Ten Minute Black Mirror DIY

I've always been extremely interested in divination; so naturally when I learned about black scrying mirrors my interest was peaked! After spending a few days scouring the internet and local metaphysical stores for the perfect black mirror, I realized that regardless, it'd cost me a pretty little penny for one.

It was Halloween around the time that I was looking into all of this, so I was already in the dollar-store DIY mindset for decorations. I'd pre-emtively loaded up on black paint and remembered I had a few extra thrifted frames lying around.

Tools:

Picture frame

Paint brush

Acrylic black paint

Cup with water

Rag

Newspaper (or something to paint on top of)

Nail polish remover

Find the perfect frame.

There are so many picture frames at the thrift store that are in brilliant condition and have a wide variety of aesthetics. Find one that you love, and remember that you can paint the frame too! I wound up painting the frame of my first black mirror black as well! The only bit of advice I have about this step is to make sure you pick a frame that has a removable back. This sounds like a no-brainer, but I can't tell you how may times I fell in love with a framed piece of artwork that was meant to stay framed (no little door on the back, and no prop to hold it up.) Always always always make sure to cleanse whatever you bring home. You can use smoke, a mix of purifying water, or my favorite method is using salt.

Take the glass out and peel the sticker off.

Yet another thing that sounds like a no-brainer. But hot tip with this, after using your fingernail or old student ID card or whatever, I like to use a big chunk of sticker I've already pulled off to dab at the sticky bits left. This sometimes really helps pull up a bit more of the gunk on the glass.

Use acetone, rubbing alcohol, or nail polish remover.

This'll help you get up any sticky little pieces of gunk you have left on the glass. This may also take a little while and end up being stupidly infuriating depending on the type of shitty sticker the thrift store put on it. Regardless of how easy or difficult it may be, it's always a good idea to go over both sides of the glass with glass cleaner. Also a good idea to make sure there's no cat hair (which is practically inevitable for me) on the top side of the glass prior to painting.

Paint!

Be sure you don't lay it on too thick, wait for it to dry between coats, rinse and dry your brush between coats, and hold the glass as steady as you can.

Basically if you paint with a wet brush, or try and add a new coat before the old one is dry, it'll do this weird thing where it pulls the paint up. Also, in regards to holding the glass in place; if you're like me and you're a bit of a sloppy painter, you're bound to get some on the paper you have underneath. No big deal, right? WRONG. Well, only wrong if you shift the glass and it slides over the excess wet paint, thus painting the back side of the glass.

If the back of the frame (like the little door part that opens) is black, you could probably just do one coat of paint on the glass and call it a day. However, if it's white or some other lighter color, be sure to do the light test. I like to hold it up in front of a widow where I can see the lighter spots of the glass that I'm missing paint on.

I personally try and find every reason possible to draw sneaky little sigils or runes on anything and everything I can! This is the perfect chance to do just that! I added the rune for protection, Algiz, on the back of mine.

All done! Now how do I use it?

When the paint is dry, just pop the glass back into the frame! There's a couple different ways to use a scrying mirror (in my humble opinion). The most common objective and tactic is to try and turn your gaze inward. It's kind of like closing your eyes and allowing images to shift behind your eyelids.

1. 1. Dim lighting is best for this. I like to turn all of my lights off and just go by candlelight. Place the candle behind you or out of the way so you can't really make out your own reflection (you look good anyway).

2. 2. A lot of people recommend doing this without any sort of music playing (that can influence your visions), typically white noise is best. However, whatever makes you most comfortable and into it is totally fine, if not best!

3. Begin to focus on your breathing. I like to just take note of my breath at first, touching base with the state my breathing is already in. Then I begin to inhale for 10 beats, then exhale for 10 beats. I usually don't count how many times I do this but eventually I find myself in a little bit of a trance.

4. Soft focus is key. Soft focus is kind of hard to explain if you've never identified it before; for me I learned a lot about it in my beginning acting courses in college. Basically, it's like zoning out. Like, you know when you're so tired that your eyes kinda blur over and it just feels nice to stare off into space? That's soft focus. It takes some practice to just fall into it but basically I do a couple different steps. First, I pick a spot to stare at that feels comfortable. Relax, like you're falling into sleep. If your eyes begin to wander, that's okay. I just always avoid focusing directly onto anything. For me, this is typically when the shapes and visions begin to form.

Have any questions about anything or a request for a post? Let me know! Either comment below, shoot me an email, or contact me on Instagram! I may have weird werewolf teeth, but I don't bite :) Blessed be and happy thrifting!