Author Topic: Mirrors: folklore, beliefs, and superstitions (Read 9721 times)

Jabberwocky · « **Reply #30 on:** July 02, 2015, 10:35:50 am »

Quote from: Laveth;176405

Mirrors. They come up an awful lot in various traditions, magical and non-magical uses, and superstitions. They are mentioned in terms of luck (i.e. breaking one resulting in bad luck), magic, divination (scrying), communing with the spirits (ancestors, ghosts, what have you), and sometimes even in terms of seeing through to another realm or seeing your "other half."

With perfect timing, the first three (mirror related) pages of Immaterial Girl by Gillen and McKelvie have just been released. http://gillen.cream.org/wordpress_html/6493/phonogram-the-immaterial-girl-preview/

Laveth · « **Reply #31 on:** July 02, 2015, 08:45:32 pm »

Quote from: Faemon;176739

...It does make some sense I think that mirrors reflect a person and therefore breaking a mirror is breaking yourself, except that a person's reflection doesn't stay in a mirror. You could be breaking, like...the shower curtain's soul, by fiddling with the medicine cabinet hinge...

This was my thinking for the longest time, but I've always felt there's been a bit more to it. I'm really enjoying how this discussion has developed.

Laveth · « **Reply #32 on:** July 02, 2015, 08:46:29 pm »

Quote from: Jabberwocky;176745

With perfect timing, the first three (mirror related) pages of Immaterial Girl by Gillen and McKelvie have just been released. http://gillen.cream.org/wordpress_html/6493/phonogram-the-immaterial-girl-preview/

Spooky...

LunaStar · « **Reply #33 on:** October 25, 2015, 07:53:53 pm »

Quote from: Laveth;176405

Branching out from another thread, I'm posing this as a discussion topic.

Mirrors. They come up an awful lot in various traditions, magical and non-magical uses, and superstitions. They are mentioned in terms of luck (i.e. breaking one resulting in bad luck), magic, divination (scrying), communing with the spirits (ancestors, ghosts, what have you), and sometimes even in terms of seeing through to another realm or seeing your "other half."

I'm curious about the experiences and wisdom of other people, so consider this the thread to share your opinions, experiences, knowledge, and understanding of mirrors and all they entail in a magical/spiritual manner.

I know it's a little vague as to a topic direction, so here are a few questions to pick and choose from to start the ball rolling:

What are some stories or bits of knowledge you've come across regarding mirrors or reflections that have stuck with you over the years (or an appropriate time frame to count as memorable)?

What is your opinion or experience regarding working with mirrors magically (communing with spirits, spellwork, divination)?

Do you put credit to the idea that breaking a mirror results in bad luck? And if so, what are your thoughts on methods to reverse or mitigate that bad luck?

What is your opinion regarding the idea of a mirror being a portal to another realm of existence? Or even a window into seeing your shadow self?

I recently read something online saying one could enchant all the mirrors in your home so that whoever looks into them sees their beauty and receives a boost of self confidence. I thought that was quite nice and will surely try it.

Floofy Bunny · « **Reply #34 on:** October 30, 2015, 07:21:51 pm »

Quote from: LunaStar;181495

I recently read something online saying one could enchant all the mirrors in your home so that whoever looks into them sees their beauty and receives a boost of self confidence. I thought that was quite nice and will surely try it.

Oh, I love that idea. I have been doing similar work with Freya and mirrors and self-esteem, none of the spooky stuff, but I think that is really lovely, and something she would absolutely support.

habbalah · « **Reply #35 on:** November 25, 2015, 09:07:44 pm »

Quote from: Floofy Bunny;181711

Oh, I love that idea. I have been doing similar work with Freya and mirrors and self-esteem, none of the spooky stuff, but I think that is really lovely, and something she would absolutely support.

Mirrors make me uncomfortable, especially large ones. I always feel like if I look into it long enough, something is going to come up behind me. Or if I stare at it, something in my reflection will change.

