HOOP ISSUE ??? 201?www.sacredhoop.org

Shamanic mirrors are metallic discsmade of bronze or other metals,polished on one side - their ‘face’ -and usually decorated on the other -their ’back’ - in the centre of whichis often a knob or boss with a holein it. This hole is to allow a cord, silkribbon or scarf to be passed throughit, which enables the mirror to besuspended or tied onto a costumeetc. Some mirrors have a loop ontheir top edge for this purposerather than a boss on the back.Suspending a mirror makes it easierto handle it without touching anddirtying the polished metal face.

The origin of ceremonial mirrorsdeveloped in Neolithic times withthe art of grinding and polishingstone. Obsidian and jade wereoften used in ancient mirrors, andthese stones are found in differentlocations around the world, such asMexico, Anatolia and China.

Polished, iron-rich, meteoritesmay also predate cast bronzemirrors, and these have been usedfor a very long time in Tibet tocreate mirrors and other sacredobjects. Ancient arrowheads, madefrom iron-rich meteorites, have alsobeen found on the Eurasiansteppes, and clearly show the earlyuse of this powerful material.

Since the early Bronze Age[Around 3.000-2.000 BCE] thedevelopment of bronze castingspread quickly across the world.

Mirror

Smith

For around 4,000 years,people have been castingbronze mirrors for use inshamanism and ritual

Modernday Mirror SmithMarco Hadjidakislooks at the tradition,the method of casting andthe use of bronze mirrors

Below: finely cast,Han Dynasty Chinesebronze mirror206BCE - 220CE

HOOP ISSUE ??? 201?www.sacredhoop.org

Above: Tangdynasty bronze

mirror with adragon design

618-906CE

Left: Lost-waxmirror with four

directions design

The nomadic tribes who lived onthe Central Asian steppes spreadtheir bronze technology across awide band, stretching from EasternEurope, all the way to the Pacificcoast of Northern China. Theyinfluenced Chinese Bronze Ageculture, and subsequently Chineseinfluence then spread toneighbouring cultures, such asJapan and Korea to the east, andIran and Anatolia to the west.

In Egypt, bronze mirrors wereconnected with the cult of Hathor,and in pre-Christian Europe, bronzemirrors were used by the Greeks,Etruscans and Celts in a religiouscontext. It appears to have onlybeen the Romans who restrictedthe use of mirrors to profane uses.

The ancient, worldwidedevelopment and spread of bronzecasting and mirror making is toovast a subject - and too littleresearched - to fit into this article inany depth, so instead, I will focuson Asian and Central Asiancultures, and highlight their use ofmirrors in shamanic practices.

MIRRORS AND THE ANCESTORSAncestor cults are China's rootconnection with mirrors; thedurability of bronze created thepossibility for a Chinese person toinherit an ancient mirror, datingback perhaps as far as 30generations in their ancestral line.Such a mirror is very powerful, ithas connections with all thosespirits of the family lineage, andsuch mirrors are highly respected,and consulted with if there wereimportant issues within the family.

There is evidence tosuggest that the ritualuse of mirrors grewout of this ancientChinese ancestorpractice, withideas aboutmirrors thenspreading toregions outsideof China;enabling the useof mirrors to betaken up by theshamanic cultures there.However, there is also evidenceto suggest that shamanic culturesgreatly influenced ancient China,which makes it seem likely thatthere was cross pollination of ideasregarding the ritual use of mirrors

between China and the shamaniccultures of Central Asia - eachinfluencing the other.

Over a long period of time,shamans have found many ways touse their mirrors. Some shamansuse mirrors - often known as toli -to give to spirits as a house for thespirit to live in. Some shamans usethem by entering a trance andworking with the energies amplifiedby, or inherently present, in themirror. Shamans use them forperforming healings, for exorcism,for soul retrieval, and for divination.

Mirrors also form part of ashaman’s armour, protecting theirbodies while spirit-traveling intrance to the other worlds.

