chapter
8

Spells for
Witch’s Mirrors

The nervousness that some people hold for the witch’s mirror seems to stem from the idea that their only uses are for harmful magic. While that is one use, it’s not by any stretch of the imagination the only use. Just like any other witch’s tool, the user must constantly work with an awareness of their own ethics and decide the path they want their magic to take. It’s important to remember that there isn’t a magical tool available that can’t be used for either good or harm; the mirror is no exception.

Many people compare the use of magic to the use of electricity and suggest that you can use electricity to light your home and cook your dinner, but it can also kill you and burn your house down, depending on the use. This concept can also apply to the much-maligned witch’s mirror. Any witch prepared to put aside old, superstitious ideas about mirrors and get a little creative can come up with many wonderful uses for magical mirrors. As with any magical tool, it’s the heart of the witch that’s the key to how their magic unfolds.

So how does one come up with spells using mirrors as a magical tool? Mirrors can be used to reflect things, to multiply things you want more of, for magical protection, for blessing a space, for communicating with deity, to boost your energy—the possibilities are endless. This chapter will include some useful spells using mirrors, as well as some magical backing images and seals to help enchant your magical mirrors.

I hope you consider these spells and formulas a jumping- off point and come up with your own ideas for working with witch’s mirrors.

mirror lore
In Russia breaking a mirror is believed to cause a rift between you and a close friend or loved one.

House Blessing Witch’s Glass Spell

This spell uses a beautiful piece of mercury glass to reflect good intentions and blessings all around your home. You’ll need either a real or faux mercury glass jar–type candleholder or hurricane lamp, either storebought or handcrafted (see chapter 6 for instructions). Make sure your mercury glass piece is large enough to set a glass votive holder inside of it. You’ll also need a white votive candle anointed with frankincense or sandalwood oil and dropped into a small votive holder. If you’re using storebought mercury glass, clean it with chapter 7’s new mirror purifier.

Rub some mercury glass wash (see chapter 7) onto the inside and outside of the mercury glass piece to imbue it with energy. As you do, whisper this charm over the glass:

Witch’s glass I empower
Mirror shine, light divine, shadows cower

Work with a soft cloth or a paper towel, making sure it’s smudge and dust free.

Set the mercury glass in the heart of the home, the place where most of the merriment usually takes place; it’s often the kitchen, dining room, or sometimes the family room. Set the candle within the votive holder inside the mercury glass and light it. The first thing you’ll notice is that the light radiating out from the mercury glass is twofold: the light from the room is reflected outward by the reflective mercury glass, and the light from the candle within also shines through it, creating a magical and powerful enchantment for your home. Now repeat the enchantment charm again, then carefully take the candle within the mercury glass from one room to the next, repeating the charm in each room of the home and ending back at the heart of the home where you began. Allow the candle to burn out as it simultaneously reflects good vibes and radiates blessings.

The trick is to fill every corner of your life with your own positive intentions until there’s no room for baneful energy to fit through your door. Once the initial spell is cast, you may use it for a quick house blessing anytime. Burn votives or tealight candles within the mercury glass from time to time to boost the positive vibrations in the home and cast away negativity.

mirror lore
In some traditions it’s bad luck to have two mirrors on the walls directly facing each other in your home.

Mirror Box Wrong Number Spell

This clever spell redirects nasty vibes sent your way from either purposefully negative magic or accidentally cranky people to a magical “wrong number,” keeping the negativity away from you.

Yeah, I know—witches don’t cause harm, right? Actually, witches are human, and sometimes even if it’s not a very nice thing to do, it does happen. Even negative energy from grumpy everyday folks can be unwittingly sent your way. But you can use a box with mirrors on the inside to collect that baneful energy and trap it far away from you.

Obtain a piece of fresh ginger root from the produce section at the grocery store. Using a permanent marker, draw a simple face upon it. Securely wrap the root three times around with copper wire and leave about six inches of wire coming off of the root. Hold the root over your heart and charge it with your intention:

Foes think this is me, but it is not

Haters will hate with all they’ve got

The bane they send addressed to me

Instead this root the receiver shall be

Their target just slightly off its mark

Be it flaming hate or angry spark

Will only find this precious root

No curse shall find me nor bear fruit

And thus confused their hexes be

Drawn to this root but not to me

Now place the charged root and a couple teaspoons of salt inside the mirrored box. Glue the box closed with a bead of industrial adhesive sprinkled with cayenne and black pepper. When you close the box, make sure the copper wire trails out through the lid with a couple inches outside of the sealed box. The copper wire acts as a spiritual antenna picking up baneful signals sent to you, landing them in your new magical “spam folder,” sealed away and never, ever to be opened. Once the energy is drawn in by the ginger root energetically masquerading as you, it becomes trapped by the mirrors in the box and can’t escape. The trick is that magical bullies can use up all their energy dialing and sending to a number that’s been disconnected, and they won’t even know it! (Heh-heh!)

