Mirrors...

Ou how I love mirrors...! Especially what they reflect when I am facing them- I'm kind of narcissist but If you don't like yourself how do you expect other people to like you? ;)

I find this object very intriguing and interesting therefore I would like to share some things, stories and uses I know about mirrors with you, some you might know and some don't...

The first mirrors used by people were mostly made by looking into a pool of dark water or a water collected in some sort of vessels O.O

As time goes by people made reflecting objects, as polished stones, volcanic glass, bronze, copper, silver... and got to the point where mirrors are producing mainly from glass.
It will take a whole page for me to write the types of glass mirrors and because of its necessity i will stop with the intro here (thank God..wooh)

Mirrors had and still have lots of uses such in:
SIGNALING (with the sun as light source-this technique was mostly used by the native Americans)

MILITARY APPLICATIONS (It has been said that Archimedes used a large array of mirrors to burn Roman ships during an attack on Syracuse.)

PAINTING ART (Many self-portraits were made by using mirror by the painter)

ENTERTAINMENT ( Disco balls are made of mirror parts, "hall of mirrors"- a place where distorted mirrors are placed for amusement, used to make an illusion...)

DECORATION

ORIENTAL ART-of Feng-shui takes these principles to a
sophisticated level, using many types of mirrors and other reflective objects.
These mirrors can attract positive energy, repel or redirect negative energy in a room or building. According to their law the mirror should never be placed facing the entrance door because it reflects back all the energy that comes in the home.
and...
OCCULT, I will stick to this one for a while :D

Mirrors are believed to be a reflection of the soul and they show what "they" see, therefore a mirror is a symbol for truth hence they can not lie and it is a bad omen if you see something in it which should not be there.
Mirrors are used for casting spells, scrying and catoptromancy (adivination using a mirror)

Mirrors can be protective talismans hence their ability to reflect things (whats cast on you should return to the caster)
Also used in love spells, beauty spells, seeing into another world or realm, summoning ones soul, demon, angel, etc to appear to one for some cause.
Various rituals can be performed in front of a mirror.

There is also the black mirror which is mostly used for summoning.

And now I remembered how many superstitions there are about the mirror.

1. Breaking a mirror will bring you 7 years of bad luck also it brakes a part of the soul.

2.Mirrors falling and breaking mysteriously are believed to be hunted.

3. In our place when there is a deceased member of the family mirrors and reflective surfaces are being covered for 40 days because it is believed that the soul is still walking around the house and if he/she catches its reflection it might bring evil to the home or trap the deceased one's soul in the mirror which will lead to terror every time someone tries to see in the mirror.

4. The story about a calling on seeing your future husband/wife on a mirror while lighting a candle in a dark room at midnight...and if you see a scull it means you will die unmarried or before th wedding

5 Same story with "Bloody Mary"- we all know it. xD

And that's almost all I can come up with, If anyone has any stories about mirrors or just want to extend the post feel free to do it! :D

I forget where exactly but I read somewhere that if you put mirrors on windows and face them outwards they will protect you/your home from any who would try to send you harm and send it back to the original person.

Interesting...

What else can be done with the help of the mirrors...hmm? :)

You could probably also use a 'mirror' to make yourself (and possibly your energy) less noticeable.

It's just a thought, but you could use the image of a mirror and build a mirror shield made specifically to either a) reflect the area around you so that you are not seen, or b) to reflect the energies around you so you are not seen.

Mirror-like shields are actually quite common as people use them to reflect any 'attack' or negative energy that comes near them back at the sender.

Mirror shielding can also be used for sealing someone with shields. In this you'd put a mirror shield facing inwards towards the individual to be sealed, then one facing outwards from them. You do this so that the individual who is sealed cannot do anything themselves in order to escape, nor can they get anyone else to do anything for them.

Sorry I didn't add these before, but they are interesting.

*Is a Mirror lover too*

Heres some stuffI found on mirrors, from: http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/stories/mirrors.txt

Mirrors are the perfect example of an everyday household furnishing fraught with
superstition. Probably the most common belief concerning mirrors is that their
breakage causes seven years of bad luck. Whatever the origins of this belief,
here are some methods to counteract the curse.

* Throw salt over your shoulder.

* Directly after breaking the mirror, turn around three times counterclockwise.

* Burn the mirror, or at least blacken its shards in the flames of a fire. Save
the fragments for a year and then bury them, and the curse will be counteracted
(so you've only had to live with one year of bad luck).

* On the first night after breaking the mirror, light seven white candles and
blow them out at midnight in one breath.

* Touch a tombstone with a piece of the mirror and the hex will be lifted.

Any of these rites can be used, but bear in mind that the "curse" of the broken
mirror is usually a self-created one.

Although viewed with suspicion by some, it is generally said that having a large
number of mirrors in the home is lucky. This is probably because of the mirror's
ability to deflect evil and attract good.

The mirror is symbolic of, among other things, money. Hand one beside the table
in the dining room or kitchen to attract wealth and food to the home.

Ideally, no mirror should be hung so low that it "cuts off" the tallest
household member's head (doing so may cause headaches). However, mirrors
shouldn't be hung too high either.

If you feel sorrowful or troubled while home alone, with no one to talk to and
no apparent way to control your blue mood, stand before a mirror and gaze into
your eyes. Your anxiety should disappear.

Also, Im not really sure on this belief. Ive heard that its unwise to put a mirror in front of your bed :).

Nef nice post and about blue mood going away while staring into mirror, i often do stare in it but if i stare "too much" in my eyes i kind of charge myself with fear and yes real fear. My heart starts to pound harder and my breaths are heavier and its hard after that to look away from it and when i do "get away" from my reflection i avoid the mirror (for about 5 minutes xD )