The Mystic Tea Room

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[[File:The-Stranger-In-The-Cup-Front-Cover-Forum.jpg|400px|thumb|right|The Mystic Tea Room is entirely funded by sales of fortune telling tea cups and the tasseomancy instruction book "The Stranger in the Cup: How to Read Your Luck and Fate in the Tea Leaves" by Gregory Lee White and catherine yronwode, published in 2020. Nine dollars (plus shipping) will help support this project and get you a copy of "The Stranger in the Cup." Read all about the book, and order it here: https://luckymojo.com/thestrangerinthecup.html]]
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The Mystic Tea Room is dedicated to the traditional art of fortune telling by tea leaves, also known as tea leaf reading, cup reading, cup tossing, divination by tea leaves, tasseomancy, and tasseography.  
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[[File:In-a-little-gypsy-tea-room.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Sheet Music: In a Little Gypsy Tea Room]]
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[[File:aynsley-buttercups-side.jpg|thumb|400px|right|1950s-era Cup of Knowledge by Aynsley featuring a design of buttercups]]
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[[File:Harry-Roseland-Reading-Tea-Leaves-Two-Women-1910.jpg|400px|thumb|right|"Reading Tea Leaves" by Harry Roseland, 1910]]
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[[File:Postcard-teacup-tree-health.jpg|400px|right|thumb|According to this 1907 Fred Lounsbury postcard, when tea leaves form an image of a Tree, it is an omen of good health]]
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[[File:Blue-Parrot-Tea-Room-Gettysburgh-PA.jpg|center|thumb|600px|Blue Parrot Tea Room, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, interior, postcard front, linen era]]
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Hello, and welcome to The Mystic Tea Room.
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[[File:The-Stranger-In-The-Cup-Front-Cover-Forum.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The Mystic Tea Room is entirely funded by sales of fortune telling tea cups and the tasseomancy instruction book "The Stranger in the Cup: How to Read Your Luck and Fate in the Tea Leaves" by Gregory Lee White and catherine yronwode, published in 2020. Nine dollars (plus shipping) will help support this project and get you a copy of "The Stranger in the Cup" from [[Gift Shop|The Mystic Tea Room Gift Shop]]. Read all about the book, and order it here: https://luckymojo.com/thestrangerinthecup.html]]
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[[File:In-a-little-gypsy-tea-room.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Sheet Music: "In a Little Gypsy Tea Room," from [[Tea Leaf Reading in Art]]]]
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[[File:aynsley-buttercups-side.jpg|thumb|300px|right|1950s-era Cup of Knowledge by Aynsley featuring a design of buttercups, from [[The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers]].]]
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[[File:Evangeline-Day-Astrological-Tea-Cup.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Evangeline Day was a well-known syndicated radio and newspaper astrologer of the 20th century who patented two different [[:Category:Astrology Cups and Saucers|astrology tea cups and saucers]]; this design dates from 1936, from [[Design Patents|Fortune Telling Tea Cup Design Patents.]]]]
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[[File:Harry-Roseland-Reading-Tea-Leaves-Two-Women-1910.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"Reading Tea Leaves" by Harry Roseland, 1910, from [http://www.mystictearoom.com/lamadama.html Harry Roseland's Fortune Teller Art]]]
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[[File:Postcard-teacup-tree-health.jpg|300px|right|thumb|According to this 1907 Fred Lounsbury postcard, when tea leaves form an image of a Tree, it is an omen of good health, from [[Tea Leaf Symbols in Art]]]]
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[[File:Blue-Parrot-Tea-Room-Gettysburgh-PA.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Blue Parrot Tea Room, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, interior, postcard front, linen era. from [[Vintage Tea Room Postcards]]]]
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[[File:Spanish-Court-Tea-Room-Madame-Evelyn-Advertisement.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Madame Evelyn reads tea leaves at the Spanish Court Tea Room, location unknown, newspaper advertisement. Tea Leaf readings free with meal, from [[Vintage Tea Room Business Cards]]]]
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The Mystic Tea Room is dedicated to preserving and popularizing the traditional divinatory art of reading tea leaves (and coffee grounds), an art variously known as tea leaf reading, cup reading, tasseomancy (cup divination), tasseography (cup writing), and cup tossing. The site has been online since 2007. It was converted from html to media-wiki in 2011 for increased ease of image categorization, and it now hosts about 300 illustrated pages on the the history and material culture of divination by tea leaves. When built out, it will be home to at least 1,000 pages of curated divination imagery.
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== Greetings ==
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Support for The Mystic Tea Room comes from [[Gift Shop|The Mystic Tea Room Gift Shop]], where you can purchase "The Stranger in the Cup: How to Read Your Luck and Fate in the Tea Leaves" by Gregory Lee White and catherine yronwode, as well as an array of antique fortune telling tea cups. [https://luckymojo.com/thestrangerinthecup.html Read all about the book, and order it online here.]
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Hello, and welcome to The Mystic Tea Room.
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This tasseomancy site has been online since 2007. It was converted from html to media-wiki in 2011 for increased ease of image categorization, and it now hosts about 400 illustrated pages on the history and material culture of tea, tea rooms, and fortune telling by tea leaves. When built out, it will be home to at least 1,000 pages of curated tea and divination imagery.  
==The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers==
==The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers==
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[[The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers]] is dedicated to preserving and popularizing images of fortune telling cups and the traditional divinatory art of reading tea leaves (and coffee grounds) through the presentation of a virtual gallery in which are displayed and interpreted the many beautiful fortune telling teacups and saucers that have been created for the purpose of aiding tea leaf readers and fortune tellers in the practice of the tasseomantic art.