Ideally, this box should be hidden; it can be placed within another box and hidden in an attic, the garage rafters, or buried near the edge of your property, wire side facing away from your home. Should you ever need to get rid of the box, burn it in a bonfire, thus destroying any lingering trapped energy. Another option if you can’t do a bonfire is to wrap the whole thing in a brown paper bag and deposit it in a public dumpster at least a mile away from your home.

Return to Sender Spell

Most “return to sender” spells emulate the martial arts concept of letting an attacker’s own momentum undo their attack, not only breaking a hex but sending it right back. I used to practice martial arts myself, so I totally get that.

Here’s another option for breaking a hex and returning the opposite of what was sent, undoing the bad situation and anger between you and the other person and thus diffusing the situation. Since we’ll be using a mirror, we’ll reverse it. The benefit of this kind of reversal is that it can put the kibosh on potential “witch wars” that can go on and on, with lightning bolts bouncing back and forth like a tennis match but with no real winners.

If you feel that you’ve been under attack, first realize that if it’s a psychic attack situation, even if you think you know what’s happening, you could be wrong. You might be convinced that Endora has been casting against you, but in fact she’s been ignoring you completely while Winifred has a poppet that looks just like you that’s full of pins. Not nice, sweet Winifred—you didn’t see that one coming! The other possibility is that you’ve been unwittingly “bad-vibing” yourself; yes, it happens. It’s easy to get so worked up over an unpleasant interaction with someone that you can actually project your feelings onto the other person and assume they’re out to get you. This can cause all kinds of problems that can look just like indicators of a hex, when you are, in fact, manifesting it yourself. I use “anyone not in accord with my greater good” as the name in this spell; that way, if it’s someone you don’t expect or even yourself, it’s all good. The problem will still be solved; after all, isn’t that the most important thing?

You’ll need a purple taper spell candle, a candleholder appropriate for the candle, and a mirror to set the candle on. Etch a line around the circumference of the candle’s middle. From the wick to the center of the candle, rubbing from the wick down, anoint the candle with dragon’s blood oil while charging the top half of the candle with the following:

I draw all bad vibes into this candle

No matter who sent it, whatever their angle

Anyone not in accord with my greater good

Return it to sender, be it understood

Now anoint the bottom half of the candle, from the center to the base, with lavender oil, charging the bottom half of the candle with the following:

I send it back but flip it around

Reverse it all with magic abound

Reverse thoughts, views, as bad vibes flee

I soothe hard feelings between thee and me

If any shadows have offended

Now turnabout, all discord ended

Set the candle on the mirror, surround it with a circle of salt, light it, and say:

Reverse, reverse, return to sender

Negative energy must surrender

Opposite, opposite, as I send back

Clear the air and no more flack

Allow it to burn all the way down. The top half of the candle anointed with dragon’s blood will draw any negativity from around you and all aspects of your life into the candle. Once the flame reaches the center and the lavender-anointed bottom half, it will reverse the energy to its sender while also reversing the energy itself, healing the situation while at the same time protecting you from future problems.

Smoke and Mirrors Spell

This spell keeps you under the radar when you don’t want to be noticed. Bad hair day, you’re inundated with work, or you just don’t feel like talking to anyone—there are lots of reasons that a witch might want to go unnoticed from time to time.

You’ll need a box decorated with mirrors on the outside, a few pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, and a bit of chicory. You’ll also need a printed photo of yourself (on computer paper is fine) and either a sage bundle or a stick of lavender incense.

Light the sage bundle or incense stick and wave your photo through the smoke. Drop the photo inside the box, add the seeds and chicory, fan more smoke inside the box, and slam the box shut, trapping a little smoke inside. Pass the outside of the box through the smoke; as you do, repeat this charm:

Smoke and mirrors work for me

Grant me invisibility

I journey quietly through my day

Unwanted attention stay away

Safe, shielded, blessed, and obscured

With harm to none, this spell’s secured

The last two lines of the charm are meant to keep you from being accidentally bumped into, unnoticed at a busy intersection, or anytime going unseen wouldn’t be safe. Leave the box on a shelf, table, or altar where it will be undisturbed, and go about your day unbothered. The spell creates a camouflage effect; you won’t literally be invisible, so you can’t sneak up and tie anyone’s shoelaces together, but you will simply be unnoticed.

