☕️ Alice’s Mad Tea Party Presents:
Old Superstitions: Mirrors and the Shadows They Hold
Darling, let me pour you a cup of something strong, because we’re about to peer into glass that isn’t just glass. Mirrors, you see, are tricksters. They don’t just show you if you’ve got spinach stuck between your teeth - they catch souls, reflect mischief, and sometimes, whisper secrets that were never meant to be heard.
Why Cover the Mirrors?
In ages past, after someone shuffled off this mortal coil, mirrors were swathed in cloth. Why, you ask? Because the departed’s soul might get… stuck. Trapped. Hovering between here and the beyond, waiting for a careless reflection to pull it back. In Jewish tradition, during shiva, mirrors are hidden to keep the mourners’ attention on grief, not on vanity. But in European tales, uncover a mirror too soon, and you might invite a wandering spirit - or worse, drag someone new into the netherworld.
Broken Glass, Bad Juju
Yes, darling, seven years of bad luck. Blame the Romans. They believed mirrors did more than reflect faces - they reflected souls. Break one, and your spirit took a hit. Seven years? That’s how long it took to heal. So next time your reflection shatters, maybe toss some salt over your shoulder, or start counting, tick-tock, tick-tock…
Mirrors as Portals
Mirrors weren’t just for preening. They were doors. Gateways. If you’ve ever stared into one by candlelight, wondering if your future husband would appear… be careful. Sometimes, what stares back isn’t romantic at all. English and Irish whispers warn of shadowy figures lurking, waiting for your gaze to give them a cheeky invitation through the glass.
Vampires and Their Vanishing Act
Ah, vampires. No reflection, no soul. Mirrors betray them every time. So if your neighbor is pale, broody, and mysteriously nocturnal… perhaps don’t ask them to check themselves in the hall mirror.
The Mirror Test for Death
Some folk claimed a mirror under the nose could reveal if someone had truly departed. No fog? The soul had left. But word to the wise: some say this gave Death a neat little doorway to creep right into your parlor, tea still warm, and linger like an uninvited guest.
✨ In short, my darlings: Mirrors are never just mirrors. They are portals, traps, and omens. So next time you catch movement behind your reflection late at night… maybe just tilt your head and sip your tea instead.
Yours with a wink and a swirl of steam,
Alice, Queen of Ink & Lore
✒ Pip’s Editorial Note
Before anyone starts sweeping their mirrors under bed sheets in a panic: this is Alice’s theatrical, sassy lens on old superstitions, not a historical handbook. Mirrors in folklore are indeed linked to spirits, portals, and omens - but accounts differ widely depending on culture, time period, and superstition-hunters’ appetites for drama.
Alice emphasizes the theatrical, eerie, and slightly mischievous side of mirror lore. She is performing the tale, highlighting shadowy figures, secret gateways, and soul-reflecting glass for storytelling flair, not for literal instruction. The historical practices - covering mirrors, broken-glass superstitions, vampire lore - are based on real traditions, but Alice sprinkles her signature whimsy and suspense over them.
So, dear reader, sip responsibly and keep one wary eye on the glass - but only for the fun of it.
- Pip
Editor, Alice’s Mad Tea Party
