LISSA ALEXANDER
reporter@pqbnews.com
“Now turn the teacup upside down and turn it around three times on the saucer, clockwise please,” said tea leaf reader Tanya Lester after I had finished my spearmint lavender blend. “So that’s counterclockwise….” she said politely, “if you wanted a reading about past lives you would do it that way.”
Oops. Not the best way to start a reading that was about to give me insight into the most unpredictable corners of my life. Luckily it didn’t faze Lester and I was able to correct my cup’s course.
Lester got into tea leaf reading 16 years ago when she was living in Winnipeg. Her friend was having a tea party and thought it would be neat to have a tea leaf reader attend. Lester had purchased a book on the fortune telling method a couple of years before and said her third eye suddenly opened up.
“I had this whoa (moment),” she said. “I (thought) I’m supposed to be the person who does the readings at this party.”
She thoroughly enjoyed the task and everyone who received a reading was very complementary, she said. She was hooked.
A couple years later Lester found out her Lebanese grandmother and great grandmother were both tea leaf readers.
Lester has now done thousands of readings and attended workshops around the world including, Glasgow, Scotland; Boulder, Colorado; and Whitehorse, Yukon. She has a background in writing and has published a book called Confessions of a Tea Leaf Reader.
Lester is currently in Errington, where she is available for tea leaf and tarot card readings. She also teaches workshops on the divination.
Although there are many different theories about how tea leaf reading works, Lester said she feels people’s energy gets into the cup and she taps into it while connecting with their spirit. She looks at the remaining leaves in the cup and things begin to channel through her.
Lester said she enjoys communicating and connecting with people when reading their tea leaves, as well as the challenge of translating the thoughts and images that come to her into words.
During my reading in Errington last week, when she asked me to concentrate on something in particular, the first thing that jumped to mind was my husband and young daughters.
“Right away I saw a heart, a really nice, solid heart,” she beamed.
Lester went on to identify that I had two girls, correctly identifying their relationship and how it would look down the road. She surprised me with accurate information about family and gave me some timely advice.
Lester said people can ask questions and have both light hearted and deep readings, but either way they usually leave feeling elated.
Just don’t turn your cup counterclockwise, unless you want to find out you were some sort of Egyptian high priestess.
Lester, who is also a Reiki master, can be reached at 250-248-1270 or t_lester@yahoo.com. Readings are $45 for half an hour and $70 for an hour.
More information can be found at www.tealeafreading-by-tanya.com.