WHAT'S IN THE CUP?

I am constantly being asked questions about tealeaf readings people have done themselves. Usually they find the answers they are looking for once we have approached their question from several different angles.

Like the chair we move around the room until it not only looks right but feels right in the space. I thought it may be interesting to blog an example of this process when working with the leaves.

In a recent reading a dog appeared very close to the handle, the area representing family and friends. It was halfway down the cup to the right of the handle. Even though the dog was right of the handle, meaning an event or experience in the future, the dog was jumping anticlockwise, indicating departure.

The dog is a complex symbol; seen as a loyal, trustworthy friend, hunter, warrior or Anubis- conductor of souls to the underworld or the dog at the feet of the fool in the tarot card- ready to embark on new territory, are just a few examples.

So we have a dog leaving in the future. Let’s liken the dog to the chair we move around the room, by keeping an image of a dog in the mind and then letting go of it. During your day as random thoughts pop up you will find the right space for the dog.

From, I don’t own a dog, to, am I taking somebody’s loyalty for granted or am I ready for that quantum leap, thoughts will flow. Eventually the dog, like the chair, will be in the right space and the answer will feel right.

The French have a saying ‘to be comfortable in one’s skin’ I think that is how it feels when we have faced the answer to our question even if it isn’t always the one we want to hear.

FAIRY TEATIME TALES are published by www.bookguild.co.uk

TEA AND SCENT

Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world – Tein Yiheng

Jasmine, bergamot and rose are common flowers to be mixed with tea. Flavouring tea with flowers works well and the overall effect is as much in the combined scent as it is in the taste. All of these scents, including the delicate scent of tea, are known to give a sense of well-being and this too could be part of their popularity in tea blends.

Each scent has its own vibration, known as notes, as in musical notes. These vibrations appear to affect our frame of mind in much the same way as music can. They both have the ability to vibrate through our consciousness and change our mood.

It would appear that everything in the universe is a vibration. The eye sees colour vibration, the ear hears by vibration and now through the research work of scientist and perfume guru, Luca Turin, it appears that we smell by vibration. Our taste buds send messages to the brain by nerve impulses (vibration?)

If I loose my sense of smell, as I sometimes do in the hay fever season, I find it hard to cook, as I rely on my sense of smell more than my sense of taste. I can usually tell by smell exactly what is needed to bring out the best in the dish I am cooking.

In my herb garden I grow vervain in a sheltered spot that gets full sun. Vervain leaves make a delicious tisane. It has a fresh lemony scent and makes a lime yellow liquor when infused. It tastes exactly as it smells. It is a good after dinner drink as it possesses digestive and slight sedative qualities. It blends well with fennel seeds if a stronger digestive brew is necessary after a very rich meal.

I enjoy blending herbs to make infusions and I enjoy drinking flavoured teas. I’m not sure whether it is by vibration or ingestion that my sense of well-being is enhanced, a bit of both I would imagine. Just the word aroma sounds magical to me as it conjures up endless thoughts of past, present and future experiences. From far away lands to a freshly mown lawn outside the window, our imaginings can easily drift off on the vibration of a scent rising up from a cup of tea.

FAIRY TEATIME TALES are pubilshed by www.bookguild.co.uk