By – Poorvanshi Tyagi

Abstract

Tea-leaf reading or Tasseography is the practice of reading patterns left by ta leaves as a way to provide insights or guidance for the future. This article aims to trace the inter-cultural history of the tradition as well as explore its position in the modern post-industrial age, with respect to the integration of marketization with technological advances. 

Introduction – Origins

The occult or the belief in occultism has existed for ages, shaping itself into a science or art of knowing things secretive or mysterious to people, during and after the Renaissance period which  introduced human life to the world of science and rationality. One of the many occult practices that deal with ancestor spirits and future telling include the practice of tea-leaf reading, or what is also known as Tasseography. The tradition of tea-leaf reading usually traces its roots back to the Chinese empire. The making and drinking of tea by Chinese nobles was not just an everyday ritual but a tool for political authority and soft power. Tasseography emerged in the Chinese society during the period of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when drinking tea became a common activity among people of all social classes. Chinese monks and scholars would often gaze at the patterns formed by tea leaves at the bottom of their cups, believing the shapes to be patterns that could provide guidance or insights into the future. This form of proto-tasseography observed in China set the framework for divination elsewhere.  The practice of tea-leaf reading interacted with different cultures to become what it is today. 

Tasseography : Rise & Decline

As trade routes grew, the spread of tea-leaf reading traditions followed the export of tea. Persia saw the interaction of tea-reading with pre-existing traditions of coffee-ground readings, making tea-reading a part of their storytelling tradition. In the 16th century Ottoman Empire, tea-leaf readers known as the Falci blended pre-Islamic Turkish shamanic symbols with Sufi teachings, bringing forth a systematic approach to reading leaf patterns. Tea was introduced to Europe in the 17th Century and its consumption began to develop cultural practices around it. The Romanis, an Indo-Aryan ethnic group played a crucial role in spreading tasseography throughout Europe. In England in particular, tea-leaf reading became so popular that it came to be associated with parlor parties and mysticism, integrating itself into a form of entertainment enjoyed among the upper and middle classes. Over time, this tradition was shaped into a full-fledged systematic practice, introducing guidebooks that contained symbols such as hearts, stars, and serpents and how to interpret them.  Tasseography thus, has been shaped by multi-cultural and transnational interactions. These cultural adaptations have helped shape its symbolic language over the years. 

The industrial changes encountered in the 19th and 20th centuries with respect to the invention of the tea bag hinted at a decline in the tradition of tea-leaf reading due to the absence of tea-leaves. Tea leaf reading as a tradition began to fall out of practice with a change in public perception and opinion against the backdrop of modern psychology. People turned towards other forms of leisure such as tarot, palmistry, and crystal-ball gazing. There, however, has been a revival of Tasseography in the post-industrial era, evident through a decisive shift in public interest and opinion when it comes to occult practices. The re-emergence of tea-leaf reading and its growing popularity today signals the rise of a wellness industry, which depends on traditional and biological practices as a way towards marketization. 

Tasseography in the modern age 

Occult practices and the belief in Occultism saw a resurgence in the 1970s across continents, owing to popular resentment  toward traditional religion and the desire for assurance. As the post-industrial world saw a shift from manufacturing to service-based economies and technology, occult practices encountered a revival through technological developments such as the emergence of the Internet. 

The growing interest in spiritual and mental wellness all across internet can be understood through a resurgence of spiritual belief among the masses. The age of technology has instilled an ethical unease and erosion of sense of community across populations. Zygmunt Bauman looks at modernity as a process of liquefaction of ancient traditions such that structural brakes on human freedom are released. According to Bauman, liberalization and deregulation hints towards the demise of collective action and social life. The modern age thus deepened social alienation.  Its failures are still answered through ritualistic assurance. Technology thus, becomes a mean for individuals across borders to reconnect with and make spiritual belief systems accessible to all. At the same time, internet has become a means of commodifying spirituality – and in turn occult practices as well.  The growth of social media platforms created a new arena for not just sharing life and connecting to millions across the screen, but also a distinctive tool for digital capitalism – a type of data-driven artificial-intelligence powered business model which uses social media algorithms and consumer data as means for marketization. The neoliberal tendencies to form a market around any sphere of private and social life are manifested in social media applications through means of digital capitalism.  In this context, occult practices benefit become a part of the process through subscription-based paid readings on social media as well as paid patreon communities as a way to “accesspremium content”. 

Tasseography, among others, has received a similar kind of revival through social media in recent years. Bloggers, influencers,occult practitioners like Ula on Youtube,  as well as wellness practitioners combine traditional tasseography with journaling, meditation, and tea ceremonies. Instagram algorithms feature short reels on tasseography and tea-leaf readers earn through online reading appointments.  They sell their viewers guidebooks and crash courses on learning the practice itself. Its involvement with meditation and spiritual guidance has made it a perfect fit for the wellness industry. Today’s tasseography is featured in tea and coffee shops that host ‘tea and tarot’ events as well as in bookstores selling illustrative and detailed guidebooks on the same. The digital revival of tea-leaf reading points towards a dynamic shift in its practice over the years. Internet has transformed tea-leaf reading in a way that it feels not just easily accessible to all but also impersonal and generalisable for  a larger audience. The number of comments or likes on a reel become signs of synchronicities that fuel intuitive power and channel universal energy. The impact of the post-industrial age on tasseography is such that the practice has taken a shape the coming generations would relate to.  

Conclusion

Tea-leaf reading has been subjected to inter-cultural shifts and transformations to appear as it does today. Whether its revival in the post-modern age can be seen as another tenet of growing digital capitalism or as the preservation of an ancient tradition through post-industrial means such as social media algorithms, is a futile question. What is more crucial to understand is that occult practices such as Tasseography remain relevant in the modern age, despite the shift towards rationalistic and scientific philosophical developments across the world. The Enlightenment legacies find themselves to be struck with disillusionment in an age where public interests gradually shift towards alternative meditations and beliefs to cope with and survive in the current individualistic society, combining market principles with wellness to reach both private life and mass appeal. 

About The Author

Poorvanshi Tyagi is a second year student at Jindal School Of International Affairs,  O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Global Affairs and a diploma in Literature. She is a published poet and an avid reader. She is open to research opportunities in the field of education, sociology and cultural anthropology. Besides, she enjoys dancing and music.   

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