Jane Eyre’s Tea Leaves
Posted on 11 January 2010
For years when I lived in Atlanta and later in Boston, whenever it rained, especially in November, I’d get the feeling of Jane Eyre, wandering across the wuthering moors, in her black dress tottering dramatically across stones and reaching out into the vast, impossibly cruel horizon. Thank goodness that not long after she ate pig slops, unknown, blessed cousins (!) would march forth to pick her up and take her into care.
I liked the mystery of the lost and wandering part of this, and also the romance of a scene prior to that drama on the moors, when Jane has her fortune told by Rochester, disguised as a gypsy fortune teller. It is a real savory read. So, on windy, thundering days I veered toward my own little inner moor, longing for Rochester to read my fortune. There were no real moors in Atlanta or Boston, but there was steam rising from the wet road on my way to the nearest clairvoyant. One I saw on a Jane Eyre day was very like Rochester. She spoke in a loooong, spooky-ghosty cadence, “I would like to see yooooooooo,” when I called to book an appointment. I thought that pretty ridiculous but went anyway. She told me there was a bad man, a very negative person near me. She offered to do a “smoke screen” to protect me, for an extra twenty bucks. I said no thanks. (I believe she was right about the bad guy, though). I left Atlanta not long after that smoke screen offer. Eventually I wandered my way up to Boston to live and teach, wishing for unknown cousins to find me, and would go on rainy days to the Tremont Tea Room. It was wonderful, sipping hot tea and having a reader tell you what he saw. One told me he saw a piano in my tea cup. When I got home later that day, the phone rang. It was Mom, and she said, “Guess what! I just got a new piano!” Tea leaf readings really speak. Every day now I drink green tea and can’t wait to see what comes up in the way of loose tea flecks at the bottom of the cup.
7 responses to Jane Eyre’s Tea Leaves
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I loved these sketches and your tales of having your tea- leaves read brought back memories of long ago. When I was a teenager, my life-long friend, Delores, and I would once in awhile have lunch at the Egyptian Tearoom, and at the end of our lunch, with our tealeaves in the bottom of our cup, we would have our fortunes told! What fun that was — so much so, we would return fairly often to enjoy it again and again. I can’t recall a thing she told me, and I don’t remember ever any of it coming to pass, but it was still so much fun! Mom
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What a cool reflection on that period in your life. Really love the Jane Eyre illustration!!
Hey, thanks–those were the days! My favorite thing really was that Tremont Tea Room. I should open a tea room now. Just tea, tea leaf readings and biscuits. Wheat free included.
What great and fun stories. Yes, Elaine a Tea room would be such a fun thing to open. Especially with the special touch of having a reading to go with it. I loved hearing moms story as well. What fun!
I love this kind of things tae leaves and forturn cookies don’t beleave in it unless its from a dream then it could have countless meanings hugs Linda
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