Scrying Mirrors: What Are They, and How To Make and Use Them

Have you ever wanted to see the future or speak with someone who has passed away? Using a scrying mirror is one potential way to do it.

What is a scrying mirror and how does it work? A scrying mirror or black mirror is a surface used for divination. You focus on a particular intention and stare into the mirror, and you might get visions related to your query.

In this article, you’ll learn what a scrying mirror is, how they work, and how to make and use one for yourself.

Contents hide

1 What Is A Scrying Mirror?

2 How to Make a Scrying Mirror

3 How To Use Your Scrying Mirror

4 A Scientific Explanation for Scrying

5 Scrying Mirror Safety Rules

6 Related Questions

7 Conclusion

What Is A Scrying Mirror?

Scrying or seeing is a type of divination. In fact, scrying comes from a Middle English word that means “to divine.”

One of the earliest types of scrying that was done is water scrying, where a person looked into the surface of the water to get some kind of image or meaning. Over time this has evolved into using crystal balls and mirrors for a similar purpose.

A scrying mirror (also called a black mirror) is a shiny black surface used for divining. Lucky for you, it’s one of the easier divination tools that you can make by yourself. It costs very little money to make or buy. And it’s not any more difficult to learn than any other methods of divination.

In the past, scrying mirrors were made by polishing metals like brass or copper, or putting aluminum foil or mercury behind a piece of glass. Nowadays, polished obsidian is one of the more popular materials used for commercially available scrying mirrors.

Some people say that older mirrors will work better than newer ones, which can benefit you if you’re making your own scrying mirror. The size of the mirror doesn’t matter, and any size or shape can work.

How to Make a Scrying Mirror

If you’re looking to make your own scrying mirror, usually the best place to find your materials is in a thrift store. You might think that you’re looking for a used mirror, but actually a picture frame will work best for making your scrying mirror. Most scryers prefer to use a round mirror, but a square one will work just as well. So pick whatever frame speaks to you. But you need a frame that comes with a piece of glass, as this will be the reflective surface you use for scrying.

When you get home, you’ll want to clean the glass up a bit. Use window cleaner and a clean cloth to remove any streaks, smudges, and fingerprints.

When the glass is clean, lay it on a piece of newspaper. You’ll want to paint it with a black acrylic paint. A glossy or metallic paint will work best, but you can also use a matte black paint. The paint isn’t the shiny surface that will be reflected, the painted side of the glass will go at the back of the frame.You will probably need to do several thin coats of paint, allowing them to try in between, to make sure your glass is evenly covered without any streaks. Five or six coats is usually enough that you won’t be able to see through the paint when you hold it up to a light.

Once the final layer of paint is dry, you can pop it back in the frame. You want the painted side to be on the back, with the unpainted glass facing out.

Give the glass surface one final cleaning to remove any remaining streaks or smudges and you’re all set! You can add any magical sigils or symbols around the frame if you wish, but it’s not necessary.

If you don’t feel like putting in the time or effort to make a scrying mirror, you can just buy one. Here’s an Amazon link to one that I would recommend: Vranky 4.7″ Black Obsidian Scrying Mirror

How To Use Your Scrying Mirror

Getting comfortable with using your scrying mirror will probably take some time and practice. If you’re either naturally gifted, or you’ve done other types of divination or a lot of meditation, the skill may come more quickly to you.

But before you start using your mirror, you’ll want to cleanse it and charge it up. Especially if you’re buying a scrying mirror from someone else or it’s a brand new mirror that’s never been used before, you’ll want to get rid of any old and potentially negative energies that have become attached to the object. Then you’ll want to bless it to add positive energies to it.

Depending on your particular tradition, there are a variety of different banishing rituals that you can use for this. I’d recommend using whatever feels most comfortable to you. And if you don’t have a ritual of your own, you can simply look some up and see what one speaks to you. One of the simplest ways to cleanse and charge your mirror is to simply leave it in the light of a full moon overnight.

All that you need to scry is your mirror. But you can make the process as elaborate or simple as you like. If you have an alter and want to make a whole ritual out of it, feel free. You can cast a magic circle, or whatever makes you feel most comfortable.

