by-eight inch
square of cheese cloth with the four corners tied together with thread.
Sample the tea and when strong enough, remove the tea bag. A number of
years ago, I was visited by a local grade 9 home economics class. They
wouldn't try the herb tea, but when I referred to it as a "hot
lemonade," they all enjoyed a cup.
 

The leftover hot tea can be chilled to become tomorrow's iced tea. Just
add a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with a few lemon balm sprigs or
mint flowers and watch it disappear.

Herbal sun tea can also be made by stuffing clean, fresh herbs of your
choice into a lidded gallon jar, adding water and if desired, honey or
sugar and two or three bags of regular tea. Set in the sun for the day,
strain, chill and serve with minted ice cubes and slices of lemon. A
garnish of edible flowers would also be pleasing (flowers of
anise-hyssop, mint, violets, sweet cicely or sweet woodruff).

Store all dry herb tea in sealed containers (glass jars are great), out
of direct sun. Extra herb tea from your garden can make great gifts
perhaps combined with a small tea pot or a book on herbs, and presented
in a nice garden basket. Why not make this your cup of tea!