A Basic List of Tea Leaf Symbols

From Mystic Tea Room

• Acorn: At top, slow growth; at bottom, good health.
• Airplane: Long journey; a rise in social position.
• Anchor: At top, stability and rest; at bottom, safety.
• Apple: Achievement; if bitten into, temptation.
• Arrow: Point down, bad news; up, good news.
• Axe: Difficulties; if at top, overcoming of difficulties.
• Baby: Fretting and small worries.
• Bag: A trap; if open, escape, from a trap.
• Ball: Variable fortune, as ball bounces up and down.
• Balloon: A celebration or party soon.
• Basket: A treat, award, compliment, recognition.
• Bell: Announcement; the nearer the top, the better.
• Birds: Good news (see also species of birds).
• Boat: A visit from a friend, protection, inheritance.
• Book: If open, good news; if closed, hidden secrets.
• Bottle: Drunkenness, temptations offered.
• Broom: A new home; a thorough house-cleaning.
• Bush: A secret friend or secret opportunities.
• Butterfly: Fickleness of friends.
• Candle: Ask for and receive help from others.
• Cat: Gossip, deceit; cat-head, female false friend.
• Chain: Engagement, wedding; sequence of events.
• Chair: A guest is coming.
• Circle: Success, completion; with dots, a baby.
• Clock: Better health if medical help is sought soon.
• Clouds: Trouble; with dots (rain), many problems.
• Coin: Money count the coins to tell how much.
• Cross: Death, a funeral, suffering, sacrifice.
• Cup: Reward of merit; overturned, justified criticism.
• Dagger: Danger from self or others; beware injury.
• Dish: Trouble at home; matters require cleaning up.
• Dog: Good, true friend; at bottom, friend needs help.
• Door: Opportunities arise through an odd event.