Using a scrying mirror is best done in low lighting conditions. You can either use candles on either side of the mirror in a dark room, or use a dim light.

You will need to place the mirror at an angle so that you aren’t able to see your own reflection.

Then it’s simply a matter of gazing into the mirror and getting in to a state of meditation and letting your mind be empty. You can also ask a particular question that you’re looking for answers to. It can help to almost look past or through the mirror, rather than at its surface. Don’t think of anything specific, just let your mind wander and do whatever. At first it may just look black or grey, and eventually you’ll start to see colors appear and disappear. The images that appear may be very hazy at first. But with enough practice they can become as clear as a movie or photograph.

At first you only want to scry for about 10 or 15 minutes at a time, but you can work up to several hours or however long you wish. You might get actual visions either in the mirror or in your mind, or you might just get an intuitive feeling while looking into the mirror.

It’s a good idea to keep a pen and notepad next to your scrying mirror so you can write down what you saw as soon as you’re done. Just like a dream, the visions and thoughts might start to quickly fade if you don’t record them right away.

Interested in other types of divination? Check out another one of my articles, What Are Dowsing Rods?

A Scientific Explanation for Scrying

You’re probably familiar with some spooky games that kids sometimes play with mirrors during sleepovers, like Bloody Mary. The basic idea of the game is to stare into a dimly lit mirror for a few minutes, sometimes repeating specific words or a phrase over and over until something happens.

Part of this is just autosuggestion. When you put yourself in a spooky situation and expect to see something, you’re priming yourself for something weird to happen. So to some degree, it’s people just psyching themselves out.

But there’s actually a documented phenomenon that helps explain this called Troxler fading or the Troxler effect. The basic gist is that if you stare at a face for long enough, an optical illusion happens where the image starts to change for you. There’s nothing paranormal going on here, but it’s something weird happening between your eyes and brain. But to you, if you stare at your face long enough it will start to change and look really spooky.

I would recommend checking out this Youtube video “Why the Bloody Mary Illusion Works” by The Modern Rogue to learn more:

Scrying Mirror Safety Rules

Don’t scry for more than 20 minutes when you first start. There are legends that people can become addicted to the visions they see or go insane. But on a practical level, it can just be really draining on your energy at first when you’re not used to it.
Don’t use your scrying mirror for any other purpose. Your scrying mirror should be used for just scrying. It’s a dedicated tool and shouldn’t be hung up and used everyday like a regular mirror. It’s best if you wrap it in a soft cloth and put it away when not in use.
Don’t let other people look at it. Another reason to keep your scrying mirror put away is so other people can’t gaze into its surface. The exception is if someone else wants to use it for a ritual purpose.
Scrying works best during a new moon or full moon, but you can use it at any time. But night time is preferred over scrying in a dark room during the day, just because of the energy and ambiance associated with it.
Don’t allow anything to reflect in the mirror. That includes objects in your room, or your own reflection. Your scrying mirror should just be like a dark window or tunnel to nowhere.
It’s recommended to cast a circle of protection or visualize your area being surrounded by a protecting white light before you start scrying. It may help protect you from evil spirits, demons, or other spiritual tricksters who may try to deceive you.
Record your experiences in a journal so you can keep track of them and come back to them.
Make sure that you set an intention for your session. If you just stare into your mirror with no intention or not hoping to see anything in particular, then anything might come to you. Including stuff you might not want to see, including predictions of the future like your own death or other grisly details.
Don’t forget to relax. Allow yourself to have a few minutes to settle in and take some deep breaths before you get started.

Kirlian Photography is another technique that supposedly captures paranormal phenomenon on film. Check out my article on the topic to learn more.

Conclusion

Scrying is one of the oldest types of divination in existence. Originally people used water for scrying, but nowadays the use of a crystal ball or scrying mirror is more common and popular.

Making your own scrying mirror is pretty inexpensive and easy, just requiring a picture frame with a piece of glass and some black paint. You can also buy scrying mirrors if you don’t want to make one yourself.

Some people believe that scrying allows you to see into the future or communicate with spirits. While more skeptical people can explain most of the phenomenon as an optical illusion called Troxler fading that people experience when staring at a face or surface for a long time.

Have you ever tried to use a scrying mirror? What was your experience like?

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