Reflections of Power: The History, Rituals, and Hidden Uses of Mirrors in the Craft Black Mirrors, Still Water, and Reflective Magic on the Left-Hand Path

 

Reflections of Power: The History, Rituals, and Hidden Uses of Mirrors in the Craft
Black Mirrors, Still Water, and Reflective Magic on the Left-Hand Path

The Ancient Origins of Magical Mirrors
Mirrors have been used in magical traditions for millennia. In ancient Egypt, polished bronze mirrors were sacred to Hathor and other goddesses, seen as extensions of beauty, truth, and divine radiance. In Mesopotamia, mirrors were used in rites to communicate with the underworld. The Greeks practiced catoptromancy, using reflective surfaces to receive visions of the future or contact the dead. In Rome, mirrors were feared and respected as portals to spirits. In ancient China, mirrors were tools of protection and power, often inscribed with symbols to repel evil. In Shinto, the Yata no Kagami is one of the Three Sacred Treasures—a divine mirror representing truth and clarity. European cunning folk and magicians used mirrors in their spellcraft for divination, spirit contact, and protection. John Dee’s black mirror, made of Aztec obsidian, is a well-known example of reflective scrying tied to the angelic and daemonic realms.

Why Mirrors Are Important in Everyday Magical Practice
Mirrors serve more than ritual—they sharpen spiritual perception. When used with intention, a mirror becomes a tool of presence, empowerment, and transformation. Gaze into the mirror not to admire appearance, but to witness your energy, your aura, and your shifting emotional body. The mirror becomes a sacred witness to your practice. Through it, you project affirmations, observe shifts in your selfhood, and receive intuitive insight. Daily mirror work strengthens will, deepens shadow integration, and cultivates psychic clarity. For practitioners on the Left-Hand Path, where self-deification and self-revelation are central, the mirror becomes both altar and abyss.

Types of Reflective Surfaces and Their Use
Black mirrors, crafted from obsidian, painted glass, or onyx, are ideal for void work, shadow communion, demonic invocation, and Qliphothic pathworking. They absorb energy, respond to intention, and serve as direct portals to the subconscious and spirit world.
Still water, especially in dark bowls or cauldrons, reflects hidden knowledge and lunar influence. It is used in dreamwork, elemental rites, and divination. When charged by moonlight, it becomes a gateway to visions and messages.
Polished metals such as bronze, copper, or silver are solar or ancestral in energy. Used in necromantic rites or solar blessings, they reflect divine truth and ancestral memory.
Every mirror must be consecrated before use, cleansed after rituals, and stored or veiled to prevent energetic bleed or unwanted spirit access.

Lesser-Known Facts About Mirror Magic
Mirrors are not neutral—they can absorb and echo psychic energy. Some cultures believe they can trap the soul, which is why mirrors are covered after a death. Reflective surfaces invert reality, making them potent tools for accessing hidden or reversed states, such as shadow selves or underworld paths. Mirrors can be used to anchor astral projections, bind spirits, reflect curses back to their source, or manipulate perception through glamour and presence work. With deep trance, they may serve as temporal gates—revealing past lives, ancestral wounds, or potential futures.

Ritual 1: Shadow Self Communion with the Black Mirror
Purpose: To confront and integrate the shadow
Items: Black mirror, black candle (left), red candle (right), personal sigil or blood offering
Sit before the mirror in darkness. Light the candles. Gaze into the surface until your reflection begins to shift. Speak aloud:
“In this mirror, I see what is hidden. Shadow of myself, rise.”
Observe the changes in your reflection and engage in dialogue. Offer your blood or touch your sigil to the mirror. Close with:
“I witness, I welcome, I walk forward whole.”
Veil the mirror and ground yourself.

Ritual 2: Dream Incubation with a Bowl of Water
Purpose: To receive visions during sleep
Items: Dark bowl of water, mugwort or moonstone, white candle
Set the bowl beside your bed under moonlight. Light the candle and gaze softly into the water. Speak:
“Through the veil of sleep I pass, may the waters show what the mind forgets.”
Whisper your question into the bowl, extinguish the candle, and sleep nearby. Record dreams upon waking.

Ritual 3: Spirit Communion Through Reflective Surface
Purpose: To contact a spirit, deity, or daemon
Items: Black mirror or obsidian bowl, incense, spirit name or sigil, warding tools
Cleanse the space and light incense. Gaze into the mirror while chanting the spirit’s name. When the surface shifts or becomes vibrant, speak:
“[Name], I call you through shadow and reflection. Come forth and be seen. I offer truth and will.”
Engage in silent or verbal communion. When complete, say:
“The gate is closed, the pact remains. Depart in peace.”
Seal the mirror and cleanse the space.

Ritual 4: Presence and Glamour Crafting Before the Mirror
Purpose: To shift your energetic projection
Items: Consecrated glass mirror, anointing oil, personal sigil or mask
Anoint yourself and stand before the mirror. Gaze into your own eyes and recite:
“I am [title], cloaked in presence, seen as I will it.”
Visualize your aura shifting. Repeat daily to reinforce identity and magical will.

Spiritual Philosophy of the Mirror
The mirror is not passive—it responds. It reveals what is hidden, reflects the shadow, and becomes a voice when you learn to listen. In Left-Hand Path practice, it is the reflection of the Self as god, spirit, and sovereign being. It is also the silent witness to your evolution and your descent into the Void. Used daily, it empowers. Used ritually, it transforms. In the mirror, we find both the abyss and the spark of deification.

Ritual Care and Consecration
Mirrors should be cleansed with smoke or moonlight and never used for mundane tasks once dedicated to the Craft. Veil them after spirit work. If a mirror feels spiritually charged or unsettling, bury it, shatter it ritually, or immerse it in running water for cleansing. Speak to your mirror. Charge it with breath and intention. In time, it will respond with visions, dreams, or even spirit presence.

Recommended Resources for Further Study
The Mirror of Magic by Kurt Seligmann
Qliphothic Meditations by Asenath Mason
Draconian Ritual Book by Asenath Mason
Scrying for Beginners by Donald Tyson
The Magus by Francis Barrett
Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham
Videos and lectures from Become A Living God, Edgar Kerval, and Asenath Mason’s publishers offer advanced black mirror teachings and ritual walkthroughs.

Final Words
To work with a mirror is to strip away illusions and witness yourself—uncurated, magical, divine. Black mirrors and reflective surfaces are not only tools, but gateways, teachers, and challengers. In their silence, they speak. In their darkness, they reveal. When you gaze into one with power, you do not just see your face—you see your flame.