Telling Fortunes By Tea Leaves | Page 8

eagle. A monkey.
In the evening of that day the death of King Alexander of Greece was
announced.
It will be seen, on referring to the dictionary, that an eagle and a vulture
signify "the death of a monarch." The monkey who lay at the bottom of
the cup, apparently dead, was of course the third symbol as having

caused the King's death. It was particularly gratifying that these signs
should have appeared in my friend's cup for she is a mathematical
genius, and rejects every symbol which she cannot recognise at once.
She was so struck by these signs that she called them to the attention of
her mother, who also immediately perceived and identified them. The
only regrettable omission was that the cup was not photographed. It
would have been valuable evidence for the wonders of the tea-leaves.
This same friend had another interesting experience. The head of an
Indian appeared in her cup, with other signs pointing to news of a
personal nature. She was puzzled, for, as far as she knew, there was no
one in India from whom she would be in the least likely to hear.
Very shortly afterwards, however, her mother went on a visit to London.
There she quite unexpectedly met someone who had recently come
from India, and who had brought back messages of remembrance and
affection from a girl who my friend had no idea was in India at that
time. Hence the Indian in her tea-cup!
Whilst on this subject, I am reminded of another occasion when India
was represented in the tea-leaves. I was looking into my tea-cup one
day, when I saw most clearly depicted two natives creeping stealthily,
their attitude making this evident. In their hands were what appeared to
be knives, and they were making towards a figure that was
unmistakably that of an officer. He was standing upon what looked like
a raised platform with a barricade round him. He held a revolver in his
hand.
I am quite aware that some may think this a tall tale for the tea-leaves
to relate! But fortunately my reading of the cup was witnessed by two
others, one of them being a man, who, although interested in psychic
subjects, despises the tea-leaves! Without remarking upon what I saw, I
suggested that he should look at my cup and see what he made of it.
Without a moment's hesitation he said, "There is an officer defending
himself against some natives who are about to attack him."
My readers will appreciate the satisfaction this testimony gave me,
coming as it did from one who had never before looked into a cup.

Moreover, that this witness should have been one of the male sex added
to its value! This prediction of danger for someone in India was borne
out by facts that were disclosed shortly afterwards. These instances
which I have given illustrate the variety and interest which are to be
found in divination by tea-leaves.


CHAPTER VI
WRITING IN THE TEA-LEAVES
SOME FREQUENT SYMBOLS
Another source through which messages are received by the tea-leaves
will be found in the writing which will be seen from time to time.
Moreover, it has the great advantage of being clear and easy to decipher,
so that there may be no doubt of what is intended to be understood by it.
The tea-leaves can never be accused of being illegible. Occasionally it
is very minute writing, and would probably be passed over by those
who read their cups in a superficial manner. To those who study them
carefully the future is revealed.
No one would reasonably expect to find a speech from the Prime
Minister or an invitation to a tea-party written for them in the tea-leaves.
But words they certainly will find.
A short time ago I saw in my cup, in perfect copperplate writing, the
word "wait." I was annoyed by it, for what is more annoying than
having to wait? Sometimes it may happen that the tea-leaves--as with
their relatives, the tumbler and automatic writing--become a little shaky
in their spelling. But this is not a serious defect, and the trifling errors
do not prevent the word from being translatable. It is a recognised fact
that writing seen through a medium, whether it be tea-leaves, or a
dream, is of importance, and should always be regarded with attention
and with an endeavour to understand its message.

I should like to point out that certain figures and symbols are of so
frequent occurrence that it may be well to emphasise their general
significance by referring to them here, in addition to their meaning
being given in the dictionary.
Among those which threaten misfortune, or sorrow, are the following:
Crosses, snakes, spades, pistols, guns, toads, cats.
Joy and success are indicated by