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How to make a Scrying Mirror

by G.W. Fisler

Scrying does not have to be an expensive undertaking. The price of a lead crystal sphere is outside the price range that most of us are willing to pay. This is especially true for someone new to scrying who is not yet sure of success.

Nostrodamas is credited with seeing the future in a bowl of water that was colored with ink. This and other low tech methods are ideal for someone who wants to try his hand at scrying without a heavy investment.

The method that I prefer is a scrying mirror. One of these can be constructed for less that five dollars. The first step is to buy a picture frame. An oval frame is ideal but any other shape is acceptable. Try to find a frame that has some aesthetic appeal for you. Frames may be found in many of the “dollar stores�?that seem to be popping up
everywhere. The frame must have a glass insert and not a plastic one. Now on to the construction.

First, disassemble the frame. Clean one side of the glass with your “Scrying Mirror Cleaning Solution�?(i.e. Windex). Paint this side with a thick black paint. Oil based enamel seems to work best. I prefer the gloss black but matte black will work well also. Apply several coats of paint until light will not pass through the glass.

At this stage you may paint designs or symbols around the edge of the frame if you are artistically inclined. If not there is a variety of frames with designs already on them. The choice is yours.

Next, assemble the frame with the painted side of the glass to the inside. The thicker the plate of glass, the “deeper�?the mirror will appear.

A method is needed to hold the frame at a shallow angle to the vertical. Some frames have a leg on the back that will do nicely. Trimming the bottom of the leg will adjust the angle. An alternate method is to use one of the display stands that are used for collector plates. Varying the size of the stand will increase or decrease the angle of the frame. These are available at craft stores or those stores where “America shops�?

An alternate method of constructing a scrying mirror is to use a clear crystal plate. Paint the back side as described for the picture frame. With this method I recommend covering the painted portion with felt or some other heavy material. This will help protect the paint from being scratched
or scuffed off.

You are now ready to begin scrying. Good luck and clear visions!

SCRYING PROCEDURES
by G.W. Fisler

The first step in scrying is to pick out the medium that you wish to scry with. There are many choices. They range from the simplest (a clear glass filled with water) to the expensive (a large, clear crystal sphere). There are many variations in between.

You may have read other articles on scrying either on the net or in a book. Let me state that all of these writings are wrong, or at least partially. wrong. Every article that I have read states the author's preferences. In other words they champion what worked for the author. You may, and probably, are different. I can not over-emphasize that you should do what feels right for you. We are all individuals who have a different psychological makeup.

The following is a short list of what I have read:

You must use an absolutely clear crystal
You should use a crystal with inclusions (defects)
lead crystal will not work
lead crystal is the only reliable medium
The crystal sphere should be 2" in diameter
the crystal sphere should be at least 3" to 4" in diameter
stare at the crystal without blinking
do not focus on the crystal, but look "past" the crystal. Blinking is all right

This list of contradictions could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. You need to get what feels right to you. I personally prefer the scrying mirror for several reasons, the first being cost. If you do not want to make your own please e-mail me to discuss a custom made scrying mirror. This does not mean that I would not or could not use another medium. It is just that the black faced scrying mirror is what I feel most comfortable with. The following is a list of mediums that have been used. There are more possible variation than I have listed here:

Crystal sphere
Crystal skull (carved)
Mirror (could be a black mirror or a silver mirror)
Glass of water
Bowl of water colored with ink
Candle flame
Coals of a fire
fire smoke
Pool of water
Fog or mist over water

Various disciplines mandate a consecration ritual before using the scrying medium. On a purely psychological standpoint this makes sense. The subconscious mind must be convinced what you want it to accomplish. This may be accomplished through ritual or meditation. Polishing the crystal or mirror while thinking about what you want to accomplish will be enough.

Anything that will induce a state of altered awareness should be done. For beginners dim lighting is a must. Incense may be burned and/or meditation music may be played. Do what feels right for you. A side note is that in past centuries incense played a more important role in inducing altered states than in the present time. The reason for this is that the incense was inhaled. This decreased the amount of oxygen in the blood stream. The brain will enter an altered state during periods of oxygen deprivation. I do not recommend this procedure due to possible health risks. It is only mentioned as an historical note.

