How to Use a Healing Tea Ritual in Your Daily Routine
I’m so ecited to share my Daily Healing Tea Ritual with you!
Today I’m sharing the Health and Healing Tea Ritual I use every morning. This is a beautiful intuitive Folk Ritual, which I use to ground me in my daily spiritual practice and start the day with the right intentions.
This folk ritual is a simple but lovely bit of kitchen/green/folk witchcraft. It’s also a Shamanic Healing Technique, because we work with the spirits of the herbs or plants in our drink. Herbal teas are an obvious choice for this, but don’t overlook black or green tea leaves, coffee beans, cacao beans, chai spices, etc.
Can anyone use this Healing Tea Ritual?
This Healing Tea Ritual is extremely practical and accessible for just about everyone. It requires no specialised tools, just your morning cuppa and a teaspoon!
It is super versatile in terms of the kinds of magic you can work with it. Health and healing are the main objective, but you can actually use it to release or call in anything you need.
It’s also pretty subtle, which means you can use it openly even if you’re stuck in the broomcloset.
How does this Healing Tea Ritual Work?
This ritual is effective because it works on several different magical levels. It is so effective that I don’t really need to use a lot of other magic. It forms almost the entirely of my “daily spiritual practice”.
I also do spiritual and energy work throughout the day but it’s completely unstructured and intuitive.
This Healing Tea Ritual uses Folk Magic
It allows you to release that which no longer serves you, to create space to call in what you need. It uses the motion of stirring to do this. Anticlockwise to release, clockwise to call in.
I probably “should” stir the opposite way because I live in the southern hemisphere, but the above way feels right to me. Choose whichever directions feel right for you.
Any time we do things intuitively and with intention, we are using a kind of folk magic, whether we call it that or not.
Making a wish as we blow out a birthday candle, is folk magic. Wearing our favourite shirt (or whatever) for good luck in a job interview or on a first date, is folk magic. Hanging a horseshoe above the front door for protection, is folk magic. Knocking on wood to prevent jinxing yourself, is folk magic.
This Healing Tea Ritual helps you to connect with the ancestors
Any time we practice traditional skills like gardening, herbalism, cooking from scratch, sewing, kintting, weaving, carpentry, etc, we are also connecting with the ancestors, whether we realise it or not.
Preparing nourishing food and drinks is an excellent way of connecting, because everyone’s ancestors cooked. Think of the countless nourishing meals your ancestors must have cooked in order for you to be here today!
Preparing our food or drinks with intention connects us deeply with the Ancestors. Connecting with the Ancestors is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself. It is truly life changing.
The act of cooking and stirring with intention also connects us with the energy of cauldrons, those powerful, ancient vessels of magical transformation.
This Healing Tea Ritual uses Shamanic Healing Techniques
Working with Plant Spirits
In this Healing Tea Ritual, we also ask the herbs (or beans, spices etc) directly to heal us. Working with the spirits of the plants is a simple Shamanic Healing Technique, which anyone can use. Every single person alive today had ancestors with animist (shamanic) spiritual beliefs and practices.
Stirring an herbal brew (aka magic potion) with intention, is probably one of the quickest and easiest ways for us to connect with the ancestors. Especially with the past healers, herbalists, midwives, medicine wo/men, seers, witches, druids and shamans in our lineages. Everyone (yes, even “white” people!) has powerful shamanic healing magic somewhere in their ancestry.
Working with Past Lives
We usually reincarnate along family lines, so in essence, this ritual also connects us with our past lives and selves. These kinds of simple daily practices help us to remember the healers we used to be. Before organised religion severed us from our spirituality and healing magic, with either murder or forced conversion from diverse paganism to Christianity (or the other organised religions).
I didn’t just come up with this ritual myself, I remembered that this is the way I’ve always done it. Since humans invented cauldrons and the spoons to stir them with. This is also why I use the “traditional” directions for stirring, even though its technically “wrong” for my hemisphere.
If you are reading this, you are a healer. A non-healer is not interested in reading about Healing Tea Rituals!
