Tea Leaf Fortune Cards

by Rae Hepburn, Shawna Alexander

Tea-Leaf reading is an age-old custom that spans many cultures and nationalities, from the misty highlands of Scotland to the sun-baked Greek Islands. Since tea itself was discovered thousands of years ago, tea drinkers have been drawn to the foretelling shapes formed by the leaves settling in a cup and to the inexplicable metaphysical energy that surrounds them. Now, for the first time, this irresistible package makes the complicated skill of tea-leaf reading accessible to anyone, whether to foretell the coming day, week, or year, or to find out more about a certain life topic. With 200 illustrated cards, each portraying a traditional symbol in tea-leaf reading, along with a discussion of the history of tea, how to read tea-leaf fortunes, and interpretive information on the 200 symbols, Tea Leaf Fortune Cards are perfect to use alone or in a group-a fun, fascinating way to discover what the future holds to plan for it and to correct course.

Genres: Divination, Occult, Tarot

89 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preview: Can't wait for these! :)

[Justwinter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going through old books and found this set of 'tea leaf' cards and book. I used to have a large collection of tea-related books, and had picked this up on a lark.

Well years later, who knew this would be such a hard-to-find and expensive item? I opened it up and checked it out again. The 200 small, round cards are very prettily illustrated--and the accompanying book is a short, easy read.

I think that for those who enjoy card divination, these would be a terrifically fun change from a regular deck. I don't know enough about card reading, nor believe it enough to give a good review for those aspects--but I do always enjoy items such as these as 'creative' tools.

I think any type of self-driven divination system is just a different way for us to come at ourselves from a alternate starting point with a different frame of mind. In this state, I think it's easier to connect with ideas and feelings we already know--but are avoiding or keeping hidden from ourselves. So as a brain-buster, shake up the creative-juices tool, I highly recommend it. They're beautiful, simple little cards and whatever self-assessment/hopes one ascribes to the cards will surely lead to an interesting personal discourse.

[Georgina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be easier to select random words from the dictionary to cobble together a reading than attempting to make sense of these cards.

[Samra · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun informative and beautiful

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy drinking tea... Organic, jasmine green tea is pretty much my all time favorite flavor of tea and sweetened with liquid stevia. However, I'll drink pretty much any flavor of tea as long as it's organic. These days, I am drinking organic chamomile tea as I have difficulty falling and staying asleep at nights... So no caffeine for me.


Additionally, I pretty much love all things tea related. Even the topic of reading tea leaves (aka tasseography) is an intriguing topic to me.


A few years ago, I came across Tea Leaf Fortune Cards by Rae Hepburn though Amazon's website and decided to purchase this set, which includes the following items:

* A 98-page, illustrated guidebook that gives a brief history of tea and tea leaf reading, the development of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards, a brief history of traditional tea leaf reading methods, how to divine your fortune using the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards, and a glossary filled with the meanings of each card in the deck.
* Drawstring pouch for mixing the cards.
* 200 round cards, 3.25" in diameter: 182 symbol cards, 12 month cards, and 6 astral house cards.
* Sturdy box to contain the book, cards, and mixing pouch.

I thought the 98-page, illustrated guidebook was direct and to the point. I liked the layout of the illustrated book and how it was organized. The information provided by Rae Hepburn on how to divine your fortune using the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards was direct and straight forward/uncomplicated.


I like the size and shape of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards themselves, but I feel like the card stock used for these cards are a bit on the flimsy side. I want these types of cards to be as thick and sturdy as a deck of playing cards. Especially if a person is going to be using the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards for frequent readings for themselves and/or others. I also think the artwork for the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards is not that pretty.


The mixing pouch (for the cards) is small, gauzy, and a very pretty golden-yellow color... But the bag looks delicate and I am concerned it won't hold up over time for its intended use... especially if the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards are used frequently for readings.


I haven't used the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards for a reading yet. So, I am unable to comment on that aspect at this time. I do not think that I'll use these cards that often. But I will do a personal reading for myself just for sure fun at some point in the future. I'm not sure how I really feel about the accuracy of things like tarot card readings, oracle card readings, etc. in predicting/foreseeing the future.

[Allie Marini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very unique addition to your tarot collection, combining traditional tasseography symbols (many of which have been combined to distill tasseography into a manageably-sized deck, and by "manageably-sized," I mean 200 cards - 182 tasseography symbols, 12 month cards, 6 Astral House cards.)

The cards come in a hinged, rigid lidded box with 2 compartments for the cards (one stack includes the Month and Astral House cards), a satin bag for mixing cards (due to the large number of cards) and the 94-page perfect bound guidebook.) The cards are small and round (3.25" diameter) and while including the bag is a nice addition, I find that the cards don't really mix well in there due to the glossy finish of the cards, the slightly thinner card stock, and the rigidness of the satin bag (kind of same material as jewelry bags for costume pieces.)

Reading with tea leaf fortune cards isn't quite the same system as reading tarot, Lenormand, kipper, or oracle cards. There is a definite system to follow, but if you so choose you can use them just the same as you'd use any other deck (after all, it's YOU who brings the magic to the reading.)

The guidebook provides a brief history of tea, how tasseography came to be, and how the author developed the deck. There is also a very basic introduction to tasseomancy using a teacup and tea leaves, which segues nicely into how to use the cards. There are three big spreads with accompanying information on how to perform these readings, and Sample Reading anecdotes about what to expect from readings using a case study, spread, cards drawn, and an example of how one might interpret this during a reading.

The rest of the book gives greater depth and context to the symbols on each card other than the keywords or key phrases printed on each card face.

Traditional tasseographers might only appreciate these cards for their novelty, and tarot readers might find the number of cards intimidating. But they're a neat change of pace that can add a little extra something to a reading.

I have used this deck during a tea party and it went over well for 1 and 3 card draws, same as one might use a tarot or oracle deck.

[Chiang Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love them.

[Anna Puerta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting approach to tea leaf reading. The beginning of the book gave a really good overview of the history of tea cultivation.