Tasseography Teacup divination

Tasseography

A Spell to Divine Your Future from a Cup of Tea

Tea cup reading is a simple and entertaining form of divination. It
allows great play of the imagination and so-called hunches. The
reader has to interpret the shapes and forms that are made by tea
leaves that remain after the tea has been drunk.

A white cup is preferred, but any undecorated pastel cup will do.
The cup must be very wide at the top, the sides must slant, and the
bottom not too small.

Use China tea or a very good grade of tea that has a minimum of tea
dust. Tea should be brewed in a teapot without a strainer so as to
pour sufficient leaves into the cup for a reading.

The person whose fortune is to be read has to drink the tea leaving
a little in the bottom of the cup. With the left hand, take hold of
the handle and slowly move the cup around from left to right, three
times. This should distribute the tea leaves around the sides of the
cup, sometimes reaching the rim, and still have a few on the bottom.

Time is determined by the parts of the cup. The rim represents the
present or things that may happen within a few days or weeks. The
sides predict the future. The bottom predicts the very distant
future.

The leaves, stems, and tea dust take on various forms around the
inside of the cup, and these are called symbols. They denote
fortunate or adverse happenings.

The handle of the cup represents the house or surroundings of the
consultant; therefore the closer a symbol is in relation to the
handle, or house, the sooner the event may take place.

Numbers represent time such as minutes, hours, days or weeks,
depending upon the relativity of the other symbols.

Letters of the alphabet mean people such as relatives, friends or
associates. The closer to the handle, the more importance. Dots
formed by little specs indicate a journey. Larger dots, money gained
through extra effort.

Wavy lines, uncertainty. Straight lines, plans must follow a pattern
or definite course.

Clear symbols are considered very lucky. Poorly outlined, indecision
or obstacles that hinder progress, or contentment. Stars and
triangles... fortunate. Circles...success. Squares...protectiv e.
Tea Leaf Meanings

The Meanings of the Symbols:

AIRPLANE ~ Near the handle ~ improvement in the home; on the side ~
desire to travel far; on the bottom ~ disappointment in plans; a
broken airplane ~ accident.

ANCHOR ~ Near the rim ~ abundant love; on the bottom ~ business
success concerned with: water or air; on the side ~ a commercial
venture involving travel.

ANGEL ~ Good news.

ANTS ~ Many difficulties before goal is achieved.

APPLE ~ Achievement.

ARROW ~ Bad news in a letter or message. With dots or dashes near,
money will be involved.

AX ~ Impending danger.

BABY ~ Near the handle ~ a new baby expected in the family; at
bottom ~ trouble.

BALL ~ Desire to move.

BASKET ~ A pleasant surprise; with dots ~ money.

BEAR ~ Misfortune.

BELL ~ News, possibly a wedding.

BIRD ~ Good luck; with wings spread ~ air travel; with leaves near ~
good companions.

BOTTLE ~ Threat or warning of illness.

BOUQUET ~ Marital happiness.

BROOM ~ New prospects ahead.

BULL ~ Avoid quarrels.

BUTTERFLY ~ Much happiness, unexpected pleasure.

CAB ~ Secret desires.

CAGE ~ Proposal of marriage.

CASTLE ~ An inheritance.

CAT ~ A deceitful friend.

COMPASS ~ Travel.

CUP ~ A new friend.

DRUM ~ Expect a change.

ELEPHANT ~ Need for a trustworthy friend.

EYEGLASSES ~ Prepare for a surprise.

FACES ~ Friendships.

FLAG ~ Be ready to defend yourself.

FLOWERS ~ Honors, love; on the side of cup ~ new love or marriage;
on the bottom ~ unhappy love affair.

FOUNTAIN ~ Great, enduring happiness.

GRAPES ~ Very ambitious for a love match.

GUN ~ Avoid quarrels.

HAND ~ Aid from an understanding friend.

HARP ~ Romance, happiness.

HAT ~ Honor.

HEART ~ You have a lover or there is someone close to you in whom
you can confide.

INITIALS ~ Refers to people you know or are about to know.

KETTLE ~ Strive for domestic tranquility.

KEY ~ Symbol of enlightenment. Look for new interests.

KITE ~ Do not take any chances.

LADDER ~ Advancement.

LETTERS ~ If untouched by dots or marks, good news; sometimes about
money; a heart with it, emotional problems concerning love or
marriage.

LINES ~ Straight lines, usually journeys; wavy lines ~ indecision,
frustration.

