Glossary of Fortune-Telling and Astrology Terms
Tasseography, arcana, rising sign, retrograde, scrying… What the terms you keep hearing in divination and astrology actually mean.
49 terms
No matching term.
Coffee reading terms
- Tasseography
- The practice of reading tea leaves or coffee grounds. From the French tasse (cup); the reading of Turkish coffee grounds is its best-known form.
- Grounds
- The sediment left at the bottom of the cup. Coffee reading is the interpretation of the shapes this sediment forms when the cup is inverted.
- Turning the cup
- Inverting the finished cup onto its saucer. The cup is left to cool so the grounds spread down the sides and form readable shapes.
- Bottom of the cup
- The region representing the past and one's roots. Figures here speak of what is behind you or still exerting influence.
- Rim
- The area near the lip of the cup, representing the near future. The closer to the rim, the sooner the event is said to arrive.
- Handle side
- The area nearest the handle, representing the querent and their home. The far side represents their surroundings and outside influences.
- Saucer reading
- Interpreting the marks left on the saucer beneath the cup. In traditional practice the saucer speaks to home and family matters.
- Querent
- The person the reading is for. In coffee reading, the one who drank the cup.
Tarot terms
- Major Arcana
- The 22 principal cards of a tarot deck, running from The Fool to The World. Known as the 'greater secrets', they mark life's turning points.
- Minor Arcana
- The 56 remaining cards, divided into four suits. They describe the texture of daily life, in a structure close to a playing-card deck.
- Spread
- The arrangement in which cards are laid out. Each position carries its own meaning — past, present, future and so on.
- Reversal
- A card that appears upside down in a spread. It does not invert the meaning; it usually softens, delays or turns it inward.
- Rider–Waite
- The deck published in 1909 and still the most widely used. Most modern tarot interpretation rests on its visual language.
- Cups
- The water suit of the Minor Arcana. It deals with feelings, relationships and intuition.
- Swords
- The air suit. It concerns thought, communication, conflict and decisions.
- Wands
- The fire suit. It represents passion, initiative, energy and creativity.
- Pentacles
- The earth suit. It covers money, work, health and tangible results.
- Significator
- A card chosen to stand for the querent within a spread, giving the rest of the cards a reference point.
Astrology terms
- Sun sign
- The sign the Sun occupied at your birth. This is what people mean in everyday speech by 'my sign'; it describes core character.
- Moon sign
- The sign the Moon occupied at your birth. It describes the emotional world, the inner voice and how you react.
- Rising sign
- The sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth, also called the ascendant. It describes how you appear from outside; calculating it needs birth time and place.
- Birth chart
- A map of the sky at the moment of your birth, showing which sign and house each planet occupied. Also called a natal chart.
- Element
- The four groups the signs fall into: fire, earth, air and water. Most compatibility reasoning rests on this grouping.
- Modality
- The three behavioural groups: cardinal (initiating), fixed (sustaining), mutable (adapting). Together with element it completes a sign's character.
- House
- One of the twelve divisions of a birth chart. Each represents a life area: the 1st identity, the 7th partnerships, the 10th career.
- Aspect
- The angular relationship between planets. Conjunctions, oppositions and trines describe how planets influence one another.
- Ruling planet
- The planet each sign is bound to — Mars for Aries, Venus for Taurus — considered the source of that sign's character.
- Retrograde
- A planet appearing to move backwards as seen from Earth. It is not real reverse motion; astrologically it is read as a period for review.
- Mercury retrograde
- A period occurring several times a year, associated with friction in communication and technology. Held to suit revision rather than new beginnings.
- Eclipse
- A solar or lunar eclipse. In astrology these are interpreted as periods of accelerated change and closure.
- Ephemeris
- A table showing the daily positions of celestial bodies. It is the underlying data for any birth-chart calculation.
- Transit
- The relationship between planets' current positions and your birth chart. It is what daily and weekly horoscopes are built on.
- Synastry
- The comparison of two birth charts to assess a relationship. A more detailed method than simple sun-sign compatibility.
Dream terms
- Dream interpretation
- The practice of unpacking the meanings carried by symbols seen in a dream.
- Dream journal
- A notebook written in immediately on waking. Since detail fades within minutes, it is the single habit that most improves interpretation.
- Lucid dream
- A dream in which the dreamer is aware they are dreaming. Sometimes the course of the dream can be influenced.
- Recurring dream
- The same scene or theme appearing repeatedly. It usually points to something unresolved.
- Nightmare
- A dream that wakes you in intense fear or anxiety. In interpretation it is read not as punishment but as a strong signal seeking attention.
- Dream symbol
- An image in a dream that carries meaning. The same symbol does not mean the same thing for everyone; context and feeling decide.
General divination terms
- Divination
- The practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the hidden by interpreting signs. Coffee reading, tarot and palmistry are all forms of it.
- Fortune teller
- A person who performs a reading, interpreting symbols through coffee grounds, cards, the palm or other methods.
- Intuition
- Direct knowing without logical inference. In readings it is held to guide both which symbols are noticed and how they are read.
- Evil eye
- The belief that an envious or intense gaze can cause harm. In coffee reading it is associated with the eye symbol.
- Palmistry
- Reading the lines of the palm; also called chiromancy. The life, heart and head lines are its three principal paths.
- Crystal ball
- A glass or crystal sphere gazed into for divination. Having no fixed symbols, the reading takes its shape entirely from the question asked.
- Scrying
- Divination by gazing into a reflective surface — a crystal ball, still water or a mirror — until images form.
- Numerology
- The study of numbers' influence on character and destiny. A life-path number is derived from birth date and name.
- Aura
- The energy field believed to surround a person. Its colours are held to indicate mood and character.
- Chakra
- One of the energy centres said to run along the body in Indian tradition. Seven main chakras are usually described.