Ichi-go Ichi-e

(いちごいちえ) - this Japanese proverb gets it right

*Katagami, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum Collection

In December I was all about coffee, but come January my focus has shifted to tea. I embrace and enjoy both. But alternating my morning drinks means I lean into each day a little differently depending on what I have in my mug.

Coffee is the energizer, the go-getter, the “big day-big plans-big results” sort of expression. But sometimes, the way into a dark, wintry morning is not a jolt. During the shortest days - when we wake into what still feels like night - I seek to sip and savor more slowly.

Somehow, tea goes best in the dim, with twinkling candlelight or leftover holiday decorations. It pairs nicely with a blanket and a book, with toast, with chill air, with pause. Tea is for me and my brain before the agenda kicks in. Tea is for calm, comfort, and community.

We are so conditioned to forward movement that presence, the art of living in the “right in this moment” present, is actually rare. Mindfulness counselors and Yogis advocate breathing and sensory awareness for those of us who’ve forgotten how. But sitting with tea works too.

It’s ritual.

In Japan, understanding of tea time as a spiritual practice began in the 15th century, and in the 16th century, the idiom of ichi-go ichi-e emerged to explain the heart of its ceremonial rhythm - that despite repetition, we cannot recreate a single moment. In literal translation, ichi (one) go (time), ichi (one) e (meeting/encounter) suggests the importance of recognition: people, places, and circumstances come together in a particular way only for a particular time. Therefore, the time and practice of tea is about savoring and honoring. Tea is the vehicle for moments of magical convergence.

* Torii Kiyonaga, Night Rain at the Tea Stand, Art Institute of Chicago

So, of course, it’s not just the tea. It’s the whole deal.

I have yet to experience the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. But I have developed tea rhythms that evoke the spirit of ichi-go, ichi-e, and I find Magic there.

For me, early morning tea time is for setting myself apart. For time alone; for adjusting to the changing light; for creative breath-taking, no-pressure ideating, being, rather than doing. It’s a habit of relaxation before, rather than after, the busyness of a typical day. In the ritual of preparing and drinking my tea, I find space to witness the magical unique of each ordinary transition from night to day.

But I also grew up reading British novels and fantasizing about afternoon teas filled with grandeur, scones, finger sandwiches, and pastel-colored dainties. Tea time in a temple or a festive drawing room (or dining room, or cafe - I’m up for any of them) evokes a different sort of ceremony - one about pleasure and leisure, rest. A treat any way you slice it. And it is a ritual for sharing. Togetherness.

Ichi-go, ichi-e exhorts us to center the alignment that occurs when people come together in familiar practice. To recognize and treasure the magic of these moments.

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

For years, I’ve had the great good fortune to gather monthly for Tea with decades-long friends. The tradition started with a baby shower and continues because of delicious food, laughter, and the precious magic of time together. Our teas are sort of grand (as in many-layered, featuring delectable, sometiemes fussy-adjacent treats, and we never miss the scones with cream). They are also sort of ritual, with regular conversational patterns for sharing our stories and ourselves over a predictable parade of courses: first savory, then sweet. We linger for hours on a Sunday afternoon, verging into dinner. Our Teas layer rhythm with rest in a joyful trinity of love-friendship-food.

Such “presence” moments deserve reverence. The quiet of this morning, the joy of that blessing, and the laughter of each gathering begs to be honored and savored. After all, they will never come again.

* Toshikata Mizuno, Chanoyu hibigusa (Daily tea ceremony) 茶の湯日々草 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

One of the fun things about creating on SubStack is engaging with the wide range of writers, thinkers, and entrepreneurs who weekly and monthly contribute to a ranging set of conversations in my processing brain. Some folks cull and share semi-random collections of links or quotes or anecdotes. Some are practical. Others intensely personal. In What Magic? I strive for something in between: reflective notes from my own journey of paying attention to life, along with tidbits picked up from others that spark awe and interest - seeing and savoring ichi-go, ichi-e in my dailyness. My favorite find this past month was turn-of-the-20th century author, Arnold Bennett. He gets it:

“The chief beauty about time
is that you cannot waste it in advance.
The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you,
as perfect, as unspoiled,
as if you had never wasted or misapplied
a single moment in all your life.
You can turn over a new leaf every hour
if you choose.”
― Arnold Bennett, How To Live On 24 Hours A Day - 1908

Enjoy your moments!

And if you missed it in the crush of New Year messages, check out my new set of five exploration exercises for finding Magic in your days - right here! Let us know what they unlock for you!