A mirror is not just a piece of furniture. Despite the skepticism of modern culture, a huge number of superstitions, fortune tellers, and signs are associated with mirrors. Today, even the most hardened of skeptics are unlikely to agree to hang an old mirror, into which many generations of the now deceased have looked, in their home.
Today, mirrors are in every home, often in almost every room. But sometimes you have to get rid of a mirror. Is it really good enough to just throw it in the trash? No. The mirror that has served you for many years is to be thanked.
It is necessary to cleanse it of all the positive and negative energy that has accumulated throughout the time of use. Let’s talk about how to dispose of a mirror without bringing yourself any bad luck.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
Throwing away a mirror can be done safely by following certain rituals and precautions to avoid bad luck.
One popular belief is that breaking a mirror leads to 7 years of misfortune, a superstition rooted in ancient Roman beliefs about the reflection of the soul in mirrors.
To avoid bad luck, you can dispose of a mirror by wrapping it in black cloth and burying it, or by shattering it completely to disperse the negative energy.
Alternatively, you can cleanse and purify the mirror through rituals, such as smudging with sage or using salt water, before safely discarding it.
Understanding the history and superstitions surrounding mirrors can help you make an informed decision when it’s time to part ways with one without inviting bad luck into your life.
When is it time to throw a mirror away?
Mirrors in old family homes can be used by many generations of people. When is it time to throw an old mirror like that away? Can it still be kept in the house?
Here are some cases where you need to get rid of old mirrors immediately.
- Sometimes fogging, cracks or traces appear on the mirrored part of the glass. Often this happens for no particular reason, the mirror has not fallen off its hook and has not been damaged by any person or thing. Older generations may claim that the mirror took a hit and protected its owners from illness or death. In this case, it is necessary to get rid of the mirror as soon as possible. Otherwise, all sealed negativity will spread throughout the house as people look into the mirror on a daily basis.
- If a mirror is dropped or damaged and it cracks or even if the smallest fragment falls out, the mirror must also be removed from your home. Looking into a broken mirror brings bad luck.
- It is usually best to get rid of mirrors that belonged to a recently deceased person. If you have a close relative who has died, after 40 days of death you must get rid of all the mirrors that belonged to the deceased. It is believed that mirrors are an open door for the soul of the deceased to return through.
- You may also find that you feel negative energy coming from an old mirror that is not visible in physical imperfections. You don’t want to look into it, and the reflections in it look ugly and distorted. You also need to get rid of such a mirror – it will not bring you anything good.
- If the mirror was a “witness” to drama, death or illness, you shouldn’t hang it in your home. They say that antique mirrors have a ‘photographic memory’ – they remember all that they have seen and may project any bad situations from the past again, bringing pain and suffering into your house.
Any discomfort or doubt you feel in connection with a mirror suggests that it is not fit to be in your house. Follow your instincts and get rid of it, especially if it is broken.
How to get rid of an old mirror?
Here are some simple rules to follow to get rid of an old but whole mirror.
- First, pay attention to the moon. It is better to get rid of mirrors on a waning moon – so that you can completely abandon all the bad things that have been associated with this glass object.
- You must clean the mirror before throwing it away.
- If there is a nearby river or lake with running water, this is the most effective way to clean a mirror. It is necessary to hold the glass underwater for several minutes. Be careful: avoid getting reflected by the mirror and do not look at your own reflection.
- If there is no running water nearby, you can wash the mirror with holy water.
- Before throwing out the mirror, you need to sprinkle it with salt on a Thursday. The mirror should be wrapped in a dark cloth and taken to the trash. Do not put the mirror inside the trash can, otherwise, animals and people may get injured on the glass. Just leave it beside them. Someone else may find the mirror useful and take it – this is a good thing, so long as you clean it as discussed above.
- Before disposing of the mirror, sprinkle the room with salt on Thursdays. You need to sprinkle the floors where the mirror hung too.
- Say goodbye to the mirror and apologize for all the negativity it has seen and for the bad words spoken to it when people speak to their own reflections. Be grateful to the glass friend – the mirror has served you for a long time and deserves respect.
- In the place where the old mirror hung, you need to light a church candle every day for a week.
- Don’t rush to hang a new mirror in this place, at least 40 days should pass before you do this.
By following these simple rules, you can be sure that the bad consequences of throwing out an old mirror will not affect you.
