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The following excerpt comes from a
book-length work on scrying and magick mirrors.
The black scrying mirror, or magick mirror, is a powerful psychic
tool. It can bring the user hidden knowledge and clairvoyant
ability and can act as a portal to other planes of existence.
History shows its use in many of the traditional mystery schools
and oracular temples. Today the serious student of magickal arts
can rediscover the ancient rites of the magick mirror, for these
techniques are again coming to light.
Scrying can be defined as the mantic art of gazing into or upon a
crystal or dark mirror, allowing the physical eyes to relax, thus
letting the inner psychic eyes begin to open and receive desired
visions or information. The use of the black mirror is one of the
best methods of achieving the state of mind required for entering
trance and for scrying work. It not only acts as a focal point for
visualization but can become a doorway into the astral plane. It
allows communication with higher realms and the subconscious and
access to Akashic records. The traditional crystal ball is also a
wonderful tool, but it is more difficult to scry with and is
extremely expensive. The mirror is a more efficient way to begin
to learn to scry and journey in other realms. However, all
techniques in this article may be used with a crystal ball as well
as the black scrying mirror.
Consider the reality of the Akashic records, in which all ideas,
actions, influences and vibrations are stored. The practiced
scryer has the ability to "read" these records and focus on this
vast source of timeless knowledge with the aid of the mirror and a
strongly directed imagination. Guides from the world of spirit
often lead the scryer in astral travel and mental journeying
through the black mirror or crystal sphere. Scrying develops one's
clairvoyant abilities and is especially helpful in strengthening
the third eye.
The preparation and construction of the mirror is extremely
important. The black scrying mirror must be created with the
highest magickal standards and traditions. At the full moon,
specially cut glass disks are cleansed and magnetized. They are
then anointed with a powerful herbal fluid condenser to attract
and hold energy, vital force and any charge given them. A tincture
of gold and moonstone is then applied to the surface, and they are
ritually blessed under the light of the full moon. They remain for
a night and a day within a circle of protection. The black coating
is then applied to seal in the energy, and a felt backing is put
on to protect the mirror and absorb later applications of fluid
condenser. The mirror stand is carved rosewood, ebony or teak.
Ways in which the black mirror can be used
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To contact spirit
guides
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To access knowledge
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For healing and self
improvement
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As a magickal
transmitter and receiver
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For divining the past,
present and future
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As a portal to the
astral plane
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For shamanic journeying
-
For ritual invocation
and evocation
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To improve
visualization skills
Preparing to work with the black scrying mirror
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Always keep the surface
very clean using alcohol and a soft cloth.
-
Never use it for
anything but its intended magickal purpose.
-
Do not let others look
into its surface, except in ritual context. Keep it stored in a
silk bag when not in use.
-
Frequently recharge the
mirror with vital force and fluid condenser, as explained
following.
-
Practice the visual
exercises described following until mastered.
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Keep the working area
clean and free from any disturbance.
-
Generally, scry using
the mirror at night, preferably during the full or new moon,
depending on the operation. The mirror can be used at any time,
but tends to work better at these points.
When indoors, light two
votive candles, one on each side of the mirror. Use white or
colored candles appropriate to the work: blue for healing, purple
for psychic work, orange for communication, and so on. (For more
suggestions on candle colors, see any standard table of
correspondences, for example in Scott Cunningham's books or The
Spiral Dance).
Burn a lunar or psychic blend incense before working with the
mirror.
Place the mirror on a wooden table or altar with a clean cloth
beneath it and be seated on a wooden chair in front of it, or if
you prefer, assume a comfortable asana on the floor with the
mirror before you.
Extinguish all light sources except the candles and/or moonlight.
Allow nothing to reflect in the
mirror's surface. It should appear as a dark tunnel or window.
Before starting, always create a sacred space to work in. Cast a
circle of protection or visualize the area surrounded by white
light and protection from false or misleading influences - call
your guides and guardians to protect the working.
Keep a journal to record your
experiences.
The rite of scrying First, clearly decide what you seek or are
trying to accomplish in the working and prepare appropriately.
