Tea Leaves, Divination by

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Tea Leaves, Divination by

One of the most popular forms of fortune-telling, depending largely upon psychic intuition. After a cup of tea has been poured, without using a tea strainer, the tea is drunk or poured away. The cup should then be shaken well and any remaining liquid drained off in the saucer. The diviner now looks at the pattern of tea leaves in the cup and allows the imagination to play around the shapes suggested by them. They might look like a letter, a heart shape, or a ring. These shapes are then interpreted intuitively or by means of a fairly standard system of symbolism, such as: snake (enmity or falsehood), spade (good fortune through industry), mountain (journey or hindrance), or house (changes, success).

With the popularity of tea bags, divination by tea leaves has declined somewhat, but the bags can be opened and placed in a tea-pot and brewed in the old-fashioned way. The system can also be used for coffee grounds. This long established popular form of fortune-telling has been given the formal name of tasseography.

Sources:

Fontana, Marjorie A. Cup of Fortune: A Guide to Tea Leaf Reading. Wis.: Fantastic, 1979.

Sheridan, Jo. Teacup Fortune-telling. London: Mayflower, 1978.