Also read:
How to Remove Bad Omen from Home? [Powerful Methods]
Powerful 27 Bad Omens Everyone Should Be Aware Of [A List]
Alternative methods for mirror removal
Method | Description |
---|---|
Repurpose the mirror for craft or DIY projects | Transform the mirror into artwork or functional items to avoid disposal. |
Sell or give away the mirror | Find interested buyers or individuals who may appreciate the mirror. |
Arrange a mirror exchange with a friend | Swap mirrors with a friend who may be looking for one. |
Consult a professional for mirror removal | Seek assistance from a professional if you’re unsure about disposal. |
A broken mirror and 7 years of misfortunes: where does this belief come from?
Broken mirror, 7 years of misfortune are due to you! Everyone, at least once, felt threatened by this belief. But how did it come about? Why? And above all, is there a way to avoid it? Here’s everything you need to know!
The mirror and any other reflective surface have always had a strong evocative power, connected to magical powers due to its ability to refract and split. Precisely for this reason, in the past, it was believed that destroying a mirror meant also making the object (or person) reflected in it disappear. The generations of the past, therefore, have always had problems with mirrors, until today, where looking in the mirror means learning to accept yourself as you are.
It is necessary to understand why the mirror has this aura of mystery around it. The anxiety of a broken mirror, in fact, is due to the reflective property of glass, to the point that in some cultures and religions – such as Islamic and Jewish – when someone dies, all the mirrors in the house are turned around or covered. This gesture avoids the wandering of the soul of the deceased around the house which, accidentally coming into contact with a mirror, glass, or reflective surface, can reflect itself and remain imprisoned, therefore becoming unable to make the journey to the afterlife.
A similar problem also affects the living: never put a mirror on the wall in front of the bed, because it is a window to the afterlife and could imprison your soul while you sleep.
It will not be surprising to learn that in Latin, ‘speculum’, meaning mirror, and ‘spectrum’, meaning spectrum, have the same etymology.
Superstition | Interpretation |
---|---|
Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. | A widely known belief that breaking a mirror brings misfortune. |
Covering mirrors during a thunderstorm. | Protection from negative energy during a storm. |
Placing mirrors facing the bed disturbs sleep. | The belief that mirrors in the bedroom can disrupt restful sleep. |
Mirrors reflecting the front door bring positive energy. | A belief that mirrors can attract positive energy into a space. |
Burying broken mirror pieces to ward off bad luck. | A common practice to dispel the negative energy associated with a broken mirror. |
Broken mirror: the omens of the ancients and the pieces of broken mirror
The popular belief that bad luck causes a broken mirror is much older than you imagine. The idea of capturing the soul when looking at oneself in a mirror is firmly rooted in the East, especially in China. Here, they deeply believed that the mirror captured the image that was reflected in it, as well as the soul and therefore the essence of a person, which was considered sacred.
Breaking the mirror, therefore, was considered a fatal omen because it meant damaging this sacred part of a person.
A more pragmatic and material perspective, as always, was typical of the ancient Romans, among whom however a good dose of magic was not lacking. A bit like the famous tale of Narnia, the Romans thought that through mirrors it was possible to observe the most hidden areas of the Empire.
However, the Romans also noticed the precious materials with which the mirrors were produced. A layer of gold or silver at the base for the more valuable ones, copper for the more “common” ones.
The layer of precious material had the reflective function and the glass was superimposed on it: it is easy to understand why mirrors cost a lot and therefore breaking it meant losing a lot of money. Hence the famous number 7: to recover all the lost money, they would have had to work and toil for at least another 7 years!
Also read:
20 Superstitions about Good Luck (& How to Use Them)
How to Make a Talisman for Luck? [Explained In 6 Steps]
Horseshoe for Luck – Is it Up or Down? [Explained]
How to avoid the 7 years of misfortune?
Since mirrors break easily and frequently, the ancients already began to find solutions to counter the misfortunes that this nefarious gesture would have caused. A fundamental element in this process is water, which is able to save what is sacred, such as the soul.
Here are some misfortune-clearing methods:
- Collect all the pieces of the mirror and throw them into a river: the current will carry away the spell, saving the soul from misfortune.
- Fill a basin with water and throw the pieces of glass in it along with a transparent stone, such as a diamond. After 7 days, get rid of the shards of the mirror as far as possible from your home.
- Prepare a bath with 7 handfuls of coarse salt and wash carefully from head to foot, asking the water to stop the spell. Again, the water will wash away the negativity when the tub is emptied.
- Do not touch the broken pieces for 7 hours. After this time has passed, throw them as far away as possible from where you are – the number will do its job.
- Transport all the shards of mirror in a transparent glass jar and tighten it carefully, then place it in direct sunlight, such as on the windowsill: reflecting the light will protect the person who broke the mirror from negativity.