by Rae Hepburn
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.