To most people, a clump of tea leaves in the bottom of a cup is simply something to be tossed out.
To some intuitive people however, the tiny leaves can tell a big story.
Tanya Lester is a longtime tea leaf reader to whom information is revealed in the form of pictures.
In this reporter’s case, the indecipherable (to me) clump told Lester that I am spiritual, nurturing and mentoring by nature, that she sees me climbing and that sometime within the next year I will be reporting on a story of provincial or national significance concerning First Nations people.
While I was quite agreeable to her description of me as a person, I was less impressed about her prognostication for a possible story as that is, after all, the nature of my job.
However, my attitude did a 360 when Lester spoke of my recent exercise regime, or lack thereof, and the need to be writing my memoirs.
“I see a downward yoga,” she said, which to her meant that while I had been exercising regularly, there had been a significant pause.
“Funny you should mention that,” I said, explaining that a recurring cold had kept me out of 6:30 a.m. aqua fit classes and a lack of snow had thwarted my snowshoe adventures this winter.
But, I reassured her, I was planning to head back to the pool last Monday morning, which I did. Wednesday and Friday too, Tanya!
Lester indicated that the matter of memoirs had come up very recently.
Well, exactly the day before as it turns out, when my accountant suggested I start writing my life’s story for possible tax breaks – something I intend to investigate.
As well, one of my friends had pointed out that I should do this and, thirdly, the idea had recently come to me too.
I was sorting through photos of grandparents and even a couple of great-grandparents from the early 1900s and wishing I knew more about their lives as I hang them in my “rogue’s gallery.”
It occurred to me then, that while my own children have no interest now, perhaps when they are my age, they too may wish to know more about their ancestors.
Oh, and about the climbing; just the day before, one of my girlfriends and I had decided to add Enderby Cliffs to our list of hikes this year.
So, there you are, three very direct pictures revealed from the remnants of a delicious cup of Earl Grey.
A few other revelations were harder to assess as they concern the future, but Lester says she has a fairly high accuracy rate.
Lester says that seeing pictures opens her intuition.
“The picture in the leaf might be the beginning and then I see a series of stories that I tell you when I am doing the tea leaf reading,” she says, noting that she could be 80 per cent accurate, or the crux is accurate but other side stories might not be so accurate.
Lester’s introduction to tea leaf reading was by accident.
Some 20 years ago, she was living in Winnipeg when a friend wanted to host a tea party.
“We thought wouldn’t it be great if we could get a tea leaf reader and a light came on in my third eye,” she laughs.
Lester had had a book on tea leaf reading for many years – unopened. And every time she tried to grab it for a garage sale, it ended up back on the shelf.
“My arm automatically would put it back on the shelf; no kidding!” she laughs, noting that the readings she gave at her friend’s tea party were quite successful. “I had found my passion and within a month I was doing readings in Osbourne Village in Winnipeg.”
Lester is the author of four books, including Confessions of a Tea Leaf Reader, in which she describes some of her successful readings – without identifying people or places.
She has also written a novel, Friends I Never Knew, Short Stories - Dreams and Tricksters and the non-fiction Women, Rights/Writes.
As an intuitive counsellor, Lester offers past life regression, Tarot readings and psychic channelling.
“When someone asks me questions, often my guides come around and help give answers,” she says, noting she sometimes acts as a medium between someone in the spirit world and someone on earth’s plane.
She says the most enjoyable readings are those that help people who are really troubled see not just what good is in their life at the present time, but how they can see new possibilities.
“I feel gratified when someone leaves and the weight is off their shoulders,” she says. “You don’t lie and you don’t say something is good when it’s not. When I see something is not going well, I try to use intuition so people can do something to help solve a problem.”
Lester will be residing in Salmon Arm until the end of May. She can be reached at 250-832-6964 or 250-538-0086.