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I. Soiree : A Midsummer Night’s Incense & Tea Ceremony

Fascinated by the philosophy of Sen no Rikyū; the grand-master of wabi-cha, and Japanese Kodo; the way of scent, as well as the profound Chinese tea and incense cultures, Korean artist, Dambi, coming from Seoul for this occasion, dedicates an hour in the midst of summer to the beauty of transience through her mindful tea and incense rituals. Cool yourself down while finding your inner serenity and joy by celebrating the moment, deepening the connection and appreciation of your senses. 

II. Workshop : Japanese Incense Making + Basic Incense Burning 

In a sophisticated Japanese tearoom, they invented a mild way to burn incense using charcoal and ashes with the least smoke for their guests. In Heian Period (794 – 1185), Japanese Bourgeois devised different ways of creating aromas such as kneaded and pressed incense. The way of burning these incenses is called Soradaki.

Another way to enjoy incense is Monko, which means “listening to” scent. By connecting with yourself and understanding about your physical, mental as well as spiritual condition, this meditative ceremony is deigned to fully appreciate the incense which is mainly a piece of oud (agarwood). Oud is resinous wood grown in Southeast Asia having cultural, spiritual and religious significances in ancient civilisations. It is one of the most precious and expensive raw materials in the world as it takes at least 50 years to develop the scent. Buddha, for example, describes its scent as a scent of nirvana. 

In our 4 hour long workshop, we will make colourfully shaped & pressed incense and round kneaded incense out of natural ingredients such as medicinal herbs, spices, and woods. We will also learn how to burn incense in a Japanese tearoom, and practice Soradaki and Monko using special utensils. 

As the plants grow and flourish or retreat and hibernate so do our bodies. If we learn to flow through the seasons using what nature offers us to keep us happy and healthy we will become our best selves. Plants are connected to the wholeness, as we are, teaching and showing us the way of being connected to seasonal health. Plants grow at the time of year we need them most. This means we can use natural, fresh remedies through seasonal medicine. Spring tonics to detox the system from the winter stagnancy, summer sprays to cool us on hot days and to protect us from those little biting bugs while spending our days enjoying the sunshine, elixirs in autumn to get us ready for the cold months and supporting aids to protect us in the winter times.