The teacup should be wide, shallow and have sloping sides. It should be white or pale on the interior. Cups with patterning on the inside are not suitable for reading tea leaves. Use cups, not mugs or narrow cups – the latter make it hard to see.
Turn off electronic media such as the TV, cell phones, take the phone off the hook, computers, etc. Use a small table or coffee table to sit around. Add a pretty tablecloth to enhance the appearance. Helen Farley recommends saying a prayer for protection, especially when reading for strangers, to ward off any bad energy. [6] X Research source
For people who don’t like tea, simply drop a teaspoon or so of tea leaves into a cup they have chosen with a teaspoon of liquid.
Ask the person to think of the most prominent questions. Have the person swish the cup to the left three times, holding it in their left hand. [8] X Research source The reason for using the left hand is that this hand is connected to your psychic self. Ask them to turn the cup upside down on the saucer, gently. This will allow the liquid to drain out. Still with the left hand, have the person turn the cup three times to the left while upside down on the saucer. Have them hold their hands on the cup in that position, think about the important questions again for a count of seven.
Zones from top to bottom may represent either “distance” or “weight” of the omens. Images near the top (rim) are close while images near the bottom are distant. In terms of time, the distance from rim to base represents approximately 6 months. However, “distance” may also refer to relationship to a person or goal. The other way of looking at it is that images at the base of the cup can represent a “heavy” (ill) omen and, as they come nearer the rim, are “light” or joyful omens. The context will determine which is applicable. Context and symbolism are most important. Trust your instincts. The handle of the cup is known as the “domain” and images near the handle are images related to home life and family. The further from the handle an image is the more “outside” the omen. Symbols opposite the handle relate to work or strangers, somewhere in between might relate to non-immediate family or “a friend of a friend. " Images to the RIGHT of the handle indicate something coming TO the querent while images to the LEFT of the handle represent things coming FROM the domain. A big clump of tea leaves with no discernible image might augur trouble on its way. If it is opposite to the handle, the trouble will likely be not of your making but if it is under the handle, it is considered to be of your making. If there remains a drop or two of liquid tea that didn’t come off with the draining, these are considered to be tears. It might indicate past or future sadness, dependent on the context of the rest of the reading.
The most common images and their meanings can be found in this wikiHow list: wikiHow:Tea Leaf Symbols List.
