A Beginner’s Guide to Divining Through Tea Leaves

If you first heard of reading tea leaves, or tasseography (or tasseomancy), from the Harry Potter books, you’re not alone. Tasseography has its roots in ancient China and has spread around the world, finding a place in just about every culture, but that doesn’t mean that everyone has heard about it.

Reading one’s future in tea leaves is a simple, relaxing, and enlightening process that is easy for anyone to pick up, but difficult to master.

Tasseography can be used between friends and loved ones, as a way to not only take a moment to relax together while bonding over a delicious cup of tea, but also as a useful tool outside of the everyday horoscope.

Here is a guide to help you along your way to your path of divining through tea leaves.

Most people don’t realize it, but they have all of the parts needed to start reading their fortunes in tea leaves right now. It doesn’t take much to open the doors to hints of your future. Here is what you will need in order to start today.

You will need:

• >Hot water
• >Tea
• >A white, or very light-colored teacup
• >A Diviner
• >An Inquirer
• >A book of symbols
• >An open mind

Step 1: The Brew

Sit down with a good friend or a loved one and pick out a special, white or light-colored teacup that has personal meaning so your spiritual connection can be stronger.

Gather your favorite tea in loose form. The darker the tea the easier it is to see even the slightest shapes against the cup; it’s best to have tea that is a bit more roughly chopped with larger pieces, because very powdery tea can make it more difficult to divine accurately.

As the Diviner, you should boil some water for the Inquirer and have them sit and relax and clear their mind. Have them practice breathing slowly in through their nose and out through their mouth in order to steady their heartbeat and put their mind at ease. They should not tell you about their question beforehand. That is for them to know.

Step 2: The Pour

While the water is still heating, place the loose tea leaves in the teacup. Pour the boiling water slowly into the cup, making sure to evenly coat all of the tea leaves. Be sure to leave about a finger-width of room between the rim of the cup and the top of the water.

Slowly stir the tea, making sure to note the presence of bubbles and tea leaf stalks. Bubbles in the tea signify the coming of prosperity or money, while stalks mean that guests may be arriving soon. Don’t worry if you spill some of the tea while stirring; that is a sign of good luck.

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Step 3: The Drink

Have the Inquirer sip their tea slowly. Encourage them to enjoy it. This is the perfect time for you two to chat, bond and get to know each other better for a while. If the Inquirer is a good friend or a family member, then this will be even easier.

This is the biggest perk to reading tea leaves: you can have fun with your friend while also practicing a new art of divination. If your guest is right-handed, then have them drink with their left. If they are left-handed, then they should be drinking from their right.

Step 4: The Pour

Have your Inquirer or guest finish all but the last few sips of the cup of tea. There should be a small puddle of water at the bottom of the cup where the remaining tea leaves have gathered.

At this point, take the cup from your guest and swirl the tea leaves around, making sure to coat the cup on all sides on the inside from top to bottom. Hold it in both hands and swirl it out in front of you seven times, making sure to swirl the tea leaves in a clockwise direction.

Then, place a napkin on top of a saucer and quickly, yet gently, pour the water out by turning the teacup upside down onto the napkin. Hold it there for a count of three, then turn it right side up.

Step 5: The Read

Turn the cup over and see what the leaves have in store for your honored guest. There will be more on the guide to seeing the shapes later, but for now you will learn the proper technique for divining the symbols in the correct order.

Start with the handle of the teacup pointing toward your sternum. There are three key areas of the teacup: the upper portion around the inside of the rim, the middle portion that makes up most of the cup’s body, and the bottom of the cup itself. They each represent different parts of the client’s fortune. The top is the near future, the middle is the semi-near future, and the bottom is the distant future.

Your reading will start from the top of the cup, also referred to as the near future, and go clockwise from the top down to the bottom. At first, it may be easier to write the symbols down in three different categories: immediate future, near future and far future, in order to better keep track of things.

Carefully look into the cup and let your mind take you to interpret the shapes left by the tea leaves as you see fit. It is a deeply personal and organic process, much like an inkblot test or seeing shapes and figures in the clouds.

You can find many lists of tasseography symbols on sites like this one: www.tasseography.com, or simply search the web, but it really is up to you as the Diviner.

There you go! Tasseography in five easy steps. This is a fun and enlightening art that anyone can enjoy. Grab a friend and some tea and see what the future holds.

 

Dawn Fairchild is an author and mystic, and has been doing Zodiac and Tarot readings for over 14 years. She is a devotee of the Sacred Feminine and a seasoned aromatherapy and candle magick practitioner. She also enjoys writing horoscopes for www.oranum.com.

 

 

 

 

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Ed: B.B
Assist: Christa Angelo