Tea Leaf Reading
MANDY CARR
Tasseography ( also known as tasseomancy or tassology ) is a divination or fortune telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves , coffee grounds , or wine sediments . The terms derive from the French word tasse ( cup ), which in turn derives from the cognate Arabic word tassa , and the Greek suffixes - graph ( writing ), -logy ( study of ), and - mancy ( divination ). There is no scientific evidence that the future can be determined through interpretation of these patterns .
The first inklings of Western tasseography can be traced to medieval European fortune tellers who developed their readings from splatters of wax , lead , and other molten substances . This evolved into tea-leaf reading in the seventeenth century , a short time after Dutch merchants introduced tea to Europe via trade routes to China .
Scotland , I reland , W ales and E ngland h ave produced a number of practitioners and authors on the subject , and English potteries have crafted many elaborate tea cup sets specially designed and decorated to aid in fortune-telling . Cultures of the Middle East that practice divination in this fashion usually use left-over coffee grounds from Turkish coffee / Lebanese coffee / Greek coffee turned over onto a plate .
The Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology , Fifth Edition , Vol . 2 edited by J . Gordon Melton , notes : 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 of hindrance ), or house ( change , success ).
Melton ' s described methods of pouring away the tea and shaking the cup are rarely seen ; most readers ask the querent to drink the tea off , then swirl the cup . Likewise , his notion that readers give intuitive interpretations reflects his unfamiliarity with teacup reading ; most readers use the standard symbols that have been handed down through several generations . There are , however , many who prefer to read by feel and intuition , as stated by Melton . It is traditional to read a cup from the present to the future by starting along the rim at the handle of the cup and following the symbols downward in a spiral manner , until the bottom is reached , which symbolizes the far future . Most readers see images only in the dark tea leaves against a white or neutral background ; some will also read the reverse images formed by seeing the symbols that form in the white negative spaces , with a clump of dark leaves forming the background . Some people consider it ill-advised for one to attempt tasseography using tea from a cut-open tea bag or to use a symbol dictionary . The reasons for these prohibitions are practical : tea-bag tea is cut too finely to form recognizable figures in the cup and tea-leaf reading has its own historic system of symbolism that does not correspond exactly with other systems , such as symbolic dream divination .
International Spiritual Medium and Pet Psychic / Animal Communicator .
My areas of expertise are Mediumship , Public demonstrations , tutoring , Spiritual Healing and Animal Communicating ( passed & living ). As well as Spiritual clearances for the more problematic Spirits and also Paranormal investigations .
I have been Clairvoyant since being a small child and at a young age I was fearful of my gift as there was no explanation from anybody and a lack of understanding . When I suffered a severe trauma as I approached my late teens my world turned upside down and brought back my gift with a vengeance . This led me to learn more about it and embrace it because i accepted it was never going to go away . I joined a development circle which helped me to see that my experiences were nothing to fear . I also realised that I was not limited to human Spirits but also that I could link with pets both passed and still living and communicate via telepathy , images and feelings with them .
My journey has led me to want to help others to understand their experiences and how to accept them as a positive gift . I now run a development group in Sheffield UK as well as an international online development group on Facebook .
I have been featured in the d aily Mail , Chat magazine , Pick Me Up magazine and italkFM radio in Spain .
Nothing pleases me more than giving readings and bringing comfort & reassurance to those in need whether it bring tears , laughter , reassurance or closure . Spirit really are wonderful beings who only have love , advice and guidance and above all our best interests at heart .
www . thepet-psychic . com
www . cheekyangelsmagazine . webs . com MAY / JUNE 2013 10