Mystic Tea & Stories

Narnia's Dawn Treader: Renew Your Mind

JC Alexandre, fantasy author, and I explore The Voyage of the Dawn Treader from The Chronicles of Narnia. 
JC brings us droll humor, sailors' tea punch (you must try it) and new recs (a Narnia cartoon by the director of Peanuts? Who knew?)
Content warning: Things get a little dragonish, by which we mean, disgusting. Watch your tummy. 
You can find JC at jcalexandrewrites.com and on social as @jcalexandrewrites. His book, The Light Prince Grail, is available in paperback and e-book. 

Narnia's Prince Caspian: The Ecstatic Dance

Old Narnians on the Dancing Lawn, David and Goliath & doubting Thomas, (what's with the DLF acronym?) and Biblical astrology (as opposed to today's trends). Join Cathy Scoon and I for some realizations and musings from the Chronicles of Narnia's Prince Caspian. 
You'll find Cathy on Instagram as @cathanascoon, and you can follow her podcast, Eruditely Ersatz, on Spotify. As always, you can reach me (Amanda) at mysticteaandstories@gmail.com. 

3 Spiritual Challenges to Try (Narnia Edit)

Inspired by The Magician's Nephew, Shinto Misogi, Sahlil Bloom and...grubby bathrooms? But really, though. Check out the results of three spiritual challenges inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia. They're quick (though maybe not easy), and impactful, so I say you try them!

Narnia's The Horse and His Boy: The Huge, Clear North

It's possible you've never wondered why you might want to drink Lion's Mane tea (by the lion's mane, ahem), or whether the Christian poem, Footprints in the Sand, is actually the Horse's Boy, Shasta's, story. 
It's likely you've never thought about why the Hermit of the Southern March only had one window that faced North - or how North figures prominently in Narnia AND other mythologies. 
But now that I've posed the questions, you can't very well just go away without finding out the answers, can you? Give us a listen - it's myself and Sarah Coogan this episode - and let us know what you think! 
As always, you can reach me (Amanda) at mysticteaandstories.com, and you'll find Sarah at sarahcoogan.net. Happy listening (further up and further in)!

Narnia's 'The Horse & His Boy:' Better is One Day

Excited this week to have Sarah Coogan, scholar of Irish & British literature, join us to explore the mystic depths of the Chronicles of Narnia's The Horse and His Boy! 
Join us as we ask:
- Did Shasta & Corin have a bit of twin telepathy?
- What message are the settings (city, desert, hermitage) trying to convey? 
- How judgy is Lewis really trying to be? (We actually hit on some realizations in the next episode, coming soon!)
As always, you can reach me (Amanda) at mysticteaandstories.com, and you'll find Sarah at sarahcoogan.net. Happy listening (further up and further in)!

Narnia's Lion, Witch, Wardrobe, Snow Tea & Deep Magic

In this episode of Mystic Vintage Fiction by Tea & Stories, wet snow gets in our boots and lions jump up to kiss our faces. Join us to find out why Snow Shan tea is amazing, how Aslan's roar echoes both the Book of Joshua and Frozen II, and hear me try not to cry three different times (it's Narnia, guys!). 

Narnia's 'The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe:'

Join us for a fresh look at The Chronicles of Narnia's iconic story, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Let's explore Lucy (a real girl), Edmund (never had a chance), Susan (doomed or just arbitrary?), and Peter (more the green ice fishing hole he visited, but he's in there). 
Our PARDES this time: Lucy said, "this is queer," and then stepped FORWARD, not back. Let's explore the implications of that with our Wild Application for Our World. 
Reach me (Amanda) at mysticvintagefiction@gmail.com and on Instagram at _tea.and.stories_. (And check out teaandstoriespod.com for Narnia (and other) merch.)

Narnia's 'The Magician's Nephew': Poor Old Brandy & The Lamppost's Mission

In the second half of The Chronicles of Narnia's prequel, The Magician's Nephew, you can hear about:
Color-changing tea
What's going on with names? 
A thrilling realization about Lantern Waste
Our A Wild Application for Our World this time is a challenge to define your own missions (not goals; deeper and fuller missions). I promised the link to the guide; it's at sahilbloom.com/newsletter/the-life-changing-power-of-missions (or search "Sahil Bloom Missions").
Reach me (Amanda) at mysticvintagefiction@gmail.com and on Instagram at _tea.and.stories_. (And check out teaandstoriespod.com for Wood Between the Worlds Tea and other giftables!)

Narnia's 'The Magician's Nephew': Jasmine Green & Plunging

A twist on Chronicles of Narnia's prequel The Magician's Nephew, by which I mean:
standard vs achievable villainry
a Kabbalistic interpretation of plunging and rushing
and spiritual skinny dipping
We explore the mystical moments where the divine intersects with everyday life and wind up with A Wild Application for Our World.
You can always reach me (Amanda) at team@teaandstoriespod.com and on Instagram at _tea.and.stories_. (And check out teaandstoriespod.com for some fun Narnia merch!)
Shouts out to:
The Finer Tea Company in West Chester, PA
The Spiritual Wanderlust podcast
The Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast  

Introducing the Mystic Vintage Fiction podcast

Journey with us through vintage young adult fiction with a mystical method. Each episode, a guest and I explore a book from the Chronicles of Narnia, LM Montgomery’s New Moon series, Lewis’s Space Trilogy, and more.
Mysticism: ”An adventure through the wild things of God.”
 We follow this pattern:
1.Teatime. To enjoy the story properly (each story has a pairing, you know!).
2. Rehash the narrative. Each chapter in 5 sentences or less (for the fun of it), plus callouts of great moments and characters.
3. PARDES. A few minutes interpreting a passage from the story with an old Kabbalistic practice, where we look at the passage from 4 different angles to find meaning.
4. Florilegia. A few delightful sentences to carry with you.
5. A Wild Application for our World. A challenge - for us and for you - to bring the mysticism of these stories into everyday life.
I do hope you will join us.
Follow the podcast for new episodes and reach out at team@teaandstoriespod.com. Don't forget to check out our bookish merch at teaandstoriespod.com. Have a beautiful day!