Muse: Ruthie Lindsey
“There's so much noise in the world, in life, and in my head but sitting with tea helps me quiet the noise, go inside and hear from my inner-knowing. It creates a spaciousness from all the chaos. “
images by Alison Love
Friends are a little like plants- some ground you, some heal you and some inspire you. Some give you courage and joy and others challenge and teach you. And some, like Ruthie, are a whole garden of gifts- offering a new remedy or insight in each new season!
Ruthie is more than a fiercely committed friend, she is an author, speaker and a seeker- always searching for and sharing new levels of wisdom, meaning and connection with her friends, family and community across the globe. Her debut book, There I Am, is an inspirational story of how she guided herself from hopelessness to healing by cultivating beauty and joy and ultimately self-love.
It has been an honor to watch Ruthie’s tea journey unfold, evolve, deepen and transform over time and to see the ritual of tea come alive through her eyes. Turn your kettle on, steep a cup and join me in conversation with Ruthie Lindsey below!
ME: How has the ritual of tea impacted your life? What does it mean to you?
RL: I have always struggled to stick with morning practices, but I wake up so excited to sit for tea. It is such a beautiful time to nourish my spirit, ground, meditate and come back home to myself.
ME: When did you begin to experience or connect with practice/ habit or ritual to cultivate your life?
RL: I haven't ever been a tea drinker but when you introduced me to tea as a meditation and full and new moon ceremonies, I fell in love with the practice and with the moon. It didn't occur to me for a while that I could actually create a daily tea practice for myself but when you all gave me a tea set for my birthday, I dove in and haven't looked back. It's my favorite part of the day.
ME: What does your day typically look like? How does ritual fold in?
RL: Well my work looks different often so that's constantly shifting but the constant is my morning ritual. I usually wake up, have a little breakfast and get my day started with tea. I also love doing non-linear movement and journaling as part of my daily practice. After that, it just depends. Some days I am meeting with clients most of the day for Love Reflection sessions (everything through zoom these days) or I might be doing interviews or podcasts. I also am a speaker so I get to speak to companies, organizations and for retreats. I get to interview other authors and my paperback book for There I Am is coming out soon so I have been doing interviews for that lately also. So like I said, it always looks different.
ME: How would you describe the experience that tea is for you?
RL: It feels other-worldly for me. Sometimes it is very subtle and other times it is so powerful, but it’s always always transformative. I am so grateful for this beautiful practice and to you for sharing it with me. Tea is absolutely medicine for me now. It teaches me so much and I am so excited to grow with it and learn from it for the rest of my life. It is the best gift of this last year BY FAR!
ME: How does this help you cultivate your life? Bring you peace/ inspiration/ wisdom/ groundedness, etc…?
RL: It helps me cultivate coming back home to myself each day. There's so much noise in the world, in life, and in my head but sitting with tea helps me quiet the noise, go inside and hear from my inner-knowing. It creates a spaciousness from all the chaos.
ME: Is there any correlation for you between dancing and tea? Writing and tea?
RL: Hmmm, I love that question. I would say yes for sure. It’s expression, it’s processing, it’s releasing, it’s healing. Tea, writing and dancing have all given me such healing, such unlearning of so many of the limiting stories I have been taught and have believed about what is so wrong with me. These beautiful gifts have been such precious instruments in helping me remember what is so right with me.
ME: Do you have any advice for someone wanting to begin their own practice?
RL: Just start! It’s just a practice like anything else. You don't have to know what you're doing. I get all of my teas from Tea Huntress and have taken what I have learned from sitting with Sarah and then made the practice my own.
I love pulling a tarot card for the day. I set an intention for my practice, and I set an altar with things that are meaningful and beautiful to me. That usually looks like a candle, incense, a crystal and beautiful calming music (I love activating all of my senses). I ask Source and my guides and angels to come around me, guide me and teach me. Sometimes I'll dedicate each cup to someone or something specific; sometimes I have tea with shadow parts of me like anger, jealousy, fear, etc. I acknowledge them, accept them, ask them questions and love on them (I follow Tara Brach's RAIN to help me feel my feelings). Sometimes I have tea with my little girl self. Lately I have been having tea parties with my 4 year old self...I bring a picture of her to my altar and I love and reparent her. It is so so beautiful. It always looks differently because I show up differently each day but my intention is to show up exactly as I am and to honor and love all the parts of me.