[[The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers]] is dedicated to preserving and popularizing images of fortune telling cups and the traditional divinatory art of reading tea leaves (and coffee grounds) through the presentation of a virtual gallery in which are displayed and interpreted the many beautiful fortune telling teacups and saucers that have been created for the purpose of aiding tea leaf readers and fortune tellers in the practice of the tasseomantic art.
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In the Museum, you will find detailed images of dozens of fortune teller's tea cups and saucers, patent drawings for a number of divination cups, brief historical overviews of the designers and manufacturers of fortune telling cups, and a selected bibliography of books and pamphlets about the occult and magical art of tea leaf reading. Browse the Tea Cup Index by Name or the Tea Cup Index by Maker and click on the image of any tea cup and saucer set to see more pictures of that cup and saucer and read more about the set's history and how it was used for fortune telling.
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In the Museum, you will find detailed images of dozens of fortune teller's tea cups and saucers, patent drawings for a number of divination cups, brief historical overviews of the designers and manufacturers of fortune telling cups, and a selected bibliography of books and pamphlets about the occult and magical art of tea leaf reading.  
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* [[The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers]]
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Browse the Tea Cup Index by Name or the Tea Cup Index by Maker and click on the image of any tea cup and saucer set to see more pictures of that cup and saucer and read more about the set's history and how it was used for fortune telling.
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* [[Tea Cup Makers and Markers]]
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* [[Tea Cup Names, Official and Unofficial]]
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* [[Types of Divination|Tea Cups by Method of Divination]]
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* [[Nations of Origin|Tea Cups by Nation of Origin]]
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* [[Design Patents|Fortune telling Tea Cup Design Patents]]
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==Instruction in Tasseomancy==
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* '''[[The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers]]'''
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* '''[[Tea Cup Makers and Markers]]'''
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* '''[[Tea Cup Names, Official and Unofficial]]'''
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* '''[[Types of Divination|Tea Cups by Method of Divination]]'''
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* '''[[Nations of Origin|Tea Cups by Nation of Origin]]'''
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* '''[[Design Patents|Fortune Telling Tea Cup Design Patents]]'''
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==Instructions in Tasseomancy==
Divination by means of tea leaf reading is a long-cherished form of domestic fortune telling. It may be performed at home for oneself, family, or friends, and there are also professional tea leaf readers who will brew a cup for you, allow you to drink it, and read your leaves for you. The information in my article on [[How To Read Tea Leaves]] will help you get started.  
Divination by means of tea leaf reading is a long-cherished form of domestic fortune telling. It may be performed at home for oneself, family, or friends, and there are also professional tea leaf readers who will brew a cup for you, allow you to drink it, and read your leaves for you. The information in my article on [[How To Read Tea Leaves]] will help you get started.  
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* [[Instructions]]
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* '''[[:Category:Instructions in Tasseomancy|Instructions in Tasseomancy]]'''
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* [[How To Read Tea Leaves]]  
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* '''[[How To Read Tea Leaves]]'''
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* [[A Basic List of Tea Leaf Symbols]]
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* '''[[A Basic List of Tea Leaf Symbols]]'''
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* [[:Category:Tea Leaf Reading Instruction Sheets and Booklets|Tea Leaf Reading Instruction Sheets and Booklets]]
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* '''[[:Category:Tea Leaf Reading Instruction Sheets and Booklets|Tea Leaf Reading Instruction Sheets and Booklets]]'''
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* [[:Tea Company Booklets|Tea Company Booklets on Tea and Tasseomancy]]
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* '''[[:Tea Company Booklets|Tea Company Booklets on Tea and Tasseomancy]]'''
==Tea Leaf Reading in Art==
==Tea Leaf Reading in Art==
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The image of a female fortune teller reading tea leaves has, since the 19th century, been a subject of gallery art, popular commercial art, and cartooning. One prominent 19th and 20th century painter who produced many variations on this theme was Harry Roseland. If you like art, you may enjoy my essay on Roseland's art and the Cuban spirit known as La Madama -- it covers several types of African American divination in addition to cup reading. While you're here, take a look at some of the tea room match book covers, tea room menus, and related tea room ephemera i have come across in our own research on the subject of fortune telling by tea cups.
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The image of a female fortune teller reading tea leaves has, since the 19th century, been a subject of gallery art, popular commercial art, and cartooning. One prominent 19th and 20th century painter who produced many variations on this theme was Harry Roseland. If you like art, you may enjoy my essay on Roseland's art and the Cuban spirit known as La Madama -- it covers several types of African American divination in addition to cup reading.  
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* [[Advertisements for Tea Leaf Reading Services|Tea Leaf Reading Services Commercial Art]]
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While you're here, take a look at the artwork on some of the tea leaf reading and tea company ephemera i have come across in my own research on the subject of fortune telling by tea cups. Here you will find tea leaf reading as idealized and glorified in art.
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* [http://www.mystictearoom.com/lamadama.html Harry Roseland's Fortune Teller Art]