When a shaman dies, traditionallytheir body was left in a remote place,far out in nature; often on a platformin a tree. There they were laid - withall their mirrors, their drum and othersacred items. Later generationswould then accidently ‘find’ thedeceased shaman’s mirrors andother bronze objects, and afterconsulting the spirit of the deceasedshaman to ask for permission toadopt the mirror, the shaman whofound these ancient objects coulduse them in his own work.

Ancient bronze mirrors did notonly become sacred tools inshamanism, they also becameadopted into Buddhist practice.

Buddhist mirrors are calledmelong in China and Tibet, anddarpan in Sanskrit, and thesemirrors are used in Buddhistinitiations to represent the natureof the enlightened mind.

At one point in theseinitiations, the Lama

shows the studentthe melong and

tells them:“Your mind islike this mirror,in itself empty,but it willreflect

everything thatis exposed to it

without changingbecause it has no

judgment or attachmenton what it reflects.”

Many Buddhist altars containmetal mirrors, which can be truth-revealing mirrors, or part of anoffering to the five senses, the mirrorrepresenting the offering of sight.

The syncretic blend ofBuddhism and shamanism found inTibet, which is sometimes called‘Lamaism’, has followers inMongolia, China and Nepal.

In this tradition, mahasiddhas(great adepts or mystics), oraclesand healers all have melongs or‘heart protecting mirrors.’ I havealso been told that a melong isinvolved in hungry ghost offeringceremonies.

An other magical use of mirrorswithin Buddhism can be seen on arelief on the C9th Borobudur stupa inJava. The relief shows the Buddhasurrounded by monks, who are liftingtheir handled mirrors, as to chargethem with the high energy of hisenlightened being. This use of mirrorsas a sort of ‘sacred battery’ whichholds a spiritual charge also occurs inmedieval Europe as Christian relicswere sometimes viewed in a mirror,the mirror capturing and holding thereflection of the sacred relic for thepilgrim to take away with them.

0

The durability of bronze meansa Chinese person can inherit an

ancient mirror, dating back perhapsas far as 30 generations in their

ancestral line. Such a mirror isvery powerful, it has connections

with all those spirits of the familylineage, and such mirrors are highly

respected and consulted with

Mirrors are multi-functional sacred objects, andshamans use them for: divination, finding lostobjects, healing, exorcism, soul retrieval, andprotection. They are also used when working withharmful spirits, and both to create, and also fightagainst, ‘black’ magic too.

Depending on their culture of origin, they canalso be used in Sun worship, divination, as a doorto communicate with the ancestors, as protectorof a house or sacred place (for example the use ofmirrors in traditional feng shui), as an initiationtool, as a house for spirit helpers to live within, asa healing tool, or to direct energies and intentions.

They can also act as a shield to reflect negativeenergies, as a symbol of authority, as arepresentation of a divinity or a kami (a Shintonature spirit), as a tool for introspection, as asignal device (by reflecting light, so another cansee the ‘flash’) and simply as an everyday mirror.

Ceremonies held to assist the soul of a personwho has died are a major part of many shamanictraditions, and when using mirrors for this, twomirrors are required - one to protect the shaman intrance, during their travels in the underworld, andone to shine light and illuminate the ‘path of thesoul,’ to help the soul find the land of the ancestors.

Some mirrors are very large - over 30 cmacross, while others are small - perhaps only 2 - 5cm across, and are more like amulets. These havebeen made since ancient times, and in literaturethey are sometimes called ‘inch mirrors.’ Thesmaller ones could easily be mistaken for bronzebuttons, they are so small.

Some have simple designs on their backs:perhaps a yin- yang, four Chinese characters, orthe eight trigrams (I Ching trigrams). Some haveflowers, or the animals of the Chinese zodiac.

In Mongolia these small toli are often attachedto ceremonial headgear and other ritual objectssuch as phurbas and divination arrows. Shaman’sritual objects don’t need to be large to beeffective in the spirit world, and small objects canbe used without attracting too much attention.Small, inch mirrors, are perfect for protectionwhile traveling, or to work with when theshamanic work needs to be unobtrusive.

