Why The Ting is...?

Well first a little look at what a Ting actually is:

The Ting is a name given to the ancient Chinese cooking pot which closely resembles a cauldron but with carrying rings, as it was often taken to the table to serve food. The passing of time saw the ting change from a cooking vessel to that of an ornamental serving dish at banquets, and finally to a vessel used for sacrifices to the deities. The name is used in the I Ching or Book of Changes by Richard Wilhelm, though you may find Ding is equally in use these days.

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The name appealed because it married the similarities of the ancient home life of the hearth of the West with that of the East. We all share the same need for warmth, comfort, shelter and love that a hearth and the promise of hot food have to offer. We also have shared similar ways of cooking food, as our societies became more advanced. Around this hearth side, wisdom would be shared, tales told and each individual's wellbeing fostered.

Both in the East and the West this type of cooking vessel has a spiritual meaning.

As mentioned above, the Ting eventually became a vessel used for sacrificial offerings. The benefit of a life becoming more stable, with more permanent living spaces and regular harvests and livestock production, led not only to more evolved cooking methods but to a more evolved way of thanking or appeasing the deities and ancestors. It could be seen as a way to remind us that no matter how much we appear in control of Nature and the forces of life, we have to have regard for our place in the Universe.

The cauldron also held a special significance in Celtic beliefs. We have the Cauldron of the Dagda, that was constantly replenished with food, re-energizing  exhausted warriors. Then in the Welsh tales we have the Cauldron of Bran which gave life back to warriors if they had been dead for less than a day. In the tale of Ceridwen we have a cauldron brewing wisdom.Gwion reborn as Taliesin from Ceridwen's womb after she swallowed him as a seed could be seen as yet another cauldron, one of life. So birth, rebirth, spirituality and wisdom can all be associated with the cauldron. There is even a possible surviving example of the spiritual aspects of this vessel in the famous Gundestrup Cauldron, many ideas surround its original purpose.

And of course today the cauldron has stayed with us as the essential tool of a witch, after her broomstick! It has also found its way into a cartoon strip, that of the cheeky Gaul, Asterix, to continue remind us of it's ancient significance.

So what does relevance an ancient cooking vessel have to a website?

Scott has spent many years studying various Eastern philosophies, and is a practitioner of an ancient school of Tai Chi. Together we share a Celtic heritage and a fascination for the influences the Celtic culture has left us today. What remains of the spiritual and tribal ideas these earlier peoples, their influence on our society today and whether it can be of benefit to us in our modern lives is something we want to explore. The image of the Ting as a melting pot for these various influences seemed very appropriate.

OK, so why the Ting is...?

The ting is... er sorry the thing is... well that is exactly why! It is a play on sounds. Perhaps saying the ting is rather than the thing is sounds a little like a Jamaican or Irish accent? Or perhaps not?

Languages and the heritage they carry within them are part of what we want to explore here. So many languages are disappearing and with them so many gems of wisdom and vital hints as to why individual groups have very different outlooks are being lost in our homogenized world. A common language is a huge advantage, but sometimes things do get lost in translation.

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So seriously, deep stuff then?

The ting is... not to be taken too seriously! No complex discussions of one school of thought and its many sub-sects, no dry, academic theorizing on the various symbolic meanings of tings of a certain dynasty... No extreme debates on the subtle differences of hand positions...

Banners and car-stickers for expiring languages will not be available from the site shop!

We do hope that what we post here will be informative, well researched and most of all interesting. We also hope it will spark off further exploration for those so inclined.

With all best wishes,

Sandy