The Many Dark Faces Hidden In Mirrors
Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me what spirits hide upon us in preparation to come forth and befall...
While staring into a mirror, many people claim to experience that unexplained phenomenon of what can only be explained as a faded image. The apparition or spirit peers back from somewhere deep inside of the mirror, appearing to most just slightly over their shoulder, possibly emanating from another realm or a portal that has been left open. According to the lead paranormal investigator, John Zaffis from SyFy's Haunted Collector, spirits can and do get trapped in mirrors. This superstitious belief has led those that fear the afterlife to attempt to prevent the spirit of a deceased loved one from being stuck within the gap between the layers of a looking glass. Superstitions concerning mirrors have also led believers of such anomalies to cover up all of the mirrors in their home when someone close has passed on, especially antique mirrors.
John Zaffis was, in the beginning, skeptical of the existence of ghosts up until his teens when he witnessed an apparition at the end of his bed. The visit from the ghostly figure piqued his interest in the paranormal and he has never looked back. Popular shows from SyFy and Unsolved Mysteries to Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures have touched on haunted mirrors. Truth can be stranger than fiction and the unlikelihood that something we use daily could possess such strange possibilities is unnerving at best, maybe due to the notion that there is some merit to the ancient legend.
Mirrors have managed to intrigue humans from the very first time the initial shock of seeing our own image came into existence. This reality during ancient times leads to people believing the image looking back at them was their soul visiting from the spirit world. Mirrors have made such an impact on how we perceive ourselves through sight that we have become accustomed to peering into them several times during the day to determine whether our appearance is acceptable or not. This dependency on mirrors throughout time has lead to several legends, superstitions, and even a few mirrors becoming famous.
Mirrors are Associated with the Supernatural, Bad Luck, Feng Shui, and Death
Mirrors have been associated with bad luck, the supernatural, and even death in some cases. When a mirror falls from a wall on its own accord it is said that someone living in the home of the shattered looking-glass will soon perish. It is also believed by superstitious mortals that a broken mirror represents many years of bad luck. That luck however can be turned around if said broken mirror is properly disposed of by burying all of the shards of the mirror glass along with all dust remnants deep into the ground at the base of a tree. In Feng Shui, mirrors have a firm holding in that the looking glass is thought to reflect spirits as they slumber, however, restless nights can be cured by covering or removing all mirrors or other reflective objects in the room.
eBay, Weird World News, and Haunted Mirrors
Haunted mirrors are often listed on eBay and lovers of the supernatural are snapping them up. In February 2013, CNN and the Huff Post featured a Weird News article on an eBay "Haunted Mirror" purchase that cost the buyer a tidy sum of $155.00. According to sellers, Joseph Birch and Sotiris Charalambous, the mirror possesses qualities unbecoming of humans, from financial loss and illness to impending doom and body pain. The pair found the haunted mirror in a London dumpster and has suffered for it since the day they laid eyes on it. Flickering ghostly images seen in the mirror, along with deep red bodily scratches and regular searing pain alerted them that they should dispose of it as fast as possible.
The Most Hauntingly Intriguing Mirror on the Planet
This mirror isn't for use by the living due to it being an ambiguous illusion found in a painting aptly dubbed "All is Vanity" and it is the creation of Mastermind and American Illustrator Charles Allan Gilbert who manages to take two main subjects and meshes them into one unique optical illusion.
The beautiful woman in the portrait is peering into a skull-shaped mirror above her vanity, with her head and her facial image making up the eye sockets of the skull. Her belongings, scattered about the vanity are also reflected and make up the mouth and teeth of the skull.
The painting is listed as one of the most popular in terms of it is not only one of the finest optical illusions but also one of the most reproduced portraits since the original was painted more than one hundred years ago.
Chinese Magic Mirrors
Dating back to the 5th century, these unforgettable mirrors are considered one of the most famous marvels in the world primarily because of their peculiar behavior, and because of this, they are an important piece of history that is highly valued by those involved in the scientific field of study.
The Chinese Magic Mirrors are considered by the United Nations as one of the strangest objects on the planet because of their extremely unique qualities.
When looking at the mirrors, the human eye sees them as nothing more than ordinary mirrors, but when you hold them in the sunlight the bronze back becomes transparent, which then casts reflections of written signs and characters.
The mirrors have been the subject of debate among scientists who have attempted to delve into the phenomenon behind these small mysterious objects that contain so much power, and popular physics journals feature the mirrors regularly in hopes that someone will eventually solve the puzzle to this unsolved mystery.
The Driskill Hotel Haunted Mirrors
Stay at the Driskill Hotel if you enjoy luxury and ghosts; visit the Maximilian Room if you want to see some of the most haunted mirrors in America. Rumor has it that the set of nineteenth-century mirrors are backed with diamond dust and were to be given as a gift to Carlotta, wife of the Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico.
The Emperor was executed at the same time the mirrors were en route to Carlotta, who fainted and remained distraught at the news that her husband was dead. She never received the mirrors and they eventually ended up being stored for years until an antique dealer snapped them up.
The Driskill Hotel later purchased the mirrors and has hung them so that they reflect off of each other. The legend surrounding the mirrors is that Carlotta's image can be seen if you stare into them long enough, along with hundreds of other shrinking images. Location: 604 Brazos Street, Austin, Texas.
Bloody Mary
This is perhaps one of the most famous legends involving a mirror and the afterlife, and when you think about the results of beckoning such a tormented soul, you realize after it is too late that that possibly nothing in the world could cause that creepy-crawly body sensation more than the thought of Bloody Mary appearing in a mirror after you have repeated her name multiple times, taunting her to come forth for a visit.
Horror movies, paranormal shows, and sleepovers featuring the game truth or dare ruled by naive teenaged girls have all gravitated towards this urban legend for years. Many legends have placed the origins of Bloody Mary with Mary I of England who was also known as Bloody Mary because she murdered young girls so that she could bathe in their blood in an effort to preserve her own beauty.
Location: Any dark bathroom that has a large mirror.
The Myrtles Plantation Haunted Mirror
One of the most notoriously haunted mirrors gives visitors a glimpse of a story-line from long ago. Not only do those who dare to look into one of the most famous haunted mirrors see ghostly hand-prints and drip marks they have caught glimpses of apparitions dressed in period-clothing.
The figures that are trapped in the mirror are believed to be members of the prominent Woodruff family who were possibly poisoned by their faithful servant Chloe. The beautiful plantation boasted elegant furnishings along with an ornate mirror that appears to have a story to tell if only you are willing to stare into it long enough to get the gory details.
Location: 7747 U.S. Highway 61, St. Francisville, Louisiana.
Mirrors and Optometry
According to the National Library of Medicine, a study performed at the School of Optometry, University of California at Berkeley, California, the ancient history of mirrors involved them once being used as a tool of refraction and magnification for a period of time before the invention of glasses, including a wide range of use during Roman times.
The study also determined that the earliest known mirrors were manufactured roughly 8000 years ago. The ancient mirrors were made from volcanic glass and offered a convex surface with remarkably good optical quality.