When you’re ready to break the spell (don’t forget about it or you’ll be wondering why everyone is ignoring you), open the box and say:

Invisibility is now undone
Cast smoke and mirrors to the sun!

Take everything out; leave the seeds and chicory as an offering somewhere in nature. Leave the photo in a sunny window to shine away the enchantment, and leave the open box in the sunshine for at least one hour.

Psychomanteum Spirit Contact Spell

With this spell you can safely open a portal to the other side of the veil to contact loved ones. You can also use this spell to contact familiar spirits, spirit guides, or even your patron deity. Use either a black scrying mirror or silver mirror; this special mirror can be constructed with the instructions in chapter 6. If looking into mirrors in a dark room or using a spirit board oracle such as a Ouija board freaks you out, you may want to pass this one by.

Set up your room. A traditional psychomanteum was a small booth all draped in black, with nothing but a large mirror and a chair, but you don’t have to go that far to get good results. Set up in a quiet room, play music that was appreciated by the person or spirit you want to contact, and angle the mirror so that it reflects the room but does not capture your own reflection. You may instead wish to hang a black cloak in such a way that it is the only thing seen within the reflection from the angle of your chair. Place a photo and/or items owned by or significant to the person you wish to contact. If you’re contacting a spirit guide or deity, use items that you associate with them or pictures that represent them. Turn off the lights and have either a very dim light or a candle somewhere behind you, safely away from anything flammable. Soften your gaze into the mirror and repeat the following evocation to open communication:

Harken ye spirits of the next world

This portal of aether is unfurled

As I reach out to thee across the abyss

We share kind thoughts from your world to this

Any spirits whose motives aren’t pure

Shan’t cross this gate, my magic secure

Those who commune for my greatest good

Our thoughts and words shall be understood

Communication may come in the form of visions, a voice, or even feelings. You may or may not physically see the person, but you might sense their presence in other ways. If at any point you feel uncomfortable or are afraid, spray the mirror with purifier and declare firmly, “I close this portal now,” to shut it down right away. Once you have reached the end of your spirit communication session, announce the following devocation and commence closing the mirror:

Harken ye spirits, our visit is finishing

This portal of aether now is diminishing

Return to your realm and light the way

Harming none along the way

I thank you sincerely and honor your time

Gratitude for communion from your world to mine

At this point you may turn on the light and cleanse the front of the mirror with mirror purifier to close the portal, which is like hanging up the phone at the end of a conversation.

Sun Mirror Metabolism Booster Spell

Have you ever had that feeling that your energy is low, you’re worn out, and you can’t seem to jumpstart yourself? Does brain fog take over so much that even an extra cup of coffee just leaves your hands shaky but not energized? When I reached fifty years in this body, I found that my metabolism wasn’t the same as it once was, so I invented this method for a metabolism booster. (Even you young witches might like it too.) The stresses of daily life, being overworked, or not getting enough sleep at night can all be contributing factors to low energy. As a witch and a human being, we need that energy to manifest our goals, so let’s take it back!

Our energy system is made up of chakras. Chakras are energy centers located in the body that correspond to locations in your spirit or astral body that act as conduits or connectors between you and the spirit of everything. The chakra that is the core of our personal power is called the solar plexus chakra. It’s a vortex of energy located between your belly button and the bottom of your sternum, and it’s the center of willpower, self-esteem, and joy. This important energy center can get blocked and sludged up with self-doubt, shame, and lack of confidence, making you feel like all you can do is sit passively and watch life go by. Oh, heck no—we’ll have none of that! I’ve got a mirror magic fix to help you get your solar plexus chakra clean and healthy so you start running your life again, boosting your metabolism, personal energy, and self-confidence.

All you need for this spell is a sun mirror made from a flat mirror (don’t use convex or concave; see instructions for making one in chapter 6), a sunny day, and your powers of visualization. First locate your solar plexus chakra: feel under your rib cage for your sternum, the flexible bone that holds your ribs together in the front. Move your fingers down the center of your chest to the very bottom point of your sternum. Now put the fingers of your other hand on your belly button and find the spot that’s right between the two; that’s where your solar plexus chakra is. Step outside on a sunny day with your sun mirror—noon may work best—and find a position where you can stand or sit and still reflect the rays from the mirror onto the center of your solar plexus chakra. This may take a little bit of trial and error; it’s best if the sun is over one shoulder. Be careful not to shoot yourself right in the eye with the sun’s rays. Once you’ve got it, let it linger there on your solar plexus, shining its light.

