Tea Leaf Readings - Are they for real?

Tea leaf readings are said to be a unique and accurate way of predicting the future and are also said to be the simplest of the psychic arts, not to mention the cheapest!
 
Tea leaf readings, also known as “tasseography” can be traced back to medieval times , where European fortune tellers first started to develop their readings from a splatter of wax or lead or other molten substances. After a period of time tea-leaf became extremely popular.  They have been seen in the movies, in soap operas and also told in stories!

Many of us have come to acknowledge that tea leaf readings are nothing more than a bit of fun and relaxation but interestingly there is a huge history behind these types of readings. [1]According to Buddhist legend the first tea leaves came from the eyelids of the meditating Holy One who cut them off to prevent himself from falling asleep while he was meditating. 

Tea was used for divination in the Orient from almost the beginning and the tea ceremonies are still practised in Japan today and have their roots in meditation and creating that quiet space in which insight can come spontaneously. Most of us will know and appreciate that connecting with spirit requires stillness of the mind and concentration and this can be strongly linked to tea leaf reading as it is also a natural remedy.

Interestingly, tea did not arrive in England well before the middle of the seventeenth century and was said to be very expensive! Costing £6-£10. It was not until 1885 that tea from India and Ceylo (Sri Lanka) reached England. If we think back to Victorian times this was where tea was considered a great luxury! And was often found locked up in a wooden box.  Therefore it is easy to see why tea has become so treasured, influencing people into experiment with it.
 
 
How does it work?
 
There are many different ways to conduct a tea leaf reading, the most popular one is where the tea leaves are broken into four different categories.

Nature
People
Objects
Animals
 
Nature connects to our outside influences, the things that we have no control over. For example this could be a situation or person in your life or an event that has taken place.
 
The person reading will connect this to characteristics or identities such as long hair or a rebellious nature.
 
The animals in the reading will usually represent our hopes and dreams and what we are striving to achieve in life.
 
And the objects will be tools or clothes that are connected to the reading, for example the interpreter may see certain shapes in the tea reading that connect to a house or a workplace.
 
It is important to remember however that different cultures have different ways of reading tea leaves and it is very important to go via your own adjustments and instincts. What we are looking for is the position of the leaves or coffee grounds in the cup. You may instantly be drawn to a shape that looks like a car or there could well be a pattern representing someone’s star sign. Many tea leaf readers like to use a particular method to read whilst others simply meditate upon the swirls and patterns that align the mug or cup. Another hint with tea leaf readings is paying attention to the area of the cup that the leaves stick to.
 
For example, if the leaves land near the handle this could  represent events that are going to occur in the person’s life and then leaves from the opposite side of the handle will indicate events that are taking place outside of the person’s life, it could even be a relative,  a lover, or a friend – you will have to go by your own instinct. It is also well known amongst tea leaf readers that leaves at the rim of the tea cup indicate good luck, whereas leaves gathered or settled at the bottom may indicate a degree of intensity or challenges.
 
A good reader will know how to conduct a tea leaf reading after spending some time practicing and working out what the patterns and positions of tea leaves mean to them. There are many books you can buy on line to help guide you with tea leaf readings and it can also make afternoon tea with friends a little more exciting! So why not give it a go?
 
 
How do I prepare?
 
Obviously the first thing to start off with is to sit down and enjoy a nice cup of tea with friends, remembering of course that we need some good old fashioned tea with a tea pot!  If you prefer coffee then this of course can be done with coffee grounds, but it is vital that you make sure there are enough grounds to read! Turkish coffee is strongly recommended.

You may also wish to note how the person is drinking their tea or coffee as there can be early signs of bubbling at the top of the cup which can mean new events taking place in just a matter of days, usually this will indicate money coming in but again this will be down to the interpreter. It is also important to relax the person you are reading for by chatting away and not making them feel uncomfortable. You will need subtle alertness to see how the person drinks their tea and what sort of spoons one might use, as believe it or not this is all part of the reading, and the psychology behind a tea leaf reading can be researched further in many books.
 
When the person in question has finished their tea or coffee the cup should then be shaken well and any remaining liquid should be drained off in the saucer. The interpreter will then look at the pattern of the tea leaves in the cup and allow their imagination to flow, taking in shapes and positions. The shapes will be interpreted intuitively or clairvoyantly depending on how the individual works.

 
To find out more, some books and references are listed below:
 
 Tea Leaf Reading Jacky Sach
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Leaf-Reading-Little-Giant-Encyclopedias/dp/1402756372/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350129105&sr=1-1-spell
 
Simply Leaf Reading – Jackie Towers
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Simply-Leaf-Reading-Jackie-Towers/dp/1903065569/ref=pd_cp_b_1
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasseography