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, when you begin looking at the tea-leaves, you are unable to
discover in them anything definitely symbolic. It is certain that
nothing will be found if the seer is feeling nervous! Keep a calm,
open mind, and do not be in a hurry, for it is under such conditions
only that a clear reading of the leaves will be possible. In some
cases the symbols are more easily read than in others. Much depends
upon the consultant.
The gift of imagination (by no means to be confused with invention)
is of the greatest possible importance in discerning the symbols
which are of such endless shapes and variety. The seer has to find
in the forms of the tea-leaves a resemblance, sometimes it may be
but a faint one, to natural objects, e.g., trees, houses, flowers,
bridges, and so forth. Figures of human beings and animals will
frequently be seen, as will squares, triangles, circles, and also
the line of fate.
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