Allow the power of the sun to fill your solar plexus with its power; as you do, visualize a glowing yellow light there. Visualize the light of the sun reflected in the sun mirror beginning to burn away dark-colored blockages within the chakra; like light blasting away shadows, any psychic sludge within the chakra fades away and your solar plexus brims with yellow light. See the light spinning, pulsing, and glowing as it begins to morph into a brilliant yellow lotus flower. Keep the sun mirror shining on your solar plexus as long as you wish, and soak up those good rays. Once you’re done, you will start to feel energy return into your body and life. Drink lots of water over the next several days in order to help your body release any toxins that have built up.

mirror lore
In Russia it’s believed that
if you eat in front of a mirror, it will ruin your good looks.

Mirrored Orb Garden Prosperity Spell

Why not have a witch’s mirror in the garden? My favorite witch’s garden mirror is a reflective gazing ball. These first became popular during Victorian times but have enjoyed a resurgence over the last decade as a beautiful garden ornament. Additionally, they are delightful for working magic in the garden.

Your garden is a symbol of your abundance and prosperity—everything green and growing, celebrating the cycles of life right in your own yard. A gazing ball reflects and multiplies that abundance of growth, creating what looks like a little microcosm of plenty while magically creating more prosperity in your life.

Because this kind of mirror stays outside, I like to charge it using my will, words, crystals, and plants because a mirror wash can disappear with the next rainstorm. You’ll need a reflective gazing ball with a base, a compass (or, for techie witches, a compass app on your phone), a small citrine tumbled stone, and four plants of your choice for prosperity, such as basil, mint, or marigolds. Find a perfect spot in your garden for the gazing ball and poke the little citrine crystal right under the base and into the ground. Now plant your prosperity plants right around the base, one at each of the cardinal points (east, south, west, and north).

Grab a cloth and wipe the gazing ball and base clean all around as you say:

Orb of magic, shining bright

Multiply abundance within my sight

Air, fire, water, and earth

I’m open to life and all it’s worth

Boost my prosperous energy

By my true will, so mote it be

Now your lovely witch’s garden mirror will not only look beautiful as a focal point in your garden, but it will open the way to increased prosperity in your life!

mirror lore
In India looking in a mirror that’s already broken is bad luck.

Multiply My Fortunes Infinity Box Spell

Here’s a quick and easy mirrored box prosperity spell. It’s perfect for when you’re trying to make rent or have some extra unexpected expenses pop up. Check chapter 6 for details on how to make a mirrored box. For this box, you’ll want a box mirrored on the inside in the style of the infinity mirror: two mirrors directly across from each other inside the box.

Once you have your box with two mirrors inside, you’ll notice that anything you put inside the box is reflected in both mirrors, repeated over and over into infinity. (See where I’m going with this?) Money is just energy, and there is enough energy in the universe for everyone. This spell manifests that concept into your reality.

Take the largest bill you can spare—even a dollar is fine. Wrap an acorn in the bill, twisting it at the ends like a piece of hard candy. Place it inside the box and speak these words into the box:

I multiply this seed I sow

It grows into infinity

As all my riches grow and grow

I welcome in prosperity

Close the box and leave it be. Watch for ideas and opportunities to access the money you need. A bag of money won’t land on your doorstep (probably), but people who owe you will probably repay you, you’ll get a great idea to earn some extra cash, or an offer to earn more money—a promotion, a raise, or a side job—will come your way shortly. Keep an eye out for all opportunities; your prosperity is being repeated into infinity.

Compact mirror healing spell setup

Shining Compact Mirror Healing Spell

A mirror can be a boost for any type of candle spell. Back in the days before electric lights, there were many candle lanterns and wall sconces designed as shiny reflectors to multiply the candles’ light. I think they might have been on to something. If a mirror can multiply a candle’s flame, why not use it to multiply the magical energy as well? Let’s employ some simple mirror magic to multiply your magical efforts—in this instance, a healing spell.