A friend of mine knew a girl who believed all mirrors connected to Lilith's cave. I thought that was interesting.

Lionrhod · « **Reply #36 on:** November 27, 2015, 09:00:25 am »

Quote from: Amber Seal;176675

I did a bit more research into the subject and found this: http://www.mirrorhistory.com/mirror-facts/broken-mirror/ It goes into a further explanation of the spiritual/ magical reasoning behind why breaking a mirror brought such bad luck.

Great find!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "witch's bottles" yet. One of the more common ingredients in one created to reflect away bad energy is broken shards of mirror.

Now, would breaking the mirror to make a witch's bottle create bad luck all by itself?

I too avoid mirrors in the dark. They definitely freak me out. I vote for the "something primal" theory.

I also subscribe to the belief that they can be doors to other worlds, and not necessarily worlds I want anyone popping out of. When I do a house cleansing, and as part of it, ward all doors and windows, I also ward the mirrors.

Floofy Bunny · « **Reply #37 on:** November 29, 2015, 03:53:06 pm »

Quote from: Lionrhod;182856

Great find!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "witch's bottles" yet. One of the more common ingredients in one created to reflect away bad energy is broken shards of mirror.

Now, would breaking the mirror to make a witch's bottle create bad luck all by itself?

I too avoid mirrors in the dark. They definitely freak me out. I vote for the "something primal" theory.

I also subscribe to the belief that they can be doors to other worlds, and not necessarily worlds I want anyone popping out of. When I do a house cleansing, and as part of it, ward all doors and windows, I also ward the mirrors.

Funny, I saw this reply right when I am reading an old book by L.J. Smith (writer of the Vampire Diaries - but like this was in the 90s before Twilight was a thing), and I stumbled across one of her earliest books in a recycled book store called Night of the Solstice which is all about mirrors connecting to other worlds.

Scales · « **Reply #38 on:** December 01, 2015, 12:53:12 am »

Quote from: Floofy Bunny;181711

Oh, I love that idea. I have been doing similar work with Freya and mirrors and self-esteem, none of the spooky stuff, but I think that is really lovely, and something she would absolutely support.

I didn't see this suggestion until today, but I've definitely seen them used for (applying) glamours. Personally, I'd rather put glamours into hairbrushes and so on, so they 'apply' physically too, so I like this idea for mirrors instead.

Quote from: habbalah;182794

Mirrors make me uncomfortable, especially large ones. I always feel like if I look into it long enough, something is going to come up behind me. Or if I stare at it, something in my reflection will change.

Samesies. Sometimes I tell my reflection to fuck off if it looks like it's going to play this shit at night (or definitely if I think I caught something from the corner of my eye). Or I'll intently study one thing (look for gunk in my teeth, for example) in order to bring my focus off the rest of mirror me and change the subject in my head.

Quote from: Lionrhod;182856

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "witch's bottles" yet. One of the more common ingredients in one created to reflect away bad energy is broken shards of mirror.

Now, would breaking the mirror to make a witch's bottle create bad luck all by itself?

This is the main thing I've used them for. I know you're partly being silly but although I don't worry about 7 years bad luck, I usually use pre-broken mirror (although sometimes I'll smash it smaller), because you know, then I'm not wasting a mirror.

Quote

I too avoid mirrors in the dark. They definitely freak me out. I vote for the "something primal" theory.

I also subscribe to the belief that they can be doors to other worlds, and not necessarily worlds I want anyone popping out of. When I do a house cleansing, and as part of it, ward all doors and windows, I also ward the mirrors.

Same, I have a sigil specifically for warding mirrors, even.

