Symbols and Positions in a Reading.
Tea leaf readers from all cultures based their readings on objects and images which were common in everyday life. Natural forces like the weather, or animals, people, and even man-made objects each may turn up as a tea leaf symbol.

Some modern tea leaf readers have added contemporary symbols to the list of possible images, for example, using cars to represent travel or roller coasters to represent drama. Other readers are more old-fashioned and like to stick with the universal images that all people have witnessed in their daily lives for thousands of years. As long as the reader is good at interpretation, the images that they choose to work with don’t really matter.

Position of the Leaves
In a tea leaf reading, it is not only the shape that the leaves form which counts. Readers also place importance on which area of the teacup the leaves stick to. For instance, leaves that land near the handle represent events which will happen to the questioner. Leaves on the opposite side from the handle indicate events outside of the questioner’s life, perhaps happening to a family member or friend. Traditionally, leaves that end up near the rim of the teacup are good luck. Leaves settled closer to the bottom of the cup may show disappointment or challenges.