In the Make and Take tent this year we found out all about a mischievous spider and how she tricked the animals of the jungle into thinking that melons talked!
We also got to find out about how the lady got into the moon all those moons ago in ancient china!

This week I was telling an ancient story from Japan about a tea master and a Samurai fighting a duel. In a nutshell, the moral of the story is you can face your fears with inner strength through the practise of meditation.

During the story myself and groups of 15 primary age children, sat cross legged in the Japanese gallery and concentrated our breathing in and out 4 times over whilst thinking good thoughts about the person sitting next to us on our right.

This meditative activity was a crucial element that the ancient tea masters engaged in before preparing tea. The aim being that the tea has the right energy put into it on preparation and in drinking.

However, in the story The Tea Master is challenged to a duel with a Samurai.  At first he is terrified but he learns to transfer his skills of tea making into becoming a quietly confident and unswerving opponent. The samurai recognised the tea master’s inner strength triumphing over sheer brawn and asked for forgiveness and retreated from the battle.

Fancy a cuppa anyone?