Intergenerational Healing
As the healers in our lineages, it is up to us, here and now, in this lifetime, to heal ourselves. When we do this, we heal the intergenerational wounds created by the atrocities of Christianisation, Colonisation and Capitalism, and take back our ancient power.
This is our birthright and our responsibility. We are the only ones in our lineages who are sensitive enough and strong enough to do it. This is because healing requires balance and integration between both our masculine and feminine energies. Your gender identity is completely irrelevant here, spirit has no gender. Spirit is both. Spirit is everything at one, but in perfect balance.
When we heal and accept ourselves exactly as we are, we start to heal our entire lineages. Believe it or not, when we heal ourselves, we actually heal the world.
Tips for getting the most out of your Healing Tea Ritual
The more often you use this ritual, the more effective it becomes. I find every morning works best for me. It starts my day in the right way.
Don’t be afraid to mix up your Healing Tea Ritual
This ritual can be done with any kind of morning cuppa, but for added healing benefits on the nutritional level, I recommend trying my Nervous and Immune system Balancing Tea Recipe (this is what I use). For help with trauma, anxiety or insomnia, try my Uplifting Herbal Tea Recipe.
You can use this ritual at any time of day, and with anything stirrable (soups, stews, porridge, sauces, etc). Just stir anticlockwise to release something, clockwise to call something in, or both to do both! My magic is always about restoring balance, so I like to always release that which no longer serves me (or something I see as an obstacle) before calling in what I need.
Grow some of your own herbs
I believe that folk magic, green witchcraft and kitchen witchcraft all go hand in hand. Using healing herbs you have grown or foraged yourself, deepens your connections with nature, your herbal allies, and the ancestors. These connections are what takes your magic to the next level. See my master herb post (coming soon) for more information on growing your own healing herbs.
Use your intuition
While it’s helpful to see how other people use magic, the most powerful magic resides in your own intuition. So with that said, I strongly encourage you to use this ritual as inspiration or a jumping off point. Feel free to intuitively create your own ritual which is more specific and feels natural to you.
Get consent
Please note: you should not perform this ritual for another person without their consent, even with the very best of intentions. If you want to do this for a partner or another person, be sure to discuss it with them first, explain exactly what you plan to do, and get their consent first.
Most people will probably be totally fine with it, since its not really any different to sending “thoughts and prayers” (except it actually works). But some religious people may find it offensive, since it is technically witchcraft. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so check first.
Teapot vs teabag
I always recommend using loose leaf tea in ceramic, borosilicate glass or cast iron teapots, preferably with infusers, over using teabags in cups or mugs.
Unfortunately the vast majority of teabags contain billions of microplastics which are released into your beverage. They will also add plastic to your compost if you compost them. Even herbal teabags contain microplastics, and the fancy pyramid ones are the worst!
Although, some people do knit scarves with used teabag strings. Which is super sustainable and pretty damn creative! It’s a huge amount of work though, so it’s probably not my cup of tea haha.
We ditched teabags about five years ago and will never look back.
You should also try to take the time to brew a pot of tea whenever you can. It’s really important to take time to slow down as much as possible. Even if it’s just a few extra minutes here and there, starting the day slowly and calmly is always a good idea. Our nervous systems need slowness to heal.
If using herbal tea, I also recommend brewing in teapots instead of cups or mugs with a strainer of plastic-free teabag. Uncovered cups or mugs allow the active compounds from the herbs to evaporate with the steam. Teapots also retain more heat, and they connect directly with that powerful cauldron transformational energy.
If you don’t already have a teapot, you can easily pick up an affordable one from a local opshop (thrift store). My everyday large sized strawberry teapot was just $6 from the opshop around the corner from our house.
If you really need the convenience and portability of a teabag, make your own reusable muslin teabags or try these unbleached organic paper teabags.