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* [[Tea Company Booklets|Tea Company Booklet Art]]
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* [[The Ceylonese Tea-Plucker in Art]]
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* [[Tea Leaf Symbols in Commercial Art]]
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==The Material Culture of Tea Leaf Reading==
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* '''[[:Category:Tea Leaf Art|Tea Leaf Art]]'''
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* '''[[Tea Leaf Symbols in Art|Tea Leaf Symbols and Omens in Art]]'''
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* '''[[Tea Leaf Reading in Art|Tea Leaf Readers in Art]]'''
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* '''[[Advertisements for Tea Leaf Reading Services|Vintage Ads for Tea Leaf Readers]]'''
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* '''[http://www.mystictearoom.com/lamadama.html Harry Roseland's Fortune Teller Art]'''
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* '''[[Tea Company Booklets|Tea Company Booklet Art]]'''
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* '''[[The Ceylonese Tea-Plucker in Art]]'''
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Reading tea leaves is a form of divination that is known for its many female practitioners, and therefore its history is also the history of women in society. Here you can learn about the tea room movement and view a world-wide gallery of strange and curious tea rooms of the past, many of which were woman-run and quite a few of which offered a "free reading with every meal."
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==The Material Culture of Tea Rooms==
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* [[:Category:Tea Rooms|Tea Rooms]]
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Reading tea leaves is a form of divination that is known for its many female practitioners, and therefore its history is also the history of women in society. One way to study history is to examine the material culture -- the objects and artifacts associated with a time or a place.
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* [[Tea Room History]]
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* [[Vintage Tea Room Postcards]]
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Here you can learn about the tea room movement and view a world-wide gallery of strange and curious tea rooms of the past, many of which were woman-run and quite a few of which offered a "free reading with every meal."
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* [[Vintage Tea Room Business Cards]]
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* [[Vintage Tea Room Matchbook Covers]]
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* '''[[:Category:Tea Rooms|Tea Rooms]]'''
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* [[Dating Tea Room Postcards]]
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* '''[[Tea Room History]]'''
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* '''[[Vintage Tea Room Postcards]]'''
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* '''[[Vintage Tea Room Business Cards]]'''
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* '''[[Vintage Tea Room Matchbook Covers]]'''
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* '''[[Dating Tea Room Postcards]]'''
==Bibliography of Books about Tasseomancy==
==Bibliography of Books about Tasseomancy==
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If collecting books is your passion, you may enjoy our Bibliography of Books about Tasseomancy. It will never be complete -- and we look forward to suggestions and contributions of information from our readers.  
If collecting books is your passion, you may enjoy our Bibliography of Books about Tasseomancy. It will never be complete -- and we look forward to suggestions and contributions of information from our readers.  
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* [[Bibliography of Books about Tasseomancy]]
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The bibliography is accompanied by cover images of rare books and pamphlets on tea leaf reading from times gone by, as well as by my own annotations about the contents of the books and their authors.
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* '''[[Bibliography of Books about Tasseomancy]]'''
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== The Mystic Tea Room on Social Media==
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As the Mystic Tea Room has grown, so has its community of fans, friends, and followers. If you love this site and have questions or something to contribute, we invite you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, We post new items every week
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* '''[https://www.facebook.com/TheMysticTeaRoom The Mystic Tea Room page on Facebook]'''
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* '''[https://www.pinterest.com/catyronwode/the-mystic-tea-room The Mystic Tea Room page on Pinterest]'''
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* '''[https://facebook.com/catherine.yronwode The Mystic Tea Room on catherine yronwde's Facebook feed]'''
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* '''[https://twitter.com/catyronwode The Mystic Tea Room on catherine yronwde's Twitter feed]'''
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* '''[https://instagram.com/catherineyronwode The Mystic Tea Room on catherine yronwde's Instagram feed]'''
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== Support the Mystic Tea Room ==
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[[File:From-the-Land-of-Tea-Cat-Yronwode.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Support me on Patreon! "From the Land of Tea" allows my Patreon subscribers to access bonus articles and scans about tea leaf reading and tea room culture for a small monthly donation.]] 
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[[File:DHSM-front-cover-SMALL.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Watch me write a book! "Down-Home Sex magic: Hoodoo Spells of Bodily Love" will be published by Lucky Mojo in September 2021, and my Patrons get to read the work in progress.]]
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[[File:American-Scale-Company-Your-Wate-and-Fate-Logo.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Beyond the Valley of the Tea-Cups! "Your Wate and Fate: The Material Culture of Fortune-Telling": With a small monthly donation you will be able to support the digitization and annotation of my collection of off-beat, unusual, and downright strange fortune telling devices of the 19th and 20th centuries.]]
