Welcome to this cup of tea meditation and reflection on the element of fire.
So as you stand ready to heat the water to make tea,
Feeling into the contact between feet and floor.
And maybe taking some grounding breaths,
Imagining you're breathing up from deep down in the earth.
Through the feet and up through the body,
Right up to the crown of the head.
And the out breath like a wave of release that washes down through the body back to earth.
And noticing any areas of the body that feel cold.
Noticing the sensations of cold.
And aware that when we feel that,
Our body is sharing its warmth,
Its fire energy with its surroundings.
Maybe we can feel warmth coming from inside our body,
Generated by our body.
And maybe we can feel our body being warmed from the outside by warmth in the air or surrounding surfaces.
The body receiving fire energy from outside.
So feeling the body in this process,
This flow of energy between the body and its surroundings.
And putting on the kettle,
Whether that's flicking a switch,
Placing the kettle on a wood stove or lighting a gas hob.
And listening to the sounds of gas burning or wood crackling,
Water heating.
Aware of the energy of fire.
Reflecting that this energy has been on a journey to get here.
Whether it's gas that formed underground over millions of years or wood or electricity,
Maybe from solar panels.
This energy heating this water,
It all originated from a huge ball of fire,
The sun.
So as the kettle boils,
Aware of the sounds it makes and the steam making patterns in the air.
Fire element transforming the water element.
And feeling the weight of the kettle as you pour in the water to make tea.
And as you start to drink the tea,
Feeling the warmth of the cup on your hands.
Feeling the warmth on your face as you sip the tea.
Feeling the warmth of the tea in your mouth and slipping down your throat.
This energy of heat,
Of fire becoming part of this body.
This body that needs fire,
Needs warmth to stay alive.
And aware of this body as part of the cycle of fire,
Of energy constantly moving,
Constantly flowing between all of life.
And maybe through the day,
Perhaps especially when you boil the kettle,
Coming back to awareness of this flow of the fire element.
Connecting and supporting all life.
