Magic Mirror
Magic Mirror is special mirror used in divinition and skrying  It has been said that magic mirrors were used to see the present, the past and the future.

 The idea of a magic mirror is quite ancient. The early mirrors were made of polished copper, brass, marcasite, tin foil or mercury behind glass, polished silver and obsidian. All types of mirrors may be used and the size is not important.

Because mirrors are associated with the moon, mirrors should be backed with silver. The association with the moon suggests a round or oval mirrorwould be more appropiate ttan a square mirror. For the same reason try to use a mirror with a silver frame. Old mirrors also seem to work better than new mirrors.

Most seers prefer to use a black mirror. Because this is difficult to buy, you may have to make one.

Just simply take out the glass and paint it black. You may have to give it a few coats of paint though. When you put it back in the frame make sure the glass part is to the front.

The use of black mirrors may be traced back over the centuries. John Dee used a black mirror of obsidian.
Working with the mirror

First, clearly decide what you are trying to accomplish.

Then close your eyes and begin to relax; feel every part of your body releasing, relieved of all tension. Begin to breath rhythmically and fully; try a count of four in, hold four, release four, four in, hold four, release four and so on. Feel yourself entering a light trance surrounded by sacred space, removed from time and the material world. Silently call your guides or guardians of the work, calling angelic presences, spirit guides, astral guardians or whatever you prefer. Reaffirm your desire and the purpose of the work.

Now open your physical eyes and gaze into the mirror; remain relaxed and do not hesitate to blink when necessary. Relax the focus of your eyes but remain alert. After a while, the surface of the mirror will begin to change and fade; a dark mist will appear.

Your inner eyes will now open, and the journey into the mirror begins. Remember that the inner eye sees inside the mind, through the magickal imagination. Most people when scrying do not see the images appear with the physical eyes on the mirror's surface but see within the mirror and in the mind's eye. The mirror acts as a focal point, a gateway within.

To begin to see

This is a very important exercise to master if you are new to scrying or are having trouble receiving images. It will aid your "visual imagination," which allows your psychic and physical eyes to see clearly together. It gives clairvoyant strength.

Sit before your mirror and begin to imagine objects on its surface, one after another. You should try to see these images clearly in the mirror with your eyes open, just as if they were there in reality. Try simple shapes or colors first. Hold onto the image of each shape, object or color one minute before dissolving it and going on to the next. For example, use a red triangle, a yellow square, a blue circle and silver crescent; see them appear in the mirror using your firm imagination. For best results, do this exercise every day for 15 minutes until it is mastered.

This exercise is well worth the effort; it gives magickal discipline and strengthens the inner eye so visions can come with clarity and ease.

When using the black mirror for scrying you do not want to see your reflection. The best is to leave the mirror on a table and look at it from an angle.

Look into the depths of the mirror as though you were looking into a bowl of water. At first it may appear gray than colors will come and go.

With time and practice you will be able to see scryed images like still photographs or moving film images. Spirits may sometimes look at the scryer, talk to the scryer or even touch the scryer.

The visions may even exist outside the mirror and surround the scryer on all sides.

 
History

St. Augustine (in De Civitate Dei, Ch. VII, 35) says that they were used by the witches of Thessaly who wrote their oracles on them in human blood.

Varron claims that they are of Persian origin, the Magi having used them for a method of divination  called Catoptromancy.  Spartianus says that Didius Julianus used them to know the result of the battle which Tullius Crispinius fought with Septirnus Severus, his rival for the Throne. 

The persons who, in Rome, read these mirrors were called Specularii. 

In the East these instruments were called Stellar Mirrors.  Pica della Mirandola had faith in them, provided they were made under a favorable constellation, and that they should only be consulted when one felt comfortably warm, for the cold harms the lucidity of their oracle. Reinaud speaks of them in his Description of the Blacas Cabinet. He adds that the operators perfume them, fast for seven days before using them, and recite sacramental prayers at the moment of consulting them. The Chinese and the Hindus made theirs of metal, concave or convex.

Muratori tells us of a Bishop of Verona who was put to death because under his pillow a magic mirror was found bearing on the reverse the word flore which means flower, and proves collaboration with the devil, since, according to St. Cyprian, Satan sometimes appeared in the shape of a flower. A mirror of this kind was also found in the house of Calas de Rienzi. Catherine de Medici had one.

The shape of these mirrors was, as we have said, very varied. Some bore the name of their inventor (Cagliostro, Swedenborg, etc.) More recently they have been used to fix the eye of clairvoyants or mediums so as to put them into a state of hypnosis.

