Ever stared into your morning tea and thought, Wow, this could tell me my future? No? Just me? Well, welcome to the world of tea leaf reading, or tasseography, where your leftover tea leaves become a mystical roadmap to insight, guidance, and maybe even a little cosmic drama.
Tea leaf reading is one of those ancient practices that just feels right—cozy, mysterious, and deeply personal. It’s divination wrapped in warmth, a little bit of fate steeped into your cup. So, grab your favorite mug, a good loose-leaf tea, and let’s dive into the magic of reading the remnants of your brew!
A Brief History: The Leaves Never Lie
Like most divination practices, tea leaf reading has been around for centuries. It likely originated in China, where tea has long been considered a conduit of spiritual energy. By the 17th century, tasseography found its way into Europe, particularly in Scotland and England, where it became a parlor pastime and a serious form of divination. The Romani people also played a key role in popularizing tea reading across Europe.
Over time, the practice evolved, but the heart of it remains the same—observing the natural shapes left behind in the cup and interpreting their meanings. No crystal balls, no elaborate rituals—just you, your intuition, and a little bit of patience.
How to Perform a Tea Leaf Reading
If you’re ready to let your tea do the talking, here’s how to get started:
1. Pick Your Tea Wisely
Loose-leaf tea is essential. Avoid tea bags (unless you like divining your future with a soggy lump). Black tea, green tea, or even herbal blends work, but smaller, irregular leaves make for the best readings.
2. Brew Your Tea with Intention
As you prepare your tea, focus on your question or the guidance you seek. Pour your tea as you would normally, but leave the last sip in the cup—this helps the leaves swirl and settle.
3. Drink and Swirl
Once you’ve enjoyed your tea, hold the cup in your non-dominant hand and gently swirl it three times clockwise. Then, slowly turn the cup upside down onto a saucer to drain excess liquid. Some traditions suggest tapping the cup three times for extra clarity.
4. Interpret the Symbols
Turn the cup upright and take a look inside. The patterns and shapes formed by the leaves are your message. The closer they are to the rim, the sooner they will come to pass. Shapes near the bottom indicate the distant future.
Common Symbols & Their Meanings
Interpreting tea leaves is a mix of intuition and traditional symbolism. Here are some classic shapes to look for:
Snakes – Transformation, wisdom, sometimes deception
Mountains – Challenges ahead, but also strength and stability
Keys – Unlocking opportunities, new paths opening
Letters – Often indicate a significant person or name
Numbers – Pay attention to dates, timeframes, or personal numerology
But don’t get too caught up in strict meanings—your intuition is key. What does the symbol feel like to you? Sometimes, a random squiggle might feel like a path or a person. Trust your instincts.
Tips for Better Readings
Relax & Have Fun – Overthinking will muddy the message. Treat it like a conversation, not a final exam.
Journal Your Readings – Keeping track of what you see and how things unfold can sharpen your skills over time.
Practice, Practice, Practice – The more you do it, the clearer the messages become.
Experiment with Different Teas – Some blends might create clearer patterns for you.
Final Thoughts
Tea leaf reading is divination at its coziest—a quiet ritual that turns a simple cup of tea into a portal for wisdom. It’s intuitive, personal, and a great way to slow down and listen to what the universe (or your subconscious) is trying to say. So, next time you make yourself a cup of tea, take a moment to peer into the leaves. You might just find the answer you were looking for… or at least a really cool shape that looks like a cat.
Have you ever tried tea leaf reading? What’s the strangest or most accurate thing you’ve seen in your cup? Share your experiences in the comments!
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The divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments.
Symbols:
* Cat: difficulties caused by treachery
* Axe: will overcome the bad news
* Fish: good news from another country
* Grim: death
* Clover: good luck, good luck you worked hard to attain, happiness, and prosperity; near top = good luck is coming soon, near the bottom = good luck is more distant
* Crooked cross: great suffering
* Sun: great happiness
* Falcon: great enemy
* Owl: should probably think more carefully about their future endeavors as they may make them ill
* Candle: ask their friends and they maybe escape their fate
* Bee: busy
* Apple: great wealth
* Acorn: knowledgeable
* Angel: they have a protector/ someone looking out for them
* Coffin: lengthy sickness or the death of a loved one
* Compasses: business travel
* Cow: prosperity
* Cross: trouble, delay or death
* Crown: success and honor
* Dagger: help from friends
* Dragon: large and sudden changes
* Butterfly: success and pleasure
* Candle: enlightenment
* Car: approaching wealth
* Castle: an unexpected fortune monetary or otherwise
* Circles: expect money or presents
* Clouds: serious troubles, unless surrounded by dots! This means monetary success.