Say that someone has asked you to send them healing energy; with social media and more acceptance and understanding about the witch’s path, it’s a more common occurrence all the time. As a Reiki Master/teacher, I get healing requests all the time. Sometimes I just send Reiki, but sometimes I like to Reiki charge a candle and add my witchy touch, depending on the person I’m doing healing for and what they would prefer. It should also be said here to use healing magic with common sense and in addition to medical care, never instead of it.

Grab a tealight candle in the color you like to use for healing—purple, blue, or green (white is a great all-purpose go-to color). Lift the candle out of the holder. Write the name of your friend in need of healing on a small slip of paper, fold it, and place it underneath the candle within the metal tealight cup. You can carve their name into the top using a crystal point or a pencil, then anoint the candle with an oil for healing such as sandalwood, rosemary, or your favorite healing blend. If you wish, give it a sprinkle of healing herbs, such as cinnamon or ground rose petals.

Now place a simple two-sided compact mirror on your altar. Open it with the magnifying side (if there is one) flat on your altar or workspace, reflecting the ceiling, and the other side at a 90-degree angle. Set your tealight on top of the mirror and surround it with stones for healing, such as quartz, moonstone, or rose quartz. I always use a small piece of peacock ore when sending healing energy. Including a statue of your favorite healing deity and a photo of your friend or a gift they gave you can be a nice touch and a good way to align with their energy. To charge your candle, say:

By the power of mirrors and witch’s flame

I send forth healing for (insert name) to claim

I see (him/her) healed in my mind’s eye

May it manifest as these powers do fly!

The mirror will increase the power of the healing spell by reflecting and duplicating it. The mirror beneath the candle draws healing energy into the spiritual realm; the one next to the candle at a 90-degree angle multiplies all energy sent into the material plane. Now you have activated the axiom “as above, so below,” working its powerful truth as healing energy zips off to help your friend in need.

If you ask me, that’s some powerfully positive mirror magic! What kind of candle magic could you think of to boost with the help of a witch’s mirror?

Indian Toran Doorway or Window Spell

These brightly colored embroidered door hangings sparkling with tiny mirrors lend a lovely exotic air to your home. I ended up hanging several in my bedroom when I redecorated with an Indian/gypsy flair, using them for doors and as window treatments. They really add a lovely energy to the space.

As I discovered much to my delight, the lovely shisha mirror work they are covered with is meant to fill the home with magical blessings and fertility while deflecting the evil eye. While I’m no longer interested in literal fertility myself, a fertile harvest, a fertile imagination—that’s for me. However, if you are trying to conceive a baby, a toran might be just what you need; heck, it sure can’t hurt! Here’s how to enchant a decorative toran doorway hanging to keep the evil eye away and bestow blessings of good fortune.

These beautiful hangings are created with intent in mind. All you really need to do is clear it and program it with your magical intention. Once you have your toran, hang it up with clothespins (office clips work too) somewhere outside where the wind can blow over it and the sun can shine upon its mirrors. The sun is important to magically activating your toran; it was believed that the mirrors would reflect the desert sun around a room to blast away negativity from the space. You can leave it there for a couple hours; that should be plenty. When you take it down, give it a good shake and bring it inside. Hang it right away over a door or window of your choice. After you have it right where you want it, hold the palms of your hands over the fabric and allow it to be filled with your positive intentions. Visualize the tiny mirrors reflecting love, joy, peace, protection, and blessings all over the room. Then seal it with these words or something similar:

Blessed toran, shisha shine

Pour your blessings on me and mine

Shine away darkness from this place

Transform it into sacred space

Now your toran will do its duty: looking beautiful, bestowing blessings, and deflecting the evil eye. It will give your special room and home a feeling of being a wonderful sanctuary.

You Are Beautiful Spell

You are a beautiful person. You are! We all need a reminder from time to time. Sometimes it’s easy to get so wrapped up in crazy concepts like “ideal beauty” or the perfect images we see in magazines, which aren’t real anyway. My mom used to do photoshop touch-ups for magazines; I’ve seen the “before” photos, and no one actually looks like what you see in the magazines, not even the people in the photos. With all that input it’s hard to remember that the light that radiates out of us is so much more powerful than our jeans size, complexion, or laugh lines. What other people see is often not what we see because we pick ourselves apart for our tiny “flaws,” the same ones that other people actually find beautiful or endearing. We’re going to change all that with a wonderful mirror spell to remind you every day that you are totally beautiful while you draw your inner light outward for everyone to see. This spell uses your own bathroom mirror—the one you look into every single day.

First, use the mirror purifier to get rid of the lingering energy from every single morning when you looked in the mirror and then gave yourself a hard time for not being a touched-up supermodel or pumped-up athlete. Clear it all away! Begone!

