Ever since human beings became aware of their own image, there has been fascination and fear of reflective surfaces. Folklore and legend have hundreds of stories relating to magic and haunted mirrors. Most, needless to say, tend to be warnings about the dangers of mirrors having negative, supernatural qualities.
In relation to this, mirrors are believed by many to be portals to the spirit realm and even other dimensions.
Below is a few of the beliefs about mirrors that have been around for hundreds of years:
Mirrors have the ability to suck out souls. To avoid this happening mirrors were removed from a room where an ill or dying person lay. The reason being, they were thought to be more vulnerable to the negative power of a mirror.
People were warned never to look into a mirror at night or by candlelight. If you did, you would be certain to see ghosts, demons and portents of death – even your own!
When a person died in a room the mirrors had to be covered or turned to face the wall. Failure to do so would result in the deceased person’s soul being lost – or they may even turn into a vampire.
Even while asleep, it was thought best to cover your mirror as you could be vulnerable to attack from negative spirits or demons during the dark hours. It was also advised, to never place your bed in a place where it is reflected in a mirror.
In order to prevent mirrors being used as a portal by supernatural entities, the mirror should be frequently moved to different areas of the room.
Mirrors with a solid backing placed in the same position for a long period of time, are thought to be more likely to become spiritual portals.
Paranormal phenomena and mirrors
So what kind of experiences have people had with mirrors?
There are hundreds of documented cases of haunted mirrors and they tend to have similar characteristics. People have reported paranormal experiences when:
An old mirror brought into the home from somewhere else.
People, when moving into a new home, have had problems with mirrors left behind by the previous occupants.
People have reported paranormal activity after using mirrors for divination/scrying. Usually no protection was used by the participants and it is thought that they may have created a portal.
It’s suggested that when carrying out any kind of spiritual work with mirrors to use a cleansing and protective ritual. If you are doing spiritual work that doesn’t involve a mirror or other scrying device, then these should either be covered or put away in a safe place.
It has also been observed that using a ouija board can also create portals. Mirrors nearby are often claimed to be the origin of the portal after a ouija board session.
Often people have reported having experiences with haunted mirrors in hotels, friends/relatives home, visiting a place as a tourist and so on. These areas usually, but not always, have a reputation for being haunted.
The phenomena reported in connection with haunted mirrors are varied. The most common manifestation is the formation of images of people/entities other than the people occupying the room. However, it should be remembered that natural distortions and curious light effects can create a number of bizarre effects. Added to this is the brain’s phenomenal ability to create meaningful shapes and faces out of random patterns. But despite this, many of the reported cases of haunted mirrors were witnessed by more than one person at different times of the day, in various lighting conditions. Therefore, these cases may possibly rule out natural causes. Added to this, other forms of paranormal manifestations developed in addition to that connected with the mirror involved.
Negative entities, energy and mirrors
The phenomena experienced by people are diverse. In most cases, but not all, the energy seems to be negative rather than benign. However, some of the apparent malevolence might be due to a fear factor, suggestion or misinterpretation rather than a negative spirit.
Paranormal activity includes:
Shadow People. They have frequently been witnessed in connection with haunted mirrors. Witnesses describe not only shadow people standing near to mirrors, but also within the mirror and entering or leaving them. Quite a few cases also reported other phenomena at the same time such as – cold spots, voices, noises and orbs. Odours – ranging from pleasant to vile – have also been described.
Strange Mist. The mists are not only seen entering and leaving mirrors but sometimes form into more recognisable shapes – usually a humanoid one. Other people have described these mists evolving into dense, dark masses that move around the room as well as within mirrors. The feelings reported by the witnesses are usually of a negative nature. Anger, hostility and evil are some of the feelings experienced. In addition, people have given accounts of other phenomena happening at the same time – cold spots, orbs, glowing eyes, growls, voices and poltergeist activity.
Faces. This is probably by far the most frequent manifestation reported by people in association with haunted mirrors. The faces are, most of the time, human – and sometimes known to the witnesses. But there are a number of accounts where people have reported other entities/demonic faces appearing.
With this amount of paranormal activity associated with mirrors, it’s not surprising that they have the reputation for being portals. But what exactly is a portal?
Spirit portals are not a new concept and have been around for some time. At their most basic level, they are thought to be a form of entrance and exit point for spiritual energy and other dimensions. It has been claimed that portals have been captured on film, usually photographs.
People who have allegedly seen a portal describe them as being similar to a whirl-wind or alternatively, an elongated swirling shape.
Below are some of the characteristics of a portal:
A portal is thought to be a hole or window in the energy fields that surround the spiritual realms/dimensions. Energy beings such as spirits can slip through these openings into the physical plane.
Negative spirits frequently come through portals. This is believed to happen because the astral layer closest to the physical plane is an area where negative energy and entities reside. When a window opens up therefore, it’s more likely for negative energy to pass through first.
Most portals are believed to be a two way pathway for both entering and leaving the physical level.
Very high levels of paranormal activity are claimed to be found near portals.
Many believe that portals are found all over the world and there may even be certain hot spots.
Many believe that not only spiritual beings can use portals, but also beings/aliens from other dimensions.
It is thought that there are special, but very rare, portals that are completely positive. No lower astrals or dimensional beings can enter these unless they are spiritually advanced.
Some psychics and those who are developing their spirituality, claim that not only can they sense portals, but they can also close and open them up.
It is thought by many that portals and vortices are the same thing. However many psychics and investigators believe they are different. That a vortex is simply a pure band of energy, neither negative nor positive and is not a doorway. It can however, be used for meditation and other spiritual work.
Not all psychics and paranormal investigators believe that portals exist.
Apart from mirrors, portals are thought to exist in areas of entry/exit within the physical realm. For example, places such as doorways, windows and even cupboards/wardrobes are potentially portal areas.
As with any paranormal phenomena it’s difficult to know which cases are paranormal or natural phenomena creating weird effects. However, one thing is certain, mirrors will continue to play a part in psychic phenomena.
Perhaps the next time you pass a mirror and you get an odd shiver running down your spine, take a good look at the reflection – you never know who or what might be staring back at you!
Categorised in: Paranormal
This post was written by Nadia Vella