Can Tea Predict your Future?

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book in the series of popular novels by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter’s future is seen through the eyes of Professor Trelawney as she interprets the patterns of the tea leaves within Harry’s teacup during his divination lessons.

In chapter six, Talons and Tea Leaves, Professor Trelawney, the divination teacher, instructs the class to collect a teacup from the shelf and make their way back to the professor to have their teacup filled. Once their teacups were filled, they were then instructed to “drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read.”

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley pair up, drink their scolding hot tea, and continue as instructed by the professor. As they begin to interpret the patterns in each other’s cups, Ron asks Harry what he sees. Harry replies, “A load of soggy brown stuff.” Professor Trelawney, possibly overhearing this, instructs the class, “Broaden your minds, my dears, and allow your minds to see past the mundane!”

As Harry and Ron attempt to dissect the symbolism found in each other’s cups, professor Trelawney has made her way to Ron. She asked to see Harry’s cup and she begins to interpret what she sees.

“The falcon…my dear, you have a deadly enemy.”
“The club…an attack. Dear, dear, this is not a happy cup…”
“The skull…danger in your path, my dear…”

Finally, the professor turns the cup again and gasps, “My dear, you have the Grimm… The giant, spectral dog that haunts the churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen – the worst omen – of death!”

Merely Fiction?

While the world of Harry Potter is a fictional story, the ritual of foretelling futures from tea leaves is real. It was more than likely practiced in the Baltic and Slavic nations and could be tied to the Romani people who were nomadic travelers within Northern Europe. This is only one form of divination, which is the practice of understanding the unknown through supernatural means. The word divination is derived from the Latin word divinus meaning “to be inspired by God,”

Using tea leaves to predict the future is known as Tasseology and just as we read in Harry Potter it extracts symbolism from the patterns found in the tea leaves to tell us more about what might happen in the future.

Finding the Symbolism within your Cup

At Fusion Teas, we sell some of the best loose-leaf tea which is perfect for tea leaf readings. Teabags are generally made of low-grade tea leaves anyway and the leaves are just too broken down to reveal any real patterns. The best tea to use comes from the actual tea plant such as black, green, white, or oolong.

After you have enjoyed your favorite cups of tea without straining, take a look in your cup and have fun interpreting the tea leaf patterns left behind. Hopefully, you or your diviner see something a bit more positive than what Professor Trelawney saw for Harry.

Look for common symbols that can provide deeper meaning such as a heart signifying love and romance or an airplane to signify a vacation or long journey. Just have fun with it and don’t take it too seriously. We believe that a healthy and happy mind can create the future they envision, so envision the best and good fortune will come your way.

After you have dissected your future from the patterns, leave a comment below about what you see. We would love to hear.

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