Now use chapter 7’s heart chakra mirror wash to amp up loving vibrations; it’s time to start seeing yourself through loving eyes. Grab a sheet of paper and divide it into ten slips about the size of business cards. Now comes the moment of truth, and I mean it. You are to write yourself ten compliments on those slips of paper, and I mean raving compliments that all begin with “you are beautiful.” They can be physical, such as “You are beautiful, and you have sparkling, warm eyes,” or completely spirit-oriented, such as “You are beautiful and always help other people out when they need it.” Ideally, they should be half physical and half spiritual. When you are done, stand before the mirror and hold the first compliment, pressing it with the words facing the reflection against the mirror, while looking yourself right in the eye. Say:

Blessed mirror, help me see
The truth of beauty inside of me

Fold it in half and drop it into a pretty jar or box. Repeat with each slip until they’re all inside your container. Keep it either tucked inside your medicine cabinet or on your vanity. Every morning when you see yourself in the mirror, randomly choose one slip from the jar or box and speak it out loud several times. Gaze deeply into your own eyes in the mirror and remind yourself that it’s true. You’re not allowed to add any disclaimers during this short ritual, like “…but your fingernails are a mess.” Only the positive, loving statement is allowed.

It will seem strange at first. We’re programmed to believe that being self-deprecating is noble and that appreciating yourself is vain, but these are outdated, guilt-based concepts that only serve to tether and bind your true spirit. You are a witch with the power of the universe inside of you. You have the right to feel joy and allow the reflection of the powerful witch that you are to give you a daily reminder of your inner and outer beauty. Go forth, and keep being awesome!

Magic for the Young Witch

Before delving into this next spell, let’s think about the ways that teens, tweens, and even younger kids pay more attention to what they see in the mirror than we might realize. If the kids you know seem to be obsessed with their appearance, it might not be vanity—it might just be insecurity that they don’t see what society tells them is acceptable in that mirror.

Growing up can be a hard time of life. Lots of young people feel like they are under more and more pressure to live up to other people’s standards, which are often also completely unrealistic standards. As well, kids are bombarded with all kinds of marketing images and social propaganda that can often leave them feeling like they just can’t live up to what they think the world expects of them. The current media version of the ideal for women is achievable by about 5 percent of women at most; let’s face it, lumps and bumps are photoshopped out, legs are made longer, nothing you see in magazines is even remotely real—even supermodels don’t actually look like their photos. Boys can have a hard time too. Although statistically more girls have body image issues, don’t ignore the fact that some boys feel the same way and may also need a boost of self-esteem to get them through the awkward years.

The truth is, sometimes mirrors lie—well, to be fair, it’s not the mirror that’s lying, it’s how our brain interprets that image in the mirror. When we focus on only what we believe are flaws, they seem more prominent because our brain focuses on that, not allowing us to see the beautiful parts of our reflection. Silly brain, knock it off!

One of the factors in how we see ourselves in the mirror is mood. Research shows that when we’re happy, we find ourselves more attractive than when we’re feeling low. Kids are under so much pressure that even at a young age they sometimes need some extra help getting through the time in their lives when mirror image and actual appearance can be so different. Here’s a really fun project to help a young witch create their own witch’s mirror to give them a little boost of self-esteem just when they need it the most.

A Young Witch’s Self-Esteem Mirror Spell

This mirror magically melds the daily growing and changing image of an important kid in your life with positive energy created with love, reflecting their personality, positive attributes, and radiating love every day. The most important part of this project is not how perfect it is or how artistically balanced; the key to this project is that you make it fun, happy, and empowering. Make sure the recipient of the mirror gets creative input so that when they’re done they can be proud of it, and every time they look into it they will feel the love radiating from this mirror that went into making it. In other words, no one gets in trouble if they don’t “color inside the lines.”

supplies

• • A mirror in a frame (Make sure it’s at least big enough for head and shoulders, sixteen by twenty inches or a full-length mirror is fine too.)
• • Heart chakra mirror wash from chapter 7.
• • St. John’s wort (Just grab a small bottle of St. John’s wort supplements from the pharmacy; you’ll need half the powder from inside a capsule.)
• • Paint for the frame (Pick out a color of paint that your young person likes, their favorite color that makes them feel confident. I like a water-based gloss enamel, which you can find in little bottles at your local craft store. Look for a one-step self-sealing paint.)
• • A few paint pens (Choose more of your young witch’s favorite colors. Make sure you get ones that say they work on glass.)
• • Items from the heart (Small rose quartz or clear crystal, the young person’s birthstone, a seashell from a family trip, a ticket from the school play they were in; keep it symbolic—think keepsakes.)
• • Hot glue gun

A self-esteem mirror spell

Spray some heart chakra mirror wash onto the mirror to charge it up with loving vibrations. Open one St. John’s wort capsule and empty about half of it right into the paint and stir or shake it up really well. St. John’s wort is a very cheery herb that lifts moods. We have some growing wild around here, it makes you smile just to see it. The dried herb holds all that power.

