A few folk that have attended a class presented by Renewal Coven about working with Cha at a convention or festival have asked us for the basic format of the Cha ritual and invocation. We are pleased to present here the basic form of the Cha ritual along with a brief outline of the history of Cha. We ask that as Cha is shared with your friends and family the story of his history is shared as well.
May you find many perfect moments
We honour Cha primarily through the act of brewing and drinking tea.
Take a mindful and deliberate aspect in your actions, in a space of calm quiet and with your subtle and physical bodies in accord take out each item for the tea one at a time, teapot, cups and tea.
Pour the hot water into the tea pot and after a moment pour in the tea. While the tea is brewing is a time for polite, quite, casual conversation or silence. After the tea is brewed pour the tea into the cups one at a time, again acting with deliberate intent and your subtle and physical bodies in concert. Pass the cups around in a clockwise direction, the pourer taking their tea last.
Pause for a moment and feel the warmth of the tea cup in your hands, observe the blending of elements present, the earth of the tea leaf, the warmth of the fire, the water carrying the tea and the air present in the steam rising from it, in this observation seek a meditative space and then speak the invocation.
We honour the small god Cha.
Life is a series of moments interconnected only by our experiences of them.
In tea is a perfect moment,
We seek such a moment together.
The final line does change depending on the nature of the Cha invocation, the one presented above is for use in a more casual group environment.
Then lift the cup to touch the forehead, lips and heart then back to the lips for the first sip of tea, then pause to be aware of the sensation of the tea travelling down the throat, the stillness and warmth, the calm and perfect moment you are sharing with Cha and through Cha those you are drinking tea with.
Cha was originally a collaboration between River, Firebird, Rose and Amabran when they worked together in Australia and was drawn from a combination of elements including Shinto tea ceremony and Chinese Daoist principles, both traditions that members of that circle were actively engaged in.
Firebird and River no longer work with Cha but Amabran and Rose have continued to and through them the members of Renewal Coven have been introduced to Cha and all work with Cha in some fashion, including through invocation during divination and the inclusion of Cha in the Sabbats and Esbats held by Renewal Coven