How to perform a Healing Tea Ritual
You will need
A teapot
Herbal, green or black tea (I recommend my Nervous and Immune system Balancing Tea Recipe or Uplifting Herbal Tea Recipe)
Boiled water
Mug or cup
Tea strainer
Teaspoon
Optional: raw local honey, milk, sugar etc depending on your tea
Brew the tea
If you’re using herbal tea, like my Nervous and Immune System Balancing Tea or Uplifting Herbal Tea Recipe use one heaped teaspoonful to a cup of water. This serving size is generally appropriate for most herbal teas. If using commercial loose-leaf tea, brew as directed.
Rinse the teapot with hot kettle or tap water to warm it up.
Add your spoonful of herbs and pour just-boiled water over them.
Leave the tea to steep, covered, for up to twenty minutes (anything over ten is probably fine, we just do twenty because we like a stronger brew). In winter I use a cast iron teapot and keep it warm on top of the wood burner while it steeps.
Add honey to your cup or mug if desired (I always use a teaspoon of local raw honey with my morning Nervous and Immune system Balancing Tea).
Next comes the ‘ritual’ part:
Get into a meditative state and pour the tea
Before any kind of ritual, it’s an excellent idea to ground and centre yourself, before you enter into a meditative or trance state. This ensures that you are feeling calm, balanced, open, and ready to effectively work with energy. If you’re unfamiliar with this process, check out my article on grounding techniques for more information.
Once you reach this meditative state, strain the tea into your teacup or mug.
Release that which no longer serves you
Pick up your teaspoon and begin to stir the tea in your cup or mug in an anticlockwise direction. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t add honey, sugar, milk etc, just stir anyway. As you stir, focus your intention on the things you would like to release or let go of.
You must intentionally create space for healing by first releasing that which no longer serves you. Healing is all about balance.
You must be prepared to let go of the things holding you back and keeping you sick before you can begin to call in any healing energy. These can include anger, shame, guilt, fear, unhelpful coping mechanisms, people pleasing, feeling like a victim, self sabotage, martyrdom, limiting beliefs, identifying with labels, etc.
As you stir anticlockwise, let yourself connect with the energy/spirit of your herbal allies (tea), spirit guides, the Ancestors, and your highest self.
Once you feel you have made this connection, start to energetically state (not out loud) the things you want to release. For me it goes like this:
“I release pain, inflammation, stiffness and fatigue. I release anxiety and self-doubt. I release old trauma, harmful habits, negative and stagnant energy. I release all that which no longer serves me.”
This is specific to me, you should feel free to add or subtract things to make it relevant to you personally. You can also speak out loud if it feels intuitive and safe to do so, I just don’t find it necessary for me personally.
Call in healing energy
When you have finished releasing those things, it’s time to start calling in healing energy. Begin to stir your tea in a clockwise direction now, while you focus your intention on gratitude and calling in healing energy.
As you stir clockwise, energetically (not out loud) call in what you need. For me it goes like this:
“I call in health and healing, peace, protection, and fresh creative energy”.
This is what I ask for specifically, but you should call in whatever you personally need.
As this is a healing ritual, try to make it more about personal growth than material needs. Having said that, healing and personal growth is impossible if your basic physical needs are not being met.
If you do need financial help for example, try releasing “scarcity” or “insecurity” and calling in “abundance” or “security”, rather than straight up asking for “money” or “cash”.
“Set” your intention
After you have released that which no longer serves you and called in that which does, you may also choose to “set” your intention by tapping your teaspoon on the edge of your cup or mug. I do this three times because it feels right to me, but you should do whatever feels right for you.
This is also a nice way to signify that the ritual is done and bring you back to the present moment.
Enjoy your tea!
The main part of the ritual is over, but if you can (I realise that kids and pets and other things can be very distracting, especially at breakfast time), try to connect with the tea as you are drinking it. Notice how it makes you feel and try to stay with the intention of gratitude and healing.
If the weather is nice, take your Healing tea outside, because nature is the greatest healer.
If you have a daily meditation, Shadow Work or gratitude journaling practice, this is also a great time to incorporate it!
Have you tried my Daily Healing Tea Ritual? Did you try intuitively creating your own version? I’d love to hear about it, please leave a comment!
Happy tea ritual!
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