Living tradition
Filipino tawas
The Philippines; done by the albularyo, the village healer.
Alum is melted over a candle and dropped into water; the shapes it sets into are read like coffee grounds, to name what troubles you.
How it's done
- 01Heat a piece of alum in a spoon.
- 02Let it fall into a bowl of water.
- 03Name the shape: animal, person, house.
With your own tools
It is done as a family and in silence; the shape is read alongside what worries the asker, never as a diagnosis.
With Ocluna
Here I pour the wax for you: three shapes appear in the water and I tell you what the tradition sees in each. If you have a candle and a plate, do it at home and compare.
Your reading
Master Li Wen does your Filipino tawas reading
What Master Li Wen tells you
- Tawas is the Tagalog word for alum, the stone that is burned; smoke, wax or melted alum is poured into water to see the figure.
- In Manila's neighbourhoods the albularyo, local healers, still perform tawas to find out whether a child has usog, the Filipino evil eye.
- Tawas is practiced mainly in the provinces of Luzon, where the albularyo melts candle wax or alum over a flame and pours it into water.
- The word 'tawas' means alum in Tagalog, the mineral that is melted to read the shapes.
This reading is symbolic self-knowledge and entertainment content based on folk traditions. It does not predict the future, is not medical, legal or financial advice, and does not replace qualified professionals.