Inside our home, Curiosa, they are everywhere…..

They lean against walls, are tucked in with plants, are held up by an old wire and a nail, they are hidden in the ceiling compartments of old trunks….

and there is a magic spell on each one.

My collection of mirrors.

They are old.  One I picked up in a 100 year old barn at a garage sale last Summer.  One I found at a flea market – a train case charmer from the 60s.  One I found discarded on the side of the road.

I collect the orphans.

Not a single one is new.

So you ask….what to do?

What to do when the mirror holds old history…..all those faces that gazed upon them during their lifetime, all of the spaces they reflected…..how does one make a mirror their own?

Here is what I do to make a magic mirror my own.  My own Magic Triple C’s always do the trick!  Cleaning, Charging, Charming.

My little Familiar friend, Niney, would like to lead you into this Magic Monday….

Cleaning.  

Break out the Secret Weapon:  a spray bottle mix of half water, half White Distilled Vinegar.  Vinegar is my favorite non-toxic and natural cleaner and my mirrors love this blend.

I use newspaper to wipe off the water/vinegar mix if the mirror glass can handle it.  I specifically use the Entertainment section (of course), or use the local arts newspaper….the poetry sections are my favorite to clean my magic mirrors with.  My magic mirrors love pretty words.  If the mirror is super old and has age spots, you want to preserve those….so use a gentle cloth on those ones.

I dab lemon or grapefruit oil on each corner of the frame.

Charging.

Once your mirror is cleaned, it’s time to charge it up.  Just like we plug our cell phones into an electrical socket to give them the charge they need – magical objects need the same kind of va-va-voom. 

I have lined up mirrors in my yard and in strategic places in my house to reflect the Summer sunshine and the wild full moons.  If you can, leave the mirror outside for a full day.  Make sure it’s getting all the sunshine reflecting in it that it can.  This will bounce back to you when you gaze upon it….so you can shine like the sun.  Leave it out for a moon bath as the day crawls into night.  Make sure to go out and check on it and hold it up so the mirror can see the moon.  This will reflect mystery and dreaming to you each time you get ready before this mirror.

Charming.

Once you’ve cleaned and charged your mirror….now it’s ready for a little charm.  Decide what purpose that mirror will have.  Every mirror has it’s own personality.  Decide if the mirror will be yours only (a mirror hidden in a travel case or put away when you aren’t around) or if it is out and on display for all to enjoy.

Once I’ve decided the intention of a magic mirror, I will gaze into it – making sure to just look straight into my own eyes in the mirror.  Don’t look around at your face or other objects.  Calmly look into your own eyes and nothing else.  I will then say a one or two line intention for that mirror….it always comes to me right away.  It will for you, too.  The words will just come out of your mouth.   For instance, here’s one I’ve done: “May everyone who comes across this mirror find something intriguingly beautiful about themselves that may have been hidden to them before”.

It is whatever you want it to be.

This is my Mirror of Story.

When I was charming it, the words that revealed themselves were:  “May my mind swirl with adventures of Stories and Myth throughout time when I look upon this glass.  May the muses sing to me from other worlds when my eyes fall upon this mirror.”

Here’s a secret truth….when I get stuck while I am writing…..I gaze into the Mirror of Story for a few minutes.  It always does the trick.

After saying the words to charm a mirror, I blow on it with a long, slow breath as if I’m making a wish.

Then I ring a bell.

And the charm has been set in motion….