Tea is one of the world’s most popular beverages. Tea is probably native to northern India. It is cultivated in India, China, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and many other countries. Some varieties are even grown in England and the United States.
Tea is sacred to Buddha. One of the myths associated with tea concerns a holy man who wished to meditate without sleep. He cut off his eyelids, which fell to the ground and become the first tea plants. (Cunningham, 1990).
In the 1600s, tea-drinking was condemned by English clergy because the minister felt it led to a lack of morality and injured the health.
Teal-leaf reading is a popular form of divination in several countries. A cup of tea is consumed, with a bit of tea – just a few drops, really – left in the bottom of the cup. The tea is of course brewed from loose leaves. The drinker then places the cup upside-down on the saucer, turns it around three times, and turns it right-side up once again. The reader then reads the symbols created by the tea leaves.
Tea (Thea sinensis)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: conscious mind, money, courage
Source: Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen
