Drinking Tea To Harmonize With The Seasons: Colour (Type of Tea) As An Indication of Qi Part 1 of 2

There is much ancient wisdom about the essence of tea that can be found by meditation and reflection on Chinese classics and ancient Chinese theories. Theories that predate written history and old classics don't necessarily have to talk about tea explicitly to be applied to tea's deep nature. Some of the oldest Chinese texts reveal some of the deepest meanings of tea without even mentioning it.

One such text is Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) which offers insight into Daoist thought and traditional medicine. There are many secrets of tea hidden within this book. One important lesson that can be inferred is how the colour of tea can be used to harmonize yourself with seasonal change.

The theory of Five Transformations (Five Movements, Five Phases, Five Elements, Wu Xing) is thought to have originated before recorded Chinese history. The theory pairs the five traditional Chinese seasons- Spring, Summer, Late Summer (or two weeks before and after Equinoxes and Solstices), Autumn, and Winter with five colours green, red, yellow, white, black (colour is only one of many different pairings). The pairings are as follows:

Spring-green
Summer-red
Late Summer (or two weeks before and after Equinoxes and Solstices)- yellow
Autumn- white
Winter- black

Huangdi Neijing states that we should consume food of a certain colour during its paired season to optimize our health and harmonize our bodies and mind to the seasons. One feels that these colour-season pairings also apply loosely to tea.

Peace