Then prepare the work area carefully as suggested previously.
Once you are ready, close your eyes and begin to relax; feel every
part of your body releasing, relieved of all tension. Visualize
your circle of protection and know you are safe and in control of
all that happens within it. 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, invoking the
Goddess or calling angelic presences, spirit guides, watchtowers,
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.
When you have completed your journey or work you set out to do,
begin the return to your body and ordinary senses. Breath fully
and deeply, and remain still until you feel you have completely
returned. Now close your eyes and remember all you saw and felt
during the scrying or journey. Review your entire experience
mentally.
Write it all down immediately in a journal kept for this purpose.
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.
Charging the
mirror with light
To charge and empower
the mirror with light force is a simple but powerful process. It
should be done frequently, especially just before using the
mirror, so as to ensure you see correct visions, connect with
positive energy and do not experience interference.
First, you must imagine that white light is collecting inside your
body, being channeled down from the crown chakra. The body becomes
a vessel filled with light. Remember to breathe fully, deeply and
rhythmically. Now stand in front of the mirror and direct the
palms of your hands toward one another. Imagine that the internal
light is now moving into your hands, forming a ball of condensed
white light between them. See and feel this clearly in your
imagination. When ready, begin to project this ball of light into
the surface of the mirror, purifying and enlivening the mirror,
filling it with magickal force. See the light "soak" into the
mirror. This process needs to be repeated until the mirror feels
"full."
This process can also be used to give a special or programmed
charge to the mirror. Follow the steps preceding and create the
ball of light between your hands, then mentally project your
desire into the light before projecting the light into the mirror.
This technique can be used for healing works and self-improvement.
You can also charge the light with a specific color or vibration -
whatever can be felt or imagined can be put into the mirror to aid
the magickal energy. The empowering exercise can be used for other
magickal operations as well, such as charging other magickal tools
and the giving of healing light to another person. All it takes is
a strong desire and powerful imagination.
Locking the charge into the mirror is accomplished by willpower.
When the light has been absorbed into the mirror, state in your
mind and with all the faith you can muster that the charge will
remain as long as you require it. To release or remove a special
charge, simply reverse the procedure, pulling the light out of the
mirror into the space between your hands. Then disperse the energy
into the atmosphere through the imagination. Do not draw it back
into the body - see it return to the universe.
Creation and use of the fluid condenser
A fluid condenser is an
infusion of herbs with tinctures, essences and gold added. It
serves to hold the mirror's magickal charge and attract elemental
force. The condenser can be used not only on mirrors but also on
all other ritual tools you want to charge for ceremonial use. The
use of certain herbs, stones and metals in small quantities
attracts etheric energy of a like kind. These fluids can be made
individually to represent each of the elements or to enhance a
particular work. I recommend making a universal fluid condenser
that will work for all purposes, having all elements represented
along with tincture of gold, representing solar and God energy,
and essence of moonstone, representing lunar and Goddess energy.
The fluid is applied to recharge the mirror and to draw magickal
symbols upon it for use in ritual. When the mirror is not in use,
it is wise to anoint its surface with the fluid before putting it
away. The fluid can be cleaned off with alcohol or distilled water
later.
To make the fluid, you must first gather the herbs you need. They
can be fresh or dried, but the more life force they contain, the
better. The list of herbs following includes some suggestions, but
you need not use all the herbs to make a good condenser. Use the
ones you can find of good quality.
Once gathered, the herbs are placed in a pot with distilled water
or rainwater. There should be about an ounce of each herb and
enough water in the pot to cover the contents completely. Bring
this mixture to a boil, and then turn down the flame and let it
simmer for an hour with the pot lid on. When this is done, let the
mixture cool and strain it through a muslin cloth. Put the liquid
back into the pot and simmer without the lid until only a quarter
of the original amount is left. When this is cool, add the gold
tincture, about 13 drops to each pint of liquid. Then add the
essence of moonstone. If gold tincture and essence of moonstone
are not available, gold chloride or gold salts can be used and
whole moonstones and crystals added to the mixture as a
vibrational additive. Gold tincture can also be made at home with
fairly good results.