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[[File:The-Southern-Cross-The-Yellow-Dog-Logo.jpg|right|300px|thumb|African American folk magic! "Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog" is an archive of historical on roots of hoodoo, conjure, and rootwork, accompanied by original research, commentary, and rare illustrations -- and you can have access if you support my work by subscribing to my Patreon account.]]
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[[File:Leaves-from-the-Root-Doctors-Garden-Forum.jpg|right|300px|thumb|From field and forest, from grove and garden, here is a collection of illustrated, annotated, and explicated articles on the botanical basis of hoodoo and conjure, accessible to my Patreon supporters.]]
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All of the material you have access to here -- the fabulous tea cups, the instructive booklets, the nostalgic postcards, the boldly graphic matchbook covers, and all of the historical information researched and shared from the mind of the woman who is making it all happen -- can easily fit into one 8 x 10 foot room in an old Victorian farmhouse, but you would never see it without the investment of the time it takes to produce such a site and the caloric input such a site requires in the form of food for the writer, graphic designer, and database manager, as well as the US currency needed to pay for the computers, software applications, scanners, electricity, and internet connectivity that bring it out of that little room and into the world. So, as you can see, this site is the darling of many, and it is growing at a rapid rate ... but although it is "free," there also is a cost. Your financial support underwrites this cost. Here is how you can help.
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* '''[[Gift Shop|The Mystic Tea Room Gift Shop]]:''' In addition to our function as an online archive of tasseography and tea room culture, The Mystic Tea Room also maintains a small [[Gift Shop]], where unusual, antique, vintage, modern, contemporary, and one-of-a-kind fortune telling tea cups and saucers -- and their accompanying tasseomancy booklets, pamphlets, and instruction sheets -- are for sale. Here you can purchase "The Stranger in the Cup: How to Read Your Luck and Fate in the Tea Leaves" by Gregory Lee White and catherine yronwode. '''[https://luckymojo.com/thestrangerinthecup.html Read all about the book, and order it online here.]'''
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* '''[http://forum.luckymojo.com/support-cat-yronwode-on-patreon-t93993.html Private Patreon Forum:]''' My Patreon Patrons will have access to a private forum were i will converse and respond to questions about Tea Leaf Reading, Fortune Telling, Hoodoo and Rootwork, Lucky Charms and Talismans, and much more. https://www.patreon.com/catherineyronwode/creators
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* Patreon advance web pages. Patrons will have private access to web pages one year before they are made available to the public, at the rate of four new web pages per month, distributed at weekly intervals. These web pages fall into a series of interconnected topics or streams of thought. At present the streams which my Patrons will be able to access for a small monthly donation are as follows:
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* '''"From the Land of Tea: The Material Culture of Tea and Tea Leaf Reading"'''
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An adjunct to my tasseomancy site, [http:mystictearoom.com The Mystic Tea Room].
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''Articles posted:'' January 7th, 2021; February 14th, 2021; February 28th, 2021; July 21st, 2021.
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* '''"[http://yourwateandfate.com Your Wate and Fate]: The Material Culture of Fortune Telling"'''
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Documenting the material culture of unusual fortune telling methods.
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''Articles posted:'' January 14th, 2021; January 28th, 2021, February 21st, 2021; March 14th, 2021; March 21st, 2021.
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* '''"The Southern Cross the Yellow Dog"'''
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Annotated historical articles on 19th and 20th century hoodoo, an adjunct to my "Southern Spirits" site.
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''Articles posted:'' January 21st , 2021.
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* '''"Leaves from the Root Doctor's garden"'''
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Annotated historical articles on 19th and 20th century herbalism, an adjunct to my "Herb Magic" site.
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''Articles posted:'' January 21st , 2021; February 7th, 2021, March 7th, 2021.
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* '''"Down-Home Sex Magic: Spells of Bodily Love"'''
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Sample pdf chapters from my upcoming book of the same name.
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''Articles posted:'' March 28th, 2021; April 7th, 2021; April 14th, 2021; April 21st 2021; April 28th, 2021; May 7th, 2021; May 14th, 2021; May 21st 2021; May 28th, 2021; June 7th, 2021.
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* '''"Terrors of the Evil Eye Exposed"'''
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Sample pdf chapters from my collaboration with Jeremy Weiss on the restoration and revision of the book of the same name by Henri Gamache (Anne Flietman).
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''Articles posted:'' March 28th, 2021; April 7th, 2021; April 14th, 2021; April 21st 2021; April 28th, 2021; May 7th, 2021; May 14th, 2021; May 21st 2021; May 28th, 2021; June 7th, 2021.
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* '''"How to Use Amulets, Chams, and Talismans in the Hoodoo and Conjure Tradition"'''
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Sample pdf chapters from my collaboration on the book of the same name with Gregpry Lee White.
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''Articles posted:'' March 28th, 2021; April 7th, 2021; April 14th, 2021; April 21st 2021; April 28th, 2021; May 7th, 2021; May 14th, 2021; May 21st 2021; May 28th, 2021; June 7th, 2021.
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* '''"A Hoodoo Hand"'''
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Research pages to eventually be added to my free online book "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice"
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* '''"The Lucky W Amulet Archive"'''
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An illustrated and annotated tour of my collection of lucky charms.
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* '''"Fit to Print"''' 
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Sample columns from my days in comic book land.
