How to make and use a Dark (Black) Mirror

Mirror scrying is an ancient Celtic tool, but it's been used in all shamanic traditions at one time or another. The Celts just did more crazy things with it. Originally, its purpose was related to the military, as in looking into a pool of water to see an enemy's actions and/or shape shifting to a strategic location.

Using a mirror to scry instead of water accomplishes the same thing. You're using the silver as 'water' in the mirror, and also what has 'set' into the liquid silver. Mirror scrying can be seen as a water exercise and has those elements and characteristics.

Another purpose for the candles is to create the proper smoky quality to lay across the surface of the mirror.

The Mirror Itself

The type of mirror you use is important. The older it is, the better. Newer mirrors don't use silver, for one thing. You can find older ones at estate sales, or sometimes antique stores will have some scraps in the back. If you do find a scrap, put a wood frame and back on it. It also should be a bathroom or daily-use mirror, as opposed to a decorative or ornamental one. This means that a lot of people's energy will be in there - it gets set into the liquid/silver - making it much more powerful and pliable. At first, it's easier to connect with people's energy in the mirror and see what they saw and who they are/were. (Hint: this is an exercise in itself).

Cleansing The Mirror

When you first obtain the mirror, it must be 'cleansed' with Intent by the user. This can be done a number of ways: by using Reiki, your hand, a significant feather, salt/breath, or just your breath are all effective techniques.

Use the Reiki Power symbol on it by simply drawing it above the mirror, then move it into the surface and through the mirror with your hand. The power symbol gets it clean and keeps it that way.
You can also sweep the mirror using your hand or breath. Go from left to right (palm down), and move it across and off the mirror. Once is enough.

Put some sea salt on the surface of the mirror, and then use your breath in the same way and motion as if you were using your hand.

Run a feather (one used in shamanic work) across the surface from left to right.

Once the mirror is initially cleansed, it should be fine. Remember, though, that these are basic suggested cleansing techniques, uncomplicated, and using Intent is the key element. Keeping it simple is always best.

With practice, it is a powerful tool that was used extensively by all sorts of people in the past. Its uses are truly limitless, and you should approach it this way.

Setting Up For The Exercise

The physical set up for using the mirror is simple also. You can put it on a table and pull up a chair or sit on the floor with the mirror in your lap. Either way, make sure that you're comfortable and cannot see your own reflection in it. Use a dark room and a couple of candles positioned in the following way:

Candle______Candle

----------Mirror-----------

_______YOU_______

You can see by the amazing artwork above where each element is placed in the exercise. With the candles, you are setting up a field or space in which to work and with things being positioned this way it places you visually inside that space. You are essentially connecting two triangles; one formed by you, the mirror and the candles, and the other created in non-linear space and time by the reflection of the two candles in the mirror itself. This will compress your energy similar to the way it's done in the Recapitulation. When everything is chugging along like it should, you will find yourself feeling as though the two candles are actually behind you as you move into alignment. Another purpose for the candles is to create the proper smoky quality to lay across the surface of the mirror.

The Exercise

Once you've got the space, mirror, candles, and you set up - get physically comfortable, take a deep breath and let it out. Clear your mind and focus on what you are about to do. Create an Intent, or ask a question using Intent. You can say it out loud, that helps. Also visualize it, feel it in every part of your being, 'your bones', and then push it out with your will. Let it go, detach from it as you move it. Your Intent can be anything, but it should be crystal clear. Okay, begin by looking at the surface of the mirror (remember that you are not seeing any reflection). At one point, it may go black or silvery and you will feel a shift. You're on the way! The feeling you will find is that the mirror surface itself becomes much like water. Allow it to move and change, then ask your question or state your Intent again. Intent is very important going in, but it is also important once you realize you have moved that you restate the obvious, so to speak. Don't do it verbally, though. Having set the Intent, you know the feeling, so simply express it in those terms. This allows your energy to flow through much better.

Remember that it still remains a tool and merely the means to accomplish an Intent. Intent is about movement, and mirror scrying can be a vehicle for this.

Some Things You'll Notice

It's hard to say exactly what will happen. Anything goes! It just depends on you, how you move, and what your manifested Intent will bring. As a first step, you can work with scrying on the surface of the mirror to look at things. A second step (once a certain expertise is acquired and verified) is to move through the mirror. And, of course, then there's shape shifting and disappearing from this attention. At least, that's how I see a natural progression as one works with this.

Just remain open and fluid. If you have problems with getting much from the mirror, you can add smoke to the mixture by placing incense at the bottom of your mirror and using the smoke that rises across it's face as a sort of liquid energy to change the reflection of it. Then again, the surface may not change much for you. You may just dive straight in. The nice thing about this method is that it is relatively harmless; you don't have to worry about going off the deep end. If you start seeing things you don't want to, just don't look. Other methods are more transportive and can cause you to have to deal with things whether you want to or not.

With practice, it is a powerful tool that was used extensively by all sorts of people in the past. Its uses are truly limitless, and you should approach it this way. Once you learn to trap your attention, you can learn to journey with it, seek visions or answers to questions, affect outcomes, moving through time (seeing into the future and past), move to different places in this time, memory retrieval, finding something or someone, stalking outcomes, communicating with shamans, and retrieving information. It throws you pretty convincingly up the ladders of energy. In the process, you learn about intent and energy, how to use it, what it looks like and all sorts of things.

Remember that it still remains a tool and merely the means to accomplish an Intent. Intent is about movement, and mirror scrying can be a vehicle for this.