Telling Fortunes By Tea Leaves | Page 3

or the weather. Personally, I advocate this
for both systems of divination; it enables the subconscious mind to
assert itself unhindered, whilst the normal mind is in abeyance.
The turning of the cup before inverting it over the saucer is equivalent
to the shuffling of the cards. It is as a direct result of those few seconds
turning that the pictures and signs are created, the subconscious mind
directing the hand holding the cup. The following simple ritual is all
that is necessary to those consulting the tea-leaves.
The cup to be read is held by the seer and turned about as necessary, so
that the symbols may be read without disturbing them. This is
important, but no disturbance will take place if the moisture has been
properly drained away. The handle of the cup represents the consultant,
also the home, or, if the consultant be away from home the present
abode.
It is necessary to have a starting point in the cup for the purpose of
indicating events approaching near to, or far distant from, the person
consulting. The leaves near the rim denote such things as may be
expected to occur quickly; those directly beneath the handle indicate
present and immediate happenings; those on the sides of the cup
suggest more distant events; whilst those at the bottom deal with the far
distant future.
This method of fixing the time, coupled with intuition, renders it
possible to give a consultant some idea as to when an event may be
expected; but if there be no intuitive sense of time, it will be found
wiser not to be too positive.
The turning of the cup and the draining of the moisture having been
carried out as directed, the tea-leaves will be found distributed at the
sides and bottom of the cup.

For those who wish to use the saucer as a further means of divination,
the following suggestions will be useful.
There must be a definite point to represent the consultant, and for this
reason the saucer is usually rejected. There is also the objection that it
is more difficult to manipulate in the turning. Nevertheless, it is found
to give excellent results, and, if the cup is bare of events, it is useful to
be able to find information in the saucer.
First of all, then, to determine the position of the consultant. Take the
centre of the saucer for this purpose. The circle round it represents the
home, or if the consultant is away from home, the present abode, and
also events near at hand. The more distant circle indicates those things
which are not to be expected for some time. The outer circle and rim
suggest events as yet in the misty future.
When the saucer is used as an additional means of seeking knowledge
of coming events, after the symbols in the cup have been exhausted, it
will often be found that this secondary divination confirms or enlarges
upon that which has already been foretold in the cup.
The moisture and leaves drained from the cup, having remained in the
saucer, should be turned by the consultant three times with the same
swirling motion as for the cup, and the moisture carefully poured away.
The saucer should be held inverted for a few seconds, otherwise when
it is placed upright, the remaining moisture will disturb the tea-leaves.
The symbols are read in exactly the same way as in the cup, the only
difference being the positions representing the consultant, the home,
and the indications of time. These have already been explained.


CHAPTER III
GENERAL THEORIES IN READING THE CUP

At first sight the interior of the cup will show the leaves scattered about
apparently haphazard and with no arrangement; just a jumble of
tea-leaves and nothing more. In reality they have come to their
positions and have taken on the shapes of the symbols for which they
stand, by the guidance of the subconscious mind directing the hand in
the turning of the cup.
The various shapes and the meanings to be attached to them will at first
be puzzling to beginners. A good deal of practice is necessary before
the tea-leaf symbols can be accurately interpreted at a glance. That,
however, will come later, and in time it will be as easy as reading a
book.
If you wish to be a proficient reader of the tea-leaves, practise
constantly this interpretation of the shapes and positions of the leaves.
Take a cup and follow out the simple instructions for the turning and
draining of it, and then carefully study the result.
It is an excellent plan to make a rough copy of the leaves as they
present themselves to you in each cup, making notes of the various
meanings.
Do not feel dismayed if,