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Mirror
Gazing (Scrying)
Written and compiled by George Knowles
Since time began, man has been fascinated by his reflected image as seen in the still waters of woodland lakes, pools and rivers. Among primitive peoples superstition was rife, and seeing their image reflected in water may have been like catching a glimpse of their souls, for it was widely believed that the soul existed separate from the body. Others may have found themselves gazing through a portal into the spirit realm, there communicating with departed loved ones or gaining insights into future events. However, these same woodland lakes and pools were also known haunts of fairy folks and nature spirits, sometimes friendly, but sometimes hostile, and likely to snatch at human reflection to capture the souls of the unwary. Little wonder then that anything reflecting images was regarded as magical.
The
Mirror of Venus by Burne-Jones
Ancient prophets, soothsayers and oracles initially used bowls filled with water in which to scry and divine answers to questions about past, present and future events. Later, highly polished stones such as beryl, crystal and quartz were used for similar purposes. The first man-made mirrors used in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome were commonly made of sheeted metal (pewter, copper, tin, bronze or silver etc.) and flattened into rounded disks to which handles were applied. Some had decorative designs inscribed on the back, but the face would have been highly polished and reflective.
Early Egyptian, Etruscan and Celtic copper and bronze hand-held mirrorsIn the
Middle Ages when it became possible to make glass, crude hand held glass mirrors
were made backed with thin layers of metal such as tin and lead.
Later during the 16th century, better quality mirrors were produced in
Murano, Venice (Italy), the backs of which were covered with an amalgam of tin
and mercury (normally 75% tin to 25% mercury).
In 1836 a German chemist called ‘Justus von Liebig’ developed the
process of coating a glass surface with metallic silver, a process that is still
used today. By the end of the 17th
century plate glass was developed, and the use of large stationary mirrors
became commonplace household features. Legends, Myths and FolkloreDr.
John Dee (1527 – 1608)
Dr. John Dee was a famous Alchemist, Mathematician, Astronomer; he was also an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I on matters pertaining to science and astrology, as such, he was commonly referred to as “the last royal magician”. A serious academic, some thought him to be the most learned man in the whole of Europe. He was fascinated by all things occult, and was an adept in Hermetic and Cabbalistic philosophy. Dee had a particular interest in divination, and spent much of his later life experimenting with different methods in his efforts to communicate with Angels. From 1583 onward, Dee worked with Edward Kelly using both a black obsidian mirror and a crystal ball to see visions of ‘Angels’. Allegedly they communicated by pointing to squares containing letters and symbols that Dee had transcribed.
John
Dee’s black obsidian mirror and crystal ball
This is the mirror together with a small smoky quartz crystal
ball used by Dee and Kelly for their occult research. These are now on display at the British Museum in London.
The mirror is made of highly polished obsidian (volcanic glass) and was
one of many objects brought back to Europe after the conquest of Mexico by the
Spanish conquistador Hernán (Ferdinand) Cortés.
Obsidian was sacred to Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec “Sky God” associated
with Kings, Warriors and Sorcerers, and whose name can be translated as
“Smoking Mirror”. The Aztec
priests used mirrors for divination and conjuring up visions. The case along side it was especially made to fit the mirror,
it has a paper label written by the English antiquary Sir Horace Walpole who
acquired the mirror in 1771 stating: “The
Black Stone into which Dr Dee used to call his spirits...” and added
later: “Kelly was Dr Dee’s
associate and is mentioned with this very stone in “Hudibras” (a satirical
poem by Samuel Butler, first published in 1664) Part 2. Canto 3 v. 631.
Kelly did all his feats upon The Devil’s Looking glass, a Stone". Archimedes
In one of the many legends of Greece, the mathematician Archimedes (287-212 BC) invented giant mirrors that were used to reflect the rays of the Sun onto Roman warships during the battle of Syracuse in 212 B.C.
Wall painting
from the Stanzino delle Matematiche in the Galleria degli Uffizi (Florence,
Italy). Painted by Giulio Parigi - 1599-1600.
“At last in an incredible manner he (Archimedes) burned up
the whole Roman fleet. For by tilting a kind of mirror toward the sun he
concentrated the sun's beam upon it; and owing to the thickness and smoothness
of the mirror he ignited the air from this beam and kindled a great flame, the
whole of which he directed upon the ships that lay at anchor in the path of the
fire, until he consumed them all.” (The above description is from Dio's Roman History -
Translated by Earnest Cary, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press,
Cambridge, 1914) Narcissus
In Greek mythology Narcissus was a handsome young man whose beautiful good looks claimed the love of all the women who met him, but he continually rejected their advances. One day while hunting in the woods he came upon a clear pool of water and stopped to take a drink from it. Mirrors were almost unknown in those times, but when he bent down to drink from the water, he saw what he thought was another young man. Amazingly the young man seems to be alive and responding, for when Narcissus smiled, so did he. The young man was so incredibly beautiful that Narcissus immediately fell in love with him, but when he bent forward to kiss him, just when their lips should have touched, the young man’s image blurred and rippled and all he got was a mouthful of water.