MAN ~ An unknown person may be expected; if an initial is close, the
person may be identified by the consultant.

MASK ~ Be careful, do not divulge personal secrets.

MUSHROOM ~ Possible complications in business ~ or in the home; a
disturbance either mental or physical that must be adjusted.

NUMBERS ~ An indication of time such as days or weeks, always
relative to other symbols in the cup.

OWL ~ Trouble emanating from illness or death of friend or relative.

PIPE ~ Don't look for trouble; keep an open mind.

RING ~ The marriage symbol; look for a number, or an initial near
the ring. On bottom of cup ~ postponement of an engagement or
marriage.

SAW ~ Warning of an impending obstacle or interference.

SNAKE ~ Represents an enemy or small misfortune.

SPIDER ~ Secretiveness, warning of an unpleasant artifice or ruse.

STAR ~ The symbol of destiny, the promise of fulfillment of one's
fondest dreams.

TENT ~ Desire to travel far away; need for a rest from present
surroundings.

TREE ~ Promise of good health and comfort.

UMBRELLA ~ Open, seek your friends in time of trouble; closed, you
are temporarily unable to get what you want.

VASE ~ Service to friend brings you great peace of mind.

WHEEL ~ Symbol of advancement through personal effort.

WINDMILL ~ Schemes of gigantic magnitude may turn your industrious
plans into money for yourself and others.

WOMAN ~ Desire for wealth and a happy family.

Like anything else, it requires a little time and study to become
familiar with the different shapes that make the symbols formed by
the tea leaves. But after a few attempts your imagination takes
over. From then on weave a story, starting at the handle. If you go
left, the immediate area of the cup deals with the past. As you
proceed the future builds. A leaf on the rim, which is the present
time, indicates something that is happening at the moment at a
different location. Any striking symbol lying on the bottom would be
noted immediately because it shows the importance it bears to the
consultant at some very distant date. Check all the easily
discernible symbols first, look for initials, numbers, dots and
lines. Remember if they are indistinct, their importance is greatly
lessened. If very cloudy their meaning becomes the reverse.


*****

By Phylameana lila Desy, About.com

Reading tea leaves isn't as mysterious as you might think. Divination requires two basic elements: 1) A Question 2) An Answer. The querent drinks the cup of tea, leaving a drip or two of liquid in the bottom of the cup. The cup is handed over to the reader who interprets the meanings of symbols formed by the wet tea leaves.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Twenty Minutes

Here's How:
Gather the supplies needed for your tea reading session. Loose tea, hot water, white or light colored tea cup, saucer, and napkin.
Place a teaspoon (not heaping, tea leaves swell when wet) of loose tea leaves inside the cup. Pour hot water over the tea, filling the cup.
While the tea is seeping have the querent hold the cup in the palms of her hands. At this time the querent should be focusing her thoughts on the question. The question can be stated out loud, or kept private.
When the tea is no longer hot, but warm or luke-warm, the tea is to be drank. Take care not to swallow the tea leaves. Leave a small amount of water in the cup.
The cup is then passed over to the reader. The reader gently swirls the liquid in circles inside the cup, allowing the tea leaves to stick to the sides (insides) of the tea cup.
Place a napkin on the saucer and turn the cup upside down onto the saucer. After a couple of minutes, return the cup to its upright position.
The reader now looks inside the cup and begins to interpret any symbols ( dots, circles, triangles, squares, animals, objects, numbers, letters) formed by the tea leaves.
Symbol meanings are interpreted differently depending on the "feeling" the reader gets when seeing them. Numbers for example, can indicate days, weeks, months or even years. Letters can represent clues to a person's name or place. A circle could indicate the end of a cycle, such as a completed project. Or a circle might indicate a group of people. It is best to be open to any "hunches" you get during the reading while viewing the tea leaf symbols, especially when they look more like green globs than images.
Tips:
If you don't have a typical tea cup try using a small rice bowl. Because of its sloped sides, using any small bowl as a substitute to drink from will be more suitable than using a coffee mug.
Meanings for symbols given in tea leaf reading instructions are meant to be used as guidelines. The true art of divination is to intuit the meanings on your own. In other words: Be Your Own Psychic!
If some tea leaves tumbled onto the napkin in the saucer you may also want to interpret the shapes formed on the saucer. Think of any messages from the saucer as an added bonus!
Remember, divination is an art. The more you practice the better you will become at intuiting the answers to questions.

What You Need:
Hot Water
Loose Tea
Tea Cup
Saucer
Paper Napkin