* Angel: good news, especially in love-related matters
* Apples: long life; success in school or business
* Arrows: bad messages or news from the direction in which the arrow points (ex: Arrows pointing towards the window: probably will get some bad news, probably delivered by an owl (wizard version) or a bird judging by the direction)
* Axe: problems overcome
* Birds: good luck, possibly a good journey
* Boat: a visit from a friend
* Bouquet: very good luck, including good friends, success, and a happy love life
* Bridge: a good journey
* Aircraft, such as airplanes or balloons: unsuccessful projects
* Anchor: good luck in business and a stable love life. If this symbol is cloudy in appearance, it should be interpreted as the opposite.
A means of divination through the interpretation of atmospheric phenomena such as cloud formations, wind currents, rain, fog, lightning, thunder, cosmological events, and positions favorable or unfavorable to the planet.
🌙Cartomancy
A form of divination where you use cards to get the answer to your questions. There are different forms of cartomancy like playing cards, tarot, lenormand and oracle cards.
🌙Osteomancy
Or bone throwing. It's an ancient form of divination used by many cultures. This method consist of throwing the bones and then interpret the results and pattern.
🌙Pendulum
This method consist of observing the subtle movements of the pendulum to gain information about a question, object, or situation.
🌙Scrying
Scrying is divination by seeking a vision while gazing into a transparent, translucent, or reflective object and it's often done by crystal ball gazing, fire scrying, water scrying, mirror scrying, etc.
🌙Astrology
This type of divination interpret movements and relative positions of celestial bodies, and how they influence us. Astrology gives an understanding of situations in our lives, based on our individual astrological birth chart.
🌙Lithomancy
Also known as stone divination, is a form of divination that uses stones or crystals to gain insight into an individual’s future or to provide guidance on a specific issue.
🌙Necromancy
Necromancy is divination through communication with the dead. In this method the practitioner summons or communicate with spirits of the dead in order to gain wisdom.
🌙Ceromancy
The practice of reading the flames and wax of a candle. The candle is lit and the flame examined for clues to the mood and energy surrounding the situation and then the wax is allowed to drip into a bowl of cold water or sometimes onto a piece of paper. The practitioner examines the shapes formed by the melted wax and makes predictions based on his or her interpretation of the shapes.
🌙Tasseography
Is a method of divination where you read pattern and symbols from tea leaves or coffee grounds sediments.
🌙Arithmancy/Numerology
Arithmancy is known as divination using numbers, while numerology is divination through using dates and words turned to numbers. Numerology doesn't require any psychic abilities, instead the method use calculations involving name and birth date numbers.
🌙Palmistry
Palmistry is also referred to as palm reading and is divination through reading and interpreting the lines and structure of the hand. It is common to read the dominant hand as a characterization and also predicting the future.
🌙Bibliomancy
is the divination by randomly chosen passages in books, often religious books or Grimoires. This method consist of picking a random passage from a book to answer a question.
🌙Conchomancy
is a form of divination using sea shells. Placing a seashell on your ear and analyzing the sound counts as Conchomancy. You can also use seashells in Casting divination.
No, I don't think I will. The Oracle lies. And I don't feel like hauling all those figs up the mountain. They attract birds. Plus those stupid prophecies never come true like I'm led to believe because I was supposed to just know to interpret them in the most contrived, backassward way. I don't care that it's technically true "from a certain point of view". This is graduate-level sorcery not a sophomore occult scrivening class! The curtains were blue because Jacque the Beguiler cast a color alteration spell on them.
You either tell me straight facts or you eat fire balls! Your choice, Oracle!
Look, I'm not telling you kids to read the bones like our great grandparents did, but would it kill you to try a little tasseography? You already spend all your time at the psychomanteum café anyways.
Please note: Not all of them are going to be here. I will be covering ones that Beginner witches can use and learn as a starting point! This also isnt a guide on how to do it, its is just some ideas and what they are.
Tarot and cards-
People who are unfamiliar with divination may believe that reading Tarot cards means "predicting the future." However, most Tarot card readers will tell you that the cards are only a guideline, and the reader is simply interpreting the likely outcome based on the forces at work right now. Consider Tarot as a tool for self-awareness and contemplation, rather than "fortune telling." Here are some simple steps to get you started reading and utilising Tarot cards in your divinatory practice.