HOOP ISSUE ??? 201?www.sacredhoop.org0

Above and left: the backs of simplehome-cast shaman’s mirror, dressedwith remians of old silk khadag.C18 - early C20th

Below - left: the back of, what isprobably a Chinese mirror, importedinto Mongolia and used as a shaman’smirror. The mirror has an eagle patternfabric attached to it, which is bound inrawhide to form a grip. A bronze ringhas been put on the fabric, and thereis an old Buddhist tSog offering spoonand an eagle talon also attached.C1600 - 1900

Below - right: the back of a smallMongolian ‘inch mirror’

A WORLD OF MIRRORSThe face of a bronze mirror isgenerally convex, although someare flat.

Concave mirrors are rare. Inhistorical and ancient China,household fires were kept aliveboth day and night, but once a yearall the fires had to die. The nextday, at noon, new fires whereceremonial lit by a shaman orpriest,whoused aconcavebronze mirror.When using such amirror, the sun’s rays arereflected back from themirror into a single point,which generates enoughheat to light thekindling. Today we canachieve the sameresult by the use of aglass lens.

Himalayan melongmirrors, with a bronzeloop on their topedge, are sometimespolished on bothsides. These areconvex on the oneface, and concave onthe other. As a heartprotecting mirror, theconvex side is wornoutward. Once Iheard a shamanexplain: ‘The convexside is to see into thefuture, and the concave sideto see into the past.

Some rare shaman’smirrors have a face full ofsmall concentric waves - almostlooking as if a drop of water had

fallen into a pool. Mirrors like thiscan not produce a recognisablereflection, and I think their functioncould be to disintegrate spiritsduring exorcism rituals, so as todisperse their power.

Both before and after theshaman works with them, mirrorsare generally smudged in thesmoke of herbs or incense.

Bronze is very sensitive to oxidation,and the acid from our skin can easilyaffect their polished surface.

Therefore, the tassel or silkscarves that are attached to theknob provide for a handle. Bronzemirrors are wrapped insilks, or stored in bagsor boxes when not inuse. This wrappingup and putting awayalso helps to protectthem fromenergetic intrusionsand accidentalreflections - just asa blessed reflectioncan be held ina mirror,

HOOP ISSUE ??? 201?www.sacredhoop.org 0

Left - top: oldTibetan melongs

C18-19th

Left - centre:a small Buddhist

altar melong on astand C19-20th

Left - bottom:an old Buryat

shaman’s toli withconcentric rings,

and its back, withBuddhist mantras

C17-19th

Below: femaleshaman costumehung with manyChinese bronze

mirrorsEvenk-Manegripeople (AmurRiver valley),

Eastern SiberiaC1900

so too can the reflection ofsomething harmful.

Some traditions say that only‘altar mirrors’ should be displayedopenly. In the case of a Buddhistaltar, these are placed to symboliseradiant emptiness, or, on ashamanic altar, they are placed ashomes for helper spirits andsymbols of shamanic power.

Ritual mirrors - as living things intheir own right, with their own‘master spirits’ - may have theirown preference as to how they arecleaned, stored and ‘dressed.’ Oneneeds to ‘listen’ to them to find thecorrect way to work with them,including what kind of offeringsthey require.

Some traditional offerings tomirrors are incense, juniper or sagesmoke, alcohol - generally vodka -songs and the sounds of drumsrattles and bells.

In Mongolia shaman’s mirrorswere, and still are, blooded in theblood of a sacrificed sheep. Theblood is said to transfers the lifeforce of the animal to the mirror.

Dressing a mirrors complementsthe ‘hot’ male energy of the bronze

by the use of the ‘cool’ femalequality of the fabric - usually silk -fixed to the mirror. This clothbecomes part of the sacred natureof the mirror and the combinedqualities of heat and cool both playa role in healing or other work donewith the mirror.

Silks are one of the traditionalofferings which people who hadbeen cured could offer a shaman toexpress their gratitude. The coloursof the silk fabric used to ‘dress’ amirror represent connections withboth the four (or five) elements,and the sacred directions.

Some spirits ask for additionalofferings to be attached to theirmirror, such as beads, stones,shells or small bells too.

