6/6/2023 0 Comments Notea leaf reading symbols![]() It was seen as a way to reflect on the self, and to know oneself better – an exercise in psychology rather than psychism. It also had an added benefit that the other forms of occult didn’t it gained popularity with the aristocracy. Compared to these, Tasseomancy was a safer alternative. Previously, these practices involved deciphering symbols from molten wax and metal. But its rise cannot be looked at in isolation: the lower and middle classes already had a propensity for fortune-telling and the occult. It was in this era that Tasseomancy came into existence. All this changed in the Victorian era when tea-drinking was adopted as a beloved habit by all classes. But, until the 17 th century, tea was strictly an aristocratic drink. From here, the habit of drinking tea spread throughout the rest of Europe. But it was the Dutch who, at the end of the 16 th century, started importing tea from China and popularising it. Tea travelled to the Western world from China with Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. ![]() Via the New Britain Museum of American Art ![]() However, in these regions, coffee grounds were more likely to be used to practice this art, instead of tea leaves. But, it is likely that versions of Tasseomancy were also part of the culture in the Middle East. But we do know for sure that tea-leaf reading, as we know it today, originated in Europe, and was popular in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England. The true origins of Tasseomancy are uncertain. Tasseography is also used to describe the art of reading coffee grounds and wine sediments, but without a doubt, tea-leaf reading is the most popular type of Tasseomancy. ‘Tasse’ comes from the French word for cup, and the Greek root ‘mancy’ which means divination. Reading of tea leaves is an ancient tradition that is also called Tasseography or Tasseomancy. It offers insight and comfort in times of uncertainty, and the practice of reading tea leaves still thrives in many parts of the world. Tea has been central to several cultures around the world for centuries, but in some traditions, its role is not limited to that of a beverage – tea leaves act as a portal to help humans grapple with the most fundamental questions that have plagued humankind from the beginning of time – the mysteries of the unknown.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |