Introduction to Tasseomancy: The Fine Art of Tea Leaf ReadingThe British tradition of high tea can be relaxing toward the end of a hectic day. It’s a time to sit back, relax, and reflect on the day’s events and share news with good friends over a cup of fragrant brew. High tea was also an opportunity some took to peer into their future.
But the art of tea leaf reading, (also called tasseomancy or tasseography), didn’t begin in England or Europe. According to ancient Chinese legend, the first cup of tea was produced in 2737 B.C., when the leaves of a black tea shrub haphazardly fell into the boiling water of Emperor Shen Nung, the father of Chinese medicine. Gifted diviners of the leaf soon followed, through the tea producing provinces of India, eventually all the way to the great houses of Europe.
In Regency and Victorian Britain, this form of divination took on popularity due to the nature of it’s commonality. While most people didn’t have access to crystal balls, everyone drank tea and had it in their house. And among the gentry (the ton), it was seen as a form of entertainment. The wealthy ladies would settle in their seats as their host introduced the diviner whose sole purpose was to read the wet leaves clumped together in each woman’s cup. Certain seers gained a reputation as some of their predictions were more accurate than others.
Energy and EssenceThe thought behind the practice of tea leaf reading is that when you sit back with a cup of tea you are naturally put into a more relaxed state, and are more able to attune with your subconscious where the essence of our being resides. That energy comes to the fore and can be unconsciously tapped into when we sip our tea. Our individual energy comes into contact with those innocent little leaves and can produce a pattern that can be very revealing.
Divining Your CupTo begin, you will need a white tea cup (since it is easier to see the patterns inside a plain cup) and a plain white tea cup saucer.
A boiling kettle of water
Loose leaf tea or finely chopped tea (You can open an ordinary tea bag into the cup)
A notepad and pen or pencil
Using one flat tablespoon of loose tea, pour one third of a cup of boiling water and allow to steep. As the hot water brews the tea, the leaves settle to the bottom. Once luke warn, take three good sips from the cup, just enough to impart your energy upon the water and the leaves. If you choose to add a dollop of milk or sugar to make the tea more palatable, that’s fine. Just don’t add honey! :-)
While you sip the tea, try to relax and calm your mind, concentrating only on the cup.
Drain off excess tea until only enough is left to swish the grounds at the bottom of the cup. When you swish, make sure the leaves well cover the inner surface of the cup. Upend the cup into the saucer, mouth down. The leaves that remain inside the cup are used to tell your future.
InterpretationThere is no true hard and fast rule to interpretation, although some of the symbols you may see are commonly found. Since everyone is different, each symbol can take on a different significance. You may see a mask and feel it is a negative symbol, while another make see it as a sign of fun...perhaps a party invitation headed your way.
Your cup may also show fewer leaves, be indistinct and perhaps show no identifiable pattern at all. This can be reflective of your own inner condition.
Where the leaves cling and gather is also telling. The handle of the cup represents the house or the home. Time can be foretold more or less by the position of the leaves. The closer to the brim, the more immediate the events; the nearness or distance from the “home” is judged by the position of the leaves away from the handle.
Leaves at the bottom of the cup often indicate an unfortunate event or events. The area left of the handle are events that have passed or opportunities tossed away; symbols found to the right of the handle indicate present time and future. This location is usually seen as good, except if the leaves are thickly clumped.
Serpentine Lines indicate roads or paths. If they appear in the clear, they are thought to be a sign of fortunate changes at hand. If the lines are surrounded by dots, they signify monetary gain and long life. At the bottom of the cup, or surrounded by clouds, they can indicate reverses of luck, both past or future. Dots signify monetary gain, but must also be interpreted by their surroundings.
Circles indicate completion, while wavy lines show an unsettled situation. Straight lines show a steady course. Should you see a cross within a circle, it indicates some form of enforced restraint or restriction.
Dashes generally indicate something in the planning stages, and time must be given for maturity.
So what is in your cup, hmm?
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