FORGING A MIRROR PATH Since childhood, I have had aninterest in archeology, ethnography,and arts. I am a self-taught artist,sculptor, painter and silversmith, andover the years, I have studied andcollected sacred objects and amulets,trying to discover the ‘mystic bond’between spirit and matter.

The first bronze mirror I acquiredcame from a local market. It had alandscape with a tree, rocks, water,some plants, and an archaiccharacter on it’s back. It wasdented and scratched, and had anold repair, which helped convinceme it wasn't a modern replica, butinstead, an old and genuine object.It had an energetic quality that Isimply couldn't resist.

I had seen pictures of Tibetanoracles and Mongolian shamanswearing mirrors, so I started toinvestigate them in literature and inmeditations. The perfect circlemust have been the oldest sacredsymbol - representing the cosmos,the Sun, the radiation of light.

This first mirror was quite large,with a diameter of around 17 cm.Seeing the photos of shamans withmirrors on their chests, I triedwearing it like that, and when I did Ifelt a sense of protection from it,not only a protection of my heart

HOOP ISSUE ??? 201?www.sacredhoop.org0

To add a personalised element of magic into themix, I often like to add - and recycle - an old ringor other precious metal object that already belongs

to the owner of the new mirror, to create a strongerbond between practitioner and ceremonial tool

area, but a sort of protectiveresonance that seemed to be in mywhole aura.

To my surprise, this first mirrorseemed to attract other bronzemirrors to it and hence to me, andsoon there were many in mypossession, upon which, I thoughtit was about time I looked for otherpeople who were also interested inshamanic mirrors.

In 2000 I met Daan vanKampenhout, the founder of theschool for Shamanism and Ritual inAmsterdam. Daan had written afew articles on shamanism andmirrors, and his students werebeginning to work with mirrors frommy collection.

It can be difficult to find a matchbetween an ancient mirror and anew owner. Also finding authenticancient mirrors on the market gets

harder and harder, and so I saw it asmy mission to continue the ancientcraft of providing mirrors for thosewho were ready to enter this study.

One of Daan’s students, LindaWormhoudt, a teacher in shamanicpractices - including mirror work -initiated me in the arts of workingwith mirrors, and in fact she wasthe first person to commision me tomake a mirror especially for her.

Linda understood and explainedto me how old shaman’s mirrorscan contain intentions, and can bea home to spirits which are notalways compatible with new ownersand their intentions.

If intentions match, it is perfectlyalright for a modern daypractitioner to use an ancientmirror. If they don’t match, there islittle chance of achieving positive

results, and quite possibly themirror will stop being used orcontinue on its way, seeking to finda better match.

There are plenty of reproductionsof old mirrors from China on the

Above: the backof sand-cast

mould for theback of a mirror

Left: sevenlost-wax mirrors. The mirrors with

birds on themare intented as

‘soul carriers’ forsoul retreaval

and death-work,while the two

mirrors withwinged figures

on are intendedto be protectors

Opposite pageTop: after a

small offering tothe fire, Marco

smudges theopen air foundery

Centre: thesmithing fire,

with a crucibleof molten bronze

Bottom:pouring the

molton bronzeinto a and mould

HOOP ISSUE ??? 201?www.sacredhoop.org 0

market, but I felt that reproductionshave often been made with theintention of fooling the buyer, andfor me, that felt like that disqualifiedthem from any sacred use. And so, Imade the decision to start makingmirrors myself.

Bronze is an alloy of copper andtin (Cu and Sn), and the percentageof tin varies from about 10% to30%. The tin content changes thecolour and hardness of the bronze;for example, a high level of tinmakes the mirror brittle, and it willbe prone to break easy, whereas alow level of tin gives a warm redshine, but will easily oxidize.

Sometimes quantities of gold,silver, lead and sometimes zinc,can be added to the bronze, whichall influence the resulting metal.

In the Tibetan language thereare five different words for bronze.[The Tibetans also had greatexpertise in the making of alloys,including their sacred alloypanchdhatu - five metals - which isan alloy of gold (Au), silver (Ag),copper (Cu), iron (often frommeteorites) (Fe) and lead (Pb)]

It has taken me years ofexperimenting to master this art;there are so many factors thatmust be taken into account. To adda personalised element of magicinto the mix, I often like to add -and recycle - an old ring or otherprecious metal object that alreadybelongs to the owner of the newmirror, to create a stronger bondbetween practitioner andceremonial tool.

