Mirrors may be commonplace these days, but they still hold a touch of magic in our lives. In older times mirrors were used as a divination tool. Many superstitions were created around mirrors because of this, especially around breaking a mirror.
In 1872, with the help of Lewis Carroll, Alice peered through the looking glass, and embarked on a magical adventure.
The mirror is amazing in its ability to see something outside of its own form. Back in Greek times one of the arts of divination used was catoptromancy, which was performed by dipping a mirror in water, then handing it to a sick person. If their image appeared distrorted then they were likely to die; if their image was clear they would live.
Mirrors were also used in fortune telling, with the nature in which the image appeared within the mirror serving as a sign for divining the future. The quality of the mirrors in olden times might be taken into account when looking into mirrors as a tool for fortune telling.
What does it mean when someone breaks a mirror? The most common superstition is that breaking a mirror will be followed by seven years of bad luck. An old Catholic superstition, if a mirror is accidentally broken, was to say, “May the Saints avert ill fortune” to reverse the curse brought upon ones self.
What intuitive meaning could there be in the ideas be breaking a mirror? One symbolic thought is that it destroys or dishonors the power of reflection. When we look into a mirror we see not just a reflection, but also our thoughts and feelings. To break a mirror might be considered a breaking point within ourselves, a strong negative editorial on our own self reflection. It is considered ill luck to see your face in a mirror by candlelight.
On the other side, the mirror may be the gateway to illusion when we ask questions such as, “Mirror Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”
Mirror Mirror – Reflecting on our Luck: The mirror is a wonderful place to start when we look into the topic of omens and good luck!
Estee Taschereau brings new light into the illusions and beliefs we create through her powerful intuitive reading and healing sessions. She is the author of books such as Now Is The Time To Believe and Being Here Now.
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