A Thousand Words

In Dr. Andrew Weil’s book, The Marriage of the Sun and Moon, he recounts tales about hunting 4-leaf clovers and mushrooms. In his stories, on multiple occasions, he would be unable to find the clovers or different types of mushrooms until he was in the company of someone already skilled at finding them. Perhaps tuning in to the frequency of it, or learning the particular pattern recognition that identifies them. Once able to find them, he would remain able to identify them and then show other people how to do it.?

While reading this, I thought, “Oh, yeah, I’m familiar with that phenomenon.” (Honestly reading any of Dr. Weil’s work is validation of everything I’ve been experiencing and learning over the past 40 years, but the majority of the public prefers to ignore such things. Though I could probably have saved much time and hardship by simply reading his books-as could the rest of society- some of which were written before I was born, I do deeply value that without having his direct guidance before this time, I was able to arrive at many of the same conclusions on my own through my experiences and observations. Truly those with eyes to see will.)

Another thing that I shared with Dr. Weil was interest in Eastern philosophies and practices. Curiously I switched from coffee to matcha, then learned that Dr. Weil was a huge proponent, not just of matcha, but of tea ceremony. Though I’d never had the honor of attending a tea ceremony, I found studying the history of matcha and tea ceremony fascinating and beautiful. Learning the differences in other types of tea, regular green tea, and matcha was amazing. Matcha is really special because of how it is grown and prepared. It’s grown in the shade which results in its rich nutrient content and complex flavor, and then the entire leaves are ground for the finished product. Tea ceremony is an amazing practice. It shows honor and respect between people and nature, taking special care with the tea house, often with lowered doorways that when one passes through the lowering of the head and body is a symbol of respect, the utensils are cared for with the utmost respect, as is the entire environment of the tea setting. Nothing is hurried, honoring that every moment and aspect of the tea ceremony will never exist again. It emphasizes harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility.?

I also find language very interesting. English was primary, but I took years of Spanish, some French, and often study the etymology of words. It’s difficult for me to be presented with something new and not want to find out where it came from and why. When reading Alan Watts’ explanation of ideograms and Chinese characters, I coupled that with my knowledge of sign language. In America alone, even during my lifetime, sign language has evolved from English sign language and fingerspelling (literally making a sign for each word in a sentence or even a sign for every letter in a word) to American sign language which conveys much more meaning with much less effort. For example, in English sign language, to say “The bird sat on the fence,” you would make a sign for the bird, then sit, then fence, basically. American sign language conveys all of that in one sign…an easily recognizable bird sign on the other hand making a gesture that resembles a fence. Once you understand the concept of this way of communicating, it makes so much sense and is instantly recognizable. (And much more efficient, until we realize telepathy and instant downloads. Think of it like the octopus aliens in the movie Arrival trying to communicate in a time-dependent linear fashion.)

During my studies of matcha, tea ceremony, and different languages, I would often see these Chinese and Eastern characters, and have no idea what they meant. No doubt I had run across the character for tea countless times, but failed to recognize it on my own. Then I moved into a house with a Japanese roommate. Not only is she of Japanese descent, she goes every week to practice and learn formal tea ceremony. I often see her leaving the house in her kimono, and the home is decorated with lots of Japanese art. Last week she honored us by hosting tea ceremony in our home.?

It was amazing. One thing she mentioned was the American need to fill every moment with talking, which is in contrast to the etiquette of the tea ceremony. The Japanese art of communicating and socializing without words and through knowing, which I feel is also really reflected in the differences between the languages and cultures. The Eastern way is much less words, waste, and effort…and with a sense of ease. The Western communication style, much like everything else in Westernized culture, is hurried, competitive, and tense. So interesting it was to watch a group of people so used to hurrying about and filling the next moment before this one even passes, suddenly pause. Take a moment to reflect, center, honor, and show respect and gratitude for what is.?

The next morning after sitting in tea ceremony, I noticed a bag on the counter. It was from Japan, and there weren’t even any letters of the English alphabet on the bag. But I looked at one character, and knew it meant tea. Literally the entire story I had learned about tea ceremony existed within that single character. Just above it, another symbol looked, to me, like someone with a tool to grind things. I looked up the character for tea, and sure enough, that was it. And indeed, the symbol that looked to me like someone with a tool, was derived from “matsu” which means “to grind-” which is how the matcha, in particular, is prepared. Despite my independent studies of all these things, it was actually participating in tea ceremony that helped me recognize the meaning, much like hunting 4-leaf clovers with a pro.?