Following
this post about tips on your black mirror, I thought of some more tips, so I’m making a whole how-to. I’ve read multiple versions of this on Tumblr and elsewhere, so I in now way invented this method, but I thought I could use my background in the arts to help you make the best mirror possible. I know WAY more about paint and making stuff than scrying, so please do your research on scrying.
You need:
- Black paint
- paintbrush
- picture frame
- cup of water
- pallete
- black paper (optional)
About the paint: Paint is made of stuff that can have magical correspondences of its own. There are several kinds of black paint with subtle differences. If you are going the cheapest route possible, your paint probably just says black, but if you look at the back, it should tell you what pigment is in it. Some colors are made in labs, but black is so cheap to make, I would be surprised anyone bothered.
I use Golden Acrylics. It is about $7 for a 2oz tube of black. There are cheaper paints out there, but I know this brand so when I talk about pigment correspondences in a minute, I know that this brand uses occurring pigments for these as opposed to a synthetic process.
Types of Black: There is more than one kind of black. In painting, there are differences in warmth, opacity, and tinting strength, but for our purposes I’ll be talking about what the paint is made of and its magical meaning. Golden sells three types of black acrylic paint: Carbon Black, Bone Black, and Mars Black.
Carbon Black: Historically made from burning wood. Today Carbon Black is made from soot from burning petroleum products. Golden’s is made from burning gas. Also called Lamp Black or Vine Black. It’s pigment code is PBk 7. This should be listed on the back of the paint you buy and tell you what kind it is in the event is just says “black.” Of the three blacks, this has the least magical correspondence, in my opinion. I suppose there is a connection to fire, since it was burnt, and earth, since it’s soot.
Bone Black: What I use in all my magic that requires black paint. Made from burning the bones of animals. Also called Ivory Black. Ivory Black is not made from charred ivory, though it once was, due to animals from which the ivory was harvested being on the endangered species list. I love elephants especially, and would never use ivory, but I look at using burnt bones as a using the whole animals and not wasting any part kind of thing. Its pigment code is PBk 9. If this is on the back of your black paint, you have paint made from animal bones. I feel the magical correspondence is obvious here, but I will put some things anyway. Bones come from a living animal, and I think this adds a zip to any magical working. Bones are related to death, which may or may not suit your purposes. Charred bones were offered to the Greek gods at mealtimes. Throwing bones is a means of divination. Frankly, the significance of bones and magic is too much to get into right now so I will direct you to this article. In my opinion, a scrying mirror made with bone black would be ideal for contacting spirits.
Mars Black: This is made of iron and I would not use it in a scrying mirror for this reason. Iron is known to repel many kinds of spirits and it might be too protective. Its pigment code is PBk 11. Look for this code on the back of your paint. It is made of Iron, which represents protection and strength. Iron also has too much significance to get into, so here is a post about it. I know more about paint than I do about spirit work or scrying, so if someone else would like to weigh in on using iron in a scrying mirror, that would be great.
Other material notes: You want to paint the black on really smooth. I mean, probably. The point of this is to imitate a piece of polished black stone that is usually used for scrying. If you want to skip all this effort and have the cash, you can just buy a scrying mirror. They are usually polished obsidian and can look flat or round. So to paint the paint on really smooth, you need the softest brush you can find. I mean, within a reasonable price. There are brushes out there that cost more than an obsidian scrying mirror. Feel the brush and see if it feels soft or coarse. Get a reasonably priced soft one. This will prevent brush strokes that show. You can use a water color brush also. As for the size, there isn’t really a standard sizing system, but I used one that is a #6 round. If it is a big area, a bigger brush will probably easier. For smoothness, I would recommend a round or a filbert. You need a palette as well to put the paint on and mix water in. They sell plastic ones at the art store or you can use a plastic plate or a plastic cup cut in half. The black paper is so alternatively if you want to paint a piece of black paper and put it in the frame as opposed to painting the glass. You can get a cheap picture frame at the dollar store.
Step One: take the picture frame apart. Discard whatever stock photo came in it. Clean both sides of the glass with glass cleaner. If you are using paper instead of painting the glass, take the glass and put it on the larger piece of black paper. While firmly holding down, cut around the glass with an X-Acto knife. This will make it the exact size you need. Alternately, you could trace it and use scissors or a paper slicer.
Step Two: Get ready to paint. You will now be painting either one side of the glass or the paper that you cut. Put some paint on the pallet and mix some water in. Paint is often quite thick and will leave textured brush strokes. If you are painting on glass, make sure your first layer is quite wet as the water will self level and it’s less likely you will have any bubbles trapped between the paint and glass. For painting paper and the next layers of the glass, a few drops on a quarter sized amount of paint throughly mixed in will do. Also wet your brush before dipping it into the paint, but don’t make it too wet or you will have to paint a million layers to get a good solid black. If you are painting directly on glass, it’s really only important that the initial layer be smooth on the glass. You will be able to see through it slightly and some areas will be thicker or thinner and that’s okay. Adding thicker layers after this will make the paint opaque. It is okay if the final layers have brushstrokes showing. This is the back of the mirror. You can also use black spray paint. Do this outside. If you are painting the paper, all layers must be smooth, so do not use paint with no water in it on any layer. Go over each layer with your brush with no paint on it (it can be slightly wet but get most of the water off with a towel) and smooth any visible brush strokes. Because the paper is already black, you won’t have to do as many layers. You can use india ink for a really smooth black, but only if you are painting paper. For both paper and glass painters, let each layer dry in between. Should only take a minute.
Step Three: Reassemble your mirror. Put the paint on the side facing back into the frame or put the paper where you would put the photo with the painted side facing out. But wait! You’re not done!
Step Four: Cleanse your mirror with the method of your choice. Put it in salt for a while (some people do 1 hour, some people do 24). Wipe it will salt water or charged water (like moon water). Pass it through incense smoke, holding it there for several minutes, repeating this several times.
Step Five: Charge your mirror. This can be done by exposing it to the light of the full moon or wiping it with moon water. Many cleansing methods will charge it as well. If you use sigils, you might want to put a protective sigil on the back and one to enhance your scrying abilities. Mine are sigils for “I am protected from negative energies” and “i scry easily”. You could also put the symbol of any deities you work with.
Step Six: Regularly cleanse your mirror. Wiping it with salt water and then with a clean cloth is the method recommended by Judika Illes in Encyclopeida of 5000 Spells. You may also want to keep it covered with a black cloth when you are not using it.
