If you told somebody in this day and age that you think your future can be observed from the bottom of your coffee mug or tea cup they would probably say!'you can what?' But don't worry; they would definitely contemplate your sanity. The funnier part is that people have actually accepted tea leaf reading as a believable fortune telling ritual for hundreds of years. This is probably due to the fact that psychiatrists weren't around to prescribe medications for delusions or flat out stupidity. Tea leaf readings originated in Asia and spread primarily from China. In ancient times it isn't all that hard to believe that well minded people could be sucked into this practice because there wasn't a window such as the internet or television to post in your face how bizarre and unlikely to be real a practice like this is, I mean after all, people still 'knew' the world was flat. So who could to say that the remaining useless crap at the bottom of your cup wasn't a window to the universe? At the very most a tea leaf reading gathering should be done only by those that are less than gullible and see it as something of a hobby or social gathering, not somebody who uses it as a 'crystal ball to view the future' or has Ms. Cleo on speed dial. If you won't be ripping out your hair during the preparation process because you just can't wait to find out what lays ahead on the road of life for you, then by all means you should invite some friends over, boil some water and throw some loose tea leaves in without the use of a strainer, and find a comfy environment to relax in and serve some hot tea. Take a few breaths to take in the pleasant aroma and sip the tea while engaging in healthy conversation. For giggles, you can leave a little tea in your cup to swirl around and observe where the tea leaves settle. With very little light-hearted research you can find out the tea leaf meanings of the settled leaves and reveal what 'the future holds'.