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Each new web page or sample pdf is circulated to Patrons as an unpublished galley proof or advance copy. After one year access for Patrons, each web page will be released to the public, while book pages  will be available to the public as printed books, and copies will be sent to Patrons who subscribe at the upper two tiers.
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Patrons have access to a Private Patreon sub-forum within the Lucky Mojo Forum, and will be accorded special Red Star Avatar badges at the Forum.
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Here are the tiers i have devised at Patreon:
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https://www.patreon.com/catherineyronwode
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'''The Sampler '''<br>
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'''$2.00 Per Month'''
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* Preview access to ONE new web page per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
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* Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
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* A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
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'''The Selector '''<br>
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'''$4.00 Per Month'''
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* Preview access to TWO new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
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* Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
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* A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
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'''The Reader''' <br>
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'''$8.00 Per Month'''
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* Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
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* Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
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* A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
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'''The Bibliophile'''<br>
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'''$24.00 Per Month'''
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* Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
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* Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
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* A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
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* A signed copy of a 96-page book on folk magic or divination that i have authored, co-authored, or edited. 
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'''The Collector''' <br>
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'''$48.00 Per Month'''
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* Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
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* Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
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* A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
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* A signed copy of a 96-page book on folk magic or divination that i have authored, co-authored, or edited. 
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* An envelope containing rare vintage paper or cloth ephemera from my personal collection, with a hand-written card explaining its provenance, significance, and how i came to have duplicate copies so i can send one to you.
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==The Mystic Tea Room Gift Shop==
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'''The Ephemerist''' <br>
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'''$64.00 Per Month'''
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* Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
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* Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
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* A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
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* A signed copy of a 96-page book on folk magic or divination that i have authored, co-authored, or edited. 
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* An envelope containing rare vintage paper or cloth ephemera from my personal collection, with a hand-written card explaining its provenance, significance, and how i came to have duplicate copies so i can send one to you.
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* A lovingly curated box of vintage porcelain, glass, or metal ephemera from my personal collection, with a hand-written card explaining its provenance, significance, and how i came to have duplicate copies so i can send one to you.
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In addition to our function as an online archive of tasseography and tea room culture, The Mystic Tea Room also maintains a small [[Gift Shop]], where unusual, antique, vintage, modern, contemporary, and one-of-a-kind fortune telling tea cups and saucers -- and their accompanying tasseomancy booklets, pamphlets, and instruction sheets -- are for sale. The revenue generated from the sale of these fortune telling cups supports the 300-plus pages of free instruction material provided here to all.  
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With 32 different 96-page books in stock, i can continue to send books to faithful Patrons for not quite three years -- by which time there should be a few more books, extending that offer to a full three years. I have a ton of excess ephemera such as rare old 1930s hoodoo labels, fantastic excess china ware, and God knows what-all that i would love to send to other ephemerists. I often used to make entire store buyouts. So i have enough amazingly cool stuff to send random vintage presents to hundreds of Patrons for the rest of my life.
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* [[Gift Shop|The Mystic Tea Room Gift Shop]]
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To sign up, go to my Patreon page:  '''https://www.patreon.com/catherineyronwode'''
==Surprise!==
==Surprise!==
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And, finally, some off-topic pages are here:  
And, finally, some off-topic pages are here:  
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* [[Uranus in Taurus]]
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* '''[[Uranus in Taurus]]'''
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* [[USA Trains Charles Ro Billboard Reefer Checklist]]
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* '''[[USA Trains Charles Ro Billboard Reefer Checklist]]'''
==Thanks ==
==Thanks ==

