A mirror is aTOOL for Divination and Magic. Mirrors train the inner eye to perceive the unseen. Throughout history, mirror gazing, has been used to look into the future, aid in healing, answer questions, solve problems, find lost objects and people, and identify or find thieves and criminals.

The power of mirrors—or any reflective surface—to reveal what is hidden has been known since ancient times. Gazing upon shiny surfaces is one of the oldest forms of Scrying, a method of divination practiced by the early Egyptians, Arabs, the Magi of Persia, Greeks, and Romans. Magic mirrors are mentioned by numerous ancient authors, among them Apuleius, Saint Augustine, Pausanias, and Spartianus. According to Pausanias, divination for healing was best done with a mirror with a string attached to it. The string was dangled into water, and the diviner then was able to ascertain whether or not a sick person would be healed.

In ancient Greece, the witches of Thessaly reputedly wrote their oracles in human Blood upon mirrors. PYTHAGORAS was said to have a magic mirror that he held up to the Moon to see the future in it. Romans who were skilled in mirror reading were called specularii. Much later, Catherine de Medicis reputedly had a magic mirror that enabled her to see the future for herself and for France. Pére Cotton, the confessor to King Henri IV of France, had a magic mirror that revealed to him the plots against the king.

In folklore, mirrors have a dark power—they are a soul stealer. A widespread folk belief calls for turning over the mirrors in a house when someone dies. If a dead person sees himself in a mirror, his soul will become lost or have no rest, or he will become a VAMPIRE. The power of mirrors to suck out souls is illustrated in the Greek myth of Narcissus, who sees his reflection in water and then pines and dies.

In Christian lore, mirrors enable DemonS to make themselves known. This may have been part of the church’s propaganda to discourage use of pagan folk magic. St. Patrick declared that Christians who said they could see Demons in mirrors would be expelled from the church until they repented.

In Russian folklore, mirrors are linked to the devil because they have the power to draw souls out of bodies. In other lore, seeing a corpse reflected in a mirror puts the living at risk for having one’s soul carried off by the ghost of the dead. Seeing one’s own reflection in a mirror in a room where someone has died means one’s own impending death.

Folklore also prescribes that mirrors should be removed from a sick room because the soul is more vulnerable in times of illness. It is considered unlucky for the sick to see their reflections, which puts them at risk of dying. Breaking a mirror is bad luck; since it holds the soul, a broken mirror will damage the soul.

In Vodoun, a magical mirror is called a minore. A minore is made of highly polished metal and is consecrated for the purpose of seeing visions. Only a priest or priestess can use a minore.

Applications of Magic Mirrors

Both flat mirrors and concave mirrors are used in magic. Other shiny and reflective surfaces work as well, such as crystal balls or crystals (see DEE, JOHN) and bowls of water or ink (see NOSTRADAMUS). FRANZ BARDON taught precise instructions for making magical mirrors that would be “loaded” or empowered with the help of the Elements, the AKASHA, light, and FLUID CONDENSERS. A charged magic mirror should be stored wrapped in silk to protect its energies.

Scrying is not done by the mirror itself but is accomplished by the astral and mental powers developed by the magician or scryer. The mirror serves as an aid for focusing those powers. The best success is obtained by those who have learned how to use their IMAGINATION to visualize images in detail. Without such skill, one is likely to see only distorted images in a magic mirror.

Bardon described major applications of magic mirrors:

A transit gate to other planes of existence.

Imagining the body to be so small that it goes right through the mirror provides access to the astral plane. With repeated practice, more details become visible and meetings with the dead are possible. Eventually one perceives finer, more subtle spiritual vibrations, which enable access to higher planes and beings. By focusing on the spiritual vibrations of the elements, one can visit lower planes, such as the realms of gnomes, salamanders, sylphs and undines.

A link between the living and the dead.

Visualizing a person in a magical mirror enables contact. The scryer goes to the astral plane to communicate with the dead. Living persons can be contacted through the mirror as well. The scryer visualizes the person intensely until the person seems to be drawn out of the mirror.

An aid to influencing other people or the self. The scryer loads the mirror with light from the universal ocean of light, allowing it to pass through the body into the mirror. The scryer focuses in meditation upon the desired goal, such as inspiration or the solution to a problem, and irradiates himself with the light vibrations stored in the mirror. Turning the mirror toward the bed will enable the rays to work on the subconscious in sleep. The scryer can influence others by using the imagination to direct the rays out into the universe.

A ray-emitter for room impregnation and the treatment of sick people.

Similarly, a magic mirror can be loaded to emit rays that will anchor certain qualities in a room, such as peace, health, success, and so on. A magic mirror can be loaded to help a sick person; the person is exposed to the emanation of rays from the mirror’s surface.

A transmitter and receiver.

Thoughts, pictures, words, and sounds can be transmitted and received through magic mirrors regardless of distance.

An amulet against negative forces and influences. A magic mirror can be programmed to bathe a room in protective vibrations against the unwanted influences of spirits and people.

A projector of all powers, beings, and impressions.

A magic mirror can be used to condense all astral and mental forces so that they can be perceived by persons with no magical training.

As a screen for clairvoyance and remote viewing.

A skilled magician can gaze into a magic mirror and see distant scenes and activities. Bardon likened this to using the mirror as a television set.

As a tool for investigating the past, present, and future. A mirror helps a magician transcend time to see events.

According to Bardon, this is one of the most difficult aspects of mirror work. Looking into the future, he said, deprives one of free will.

See also ARTEPHIUS; BACON, ROGER.

FURTHER READING:

• Bardon, Franz. Initiation into Hermetics: A Course of Instruction of Magic Theory and Practice. Wuppertal, Germany: Dieter Ruggeberg, 1971.
• Grillot de Givry, Emile. Witchcraft, Magic and Alchemy. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1931.
• Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft. 2nd ed. New York: Facts On File Inc., 1999.

SOURCE:

The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Copyright © 2006 by Visionary Living, Inc.