A wide, shallow cup is the best kind to
use for tea-leaf divination—white if
possible. A narrow cup adds to the seer's
difficulties, as the tea-leaves cannot be
plainly seen. Small cups, too, are
objectionable for the same reason, and a
fluted cup is even worse. A plain, even
surface is required, with no pattern of any
kind, as this has a tendency to confuse the
symbols. Indian tea and the cheaper
mixtures, which contain so much dust and
twigs are of no use for reading a fortune,
as they cannot form into pictures and
symbols that can easily be distinguished.
Those who desire to have their tea-leaves
interpreted should leave about a teaspoonful
of tea at the bottom of the cup. It should
then be taken in the left hand, and turned
three times from left with a quick swing.
Then very gently, slowly, and with care,
turn it upside down over the saucer, leaving
it there for a minute, so that all the
moisture may drain away.
Some deviators of the tea-leaves insist on
a concentration of the mind during this
turning of the cup, as do many cartomantes
whilst the cards are being shuffled; others
prefer the mind to be as far as possible
free from any definite thought or desire,
simply allowing it to dwell on such abstract
subjects as flowers or the weather.
Personally, I advocate this for both systems
of divination; it enables the subconscious
mind to assert itself unhindered, whilst the
normal mind is in abeyance.
The turning of the cup before inverting it
over the saucer is equivalent to the
shuffling of the cards. It is as a direct
result of those few seconds turning that the
pictures and signs are created, the
subconscious mind directing the hand holding
the cup. The following simple ritual is all
that is necessary to those consulting the
tea-leaves.
The cup to be read is held by the seer and
turned about as necessary, so that the
symbols may be read without disturbing them.
This is important, but no disturbance will
take place if the moisture has been properly
drained away. The handle of the cup
represents the consultant, also the home,
or, if the consultant be away from home the
present abode.
It is necessary to have a starting point in
the cup for the purpose of indicating events
approaching near to, or far distant from,
the person consulting. The leaves near the
rim denote such things as may be expected to
occur quickly; those directly beneath the
handle indicate present and immediate
happenings; those on the sides of the cup
suggest more distant events; whilst those at
the bottom deal with the far distant future.
This method of fixing the time, coupled with
intuition, renders it possible to give a
consultant some idea as to when an event may
be expected; but if there be no intuitive
sense of time, it will be found wiser not to
be too positive.
The turning of the cup and the draining of
the moisture having been carried out as
directed, the tea-leaves will be found
distributed at the sides and bottom of the
cup.
For those who wish to use the saucer as a
further means of divination, the following
suggestions will be useful.
There must be a definite point to represent
the consultant, and for this reason the
saucer is usually rejected. There is also
the objection that it is more difficult to
manipulate in the turning. Nevertheless, it
is found to give excellent results, and, if
the cup is bare of events, it is useful to
be able to find information in the saucer.
First of all, then, to determine the
position of the consultant. Take the centre
of the saucer for this purpose. The circle
round it represents the home, or if the
consultant is away from home, the present
abode, and also events near at hand. The
more distant circle indicates those things
which are not to be expected for some time.
The outer circle and rim suggest events as
yet in the misty future.
When the saucer is used as an additional
means of seeking knowledge of coming events,
after the symbols in the cup have been
exhausted, it will often be found that this
secondary divination confirms or enlarges
upon that which has already been foretold in
the cup.
The moisture and leaves drained from the
cup, having remained in the saucer, should
be turned by the consultant three times with
the same swirling motion as for the cup, and
the moisture carefully poured away. The
saucer should be held inverted for a few
seconds, otherwise when it is placed
upright, the remaining moisture will disturb
the tea-leaves. The symbols are read in
exactly the same way as in the cup, the only
difference being the positions representing
the consultant, the home, and the
indications of time. These have already been
explained.
Reading Tea Leaves |
