The Art of Reading Tea Leaves

Tasseography or the art of tea leaf reading originated in China. This form of divination was and is used for predicting the future. This is perfect for beginners as it can be practised as part of a daily routine, while the items required are also readily available. The materials needed are tea leaves, hot water, a spoon, a light-coloured cup, a saucer and your intuition.

Use Tea Leaves Not Bag

It is important to use tea leaves, as they form more visible images due to their difference in consistency and thickness though people are known to tear open a tea bag for emergency readings. Yet, this is not recommended as tea bag dregs are too even and loose to create images.

Clear Your Mind, & Drink

First, it is important to have a clear mind before you start. You can also meditate to become fully present and focus on your intention on what question you have. Some readers ask to be guided by the universe before they start.

The next step is to make the tea. Here be sure to steep the tea leaves in water for some minutes. Once, the tea is made, you drink it while holding your question in mind, till some teaspoons of liquid and the leaves are left in the cup.

Swirl & Read

Here you swirl the cup, three times counterclockwise. At this point, some readers prefer to dump out the dregs of the leaves onto a surface such as a saucer to read them while others prefer to just read the leaves in the cup.

The leaves will cling together to form images that can be interpreted. Take time to observe what the shapes form to resemble. First, understand what they mean individually and then put all the images together. The rim of the cup represents the present, the side represents the near future present, and the bottom represents the distant future. Trust your intuition to build a narrative and do your first reading.