The actual procedure for scrying is simple and straightforward:

Get the room ready - dim lighting, incense, music, etc. that you want
Place the scrying medium on a table at a convenient level
A dim light (candle or?) should be behind the viewer. To start out this should be the only light in the room.
Perform the progressive muscle relaxation exercise
Look at the mirror (or crystal) in a relaxed manner, focusing about 5" past the surface of the mirror (this may or may not work for you so try other methods)
You will blink but do not be too concerned about it
Keep your mind blank except if you have a specific question to ask
Do not scry for over 20 minutes at first

The images may appear in different manners. They may just appear or they may be preceded by a "cloud of mist" forming first. The mist could dissipate or morph into the images. The images could be symbols of the subconscious or may be actual pictures of events, past, present or future. As an example of each person being different, the first visual impression that I receive looks like flying insects rotating on the reflective surface of the mirror.

This is the basics. Your success at scrying may take days, weeks or months to accomplish. You may be successful the first time that you try. Practice will make perfect, so keep on trying if you do not succeed at first. If your feel that you are at a dead end, try something different. It may help. Keep practicing. Remember that nothing worthwhile in life is easy. Happy visions

PSYCHOMANTIUM

by G.W. Fisler

The psychomantium is an ancient form of mirror gazing that has been popularized by Dr. Raymond Moody, M.D. It has its roots in the oracles of ancient Greece. This type of mirror gazing is used to contact spirits of departed loved ones.

The initial setup is a little more complex and costly than that of a scrying mirror. A large mirror (4' high by 3-1\2' wide) is attached to a wall with the bottom edge about 3' from the floor. A comfortable, high backed chair is placed about 3' from the mirror. The top of the backrest of the chair should be below the bottom of the mirror. The feet of the chair should be trimmed to allow the chair to slant farther back than is normal.

The person sitting in the chair should not be able to see his/her reflection in the mirror. The area around the chair and mirror is surrounded by a black velvet curtain. This black void should be all that is reflected in the mirror. A lamp with a 15 watt bulb is placed behind the chair. This is the only illumination in the room.

This procedure is usually performed after dark to alleviate the problem of light entering the room through the windows. Thick, dark curtains or a room without windows would allow you to use the psychomantium even during the day.

Proper mental preparation is essential for this procedure to work. Dr. Moody starts his participants at 10:00 AM. They are requested to bring personal items from the deceased person that is to be contacted. Throughout the day they discuss the deceased. At dusk the participant enters the psychomantium. He/she is told to stay as long as they like. They were also told to blank their mind except for thoughts of the deceased and to gaze into the mirror.

I recommend Dr Moody's book "REUNIONS: Visionary Encounters with Departed Loved Ones" for a complete explanation of his findings. I will try to hit the high points:

These visions did not disturb the participants but instead seemed to add closure to an unresolved part of their life
In certain instances the vision was not of the person that was expected but instead a person who had unfinished personal issues with the participant
The visions communicated in an intellectual manner with the participants
The participants claimed that it was a real person that contacted them and not just a vision of that person

My experiments in this area are still ongoing. As soon as I have enough data I will try to make some sense of it and will publish the findings here. I am trying to determine if a large size gazing mirror (see "How to make a Scrying Mirror) will have any different effect than using a regular mirror.

I hope that I have given enough information for you to try this experiment for yourself. E-mail me with your experiences. I would love to hear from you.

copyright G.W. Fisler June 2000

Magic Mirrors

Magic Mirrors - They enabled, it was said, to see the present, the past and the future. They are of great variety, and of great antiquity.

mirror apparition

"Then from his secret Art the Sage Vizier,
A Magic Mirror made; a Mirror like
The bosom of All-wise Intelligence,
Reflecting in its mystic compass all
Within the sevenfold volume of the World
Invol'd; and looking in that Mirror's face
The Shah beheld the face of his Desire."

St. Augustine (in De Civitate Dei, Ch. VII, 35) says that they were used by the witches of Thessaly who wrote their oracles on them in human blood.

