[Teahouse] The Tea House Revisited

[Annie Harrison]

Hello Friends,

A month has passed since we packed up our lovely Saraswati Tea House and left the playa. I hope your decompression from this adventure has gone well and that you returned home with joyful memories. 

Together we created a calm, tranquil refuge which served nourishing tea to hundreds of guests. Those who arrived weary and dehydrated were welcomed and refreshed. We held space and made room at the tea table for Burners who sought quiet company during their rites of passage. 

In addition to the tea, we manifested a serene napping zone and gave away more than 250 gallons of water. The services that we provided appeared to be in short supply on the playa this year and they were warmly received. Many of those we served have sent kind messages in support of our efforts. 

I'm grateful to you all for your generous contributions to this project. We were fortunate to have an extraordinary group of volunteers who brought their loving, mindful energy to the tea service. Thank you for your collective vision and for every cup you poured. I especially want to thank the creators of Camp Above The Limit for kindly allowing us to use their structures, and the strong, good-hearted people who transported the gear, built and packed up the Tea House. A deep bow of gratitude to you all. 

A second bow to those who donated the beautiful tea house quilts, the art, the rugs, the tea and your deep knowledge of how to properly serve and present this gift. Your generosity embraced those who entered the Tea House and those who will drink tea with us there in the future.  

The Saraswati Tea House will continue to serve at events in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Tea House will be serving tea at the San Francisco Burning Man Decompression party  http://www.burningman.com/blackrockcity_yearround/special_events/decompression/decom2011.html on Sunday, October 9th from noon to midnight. If you wish to come pour tea with us there, please feel free to join us. 

Saraswati Tea House volunteers will also be serving tea in San Francisco on Saturday, October 15 at a benefit for an arts and culture festival in Palenque, Mexico during the Spring Equinox in 2012. http://missioncontrolsf.org/2011/09/palenque-2012/

On Saturday, December 10th, the Saraswati Tea House will serve once again at the Medicine Ball during the MAPS 25th anniversary celebrations in Oakland, CA. http://www.maps.org/conference/25/medicine_ball_party/

We look forward to seeing you at these gatherings and sharing a cup of tea. If you are interested in serving, please let us know. We will keep you posted about upcoming events. 

With love and gratitude,

Annie