Lay down newspaper or a large sheet of plastic to protect your work surface. Put on this kid’s favorite music or movie that always makes them smile while you work together (I bet your young witch would love to help). Using soft brushes, cover the frame with the paint. It might take a couple of coats. Be as neat as you can, but don’t freak out if a little paint gets on the glass; you can scrape it off with a razor when you’re done. Once the paint is dry, now comes the fun part.

While the paint dries, sit down together and make a list on a separate sheet of paper of all the wonderful things about this amazing young person. Write down everything that makes this kid beautiful: “great smile, sings like a bird, excellent shortstop, totally funny, pretty red hair, great fashion sense, gazes at the stars, cute toes, warm brown eyes”—write it all down.

Here’s a tip: if there’s a physical attribute they don’t like, ask yourself if there’s a celebrity with the same attribute. When I was in high school, I felt like my shoulders were too wide. Yep, that’s a randomly ridiculous thing for a young lady to worry about, but there you go. My brilliant mom pointed out that Marilyn Monroe didn’t have narrow little shoulders, just look at her in that famous halter dress! Oh, wow…revelation! Suddenly I liked my shoulders just fine; in fact, I thought they were very cool. So my mirror would have included the phrase “Marilyn Monroe shoulders.” If your kid has a mole like Cindy Crawford, a smile like Anna Paquin, or hair like David Tenant, why not point out that a celebrity that’s considered quite awesome and attractive has that same attribute! It turns what they’ve perceived in the mirror as a negative into a big ol’ positive.

Now, using the paint pens, write these fabulous phrases all over the frame. You can even let them trail over from the frame onto the edges of the glass, but no more than an inch or so—keep the rest of the mirror open so that lovely kid can see themselves surrounded by positive phrases. Add swirl shapes, moons and stars, hearts, spirals, anything at all.

Next, you can hot glue some special items with positive memories or connections to the frame. You can put them all in a pattern in one or two corners or space them out all over the frame. Watch fingers while using hot glue, especially if you’re making a mirror with a young child. Teens and tweens might actually enjoy being able to glue these items on themselves. These magical talismans of happiness will add extra power to the mirror. Once you’re finished, write a special message on the back of the mirror from you to your young witch to let them know that they are loved, special, and perfect just the way they are, then sign it.

Help your young mirror-making partner find a good place to hang the mirror in their room, making sure that it’s the right height not to cut off the top of their head. Put it in a good spot where they can use it every day while getting ready. With a little magic and a lot of love, the mirror should reflect a more accurate image of this wonderful young witch as they grow into their ability to face the world with confidence.

reflections of
real witches:

Michael Furie

Manifesting Magical Goals

A versatile technique to help manifest magical goals is the use of a regular silver-backed mirror. Since one of the things the mirror can symbolize is the astral realm where magic can begin, I like to place a mirror on (or in front of) my altar and have a symbol of my magical goal reflected into the glass in order to add another dimension to the magic. If I’m working for something tangible like a new home, a vehicle, etc., a photograph or model of the type of item I desire can be placed so that it can only be seen in the mirror (thus existing in the astral), then energy can be sent through a wand, athame, or pointing finger into the mirror’s reflection.

Afterward, the symbol or photograph can be turned so that it is not reflected in the mirror, thereby claiming it in physical reality. When the item is turned so that it becomes a part of this world, it affirms that our magic is working to manifest our goal in reality and also that the energy has progressed from our spell into the astral realm, then back down into the physical world. The symbol then becomes a type of charm helping to attract the goal in addition to whatever spell was used as the primary magic. Though a special mirror dedicated only to magic would be ideal for this type of work, any mirror can be used. A vanity table with an attached mirror could be an altar table, and in a pinch a makeshift altar could even be set up in front of the bathroom mirror.

