How to Read Tea-leaves - Tasseography

Tea-leaves or coffee grounds are simply a means by which future events can be arranged into a form suitable for the interpreter to understand. It is sometimes helpful to use a tealeaf reading alongside another method of reading, such as the Tarot or a crystal ball, as it is often the case that you will only get a couple of clumps in the cup which makes it difficult to make an extensive prediction.

You must first consider the person for whom you are carrying out the prediction; an older person with fixed ideas will have a different outlook on life to a younger person with unformed views and opinions. If you are making predictions for yourself, be careful not to fall into the trap of seeing things you wish to see rather than what is actually there.

Make your own preparations in any way you see fit, meditation, burning oils and or tidying up the area where you wish to practice �?though the only necessary things you need are hot water, a cup and a saucer, and a surface you don’t mind splashing tea or coffee over. The key to a successful interpretation is imagination, so do whatever floats your boat in respect to indulging your fantasies to bring a responsive chord to your mind.

There are two ways to manipulate the grounds or leaves to achieve your goal so that patterns are formed; whichever one you use is more down to convenience than any one being superior to the other, if you are intent on developing you tealeaf reading powers it is a good idea to practice both.

The blotting paper method

Taking a sheet of white blotting paper, or a paper towel or napkin, and using a cup as a pattern, draw two circles and a handle as shown in diagram A. In the middle of the inner circle make a small hole.

Make a cup of tea with a spoonful of sugar but no milk and a teaspoonful of Tea-leaves, then fill the cup with hot water. Stir vigorously then throw away most of the tea, leaving about a teaspoonful. With a little practice you will soon become expert at getting the right quantity. Place your marked blotting paper on the saucer, and with the left hand swirl the cup around three times, then up-end it over the diagram, ensuring that the cup’s handle lines up with the one on the diagram.

The majority of the liquid will run off through the hole you made in the blotting paper, leaving the Tea-leaves on the surface. You can then interpret the symbols and shapes the same as if they were in a cup; any of the leaves that fall outside the circle should be disregarded.

The traditional method

This is the more usual way of reading Tea-leaves, a white cup is best so that the leaves can easily be seen. You can make your cup of tea exactly the same as in the blotting paper method, also discovering the correct amount of tea to leave in the cup with practice. Swirl the cup and liquid around using your left hand, and up-end it into the saucer. Examine the leaves that are left behind in the cup and make your reading.

Sometimes when a cup of tea is finished there are a few leaves lingering at the bottom of the cup, this is said to be a sign that everything is running smoothly and the person who drank the tea can expect to be extremely fortunate, whatever their question or problem may be.

The handle of the cup symbolizes the now, or the very near future; the position of the leaves relative to the handle represents the position in time that the symbol or pattern refers to, closer to the rim of the cup means that the influence is weak, nearer to the middle means the influence is stronger. In order to see all the shapes you must turn the cup around a little bit to get the right angle, but some basic patterns are commonly seen in Tea-leaves, as listed below.

Separate dots: Money or possessions; their position and size indicate when, and how large or small the amount.

Circles: Energy or power to influence events; completion of projects being started.

Crosses: A choice or dramatic change.

Straight or curved broken lines: Creativity and projects being started.

Wavy or curved lines: A need for caution, careful thought, intelligent planning and better direction and control.

Cluster or groups: The emotions; their size and position will show the extent of emotional responses to events, and associated patterns will indicate whether happiness or sadness is involved.

See The Arcane Significance of Shapes to help with your predictions, but learn to use your instincts to come up with shapes and meanings of your own; when reading Tea-leaves you are in another dimension where the normal rules don’t apply, so use your feelings to make a prediction even when there seems to be no logical message in the cup.

Cup One: A reading with the blotting paper that shows (1) an arrow near the top and quite close to the handle, which means important news will soon arrive; (2) A ladder, further away from the handle, which suggests a sustained effort that will have good results; (3) a cross, half-way up and well away from the handle, indicating a small choice or change some time away; (4) a basket, right by the handle, meaning that a welcome arrival is imminent; and (5) a mass of Tea-leaves around the hole you made which should be disregarded, whatever the shape.

Cup Two: A reading inside the cup (6) a ball close to the top and not far from the handle suggests restlessness will be experienced soon; (7) an eye close to the handle means an important offer will be made shortly which will require careful scrutiny; (8) a ring near the handle but at the bottom of the cup indicates power close at hand to influence or end a close but unsatisfactory relationship; (9) a series of dots from top to bottom mean money, and in this part of the cup it means that money will come in over a long period, but not yet; (10) a heart near the top but far from the handle indicates love and financial gain will come later; (11) the sun at the bottom of the cup indicates a slight improvement in all areas coming soon.

Recommended Reading:

Reading Tea Leaves by James Pratt

Tea Leaf Reading by Bill Hewitt