Back in July 2001 I met theJapanese doctor, Masaru Emotowho presented his work abouthuman consciousness having aneffect on the molecular structure ofwater. Doctor Emoto’s theory isthat, in the liquid stage, the watermolecules can absorb information,which in a solid stage as ice, isfrozen into the ice crystals.

It seemed very obvious to methat this would also apply tometals; and any programming donein the liquid stage would, when thebronze cools, become permanentlystored in the crystal structure ofthe solid mirror or other object.

This programmed intention -through prayer and mantra - addedto the intent in the original waxdesign - made me realise that acast bronze mirror could be apowerful holder of intent and focus.

The melting of bronze requires alot of heat (1300º C), and so myfirst attempts at creating mirrorswere done in silver, which has amuch lower melting point (893º C).Gradually I began to use a mixtureof bronze and silver, which I calledsilver-bronze (±50% silver) andfinally moved on to bronze itself.

The first mirrors I made weresmall, undecorated sand casts. Asandcasting is when a shape ispressed into sand, to leave animpression, and then molten metalis poured into this depression andleft to cool.

Sandcasting is crude, and cannot produce fine detail, so to makedecorated mirrors I needed to useanother technique.

This technique is called the ‘lostwax’ method, and it is capable ofproducing much finer castings.Using the lost wax method, anobject is first sculpted in wax. Thissculpture - with added wax rods - isthen covered in plaster, the wax rodsgoing out to the surface of theplaster. These wax rods are

HOOP ISSUE ??? 201?www.sacredhoop.org0

Left: three of Marco’smirrors. From top to bottom:a labyrinth, a raven andthe tree of life

Right: Mirrors are purifiedin a shaman’s ceremonyin Buryatia, SiberiaOpposite Page: a Buryat blackshamans in ritual costumewears mirrors on their chests

important, as they will create airways inthe finished mould.

The plaster mould is then heated,which makes the wax inside melt, andthis runs out through one airway to leavea hole inside the plaster, exactly the sameshape as the original wax sculpture.

When all the wax has been removed,and after two days in an oven at 750°C,the mould is ready to receive the bronze,which fills the empty space inside themould, and creates a bronze replica ofthe original wax sculpture.

The bronze is poured down oneairway, and the air in the mould ispushed out through another. The plasteris then broken off and the bronzecasting cleaned up and polished.

The benefits of the lost wax methodis the fine castings it can produce, butthe downside is a mould like this canonly be used once, making a bronzeobject which is cast this way a uniqueone off.

In 2010, I made the first group of lostwax mirrors, but it was not until severalyears later that I met Gerrit Ton, a masterbronze caster, who admired my work.

Gerrit took me as an apprentice, andwas open minded enough to allow me tosmudge the tools and the foundry wherewe made our castings.

Because I was making sacredobjects it was important to me to dothem in a sacred manner. So, while thebronze is melting, I make an offering tothe fire and I smudge the work. Whenthe bronze is ready to be poured, I focuson the person that will work with themirror, and whisper the intentions intothe liquid bronze.

I then pray and recite mantraswhile I do the pouring, which has tobe done smoothly, without anyinterruptions, as interruptions willcause flaws in the casting.

After breaking the mould, the airways[sprue] - through which the bronze waspoured in, and through which the airinside escaped out - have to beremoved. Then the mirror needs to becleaned and polished. At the end of myprocess - as a mirror smith - I add aprayer to welcome the mirror into theworld, which has the potential to bearound for the next few millennia. Now itis up to the practitioner to “dress” it andto initiate it in its first ceremony.

Marco Hadjidakis was born in 1957 in Hollandand has studied altered states and healing since1991, and made mirrors to commission since2010. He is an artist, mystic and mirror-smith.

*

www.shamansmirrors.weebly.commarco.hadjidakis@gmail.com