茶葉算命 · chá yè suàn mìng · leaf-reading

Tea-Leaf Reading

Tasseography, the reading of the shapes loose tea leaves settle into, has a living strand in the Chinese teahouse alongside its European and Romani cousins. The practice is simple and old: drink the cup down to a last spoonful, hold it in the left hand, swirl it three times clockwise, then turn it onto the saucer and let it drain. What clings is read by place. The handle stands for you and your home; the rim speaks of the days just ahead, the sides of the weeks, and the dregs of the months and the deeper currents. A shape clockwise of the handle is approaching, one counter-clockwise is passing away, and any two shapes that touch make a small story your eye can trace. None of it is a settled fate. The leaves offer a shape for your own thinking, and the choosing stays yours.