Varron claims that they are of Persian origin, the Magi having used them for a method of divination called Catoptromancy. Spartianus says that Didius Julianus used them to know the result of the battle which Tullius Crispinius fought with Septirnus Severus, his rival for the Throne.

The persons who, in Rome, read these mirrors were called Specularii.

In the East these instruments were called Stellar Mirrors. Pica della Mirandola had faith in them, provided they were made under a favorable constellation, and that they should only be consulted when one felt comfortably warm, for the cold harms the lucidity of their oracle. Reinaud speaks of them in his Description of the Blacas Cabinet. He adds that the operators perfume them, fast for seven days before using them, and recite sacramental prayers at the moment of consulting them. The Chinese and the Hindus made theirs of metal, concave or convex.

Muratori tells us of a Bishop of Verona who was put to death because under his pillow a magic mirror was found bearing on the reverse the word flore which means flower, and proves collaboration with the devil, since, according to St. Cyprian, Satan sometimes appeared in the shape of a flower. A mirror of this kind was also found in the house of Calas de Rienzi. Catherine de Medici had one.

The shape of these mirrors was, as we have said, very varied. Some bore the name of their inventor (Cagliostro, Swedenborg, etc.) More recently they have been used to fix the eye of clairvoyants or mediums so as to put them into a state of hypnosis.

Cahagnet, in his Magnetic Magic, quotes the principal mirrors as follows :-

The Theurgic Mirror - a bottle of clear water looked at by a child and in which the Archangel Gabriel replies by pictures to his questions.
The Mirror of the Sorcerers - any kind of mirror or pail of water. The country sorcerer, standing near the consultant, recites a spell and shows him the reflection of the picture wanted.
The Mirror of Cagliostro - the bottle of clear water is on a piece of furniture, and before it a child, on whose head the operator places one hand and tells him the questions to ask, to which replies are given in allegorical pictures.
The Mirror of du Polet - a piece of cardboard having pasted on one side a sheet of tin and on the other a piece of black cloth. The operator magnetizes it strongly and places it a foot away from the eye of the consultant who, having fixed his eyes on it, soon sees in it the desired object.
The Swedenborgian Mirror - a paste of graphite mixed with olive oil is poured on an ordinary mirror and allowed to dry for a few days. The consultant, whose image must not be reflected (he stands at some distance for this reason) looks into it, whilst the operator stares magnetically at the back of his head, and vision takes place.
The Magnetic Mirror - a round crystal globe filled with magnetized water at which the consultant looks carefully until the desired vision appears.
The Narcotic Mirror - similar globe but a narcotic powder made of belladonna, henbane, mandragora, hemp, poppy, etc., is dissolved in the water.
The Galvanic Mirror - it is made of two discs, one of copper and concave, the other of zinc and convex, both magnetized nine times in nine days. The center of the concave is looked at.
Cabalistic Mirrors - there are seven, being seven globes each representing one of the seven planets of Astrology, made of the corresponding metal and consulted on the appropriate astrological day. They are:-
- The globe of the Sun, made of gold and consulted on Sundays as to superior beings and the great persons of the earth.
- The globe of Mercury, made of a glass globe filled with mercury and consulted on Wednesdays as to questions of money.
- The globe of Jupiter, made of tin and consulted on Thursdays as to the probability of success and as to the devotion of domestics.
- The globe of Mars, made of iron and consulted on Tuesdays as to quarrels, lawsuits, enmities.
- The globe of Venus, made of copper and consulted on Fridays as to questions of love.
- The globe of Saturn, made of lead and consulted on Saturdays as to secrets, lost articles, etc.
- The globe of the Moon, made of silver and consulted on Mondays as to dreams and plans.

THE MIRROR

Walk backward several feet out of doors in moonlight with mirror in your hand, or within doors with candle in one hand and mirror in the other, repeating following rhyme, and face of your future companion will appear in glass:

“Round and round, O stars so fair!
Ye travel and search out everywhere;
I pray you, sweet stars, now show to me
This night who my future husband (wife) shall be.�?BR>

Seeing Into Darkness

Scrying Using the Black Mirror

by Katlyn Breene

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

To contact spirit guides

To access knowledge

For healing and self improvement

As a magickal transmitter and receiver

For divining the past, present and future

As a portal to the astral plane

For shamanic journeying

For ritual invocation and evocation

To improve visualization skills

Preparing to work with the black scrying mirror

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.

