Tea Leaf Fortune Cards [Hardcover]

I'm a big time tea drinker yet I've never been able to master the art of tea leaf reading. When I attempted to gaze into the teacup, I didn't see images. I saw tea leaves. Perhaps I don't have the imagination or vision for this type of divination but now thanks to the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards (ISBN 978-1-57281-670-1), I don't have to stress about it.

This latest offering from US Games is pure fun and very well done. Author Rae Hepburn and artist Shawna Alexander have created a playful and fascinating tool that anyone will enjoy working with.

Hepburn learned how to read tea leaves from her aunt and has developed a remarkable skill for interpreting with them. However, when friends wanted to learn tea leaf reading, she was unable to find any decent books on the subject. This is what sparked her idea to create an easy to use deck based on the traditional symbols.

The deck is packaged in a sturdy keepsake box and comes with 200 round cards (3.25" in diameter), a 98 page guidebook and a pretty golden bag for mixing the cards. The cards are divided into:

182 Symbol Cards
12 Month Cards
6 Astral House Cards

Because there are so many symbols that can be seen in a tea cup (up to 600!), the author decided to scale it down so that the deck could be easier to handle. I personally cannot imagine trying to shuffle 600 cards so I was grateful for this clever move. That being said, shuffling 182 cards was not an easy feat for my little hands! Thankfully she was wise enough to create the mixing bag which made it simple and comfortable.

The cards are round which is supposed to resemble a teacup. I thought that was a very cute idea. And oh, the deck is wonderfully illustrated! Artist Shawna Alexander created a vibe that almost feels "old world" and for some reason reminded me of the Lenormand deck. The colors are soft and the images are simple and pretty.

Each card in the Symbol portion has a title and a short interpretation. For example: Leg is interpreted as "stepping into a new experience".

The book may be small but the author packs in a lot of information. There is tea history, the art of tea leaf reading, suggested spreads, sample readings and interpretations. Everything is written clearly and concise which made learning how to work with this deck quick and fuss free.

Interpreting may be easy enough but I did find that I still needed to use a bit of intuition to string the cards together in a meaningful way. Once I was able to become more comfortable with the system, I was able to deliver some great readings that surprised me. For example, I was showing this kit to my son and the card I pulled for myself was "Diamond" which meant a "gift of jewelry". Lo and behold, I got the mail a few hours later and a friend had sent me a bracelet! We were both pretty impressed with that hasty result!

The spreads presented in the book are fun and you can learn how to work with them quickly. There is a yearly spread (this is what those Month Cards are for), a weekly spread and an Astral House Pyramid method (using the Astral cards for focusing on one specific area - whether that be love, success, etc.).

I have also used this deck for one card spreads and three card spreads as well and they work great in that regard.

I would recommend this novel deck for just about anyone. It's not difficult to work with, the quality is superb (US Games always gets it right) and for those of us who cannot grasp the art of tea leaf reading, this allows us to get a glimpse into that world without struggle.

For some collectors, the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards has a cachet--it's not Greenwood, but widely unavailable,
(since 00),well-reviewed, and expensive if you do find it.
This 2nd edition beats first edition by long margin--if you are thinking about it--do it: esp. at this price.
This version has very sturdy, opens-like-book box, and round wells inside box to keep small, round cards.
(contrast with very flimsy first box). It also comes with freebie-gauze-style bag to mix cards--a nice addition.
The LWB is not as strong as the first, but definitely workable.
All in all, terrific, successful version.

As a proud owner of the "original" Tea Leaf Fortune Cards (Journey Editions / 2000), I eagerly awaited the U.S. Games version of this attractive and clever deck. A few things have changed in the new version. For example, the accompanying book is a different size and has a different cover from the old. A quick look through the new book reveals a number of revisions to the text. Another difference is that the U.S. Games version includes photos and descriptions of actual tea leaf readings that were left out of the older version.

For me, much of the appeal of this deck comes from the round shape of the cards (round, like a teacup!)

I have enjoyed using the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards I purchased ten years ago. The readings I did with the old deck were invariably insightful and thought-provoking, and always called attention to important aspects of the Seeker's outlook and life. U.S. Games has not only recreated the best aspects of this set but has provided extra value with its revisions and additions to the material in the book. I loved reading all about traditional tea leaf reading methods, and I think the images of actual tea leaves in the bottom of a cup are fascinating. The Astral Houses cards add an astrological component, but prior knowledge of astrology is not necessary to use them.