Norse Runes-
According to Norse epic sagas, Odin created the Runes as a gift to humanity a long time ago. These sacred and holy symbols were originally etched in stone. Over time, they grew into a collection of sixteen letters, each with a metaphorical and divinatory significance. Learn how to create your own set of Runes and read what they say.
Reading tea leaves-
People have utilised many different ways of divination from the beginning of time. One of the most recognised is the practice of reading tea leaves, often known as tasseography or tasseomancy. This divination method, while not as ancient as some of the other famous and well-known methods, appears to have originated in the 17th century.
Pendulum reading-
A pendulum is one of the most basic and easy types of divination. It's as simple as asking and answering yes/no questions. Although pendulums may be purchased commercially for between $15 and $60, they are simple to create on your own. Most people use crystals or stones, but you may use any object with some weight to it. There are various methods to utilise a pendulum for divination, and you'd be amazed what you may learn from "yes" and "no" replies. The secret is to learn to ask the appropriate questions.
Osteomancy-
For thousands of years, tribes throughout the world have used bones for divination, a practice known as osteomancy. While there are several approaches, the goal is usually the same: to predict the future using the signals revealed in the bones.
Numerology-
Numerology is a discipline that many Pagan spiritual groups utilise. According to the basic concepts of numerology, numbers have a tremendous degree of spiritual and magical importance. Some numbers are more strong and powerful than others, and combinations of numbers can be created for magical purposes. In addition to magical correspondences, numerals have planetary importance.
Intuition-
Intuition is the capacity to know things without being told. Many intuitives make outstanding Tarot card readers because their ability offers them an advantage when reading cards for clients. This is sometimes known as clairsentience. Of all psychic talents, intuition may be the most frequent.
The divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments.
Symbols:
* Cat: difficulties caused by treachery
* Axe: will overcome the bad news
* Fish: good news from another country
* Grim: death
* Clover: good luck, good luck you worked hard to attain, happiness, and prosperity; near top = good luck is coming soon, near the bottom = good luck is more distant
* Crooked cross: great suffering
* Sun: great happiness
* Falcon: great enemy
* Owl: should probably think more carefully about their future endeavors as they may make them ill
* Candle: ask their friends and they maybe escape their fate
* Bee: busy
* Apple: great wealth
* Acorn: knowledgeable
* Angel: they have a protector/ someone looking out for them
* Coffin: lengthy sickness or the death of a loved one
* Compasses: business travel
* Cow: prosperity
* Cross: trouble, delay or death
* Crown: success and honor
* Dagger: help from friends
* Dragon: large and sudden changes
* Butterfly: success and pleasure
* Candle: enlightenment
* Car: approaching wealth
* Castle: an unexpected fortune monetary or otherwise
* Circles: expect money or presents
* Clouds: serious troubles, unless surrounded by dots! This means monetary success.
* Angel: good news, especially in love-related matters
* Apples: long life; success in school or business
* Arrows: bad messages or news from the direction in which the arrow points (ex: Arrows pointing towards the window: probably will get some bad news, probably delivered by an owl (wizard version) or a bird judging by the direction)
* Axe: problems overcome
* Birds: good luck, possibly a good journey
* Boat: a visit from a friend
* Bouquet: very good luck, including good friends, success, and a happy love life
* Bridge: a good journey
* Aircraft, such as airplanes or balloons: unsuccessful projects
* Anchor: good luck in business and a stable love life. If this symbol is cloudy in appearance, it should be interpreted as the opposite.
If you get into tea making, to be more natural, or holistic, or witchy, or literally just for fun…
Start with official real tea recipes. Look at the backs of tea bags you like and replicate. Research the herbs you are using. And when I say research, I mean check multiple sources, including the scientific. I don’t care if it’s not the aesthetic, but it will be worth it long run.
Google combinations! If you are making tea for a friend ask them what medications they are on, every time, this includes if they recently took a cold or pain over the counter medication or they have a regular controlled substance, even ask if they are doing recreational drugs— because that should be cross referenced to no what is safe. Ask allergies!!!
Some herbs can be safe with one medication unless mixed with another. Ie: Catnip should not be mixed with skullcap if made in a tea with someone talking antidepressants. But catnip in small doses in a tea can be perfectly safe. (Catnip is a sedative but can be holistically used as an ADHD supplement… so google it’s safe with adhd meds).
