Tea Leaf Reading

[whisker]

Tea leaf reading, or tasseomancy, is the ancient art of divination which focuses on reading signs and symbols in the tea leaves leftover in the bottom of a tea cup. There are many methods for reading tea leaves, but the type of cup needed to perform the reading is fairly universal. Here's how to buy your own tea cups.



1
Pick a light colored teacup. Tea leaves are usually dark and so a light colored tea cup makes it much easier to read and interpret the symbols that the leaves form. Choose a cup that is narrower at the bottom than it is at the top and make sure it has a handle. The outside of the cup can be as ornately patterned as you like, but the inside needs to be very plain.

2
Find a teacup that also comes with a saucer. A saucer is imperative to a reading, and although saucers have gone somewhat out of fashion, buy a teacup and saucer set for the best readings. You can also buy special tea reading cup and saucer sets marked with symbolic elements and pointers for the readings.

3
Buy a cup that is specifically for tea leaf readings to make it special and set it aside from your every day life, or use one that has special meaning to you. It's a good idea to have a small teaspoon that goes with the cup and saucer set as well as a special tea pot to create a visual reminder of the special purpose of a seemingly everyday object.

4
Make your own set. Go to a pottery painting store and create your own special tea reading cup and saucer. Again, just make sure it's narrower at the bottom than the top, has a handle, and you paint the interior a light solid color. You could even mark the timeline for the reading in glaze inside the cup or draw common symbols and meanings on the outside. No matter what, just make it your own and it will serve you well.

[whisker]

I have had a go at Tea Cup Reading i used to sit with two women every other week reading tea leaf I did have a special cup but cant think where it has gone .It is something i find interesting and its a very old tradition thats still used now..

[whisker]

Select a type of loose tea to use for the reading. It's not recommended to use tea bags for tasseomancy. Instead, use any variety of loose tea that you prefer and use a tea strainer if necessary. Traditionally, loose tea leaves were just poured into the cup and allowed to sink to the bottom to provide the best material for the reading.

2
Pour tea into a light colored or simple white teacup. Be sure that you have a saucer as well. As you sip the tea, try to clear your mind and focus on the smell and taste of the tea. Let your thoughts drift and then if one person, problem, or idea keeps popping up, focus on this as you finish your tea and then the reading will focus on this area as well. If nothing particular comes to mind, prepare for a general reading.

3
Drink most of the tea, leaving a little in the bottom of the teacup with the leaves. Now, swirl the remaining tea in the cup three times and then flip the cup over onto the saucer to drain the remaining liquid.

4
Flip the cup over and begin the reading. Tea leaf reading is personal and subjective as it is based on symbolic meaning derived from abstract forms. This means that your own interpretation of the symbols you see and the meaning that they have for you are exactly what you're looking for when you do a reading for yourself.

5
Read the leaves starting on the side of the teacup with the handle. If the teacup has no handle, begin in a twelve o'clock position and then work clockwise and downward from there. The rim typically refers to things in the present, and the middle section of the cup refers to things in the near future. The bottom portion of the cup refers to the more distant future. Start with the rim and work your way to the bottom in descending clockwise spirals as you interpret the leaf formations on each area.

6
Write down or draw the symbols you see and the location. If any image or symbol has specific significance to you or reminds you of something in particular, rely on this interpretation and write it down. If a symbolic meaning is unclear, look up traditional tasseomancy lexicons and see if your symbol is listed there.

7
Interpret inanimate objects by their significance to your life. Inanimate symbols, such as a chair or a paintbrush are often taken fairly literally in tasseomancy and refer directly to the divined future of the reader. For example, a shoe could refer to a journey or foot pain or it could remind you of your great aunt Ethel. Any of these meanings could be the correct one for the reading. It all depends on how the symbol strikes you at the moment.

8
Use your best judgment and rely on your own intuition. Tasseomancy is an age old way of settling your thoughts, focusing on the path ahead, and then looking to abstract tea leaf formations to provide clues to your future. This means that whatever you see is what you are supposed to see, and can be interpreted as such. If it feels correct to you, then go with it. If you get stuck, look for other popular meanings of each symbol and then decide what fit the best for you.