Choose teacup! Choose a cup that’s pleasing to you, but keep in mind a few general guidelines: the sides of the cup should be slanted, not straight up and down like a coffee cup. The slanty sides keep the leaves from sliding to the bottom; make sure the bottom of the cup has a little room for leaf clumping. Really arty teacups may be fun to look at but aren’t the best for reading!
Choose tea! Well, you may have guessed that tea bags are out. You want to use loose tea, preferably China tea. China tea has some nice bits and twigs that cling to the sides of the cup and make for interesting reading. Orange pekoe works pretty well too, but India tea is cut short, not rolled, so it contains more tea dust, which tends to clump up a bit. India tea is what most blends (like Irish and English breakfast teas) are made from. Of course, you can use any kind of tea you want, even herbal teas! You just have to be a little creative when you interpret what’s in the cup. Some people even interpret coffee grounds. People have also used dirt, sticks, stones for this same kind of divination…
Choose a teapot! Warm the tea pot with hot water from the tap. Try to find a teapot without a strainer. Finding one might take a bit of work, because most non-antique pots have a strainer built in where the spout is attached to the pot. If you your tea pot has a strainer, you may need to experiment with the amounts of tea and water you use. The goal is to have enough leaves in your cup and a beverage you can drink and enjoy!
Add tea and drink it! Then… get ready to read! As you finish drinking, be sure to leave about a teaspoon and a half of liquid in the bottom of the cup. Swish the liquid around the leaves. Carefully but quickly, tip the cup over into the saucer. Turn the cup around completely, going anti-clockwise (widdershins) three times. Turn the cup back over. Turn the cup around in your hands. Look at it from many different angles. Sometimes, images jump out at you. Numbers for example, can indicate days, weeks, months or even years. Letters can represent clues to a person's name or place. A circle could indicate the end of a cycle, such as a completed project. Or a circle might indicate a group of people. It is best to be open to any "hunches" you get during the reading while viewing the tea leaf symbols, especially when they look more like green globs than images. If the tea leaves look like an apple, this represents achievement. An anchor represents stability in your life and inconstancy. The ball represents fortunes of varying degrees. A butterfly means fickleness in your life. A bird or birds represents news that will be good. A candle represents receiving others help. The cat means a friend that is false and deceitful. The boat represents protectiveness and friends welcomed visit. The dog means friends in need of help and great friendships.
The eye represents for you to be cautious. A fish means fortunes of good. The flag represents danger is near. The fly means annoyance in domestic life. The heart means pleasures and lots of love. The hawk represents forms of jealousy. Harder objects in your tea leaf reading and their meanings include the hourglass represents a decision needing to be made about something. The house means security. The kite represents s a friendship broken. A lamp means revealed secrets, postponement of a party. The leaf represents brings fortunes of good into your life. The letter means news which will be good in its coming. A mountain represents goals that are great. The mushroom means a move out into the country or a nice journey there. An octopus represents there is danger nearby. The owl means gossip is afoot. Anyway, remeber that symbol meanings are interpreted differently depending on the "feeling" the reader gets when seeing them!