Personally I stay away from both when someone is one antidepressants, and skullcap especially when someone is one anxiety meds.
Also, if comfortable, ask whom you’re making tea for their medical history both physical and mental.
Did you or your friend have an X-ray recently? A surgery?
Many disorders disrupt sleep. But often differently.
Bipolar Disorder and ADHD are good examples of that. So your sleep tea may help friend with ADHD, but maybe less for your friend with bipolar.
Of course discussing mental health is private.
And often times the difference on that level isn’t dangerous, but it’s worth noting.
Another thing! St. John’s Wort and Mugwort can put you at risk for serotonin sickness on antidepressants, and both can fuck up birth control.
Many herbs you can buy can be cross contaminated with tree nuts!!!! And gluten!!! I myself am lucky and don’t have a tree nut allergy or celiac, and a younger version of me has forgotten to ask, I was lucky that a friend who has a sister with a serious nut allergy told me that some herbs may not be nut safe.
On that note, google the allergy stats on your herbs. especially if it becomes a real hobby.
Know caffeine levels. Know as much as you can. Especially if you plan to share this hobby with others.
And the more you know the more you can help, but also the less you know is more you can hurt.
Also like researching can be fun!!!! Personally I did get into tea making for witchy reasons, but I stayed for the academic pursuit of knowledge. If I am so honest I am less a witch and more an academic with a witchy aesthetic.
Plus I’m a writer so… knowing what these can do holistically, magically, and symbolically is incredibly helpful
I'm gonna go ahead and say this one more time, as someone whose ancestors literally evolved traditional medicine, 'cause I been seeing some dumb shit on social media again.
The average joe schmol doesn't possess enough knowledge of actual traditional medicine to know what the hell they're doing. Chances are, they end up whipping some rando concoction that at best does nothing, at worst is toxic.
The difference between medicine and poison is often the dosage.
Herbalism, alternative healing, home remedies, they do have their places in the modern world. But unless you really know what the fuck you're doing, you're better off and much safer with something FDA approved, than listen to some white lady with dreadlocks on TikTok who calls herself a "natural healer" and literally teaches you how to poison yourself.
I research and study herbs for fun, and my herb collection is way bigger and more practical than some souped up pretty picture on the internet. And you know what's the first thing I go for when I have a migraine? Excedrin.
When in doubt, modern medicine first, everything else supplemental.
The bad rep that Ouija boards get in movies? Tarot has that in real life. Creatures and beings of all kinds can be drawn to a tarot reader who's asking profound questions about the dead or the future. To make sure only the benevolent ones answer, here is a reminder:
1) Never use anyone else’s cards.
Unless you have express permission to do so. Tarot is fiercely loyal to its master. In refusing another soul’s authority, it could show its anger by invoking malevolent spirits.
2) Have an agreement with your deck.
Right from the very start, let your cards know whose messages you want to receive. Tell them to block anyone else from influencing your readings.
3) Invoke your higher power.
Whether that is Venus or Jesus, the Universe or your higher self. Invite the divine in. Lesser forces would not dare interfere if they heed you.
4) Clean your reading space.
If the powers that be find your space to be offensive, they will deem your call unworthy. But filthy entities will certainly not.
5) Make an offering to the querent’s higher self.
“The body may want a reading, but the soul may be unwilling.” A piece of chocolate or anything sweet should be appropriate.
6) Thank your deities and your cards.
Your higher power and your instrument of the occult gave you advice and a prediction. Should their efforts go unappreciated, they might feel infuriated.
Explaining how tarot readings work using colors, shades, tints and tones
See energies the way you see colors. At least this is how I make sense of it. Imagine this, everyone has a specific color that belongs to them. Each color has a slightly different shade, tint, and tone. Colors (left) & tints, tones and shades of the blue color (right).
Let's say my color is blue and your color is blue; they are within the same color 'family' (i.e. blue, cool colors). This may allude to some similarities between us as people; maybe you like the same thing that I do or maybe you think about a particular topic the same way I do or maybe the way we respond to life is quite similar. Hence the same color.
However, because we are two different people and no one individual is completely the same as another person; mine might be French Blue, and yours might be Midnight Blue. When we classify the color blue like this, the difference (french vs midnight) is more obvious, highlighting our individual differences as people. The more we got to know each person, the clearer we could see the tint, tone or shade of their colors (i.e their individuality) so to speak.