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.)

Mirror Scrying

Mirror scrying is an evolved form of water scrying. When it became possible to build mirrors they were regarded as being like water that was fixed into one place.

The early mirrors were made of polished copper, brass, marcasite, tin foil or mercury behind glass, polished silver and obsidian. All types of mirrors may be used for scrying and the size is not important.

Because mirrors are linked to the moon mirrors should be backed with silver. Try and use a round or oval mirror instead of a square mirror.

For the frame try and use a mirror that has a silver frame. Old mirrors also seem to work better than new mirrors.

Most seers prefer to use a black mirror. Because this is difficult to buy you may have to make one.

Just simply take out the glass and paint it black. You may have to give it a few coats of paint though. When you put it back in the frame make sure the glass part is to the front.

The use of black mirrors may be traced back over the centuries. Alchemists Edward Kelley and John Dee used a black mirror of shewstone - a piece of polished obsidian.

Catoxtromancy is a form of divination by means of looking glasses. In ancient Rome, special diviners known as "blindfolded boys" were known to gaze into mirrors in order to experience visions of the future or of the unknown, and according to the 4th century 'Scriptores Historiae Augustae' the death of Julian the Apostate was accurately predicted by diviners using this method.

When using the black mirror for scrying you do not want to see your reflection. The best is to leave the mirror on a table and look at it from an angle.

Look into the depths of the mirror as though you were looking into a bowl of water. At first it may appear gray than colors will come and go.

With time and practice you will be able to see sacred images like still photographs or moving film images. Spirits may sometimes look at the scryer, talk to the scryer or even touch the scryer. The visions may even exist outside the mirror and surround the scryer on all sides.

Mirror Scrying - Other Methods

This type of Mirror Scrying involves messages received on a mirror ...

after it is steamed up in an area such as bathroom - these messages appear in totality and not no develop as if a script or art design. They may come from the consciousness of the scryer.
standing in a dark room with a flashlight a few inches below your face and stare into the mirror for a few minutes. You will see your features change then change again. Some believe this reflects who you are in a parallel or past life.

Remember - when it comes to reality - it's all done with mirrors...

Catoptromancy

Catoptromancy, also Enoptromancy, Catoxtromancy and Caloptromancy. A form of divination technique utilizing a mirror, which was turned to the moon to catch the lunar rays. The sought after answers usually appeared in characters of blood on the face of the moon, or rather, in its reflection on the mirror. This is a very ancient form of crystal gazing, and was practiced extensively by the Greeks and Romans.

Another method, used for 'medical' prognostications, involved hanging the mirror by a thread over a fountain or pool of water. After the mirror was slowly lowered until its base barely touched the surface of the water, some incense was burnt and prayers were recited. The presage of death or recovery was arrived according as the to the face that appeared in the mirror. If it was a fresh and healthy image, recovery was imminent; but if instead a ghastly aspect was represented, death was sure to come swiftly.

Catoptromancy is a type of divination with a mirror which the second century AD Greek traveler Pausanius described as follows: "Before the Temple of Ceres at Patras, there was a fountain, separated from the temple by a wall, and there was an oracle, very truthful, not for all events, but for the sick only. The sick person let down a mirror, suspended by a thread till its based touched the surface of the water, having first prayed to the goddess and offered incense. Then looking in the mirror, he saw the presage of death or recovery, according as the face appeared fresh and healthy, or of a ghastly aspect."

Another divinatory method of using a mirror was to place it at the back of a boy's or girl's head when their eyes were bandaged shut. In Thessaly the responses appeared in characters of blood on the face of the moon, probably projected in the mirror. This practiced was derived by the Thessalian sorceresses from the Persians who wanted to establish their religion and mystical rituals in the countries which they invaded.

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