This method can be used as an accompaniment to almost any other magic. As an example, in a candle spell, having the candles reflected in the mirror along with the symbol enhances the energy and atmosphere of the working without having to become the main focus (unless desired). If making a cord or charm as the main spell, having a symbol reflected in the mirror provides a mental focus to concentrate upon in order to keep the magical goal firmly in the forefront of the mind while completing the charm. No matter what magical process is used, adding the aspect of mirror work to it can provide enhancement to an already established practice, potentially adding new layers of depth and energy to the spell.

Michael Furie

Author of Supermarket Magic and Spellcasting for Beginners • www.michaelfurie.com

Backing Images and Magical Seals

Backing images have been used in magical mirrors since the times of the Romans and Egyptians. Most mirrors back then were hand mirrors and were often highly decorated with symbols and images of deities. A mirror with a goddess on the back might help the user to invoke the power of the goddess’s beauty or talents.

A backing image is a great way to add special powers and attributes to your witch’s mirror. It can either be added as a visible decoration like you might see adorning a pretty compact mirror or hand mirror, or it can also be a design that’s hidden, placed inside the frame facing the back of the mirror or painted on the back of the mirror. A backing image symbolically adds programming to your mirror. You can add a backing image to any kind of witch’s mirror you wish.

Whether the image shows or is hidden does not affect the power it attaches to the mirror, so it’s really just a matter of taste. As an artist I really like to add imagery to my magic, but you don’t have to be artistically inclined to add a backing image to your witch’s mirror. Some symbols are easy to draw and skill level doesn’t affect the power involved. Often pentagrams, Viking runes, hieroglyphs, and even some of the simpler magical seals can be reproduced fairly easily. Printouts of many of these types of designs would be easy to trace yourself by taping it to the back of a sheet of printer paper and using a window as a makeshift light table to easily see through the paper. Use light pencil lines to trace the image, then you can go over it with any pen you like or even a nib with magical ink such as dragon’s blood ink. By drawing it yourself, you add extra personal energy to the project. After you have the image copied onto a piece of paper, you can apply the sheet of paper to the back of the mirror by simply using tape, a glue stick, or decoupage medium.

If you would like to add a permanent painted sigil backing image, I have an easy way to add a simple black-and-white design using a pencil, thin-tip permanent marker, and a piece of thin tissue paper like the kind you put in gift bags (find it in the greeting card/gift wrap aisle). Lay a piece of thin white tissue paper on top of the image you want to reproduce. Tape it in place using blue painter’s masking tape, which can be found in any store that carries house paint; it’s low tack and won’t damage the original that you’re tracing it from. Trace the design using a pencil and, being careful not to tear the tissue paper, take the traced art and securely tape it to the back of the mirror. Now you’ll need a brand-new thin-point permanent marker. Using the marker, trace the design carefully, making sure not to move the art as you work. When you’re done, remove the tissue paper; you’ll find that the outline of the design has bled through the tissue paper onto the mirror back. Now you can either go over it with the permanent marker again to clean up the lines or you can use a paint pen meant for use on glass. Any mistakes with the permanent marker can be removed gently with hairspray on a cotton swab once the paint is completely dry.

For more complex images like deities, you can often find copyright-free images online to print out and use as is by using tape, glue, or decoupage medium to affix them to the back of your mirror. Just watch to make sure they’re in public domain, which doesn’t mean it was found on the Internet; it means the artist who created it is either no longer alive and no one else retains the rights or that the artist has specifically offered the work for free to people who want to use it. If you’re in doubt of the source, you can drag the image into an image search bar on your search engine, and that will usually identify the original source easily. Wise witches never use art without permission anymore than they would use a five-finger discount to gather any other magical supplies like incense, crystals, or candles. Making magic with hijacked or stolen supplies is a good way to have your magic backfire or offend the very deity you want to work with, and that’s never a good idea. If in doubt, look for images of deities found on archaeological items. These should not be infringing on any copyrights since the creators of the images are history, literally—plus these images have a powerful connection to the historical worship of that deity.

I’ve included some symbols of my own design that would make great backing images for witch’s mirrors. You are free to use them for your personal mirrors. I hope you find these useful and that they inspire you to come up with more of your own.

Mirror of the Moon
(love, healing, intuition)

Mirror of the Sun
(prosperity, joy, growth)

Oeil de Sorciere
(protection and blessings)

Hexenspiegel Seal
(protection, wards
against evil eye)

Hulinhjalmur
(invisibility)

Spirit Portal Sigil: Psychomanteum
(safely guarded spirit gate)

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