These Things: Tabula Rasa, Tintinnabuli, and Chaga Latte

Plum Blossoms at Sunset Grove. April 2018.

“The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” - Mark Twain

I promised something practical in this edition so that’ll happen (mushroom latte and a video ad on the importance of gentle below) but my mind is on the idea of tabula rasa, blank slate. Can anything be a blank slate or do slates need to be prepared?

The Estonian composer Arvo Pärt wrote a beautiful work, simply titled Tabula Rasa, where we first heard his distinct tintinnabuli style of composition based on the idea of the attenuating sounds of bells. It premiered in 1977 scored as a double concerto for two solo violins, prepared piano, and chamber orchestra.

How to Make an Inonotus obliquus Latte. AKA Chaga Latte

Why practical? Because the Inonotus obliquus mushroom, known as chaga, is not only a great alternative to coffee, similar to chicory in flavor, but has been used as a medicinal fungi for centuries in the Northern Hemisphere. Chaga typically blooms on birch trees and I remember hearing stories about this mushroom at Native Alaska Storytelling events. It’s also an amazing immune booster and seems to have the same compounds and effects as many cancer therapy drugs (unconfirmed).

Here’s my morning version made with Assam tea:

• Start to boil as much water as you need in order to
• Steep three tablespoons of Assam tea in a teapot
• that holds about 48oz for about four minutes.
• I like to let the water cool a bit
• before pouring it over the tea because
• Assam tea generally prefers 180 degrees F.
• After I start the water to boil I pour a cup
• of almond milk into a large pot and warm on low temp.
• After steeping the tea for four minutes I pour it in the pot
• with the almond milk and any milk might work
• but this is how I do it so next
• I add raw honey because that’s what Jennifer gets
• and put about ¼ cup in the pot of tea
• Then I sprinkle in two packets of the Chaga elixir from Four Sigmatic
• Once the honey is dissolved and everything is blended together
• I call it a Chaga Latte and drink it.

Back To Our Regular Programming

• I found this article interesting on 40 comedies that changed how we talk.

• I love listening to the NPR Tiny Desk Concerts while I work and these with Gracie & Rachel and Trampled by Turtles are some of my favorite.

• Video ads! You really should take a moment to hear Pantene model Priyanka Chopra’s thoughts on why it’s important to go gentle and then view this public service announcement from GEICO where Jessie discovers the hard way that words can really hurt.

All the while.

Jeff O.