How to make a scrying mirror for less than five dollars.

I remember reading about this somewhere before but I only recently just tried it myself.  I've had just as much success with it as I have with scrying the surface of a cup of water (if not more) so I think it's worth mentioning to those that are getting into scrying or are looking for a less expensive alternative to a crystal ball.

The first step is to get a cheap picture frame.  I don't think the shape or size are very important as long as they are comfortable for you.  I've found that a larger field for gazing works better for me.  The frame that I made my mirror out of is an 8"x10" black rectangular frame.  The cardboard backing of my frame is black on one side as well.  The frame cost two dollars plus tax.  To turn it into a scrying mirror all I had to do was turn the cardboard backing so that the black side was facing out through the glass.  I ended up with a solid black surface.

At this point you would be ready to scry but it is recommended that the mirror be cleansed (some recommend consecrating it as well) before use.  To cleanse the mirror you just need to pass the glass under running water while imagining all impurities being washed away.  Dry the glass and then put it back in the frame.  Be mindful that the glass is as clean as possible so that there are no smudges to distract you while gazing at it.  It saves time if you cleanse the glass before actually constructing the mirror.  I did this after construction because I was curious if I would even be able to construct a workable mirror so I didn't want to jump the gun.  It wasn't a big deal considering my picture frame loads from the front and the glass pops out easily.

If the frame you choose does not have a black backing you can use a piece of black construction paper.  If you really want to go all out then you can actually paint one side of the glass flat black but this might drive your cost beyond five dollars.  Regardless of how you do it, the idea is to create the effect of looking through the glass at blackness.  To use your new scrying mirror you need to set it up so that when you place a candle or lamp behind you there is a slight glow on the surface of the glass.  You do not want any reflections of yourself or your surroundings though.  You may need to play around with the setup to get the effect just right.  Remember to take advantage of the built-in stand that most picture frames have.  Once you have the effect right just comfortably gaze at the black surface.

For more information and instruction please see my previous post about scrying.