Throughout history, mirrors have held a significant place in folklore and superstition. For thousands of years, people have attributed mystical properties to mirrors, and many traditions and beliefs have developed around them. In ancient times, mirrors were used for scrying—a practice where mystics attempted to see distant places, people, or even the future through reflective surfaces. The Romans, for example, believed that breaking a mirror would bring seven years of bad luck. Some cultures held that a person’s reflection revealed their soul, and by studying it, one could gain insight into their true nature. This belief may have contributed to the legend that vampires lack reflections, as they were thought to have no soul.
In the Jewish tradition, it is customary to cover all mirrors in a house where someone has died. This practice is based on the belief that if left uncovered, the spirit of the deceased might become trapped in the mirror and unable to move on. Monks in some traditions would use small mirrors attached to slender sticks, allowing them to see spirits in their peripheral vision. In more recent times, urban legends such as the “Bloody Mary” ritual—where one stands before a mirror and calls out a name three times—have continued to fuel the mystique surrounding mirrors.
A common question arises: Are mirrors portals for ghosts? Many people believe that mirrors can serve as gateways for spirits and other entities, allowing them to enter a home. There are numerous reports of paranormal activity associated with antique mirrors. Some legends suggest that sitting in front of a mirror in a dark room, illuminated only by candlelight, can reveal the presence of spirits. A more elaborate version of this is known as the Psychomanteum, or Apparition Booth, which involves a darkened room with mirrors arranged in a specific way to facilitate communication with spirits.
The question remains: What gives mirrors this perceived power? Is there any basis for these beliefs? As a paranormal investigator, I have encountered unusual experiences involving mirrors. In one case, a family reported significant paranormal activity centered around an antique mirror in their bedroom. Each time a malevolent spirit appeared, a loud thump would come from the master bedroom. On one occasion, the homeowner, who frequently carried a camera, heard the sound and quickly took several photographs of the room. One image captured in the mirror’s reflection showed a scene that did not exist in the bedroom: a woman in an old-fashioned dress descending an ornate staircase, two open doors, a tall man in a black suit with his back to the scene, and a small child holding a toy or doll. This reflection could not be explained by anything present in the room.
Initially, it was speculated that the mirror might be acting as a doorway. After several months of investigation, I discovered a location that matched the scene in the mirror’s reflection. The haunting occurred in a townhouse that had once served as the servants’ quarters for a grand mansion. Upon visiting the mansion, I found the same staircase and doors depicted in the mirror. This raised the question: How could a scene from a house a thousand yards away appear in a mirror in a second-floor bedroom?
To explore this further, I conducted an experiment by covering the mirror with a thick black cloth, hoping to “close” the supposed doorway. However, this action seemed to intensify the disturbances in the room, suggesting that closing such a doorway might only be effective if the spirit has already left the premises. In this case, it appeared that the spirit’s exit had been blocked.
This leads to another question: Why do older mirrors, in particular, seem to attract spiritual activity? Most antique mirrors have a silver backing, and silver is a unique metal. The atoms and electrons in silver are not densely packed, allowing electrons to interact with light waves and reflect them. Silver’s electrons can match the speed of visible and slower infrared light, reflecting these frequencies, while ultraviolet light passes through more easily. Silver also has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal, as well as excellent optical reflectivity and low contact resistance.
Since light is an electromagnetic field and silver is highly conductive, it can reflect electromagnetic waves. I have theorized that spirits may possess an electromagnetic field in the higher ultraviolet range. If this is the case, the conductive properties of a silver-backed mirror could make it an attractive “doorway,” as spirits operating at higher UV frequencies might pass through the mirror rather than being reflected. This remains a theory, and further experimentation is needed to explore these possibilities.
