Selections from
Looking Deeply Into Tea
Meditations by Shelley Richardson Photographs by Bruce Richardson
Tea Garden
In this world
it is easy to travel
to new places and fascinating landscapes.
What matters is
that we lift the veil from our eyes,
open ourselves to a new voyage of perception,
and arrive in paradise
Cupping
I looked at the ancient tea bowl
behind glass in the museum.
Its beauty and simplicity beckoned to me.
My gaze brought it into my heart.
It became my soul for that moment.
I turned it on its side
and felt a pouring out.
I turned it back
and felt a filling up.
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Great Mother
In the picking of tea,
I think about the manifestation of the Mother.
She is everything.
She comes without fail.
She is the Wise One.
Her Power flows as she picks
the delicate bud.
She wears a golden halo around her head
and carries the basket of tea
as if it were sweet compassion,
ready to pour out into the world.
Bruce and Shelley Richardson have been at the forefront of America’s tea renaissance since 1990. These former classical musicians have infused their creative passion into a life filled with tea, art, photography, writing and teaching. They have authored or co-authored 15 books on tea and are frequent guest speakers at tea events around the world. Their wholesale tea company, Elmwood Inn Fine Teas, is based in Danville, Kentucky. For 17 years, they have hosted a three-day Tea 101 Master Class where over 450 aspiring students of tea have come for inspiration and instruction.
LOOKING DEEPLY INTO TEA
Thoughts and Prayers
By Shelley Richardson
Photography by Bruce Richardson
Shelley Richardson has combined her sensitive writing skills with the beautiful photography of Bruce Richardson to produce a moving and powerful tribute to the tea workers and tea gardens of Sri Lanka and India.
The 35 color photographs show you the faces of people who labor each day to produce our cup of tea. You will never drink a cup of tea again without thinking of them.