Revision as of 17:23, 16 September 2021

The Mystic Tea Room is dedicated to the traditional art of fortune telling by tea leaves, also known as tea leaf reading, cup reading, cup tossing, divination by tea leaves, tasseomancy, and tasseography.

The Mystic Tea Room is entirely funded by sales of fortune telling tea cups and the tasseomancy instruction book "The Stranger in the Cup: How to Read Your Luck and Fate in the Tea Leaves" by Gregory Lee White and catherine yronwode, published in 2020. Nine dollars (plus shipping) will help support this project and get you a copy of "The Stranger in the Cup" from The Mystic Tea Room Gift Shop. Read all about the book, and order it here: https://luckymojo.com/thestrangerinthecup.html
Sheet Music: "In a Little Gypsy Tea Room," from Tea Leaf Reading in Art
1950s-era Cup of Knowledge by Aynsley featuring a design of buttercups, from The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers.
Evangeline Day was a well-known syndicated radio and newspaper astrologer of the 20th century who patented two different astrology tea cups and saucers; this design dates from 1936, from Fortune Telling Tea Cup Design Patents.
"Reading Tea Leaves" by Harry Roseland, 1910, from Harry Roseland's Fortune Teller Art
According to this 1907 Fred Lounsbury postcard, when tea leaves form an image of a Tree, it is an omen of good health, from Tea Leaf Symbols in Art
Blue Parrot Tea Room, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, interior, postcard front, linen era. from Vintage Tea Room Postcards
Madame Evelyn reads tea leaves at the Spanish Court Tea Room, location unknown, newspaper advertisement. Tea Leaf readings free with meal, from Vintage Tea Room Business Cards

Contents

Greetings

Hello, and welcome to The Mystic Tea Room.

This tasseomancy site has been online since 2007. It was converted from html to media-wiki in 2011 for increased ease of image categorization, and it now hosts about 400 illustrated pages on the history and material culture of tea, tea rooms, and fortune telling by tea leaves. When built out, it will be home to at least 1,000 pages of curated tea and divination imagery.

The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers

The Museum of Fortune Telling Tea Cups and Saucers is dedicated to preserving and popularizing images of fortune telling cups and the traditional divinatory art of reading tea leaves (and coffee grounds) through the presentation of a virtual gallery in which are displayed and interpreted the many beautiful fortune telling teacups and saucers that have been created for the purpose of aiding tea leaf readers and fortune tellers in the practice of the tasseomantic art.

In the Museum, you will find detailed images of dozens of fortune teller's tea cups and saucers, patent drawings for a number of divination cups, brief historical overviews of the designers and manufacturers of fortune telling cups, and a selected bibliography of books and pamphlets about the occult and magical art of tea leaf reading.

Browse the Tea Cup Index by Name or the Tea Cup Index by Maker and click on the image of any tea cup and saucer set to see more pictures of that cup and saucer and read more about the set's history and how it was used for fortune telling.

