Tea Leaf Reading
I have a special connection to reading tea leaves. Why?
It was what got me into divination!
Imagine a playful little Christian getting her feet wet into the witchy world.
I felt so profoundly guilty after. Was I contacting demons??? Jesus was going to hate me!
What is it, really?
Despite popular belief, reading tea leaves did not originate in the ancient Asian dynasties.
It’s actually a practice dated recently to 1600’s Europe!
Reading residue is a much MUCH older practice, from wax melting to wine and coffee grounds.
Does that mean that using tea doesn’t work?
Actually, you can see some spectacular results from reading tea leaves!
Ever since humankind has had a sense for the divine we have been trying to contact it in all manner of metaphysical ways.
And as these methods develop we have found newer ways to have fun with the craft.
Reading tea leaves is a form of divination.
Divination is the practice of receiving insight or other knowledge from the divine.
Most people don’t communicate with their deities face-to-face and eye-to-eye, so some witchy friends choose to contact their gods through other means.
Don’t believe in gods or goddesses? Don’t worry!
Reading tea leaves is versatile.
You can decide to instead channel your intuition and subconscious to give you the messages you need to hear.
Trust yourself and have fun!
Where to begin?
Just for starters, this isn’t something that you can pick up and master overnight.
1. Do you need some guidance in your life? figure out who you are speaking to.
Do you have a patron god? Do you worship the universe? Do you have a pantheon? Do you have a goddess? Do you have ancestors that you want to contact? Do you want to summon and reflect the deity within yourself? Do you just want to use fortune telling as a fun activity?
You will need to figure that out first before moving on.
2. You need to know about some expectations.
Can divination through tea leaf readings actually predict the future?
No.
You won’t be able to see how many kids you’ll have or what career will open itself to you.
It’s more like a steady hand guiding you in the right direction. It’s all about the here and now.
Ultimately, divination comes from you and your ability to interpret what you see in your reading.
3. There are a lot of voices and a few guidelines when it comes to tea leaf readings, but the general consensus is to do what feels right to you.
Do you have a favorite teacup? use that one!
Generally it’s best to have a shallow, wide-brim and lightly colored cup and a saucer.
Do you have a favorite tea? Go for it!
Best results are with loose leaf teas, not opened bags of boxed teas, because the tea is finer and harder to read.
Let’s begin!
Let’s break out that intuition! You will need:
- A tea cup and saucer
- 1 tbsp heap of loose leaf tea
- A ready kettle with water
- Patience and an open mind
Remember that everyone has their own practice for this, so do what comes naturally for you.
Do you want to meditate beforehand?
Do you want to light a candle?
Do you want to jump right in and get some XP under your belt?
I’ll show you what I do in 10 easy steps!
- Add the leaves and your hot water. At this point you can add sugar or honey per your preference.
- Think of your question or what you want insight about.
- Let the tea settle and seep for about 3 minutes
- Enjoy and sip your tea while thinking about your question
- Drink until there is a small amount of tea left and the soaked leaves at the bottom
- Quickly swirl the remaining mixture and flip the cup upside down onto the saucer
- You can tap the bottom of the mug to jostle any stubborn leaves
- Leave cup down on the saucer for a few minutes so it can drain
- Flip the cup back up
- Read!
Reading your tea leaves
If there are any leaves around the brim, that means something is happening soon. It’s the closest to you, after all.
Look for any images or symbols or animals or shapes where the leaves are at its most dense.
Rotate your mug to try and figure out what is there. Pick out what comes to you immediately. Overthinking can come easily here.
You can also look at the negative image where the leaves are not.
Only after you have your image should you consult a guidebook or website.
Why?
Because extra input might persuade you to see something that your intuition might not have noticed. The goal here is to use what you see on your own.
Where can I go to interpret my leaves?
There are a lot of websites for interpretation. Go snooping!
Just remember to get your image before you get your sources.
Eventually, and with enough practice, you will be able to do this without any external help.
Practice makes perfect!
Be sure to go out there and get other opinions on how to read tea leaves.
Don’t just listen to me!
I’ve been doing this for a long time and this is what works best with my practice.
But other voices are just as valid.
Maybe I’ll go brew something right now, in fact.
Is divination dangerous?
There’s a huge stigma about performing any kind of metaphysical work, especially from conservative religious communities.
I’m sure there are demonologists who work with certain dark entities, but that is a very small minority.
Playing around and dabbling with tea leaves will not summon a demon to your doorstep.
Interpreting the guidance for your life will not spell doom for your endeavors.
Divination with tarot cards or rune stones or pendulums are not at all dangerous to you or others.
If it makes you uncomfortable or gives you the heebie-jeebies, don’t do it.
Always do what you feel is best for you and be sure to let others live as they wish.
Did I miss anything?
Do you have a different way of reading your tea leaves?
Do you want more information that I didn’t cover here?
Leave a comment to encourage a discussion or send me a personal message about your practice.
I’m always here to chat.
Blessed be!
Cat
