Reading tea leaves takes time and practice. You start by making your tea, letting it steep, drinking it, swirling it counterclockwise with your left hand, putting the cup in your right hand and then look at the pattern of the leaves.
Reading Tea Leaves
Even though it might sound easy to read tea leaves, the truth is that you need to follow things in a step-by-step fashion in order to do it right. You can always leave the cup in a saucer so that the leaves can settle but once you are ready to read then you need to follow the rules.
What to Do for the Reading
Here are some things that you need to do before doing your tea leaf reading:
- Clear your mind.
- Trust yourself.
- Don’t try to change your guess after you read.
- Let your intuition help you.
- Look at the shapes of the leaves carefully.
- Don’t try to make an answer come to you.
- Discern the shapes and how the leaves sit together.
- Don’t read the leaves in a timely manner.
- The meaning of the leaves are there for you to interpret on your own.
How to Read Tea Leaves
You need to make sure that you are prepared to read your tea leaves. You can find information online about Tasseography or you can watch videos or buy books.
Preparing
The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you have the right materials for the tea reading. Pick the right kind of tea and get a cup and a saucer that has a handle. The tea set is best if it is white.
Make sure your area is clean and clear and put a table cloth on the table. The tea isn’t made for you to drink and be merry, so you need to not add any extras to it. Take a little bit of tea leaves and put them into the cup. Pour boiling water into the cup and cover it with the saucer and let it steep for a few minutes.
Ritual
Drink the tea and only leave a little bit of the leaves at the bottom. The person getting the reading will want to likely know their future and this is when you need to ask your spirit guides to give you help. Ask the question you want to know the answer to.
Take the cup with the handle in your left hand and then move the cup in a counter-clockwise fashion so the tea leaves swirl. This will make some of them stick to the bottom and some of them stick to the sides.
Put the cup on the saucer and leave it for a few minutes while the leaves settle. You should only do this with the person with you that wants to have the answers.
Make sure you have a clear mind and ask the question that you want answered. The handle of the cup is representative of the residence it is considered the “south point” of the compass.
The cup can be put into three parts: the rim, the side, and the bottom. The rim means the one getting the reading, the side means the event that is coming, and the bottom can mean the future. The symbols that come into the cup and that go closer to the handle are more likely to happen.
Knowing the Future
The reader takes the cup from the one getting the reading. Concentrate on the one getting the reading and look in their cup. Look at how the leaves are moved around. There will be some kind of pattern of lines, dots, circles, figures and more. Notice the different shapes and how they are formed.
Turn the cup around and look and see the different symbols that show up and look at them from the different sides. Notice how the lines and the figures work together. Notice the position of the leaves. Are the leaves close to the bottom or the top?
The prediction that you give will be based on the tea leaf symbols. You need to notice the symbols in order to do the reading. The teacup can tell a good outcome if there is a symbol in the right position.
The heart symbol can represent a relationship or also an “L” or even the name of the person the one the reader is waiting to meet. The relationship might be soon or in the distant future.
The crown symbol can mean success and if you are starting your own business then this can mean that you are taking on hard things and you will face a hard future.
Seeing the Symbols
Finding the symbols might be hard unless you see an actual figure, but it takes time and imagination to make it work. You have to use your intuition to be able to see the things in front of you. Don’t just make a decision.
Some symbols might be large while others are smaller. The bigger ones have a larger and more important purpose. A large circle can mean that you are going to get a bunch of money but a small circle and mean that you might get a little money.
Letters or Lines
You might see letters such as an “S” and this can have different meanings such as a serpent which would mean bad luck. This can also mean a bird that is flying, and it can mean you are going to get good news. This letter can also mean that you are going to meet someone with that letter in their name.
The smaller tea leaves are the ones that will form the lines, and this can mean that you are going to be on a long journey. If a line ends before it gets to the handle, then that could mean that the person getting the reading should move to a different residence as a wave can mean that the person is going on a trip.
Dots
Dots in the reading can mean that something is coming. If it is close to the rim, then it can mean that the situation will happen soon. There are different interpretations of the meanings of the dots and of all of the different lines. You need to keep an open heart and an open mind when doing reading.
Ideas for Reading Tea Leaves
Here are some ideas to take into mind before doing your reading:
- Notice the largest signs first and then the smaller ones.
- The amount of shapes that are in the cup can be significant and mean a change in life.
- Look at the spread and the shapes and see what area they are in.
- Don’t get too out of control with your reading. Focus on what you are seeing and then interpret it.
- Be slow. Let the person getting the reading hear what you are saying.
- Keep a journal of the times that you do a reading and what the outcome was.
Symbols of Tasseography
Here are some of the meanings of the symbols in tea leaf reading:
- Airplane: A project failed. Can also be a balloon or an aircraft.
- Anchor: Means to prosper in business or relationships.
- Angel: Something good in love is happening.
- Apples: Long life and success is coming.
- Arrows: A bad message is coming to you.
- Axe: You are an overcomer.
- Birds: Brings a good journey.
- Boat: A friend will visit.
- Bouquet of flowers: Overall good in all things.
- Bridge: Something positive.
- Butterfly: Having success.
- Candle: Being enlightened.
- Car: Getting wealthy.
- Castle: Coming into money.
- Circles: Money.
- Clouds: Troubles.
- Clover: Great luck.
- Coffin: Sickness or death.
- Compass: Travelling.
- Cow: Prosperous.
- Cross: Delay or death.
- Crown: Success.
- Dagger: Friends will help.
- Dragon: Large changes.
- Eagle: Honor.
- Elephant: Good luck.
- Fish: Good news.
- Fox: Getting backstabbed by a friend.
- Goat: Enemies:
- Greyhound: Working hard is paying off.
- Gun: Slander.
- Hammer: Overcoming challenges:
- Hat: Being successful.
- Heart: Good things in love or money.
- Horseshoe: Being successful in choosing love.
- Hourglass: Danger.
- House: Success in business.
- Kettle: Death.
- Kite: Long trip.
- Knife: Disaster through hate.
- Ladder: To travel.
- Letters: Depends on the letters and the dots.
- Lines: Journeys.
- Moon: Peace and success.
- Mountain: Power.
- Mushroom: Separation of lovers.
- Owl: Sickness or poorness.
- Pear: Wealth.
- People: Depends on what they are doing.
- Pick: Jealous friend or faithful lover.
- Pine tree: Being content.
- Rabbit: Success.
- Rat: Loss.
- Reptiles: Arguing.
- Ring: Marriage or other things.
- Saw: Stranger trouble.
- Scales: Lawsuit.
- Scissors: Breaking up.
- Shark: Death or danger.
- Sheep: Success.
- Ship: Journey.
- Snakes: Bad omen.
- Squares: Comfort.
- Star: Good luck.
- Swan: Good luck.
- Sword: Arguing.
- Trees: Good luck.
- Triangles: Good luck, inheritance.
- Umbrella: Annoyed.
- Unicorn: Scandal.
- Wheel: Getting an inheritance.
- Worms: Secrets.
History of Tea Reading
This was first done by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nun. It took place about 2737 B.C. People were drinking tea and talking about their life and then some symbols came at the bottom of the cup.
Leaf reading is called tasseography and is a reading that has been found throughout history. These are rituals that are done often in Europe and China. Some people write about this now and it is seen in popular movies.
Best Tea to Use
It is best to use loose-leaf tea that can settle. This will leave behind the different leaves and sediments that can form different patterns, lines, and dots. This is the best tea for reading because of its size. Don’t use ones with fruit or flower buds.
You should do your reading when you use a tea set, and you can choose one that is patterned or one that is white. Don’t use designed cups that make you not able to see the patterns. Cups that are too light colored might make the reading messed up.
Coffee Tasseography
You can also use coffee if you want to do coffee reading. This is sometimes done by different countries and the cup is divided into horizontal sections with the handle being where the sitter sits and the bottom the future.
Final Thoughts
Tasseography is something that is done as future telling. It involves using coffee, tea, wine and other things and it relies on your intuition. Practice this and then when you are ready to do your own reading you can be successful.
If you need help, find books online. You can find ones that help you to do easier readings and can help you to practice your skills.
The detailed guidelines provided in this article make tea leaf reading seem accessible even to beginners. However, it would be helpful to have visual aids to illustrate some of the more complex symbols and patterns.
The article provides a comprehensive guide to tea leaf reading. However, it might benefit from a bit more on the historical context and variations in interpretation across different cultures.
The practical advice on preparing for a reading and interpreting symbols is very useful. More examples of commonly seen symbols and their interpretations could further aid readers in their practice.
While the article is informative, it seems somewhat prescriptive. It would be interesting to know if there are any modern adaptations or innovations in tea leaf reading.
Good point. Modern adaptations could indeed provide a fresh perspective on this age-old practice. It would be fascinating to see how it has evolved over time.
Interesting overview on Tasseography. The structured approach and the focus on intuition were quite enlightening. I’ll definitely look into some of the recommended resources for more in-depth learning.