interpreta1on of the symbols is what maCers. Begin reading at the handle (or at 12 o’clock if there is no handle) and progress clockwise. Note the first symbol you see, which area it is in (rim, middle, or base), and if it is next to another symbol. Pay aCen1on to the presence of bubbles, twigs, or droplets in your cup, which might influence or alter the message of the leaves. Concentrate and take your 1me.
As you relax, iden1fy the issue or query in your mind. As you try to block out all thoughts, does anything keep coming up? If this is the case, it is likely the subject of your reading… focus on it. If nothing comes to mind, consider this a general tea reading. Focus your senses on your breath and the taste of the tea. Leave a small amount of tea at the boCom of the cup. Make note of it. Everything underneath the remaining tea will be your “base” area when you do your reading, while everything between the base and the rim area from earlier will be the “middle.” Holding the nearly-‐empty teacup in one hand, you may swirl it 0-‐3 1mes, in order to spread the tea leaves over the cup’s interior or keep them fairly stable, as you choose. Carefully turn the cup over onto your saucer to dump out the remaining liquid. Wait at least three breaths before turning your cup back over. Remember that tea leaf reading is personal and subjec1ve, and that what you see, not what anyone else sees, is what maCers. If someone else happens to look at your cup and exclaims that they see a dog, but you see a rabbit in that par1cular spot, your impression is the correct one. Similarly, your
Just as your recogni1on of the symbols is personal and unique to you, so too is your interpreta1on of those symbols. How you feel at the moment and flash impulses and impressions are important here, as are cultural ideas and emo1ons. It might help to write down each of the symbols you see in one column, and then what they trigger in your mind meaning-‐wise in another. There are a number of books and free online resources that offer sugges1ons for different symbols, if you deem it necessary to gather addi1onal informa1on. LeCers can indicate the first leCer in a name of the person who immediately pops into your mind when you see it, even if other people with the same leCer in their names might be closer to you. That first symbol you spoCed will represent some dominant element of yourself or someone influen1al or close to the maCer.