Cahagnet, in his Magnetic Magic, quotes the principal mirrors as follows :-

  • The Theurgic Mirror - a bottle of clear water looked at by a child and in which the Archangel Gabriel replies by pictures to his questions.

  • The Mirror of the Sorcerers - any kind of mirror or pail of water. The country sorcerer, standing near the consultant, recites a spell and shows him the reflection of the picture wanted.
  • The Mirror of Cagliostro - the bottle of clear water is on a piece of furniture, and before it a child, on whose head the operator places one hand and tells him the questions to ask, to which replies are given in allegorical pictures.
  • The Mirror of du Polet - a piece of cardboard having pasted on one side a sheet of tin and on the other a piece of black cloth. The operator magnetizes it strongly and places it a foot away from the eye of the consultant who, having fixed his eyes on it, soon sees in it the desired object.
  • The Swedenborgian Mirror - a paste of graphite mixed with olive oil is poured on an ordinary mirror and allowed to dry for a few days. The consultant, whose image must not be reflected (he stands at some distance for this reason) looks into it, whilst the operator stares magnetically at the back of his head, and vision takes place.
  • The Magnetic Mirror - a round crystal globe filled with magnetized water at which the consultant looks carefully until the desired vision appears.
  • The Narcotic Mirror - similar globe but a narcotic powder made of belladonna, henbane, mandragora, hemp, poppy, etc., is dissolved in the water.
  • The Galvanic Mirror - it is made of two discs, one of copper and concave, the other of zinc and convex, both magnetized nine times in nine days. The center of the concave is looked at.
  • Cabalistic Mirrors - there are seven, being seven globes each representing one of the seven planets of Astrology,  made of the corresponding metal and consulted on the appropriate astrological day. They are:-
    • The globe of the Sun, made of gold and consulted on Sundays as to superior beings and the great persons of the earth.
    • The globe of Mercury, made of a glass globe filled with mercury and consulted on Wednesdays as to questions of money.
    • The globe of Jupiter, made of tin and consulted on Thursdays as to the probability of success and as to the devotion of domestics.
    • The globe of Mars, made of iron and consulted on Tuesdays as to quarrels, lawsuits, enmities.
    • The globe of Venus, made of copper and consulted on Fridays as to questions of love.
    • The globe of Saturn, made of lead and consulted on Saturdays as to secrets, lost articles, etc.
    • The globe of the Moon, made of silver and consulted on Mondays as to dreams and plans.
                         How to make a mirror     by G. W. Fisler and others

Scrying does not have to be an expensive undertaking.  The price of a lead crystal sphere is outside the price range that most of us are willing to pay.  This is especially true for someone new to scrying who is not yet sure of success.

     Nostrodamas is credited with seeing the future in a bowl of water that was colored with ink.  This and other low tech methods are ideal for someone who wants to try his hand at scrying without a heavy investment.

     The method that I prefer is a scrying mirror.  One of these can be constructed for less that five dollars.  The first step is to buy a picture frame.  An oval frame is ideal but any other shape is acceptable.  Try to find a frame that has some aesthetic appeal for you.  Frames may be found in many of the “dollar stores” that seem to be popping up everywhere.  The frame must have a glass insert and not a plastic one.  Now on to the construction.

     First, disassemble the frame.  Clean one side of the glass with your “Scrying Mirror Cleaning Solution” (i.e. Windex).  Paint this side with a thick black paint.  Oil based enamel seems to work best.  I prefer the gloss black but matte black will work well also.  Apply several coats of paint until light will not pass through the glass.

     At this stage you may paint designs or symbols around the edge of the frame if you are artistically inclined.  If not there is a variety of frames with designs already on them.  The choice is yours.

     Next, assemble the frame with the painted side of the glass to the inside. The thicker the plate of glass, the “deeper” the mirror will appear.

     A method is needed to hold the frame at a shallow angle to the vertical.  Some frames have a leg on the back that will do nicely.  Trimming the bottom of the leg will adjust the angle.  An alternate method is to use one of the display stands that are used for collector plates.  Varying the size of the stand will increase or decrease the angle of the frame.  These are available at craft stores or those stores where “America shops”.

     An alternate method of constructing a scrying mirror is to use a clear crystal plate.  Paint the back side as described for the picture frame.  With this method I recommend covering the painted portion with felt or some other heavy material.  This will help protect the paint from being scratched
or scuffed off.

     You are now ready to begin scrying.  Good luck and clear visions!