Hi all! Firstly I can't thank everyone enough for the amazing contributions. This site has helped me immensely as I decided to dive deeper into the great void. I'm very new to this community and though it has peaked my curiosity for several years I finally decided to brew about four months ago. Prior to my first brew I spent several months researching the technical aspects but also reading trip reports from veterans to first timers. It certainly made me question why I truly wanted to delve into a serious form of medicine and gave more respect for what we are doing here.
There is a depth of understanding that goes without saying in this community when I say the medicine has changed my life forever. It has been a beautiful peeling of layers. Wiping away the grime from conditioned notions about the world we perceive. My thoughts and actions have become more acute and filled with true intention. This has played a profound role in regards to the people in my life. The synchronicities of life have been unfolding at an amazing rate. Sometimes it's hard to savor every beautiful moment. I have been able to tap into greater depths in ways I didn't know I had. A spark of inspiration has lead me on more than a few occasion to write beautiful poetry. I can't help but cry as I write it down. Words resonate with greater meaning now. Music I've heard a thousand times has new depth. New counter melodies I had never heard before, nuances, and sounds are revealed. I previously studied and performed as a classical musician and it has been truly astonishing to be at this level of musical awareness and appreciation.
I am currently studying Chinese medicine and plan to make a life long career out of healing others through acupuncture, herbalism, and energy work. My tea experiences have put me on the proverbial rocket ship to the path I was intended for. Flooded with knowledge and deeper understanding about the facets of eastern medicine, it is a great feeling to know I am exactly where I'm supposed to be in this life. The ancient Chinese texts I read make a whole lot more sense now... Those dudes were definitely pounding down some acacia brew with a few other choice herbs I've come to suspect.
Well, I've had a handful of tea trips with an ongoing process to refine my brewing techniques and have a pretty good system with maybe a trick or two I haven't seen on here yet. I'd love to do a write up on brews sometime. I started with the acacia/ rue brew which turned into acacia with rue capsules for a purge free experience. Now I've been blending a 60/40 of acacia/chaliponga and sticking with rue caps. No vine... yet. It has proven to be a wonderfully powerful experience. A great balance between the two plants. Best of all, it looks like a shot of kool-aid when it's ready to drink.
I hope to bring much light, love, and learning to the community.
Cheers!
My last brew.
Contemplation is a sudden gift of awareness, an awakening to the Real within all that is real. A vivid awareness of infinite being at the roots of our own limited being. -Thomas Merton