Instructions in Tasseomancy

Divination by means of tea leaf reading is a long-cherished form of domestic fortune telling. It may be performed at home for oneself, family, or friends, and there are also professional tea leaf readers who will brew a cup for you, allow you to drink it, and read your leaves for you. The information in my article on How To Read Tea Leaves will help you get started.

Tea Leaf Reading in Art

The image of a female fortune teller reading tea leaves has, since the 19th century, been a subject of gallery art, popular commercial art, and cartooning. One prominent 19th and 20th century painter who produced many variations on this theme was Harry Roseland. If you like art, you may enjoy my essay on Roseland's art and the Cuban spirit known as La Madama -- it covers several types of African American divination in addition to cup reading.

While you're here, take a look at the artwork on some of the tea leaf reading and tea company ephemera i have come across in my own research on the subject of fortune telling by tea cups. Here you will find tea leaf reading as idealized and glorified in art.

The Material Culture of Tea Rooms

Reading tea leaves is a form of divination that is known for its many female practitioners, and therefore its history is also the history of women in society. One way to study history is to examine the material culture -- the objects and artifacts associated with a time or a place.

Here you can learn about the tea room movement and view a world-wide gallery of strange and curious tea rooms of the past, many of which were woman-run and quite a few of which offered a "free reading with every meal."

Bibliography of Books about Tasseomancy

If collecting books is your passion, you may enjoy our Bibliography of Books about Tasseomancy. It will never be complete -- and we look forward to suggestions and contributions of information from our readers.

The bibliography is accompanied by cover images of rare books and pamphlets on tea leaf reading from times gone by, as well as by my own annotations about the contents of the books and their authors.

The Mystic Tea Room on Social Media

As the Mystic Tea Room has grown, so has its community of fans, friends, and followers. If you love this site and have questions or something to contribute, we invite you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, We post new items every week

Support the Mystic Tea Room

Support me on Patreon! "From the Land of Tea" allows my Patreon subscribers to access bonus articles and scans about tea leaf reading and tea room culture for a small monthly donation.
Watch me write a book! "Down-Home Sex magic: Hoodoo Spells of Bodily Love" will be published by Lucky Mojo in September 2021, and my Patrons get to read the work in progress.
Beyond the Valley of the Tea-Cups! "Your Wate and Fate: The Material Culture of Fortune-Telling": With a small monthly donation you will be able to support the digitization and annotation of my collection of off-beat, unusual, and downright strange fortune telling devices of the 19th and 20th centuries.
African American folk magic! "Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog" is an archive of historical on roots of hoodoo, conjure, and rootwork, accompanied by original research, commentary, and rare illustrations -- and you can have access if you support my work by subscribing to my Patreon account.
From field and forest, from grove and garden, here is a collection of illustrated, annotated, and explicated articles on the botanical basis of hoodoo and conjure, accessible to my Patreon supporters.

All of the material you have access to here -- the fabulous tea cups, the instructive booklets, the nostalgic postcards, the boldly graphic matchbook covers, and all of the historical information researched and shared from the mind of the woman who is making it all happen -- can easily fit into one 8 x 10 foot room in an old Victorian farmhouse, but you would never see it without the investment of the time it takes to produce such a site and the caloric input such a site requires in the form of food for the writer, graphic designer, and database manager, as well as the US currency needed to pay for the computers, software applications, scanners, electricity, and internet connectivity that bring it out of that little room and into the world. So, as you can see, this site is the darling of many, and it is growing at a rapid rate ... but although it is "free," there also is a cost. Your financial support underwrites this cost. Here is how you can help.

  • The Mystic Tea Room Gift Shop: In addition to our function as an online archive of tasseography and tea room culture, The Mystic Tea Room also maintains a small Gift Shop, where unusual, antique, vintage, modern, contemporary, and one-of-a-kind fortune telling tea cups and saucers -- and their accompanying tasseomancy booklets, pamphlets, and instruction sheets -- are for sale. Here you can purchase "The Stranger in the Cup: How to Read Your Luck and Fate in the Tea Leaves" by Gregory Lee White and catherine yronwode. Read all about the book, and order it online here.
  • Patreon advance web pages. Patrons will have private access to web pages one year before they are made available to the public, at the rate of four new web pages per month, distributed at weekly intervals. These web pages fall into a series of interconnected topics or streams of thought. At present the streams which my Patrons will be able to access for a small monthly donation are as follows:
  • "From the Land of Tea: The Material Culture of Tea and Tea Leaf Reading"

An adjunct to my tasseomancy site, [http:mystictearoom.com The Mystic Tea Room]. Articles posted: January 7th, 2021; February 14th, 2021; February 28th, 2021; July 21st, 2021.