Narcissus by John William
Waterhouse (1903)
Eventually Narcissus realised it was his own reflection in the
water, but he could not bear to pull himself away. As he continued to gaze longingly at himself, he gradually
pined away and died. At the place
where his body had lain now grows a beautiful flower, a Narcissus, nodding its
head over its own reflection in a pool. Perseus
and Medusa of the Gorgons
In Greek mythology, the Gorgons (daughters of the sea god
Phorcys and his wife Ceto) were three monstrous sisters called:
Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. They
were dragon-like creatures covered with scales, had wings, claws, enormous teeth
and snakes replicating hair. They
lived on the farthest side of the western ocean, shunned and feared because a
single direct glance at one of them could turn a person to stone.
Of the three, only Medusa was mortal and could be killed, a feat that was
achieved by the hero Perseus (son of Zeus). Perseus, with the aid of a sword given to him by Hermes and a highly polished shield given to him by Athena, by watching Medusa’s reflection in the shield, was able to cut off her head without directly looking at her. The severed head, however, still had the power to turn a person into stone if it was looked upon. Legend has it that Perseus gave the severed head to Athena who used it to turn Atlas into stone. This stone became known as the Atlas Mountains that now hold up the heaven and earth.
Medusa
painted by Caravaggio 1596-1597
Other legends about mirrors and scrying include the Goddess
Hathor, who carried a shield that could reflect back all things in their true
light. Nostradamus is believed to
have used a small bowl of water as a scrying tool into which he gazed and
received images of future events. And
who can forget the magic mirror featured in the Disney folktale classic Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs,
when the wicked Queen immortalized the question “Magic Mirror on the wall, who
is the fairest one of all?” Making
a Scrying Mirror
All types and sizes of mirrors can be used for scrying, but
commonly round or oval mirrors seem to be preferred. Old mirrors seem to work better than new mirrors, and more
particularly those encased in a silver frame.
Silver is generally associated with the moon, and while scrying can be
practised at any time, best results are often gained in the quiet of night
during a full or new moon. Many people find it easier to scry using a black or obsidian
mirror, the dark depth of a black mirror being more conducive to inducing
visions. Obsidian is a black or
dark-coloured volcanic lava rock, chemically similar to granite, but formed by
cooling rapidly on the Earth’s surface at low pressure.
The glassy texture of the rock is the result of its rapid cooling, which
inhibits the growth of crystals. Obsidian was highly valued by the early civilizations of Mexico, who used it for making sharp-edged tools, ritual and ceremonial sculptures, and polished mirrors similar to the one owned by Dr. John Dee above. Sadly, the ancient method of mining, grinding and smoothing obsidian into reflective mirrors was a long and drawn-out process, and so true obsidian mirrors, particularly old ones, are now quite expensive. However, given modern techniques and the demand created in the contemporary market, new obsidian mirrors can be obtained from most modern occult shops who stock them in a range of sizes at competitive prices.
Here’s
an old mirror and stand I found at a car boot sale recently. I then
purchased a new
black obsidian mirror slate from an occult store in Glastonbury and
collected
all the bits and pieces needed to transform and create my own magick
mirror.
An alternative to using obsidian is to make your own ‘black’ mirror. If you have an old silver picture frame lying around the home, simply take out the glass, clean it being careful to remove any marks, finger prints or blemishes, then paint the back of it black. Matt black paint tends to work better than gloss paint, as does black enamel or car spray paint. You may need to give the glass a few coats of paint to cover it properly, but allow each coat to dry thoroughly before adding the next. Also try to leave a smooth finish without streaks or runs.
Having rubbed down the mirror frame with fine sandpaper and sprayed it with black satin paint, I decided to decorate the boarder with appropriate directional and elemental stones. North is Malachite representing Earth, East is Citrine representing Air, South is Tigers Eye representing Fire, and West is Lapis Lazuli representing Water. Replacing the silver backed mirror glass into the frame, I then centralised and bonded the black obsidian slate to it leaving a silver rim around the black mirror...Another good idea is to use the curved glass face of an old clock and paint the convex side black; you will of course need to make a suitable frame to mount it on. Antique shops are a good source for old clocks, and who knows, you could also find an antique silver frame on which to mount it. Frames can be as plain or as ornate as you like; you may even wish to personalise or decorate it with meaningful stones, gems or sigils. Remember the mirror will also need some method of standing-up on your altar or table, ideally at a shallow or adjustable angle. Some picture frames have a leg on the back for this purpose, or alternatively you could use a display stand similar to those used for collector plates.
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