My scary mirror story:

I went to stay at my best friend's house (actually her grandparents' 'castle,' an old tavern/hotel that was now a house and a separate bar) after she moved several hours away. I'd been before but she used to have a closet converted into a room, but her mom had moved out, so her dad let her move into the master bedroom- they called it 'the round room' (there was also 'the square room') because it was in a tower. Although it was a really old building, it wasn't that spooky, just a house that various people in her family lived in and showed up to at different times, with a nicer suite downstairs for her grandparents.

So I was pretty stoked, because before I took up the tiny strip of floorspace in her room, and now we had a queen bed, and she had postered it all and everything, and had a tv, and yeah. But I was still rather bored when she went to take a shower, and found myself periodically looking up from my book and into her vanity mirror.

One such time, I look up, and an old lady is sitting next to me.

I jumped out of my skin, looked around, and spent a lot of time looking at the mirror, waiting for it to happen again because I did not just imagine that.

I was really freaked out, but still calmed down because I saw someone, probably her dad, walk by the window, and I didn't want to look crazy (not that they should be looking in windows but) and because I wasn't the only human around anymore. My friend got back from her shower slightly after, and I told her about the mirror (for which she was sort of mad at me for scaring her). Then I told her that I thought her dad was back. Then I remembered we were in the tower room. I went and checked- no ledge around the window. Got this from google, and they definitely walked by all three windows with ease.

I have no way of knowing if that was connected to the mirror, but I think probably- it was in pretty close succession.

Skinwalker · « **Reply #39 on:** January 18, 2016, 09:38:40 am »

Quote from: Laveth;176405

Branching out from another thread, I'm posing this as a discussion topic.

Mirrors. They come up an awful lot in various traditions, magical and non-magical uses, and superstitions. They are mentioned in terms of luck (i.e. breaking one resulting in bad luck), magic, divination (scrying), communing with the spirits (ancestors, ghosts, what have you), and sometimes even in terms of seeing through to another realm or seeing your "other half."

I'm curious about the experiences and wisdom of other people, so consider this the thread to share your opinions, experiences, knowledge, and understanding of mirrors and all they entail in a magical/spiritual manner.

I know it's a little vague as to a topic direction, so here are a few questions to pick and choose from to start the ball rolling:

What are some stories or bits of knowledge you've come across regarding mirrors or reflections that have stuck with you over the years (or an appropriate time frame to count as memorable)?

What is your opinion or experience regarding working with mirrors magically (communing with spirits, spellwork, divination)?

Do you put credit to the idea that breaking a mirror results in bad luck? And if so, what are your thoughts on methods to reverse or mitigate that bad luck?

What is your opinion regarding the idea of a mirror being a portal to another realm of existence? Or even a window into seeing your shadow self?

From my experience, mirrors can be used as many different things.
Some people will have them face each other to direct energy. The energy will bounce off of one and then bounce off the other, going back and forth.
So if you decide to make that your meditations area it can be a very focused environment. How ever, they can also be very bad that way. Say you and a liver have a spat in front of the mirrors. That negative energy will remain there.

Mirrors are also portals. I have seen the other side through them. They are all just spirits that want to come through, but cant because they are not invited.
I've tried my hand at making a black mirror just to see what i would find. The result was horrifying. I saw some very inhumanly things on the other side and the vibe it gave off was just super uncomfortable. I actually got rid of it.

That being said. Mirrors can be used for many things, good or bad. They also can have many effects as well.

Gaudior · « **Reply #40 on:** January 18, 2016, 01:29:38 pm »

Quote from: Sefiru;176423

This is the subject of possibly my favorite xkcd comic of all time. :

While I don't have any (conscious) beliefs about mirrors, I am incredibly creeped out by mirrors in dark rooms. I will go out of my way not to look at one if, say, I go to the bathroom at night. I have no idea why I do this or what I'm afraid I would see in there. It's pretty much a phobia, I guess.

That is exactly how it is with me too. I guess I just expect something to jump out and go "bahhhhhhh!" xD Thinking about it now, it sounds silly, but tomorrow morning around 4 or 5 I'll be dodging mirrors <.<