In a PAC, each pile represents a specific color
With different tints, tones and/or shades. Let's say in a PAC from Reader X, we have four piles representing four different colors; Blue, Purple, Green, Orange. Example:
You might find pieces of yourself in the message of the Blue Pile since your color is Blue. But the reading probably wouldn't be that resonating, because the Blue Pile's tint, shade and/or tone is Turquoise. Look at the color scale, Turquoise is closer to Green than it is to Purple. Your Midnight Blue is closer to Purple than it is to Green.
In this case, I wouldn't be surprised if you were also attracted to the Purple Pile; since your Midnight Blue is closer to the Purple Pile than it is to the Blue Pile. OR neither Blue Pile and Purple Pile could describe your energy well; because their tints, shades and tones although have some similarities to your Midnight Blue, they still look very different don't they?
It's like that. If the color of the person you are asking about is Green and your color is Blue; and both of the colors are present in a PAC, then you can definitely find a pile to represent you and your person respectively in the same PAC; how accurate the representation is depends on how close the shade, tint and/or tone of the Pile Color is to yours (look at the black lines).
CONCLUSION
After you asked a question to tarot, imagine the Universe (or whatever you believe in) gave you a HTML color code of the answer. Each person/answer has their own color code. Now what you need to do is look at the PAC in front of you and use your intuition to see which pile contains a color that is the closest to the color code in your hand; is it Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3, Pile 4?
Some PACs don't have a color that can represent the color code in your hand, so you may not feel attracted to any pile. Some PACs have the color but the shade, tone, tint are a bit too far off from your color code (picture below); so the closest pile to represent your color code may contain some messages for you but may not resonate that well. Some readers can communicate your color code clearly, some readers can't. Some call it "blue", some call it "sky blue". That could be why some readings resonate more, some resonate less.
Basically, there needs to be a close match between the color code of the answer to your question and the color code in a PAC you are reading/watching; the more similar the color, shade, tone, tint-- the more accurate the pile will be for you. For personal readings, the tarot reader themselves is the person who needs to make the reading match the color code in your hand-- as close as possible-- and communicate it in the way you see the color. Below are some comics to help you understand (because I'm feeling extra):
the best way to improve your divination skills and divinate with 0 bias is to not ask your querent for any background info and trust that your intuition will guide you.
My Tarot readings improved drastically onced I started seeing tarot as a story and conversation, rather than an interview or questions and answers.
Spreads can be super helpful, but I highly reccomend that anyone wanting to improve their tarot readings to do regular free-form readings. Talk to your cards, make the reading a conversation, look to the imagery and find the narrative hidden in the cards.
Seeking guidance about truths, meanings, spirituality and higher knowledge
Dealing with questions about the self; identity, life path and purpose, or having an existential crisis
Solving a problem by taking a step back from it and looking deeper to analyze it better
Withdrawing and disengaging from the external world and everyone
Resting or retiring from your career and the activity you have been committing yourself to
Alone time
Keeping things to yourself and protecting your privacy from prying eyes and people you see as outsiders
Needing to make careful consideration and take more time before making a decision
Conserving energy
Removing distractions or not wanting to be distracted
Personality traits
Contemplative: someone who is contemplative about the world, life experience and meanings of life
Solitary: someone who keeps to themselves, private, unsocial or antisocial, introvert, lone-wolf, not a team player
Self-discovering: someone who often looks within and is introspective about themselves and their own psychology
Truth-seeking: someone who searches for answers and truths
Patient: someone who can be patient with the process
Prudent: someone who makes decision carefully and wisely
Inner-guided: someone who is guided by the wisdom they gain from their self-introspection and contemplation about the world
Philosophical: someone who is willing to ask deeper philosophical questions
Humble: someone who is humble enough to know that there are things they still do not understand about a situation/themselves and humble enough to learn more about it
Analytical/critical: someone who looks at the root cause of a situation, pros and cons, impacts, implications and meanings, but may be critical and pessimistic when unhealthy.
If y'all want a creative way to reflect on yourself (maybe do some shadow work) while also using tarot, try this.
Pick a fictional character you genuinely don't like. It doesn't necessarily have to be a villain, just a character you've never enjoyed. Some questions to ask your deck:
"What do I have in common with [fictional character]?"
"What is it about [fictional character] that I dislike?"
"What is something about [fictional character] that I could grow to like?"
"What is something about [fictional character] that I'm not understanding?"
"What could I learn from [fictional character]?"
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