Documenting the material culture of unusual fortune telling methods. Articles posted: January 14th, 2021; January 28th, 2021, February 21st, 2021; March 14th, 2021; March 21st, 2021.

  • "The Southern Cross the Yellow Dog"

Annotated historical articles on 19th and 20th century hoodoo, an adjunct to my "Southern Spirits" site. Articles posted: January 21st , 2021.

  • "Leaves from the Root Doctor's garden"

Annotated historical articles on 19th and 20th century herbalism, an adjunct to my "Herb Magic" site. Articles posted: January 21st , 2021; February 7th, 2021, March 7th, 2021.

  • "Down-Home Sex Magic: Spells of Bodily Love"

Sample pdf chapters from my upcoming book of the same name. Articles posted: March 28th, 2021; April 7th, 2021; April 14th, 2021; April 21st 2021; April 28th, 2021; May 7th, 2021; May 14th, 2021; May 21st 2021; May 28th, 2021; June 7th, 2021.

  • "Terrors of the Evil Eye Exposed"

Sample pdf chapters from my collaboration with Jeremy Weiss on the restoration and revision of the book of the same name by Henri Gamache (Anne Flietman). Articles posted: March 28th, 2021; April 7th, 2021; April 14th, 2021; April 21st 2021; April 28th, 2021; May 7th, 2021; May 14th, 2021; May 21st 2021; May 28th, 2021; June 7th, 2021.

  • "How to Use Amulets, Chams, and Talismans in the Hoodoo and Conjure Tradition"

Sample pdf chapters from my collaboration on the book of the same name with Gregpry Lee White. Articles posted: March 28th, 2021; April 7th, 2021; April 14th, 2021; April 21st 2021; April 28th, 2021; May 7th, 2021; May 14th, 2021; May 21st 2021; May 28th, 2021; June 7th, 2021.

  • "A Hoodoo Hand"

Research pages to eventually be added to my free online book "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice"

  • "The Lucky W Amulet Archive"

An illustrated and annotated tour of my collection of lucky charms.

  • "Fit to Print"

Sample columns from my days in comic book land.

Each new web page or sample pdf is circulated to Patrons as an unpublished galley proof or advance copy. After one year access for Patrons, each web page will be released to the public, while book pages will be available to the public as printed books, and copies will be sent to Patrons who subscribe at the upper two tiers.

Patrons have access to a Private Patreon sub-forum within the Lucky Mojo Forum, and will be accorded special Red Star Avatar badges at the Forum.

Here are the tiers i have devised at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/catherineyronwode

The Sampler
$2.00 Per Month

  • Preview access to ONE new web page per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
  • Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
  • A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.

The Selector
$4.00 Per Month

  • Preview access to TWO new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
  • Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
  • A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.

The Reader
$8.00 Per Month

  • Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
  • Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
  • A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.

The Bibliophile
$24.00 Per Month

  • Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
  • Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
  • A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
  • A signed copy of a 96-page book on folk magic or divination that i have authored, co-authored, or edited.

The Collector
$48.00 Per Month

  • Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
  • Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
  • A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
  • A signed copy of a 96-page book on folk magic or divination that i have authored, co-authored, or edited.
  • An envelope containing rare vintage paper or cloth ephemera from my personal collection, with a hand-written card explaining its provenance, significance, and how i came to have duplicate copies so i can send one to you.

The Ephemerist
$64.00 Per Month

  • Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
  • Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
  • A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
  • A signed copy of a 96-page book on folk magic or divination that i have authored, co-authored, or edited.
  • An envelope containing rare vintage paper or cloth ephemera from my personal collection, with a hand-written card explaining its provenance, significance, and how i came to have duplicate copies so i can send one to you.
  • A lovingly curated box of vintage porcelain, glass, or metal ephemera from my personal collection, with a hand-written card explaining its provenance, significance, and how i came to have duplicate copies so i can send one to you.

With 32 different 96-page books in stock, i can continue to send books to faithful Patrons for not quite three years -- by which time there should be a few more books, extending that offer to a full three years. I have a ton of excess ephemera such as rare old 1930s hoodoo labels, fantastic excess china ware, and God knows what-all that i would love to send to other ephemerists. I often used to make entire store buyouts. So i have enough amazingly cool stuff to send random vintage presents to hundreds of Patrons for the rest of my life.

To sign up, go to my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/catherineyronwode

Surprise!

And, finally, some off-topic pages are here:

Thanks

Thank you for seeking us out,

catherine yronwode
curator, historian, and docent
The Mystic Tea Room

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