To make gold tincture, take a pure piece of gold and holding it
with a pair of pliers heat it over a flame until red hot.
The red-hot gold is then dunked into a container of about half a
quart of distilled water or rainwater. The heat and rapid cooling
causes gold molecules to remain in the liquid. This process should
be repeated nine times in the same water. Be careful of the rising
steam, and try not to get the hot pliers into the water!
When you have combined all the fluid condenser ingredients
together in a sterilized glass container, then add an equal amount
of wood or isopropyl alcohol to act as a preservative. Store the
condenser in an air-tight glass container in a dark place, and it
will last for years.
For a very powerful and personalized condenser, add a few drops of
your own blood to the mixture. Quartz crystals can be left in the
fluid while it is stored to keep it clear.
Herbs for the fluid condenser
For the water element:
elder flowers, water lily, orris root, white rose, willow,
cucumber seeds, jasmine For the fire element: red poppy, cinnamon
bark, bay leaves, orange peel, rosemary, marigold, galangal,
damiana, tobacco, nutmeg For the earth element: oak, ivy, cypress,
mugwort, vervain, patchouli herb, wheat, primrose For the air
element: mistletoe, acacia, clover, pine, sage, lavender, verbena
For spirit: gold, blood, crystal For healing: juniper, thyme,
mandrake, tansy, elder, coriander, lavender, life-everlasting,
sage, cypress For universal fluid condenser: chamomile, dittany of
Crete, ivy, oak leaves, bay leaves, almonds, cypress, clover,
grape leaves, rose petals, mugwort, jasmine, vervain, mandrake
root Incense for psychic work The best incense to use when working
with the mirror or any scrying device is lunar or psychic in
nature, representing the sphere of Yesod. These types of blends
may be purchased or created by yourself and must be burned on
self-igniting charcoal disks. Here are some excellent recipes for
fine-quality magickal incense to be used for the rites of scrying.
Lunar blend incense:
A base of white sandalwood powder Orris root and myrrh in equal
parts Oil of jasmine and jasmine flowers Oil of lotus and
synthetic ambergris A small pinch of refined camphor Poppy and
cucumber seeds Blend together sandalwood, myrrh, and orris root,
and crush them together into a powder. True refined camphor is
hard to come by, but if you should have some available, add a
pinch to the powdered base. Also add at this time the poppy and/or
dried cucumber seeds. Put this mixture aside in an air-tight jar.
Next, blend the jasmine, ambergris and lotus oils together in
equal parts. Coat the dried jasmine flowers with the blended oil
and set them aside in an air-tight jar. Let these sit until the
next full moon. On the evening of the full moon, mix together (in
a silver or crystal bowl if possible) the oil-soaked flowers and
the powder base with your hands, meditating as you mix on the
beauty and wisdom of Mother Moon. Ask her to bless this incense
with Her magick.
Scrying incense (psychic blend):
A base of mastic gum, myrrh, galangal powder and frankincense
Mugwort and wormwood herbs Rose petals and lavender buds Green
cardamom pods and star anise Bay leaves Oils of mimosa and lotus,
and dark musk Blend together mastic, myrrh, galangal and
frankincense in equal parts and grind to a powder base. Add a few
cardamom and star anise seeds to the base and put aside in an
air-tight jar. Now mix equal parts of ground mugwort, wormwood and
bay, about half the amount used in the powder base. Coat this
mixture with dark musk oil, and put it aside in a sealed jar. Mix
the lavender and rose petals together, coat them with mimosa and
lotus oil and put them aside in a sealed jar. Let the ingredients
stand for nine days during the waxing of the moon.
Then blend all ingredients together by hand. As you mix, meditate
upon your spirit guide and developing your psychic abilities. Know
that when the incense is burned, your inner eyes will open and a
link will be formed between you and world of spirit. (It is best
to remove anise and cardamom seeds from the incense before
burning; their scent will have been absorbed by the incense base.) |
