"I love mirrors. They let one pass through the surface of things."
Claude Chabrol
Let's take a look at some of the mirror concepts from our culture, in search of how many ways mirrors can help us or hurt us.
Of the youthful tales, the tale of calling upon Bloody Mary and trying to conjure her image in a mirror is one that outlasts the others. The original tale had the young woman walking backwards up the stairs with a candle and a hand mirror, gazing into the mirror in the candlelit stairwell, hoping to see the face of the man they would marry and if they saw a skull, they would die before they wed.
Originally, it was believed the tale was evoking Queen Mary who had many miscarriages. The young girl was to look into the mirror and call on Bloody Mary and ask if she wanted to see her baby. The image is often called a witch, a ghost, or a demon.
Seven Years Bad Luck
Breaking a mirror is said to be seven years' worth of bad luck. This is one of many superstitions along with walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella indoors, or a black cat crossing your path.
Covering Mirrors During Shiva
During the seven-day practice of shiva, the wake following the death of a family member, it is said that a candle must continue to burn and the mirrors need to be covered.
On an interesting aside, I had a series of past life dreams that were so vivid and detailed. In one of them, the girl I was in the late 1930s in a village in France, was looking at mirror that was covered in her home and talking to a friend and mentioning "shiva." I asked a friend who was Jewish if there was such a word. She went pale and explained to me that I tapped into something. I had never heard of the customs or the term.
On an interesting aside, I had a series of past life dreams that were so vivid and detailed. In one of them, the girl I was in the late 1930s in a village in France, was looking at mirror that was covered in her home and talking to a friend and mentioning "shiva." I asked a friend who was Jewish if there was such a word. She went pale and explained to me that I tapped into something. I had never heard of the customs or the term.
Vampires
The concept that vampires cannot be seen in a looking glass has its origins most likely in ancient Bulgaria where they believed that if a corpse was seen in a mirror, then there would be another death. This eventually evolved into the vampire legends as being a sign of no soul.
In the Eastern practice of Feng Shui, the placement of objects within a home or building are said to affect the chi (energy) whether that is a positive or negative energy. Reward can be had, it is said, by simply putting the right things in the right places to strengthen a sector, such as career/money, family, or spiritual/psychological balance. In fact, the proper use of mirrors is said to produce very beneficial results.
Mirrors are considered in Feng Shui to be in a category with water for soothing and relaxing and that they bring more light into the room and reflect it, they are very helpful. Light is considered to be a way to ward off dark energy and to bring in the good. In fact, in ghost hunting, I often check the use of mirrors in the home and advise on their placement to help enhance the home's light and allow no dark or cluttered areas.
Mirrors are great in the house, but some places you want to AVOID using them is facing your front door or your bed. The idea is that the mirror would bounce all the good energy from the home and out the door when it is opened and that as you sleep, it would be difficult to rest with the energy coming off of it.
Horror movies take full advantage of mirrors and the terror factor. Who isn't afraid that either they gaze into their reflection to see a figure reflected behind them or have something of an evil nature come out of the mirror? Here is a horror movie that was based upon this premise completely, something evil emerging from mirrors.
"Mirrors"
Mirrors are all about illusion, giving a mirror image of what is reflected in them and when lined up properly, making us see things that aren't really there. That is the premise of a Pepper's Ghost. Places like Disneyland's Haunted Mansion make a wonderful display of such a visual phenomena.
Haunted Mirrors
This is a huge haunted mirror that I made. I will be making a lot of these in more manageable sizes with all kinds of ghosts inside from someone trying to climb out of the mirror, Bloody Mary, incubus, succubus, Victorian twins, and black-eyed children. They will go int my upcoming Etsy shop "Madam Curio."
The black-eyed children in this mirror are "Eleanor, Edward and Emily" and the mirror is about 2-1/2 feet by 3 feet. Here's how I made it -
After hearing about some researchers attempting to use something called a Devil's Box, I decided to make one. You take six square mirrors of the same size and make a box out of them where they face inward. You then leave a recorder inside and let it pick up supposed growling voices and voices.
More info:
Interesting conversation on mirrors and parallel universes
Lucid dreaming and mirror portals
Wow, very interesting stuff, especially about the shiva custom and past life.
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