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Tea-Time Magick
© M. Williams
Apr 5, 2000
When we think about magick, oftentimes the images that come most readily to mind are those of high ceremonial magick involving sacred circles, specialized tools and cryptic incantations. It is remote and mysterious. What we often fail to realize, however, is that magick is accessible to all of us at any given time. In fact, it can be as close as our next cup of tea.
In solitude or as part of a social get together, tea drinking is a ritual in which most of us have taken part at one time or another. And while western tea taking bears little resemblance to the pageantry of the Japanese tea ceremony, it can, nevertheless, be an inspiring ritual that allows us access to our inner magickal nature. Taking the time to sit back with a cup of hot, well-steeped tea allows us to release stress built up by our constant struggle to keep abreast of our physical reality. Inhaling the rich aroma has a calming and soothing effect, and the experience of stillness and reflection is drawn out by the necessarily slow sipping of the hot liquid. It is in this state of quiet relaxation that we can come to an awareness of our higher self. By taking a hiatus from the hectic realities of life, we are able to experience more of the natural energies within and around us-the energies of magick-and to use those energies to affect change. One way of accomplishing this involves the art of divination. When the beverage was brought from the orient in the 17th century, tea drinking quickly became a popular pastime, and from this emerged the art of tasseomancy, or tasseography, a type of divination by tea leaves. Tea leaf reading is one of the most commonly accessible forms of divination as it requires no special tools or training-just an awareness of one's own intuition which can be achieved through the act of enjoying the tea itself. Brew the tea using loose tea leaves, and pour yourself a cup of the invigorating liquid. A plain china cup is usually recommended, as the lack of decoration and the shape and depth of the cup itself aid in discerning the images. Sitting quietly, or perhaps with some soft music playing in the background, inhale the aroma and sip the tea, relaxing and opening yourself up to the sense of inner stillness that accompanies the deepening feeling of relaxation. When only a small amount of tea remains in the bottom of the cup, swirl the contents several times, upending the cup on its saucer to empty the remaining liquid. Now you are ready to interpret the images formed by the leftover tea leaves. Images near the top of the cup represent events or situations that will come to pass in the near future, while the farther toward the bottom the images appear, the more distant the event, and the larger the image, the more significance it will have.
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The copyright of the article Tea-Time Magick in New Age is owned by M. Williams. Permission to republish Tea-Time Magick in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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