7 Years of Bad Luck?
Many of us know that if we break a mirror, it is considered to be 7 years bad luck, but I’ve never met anyone who could tell me why. Have you ever had the misfortune? Even if you have, I’m pretty sure you can relax and lay to rest the age-old superstition which dates back (at least) to our Roman ancestors. (I say at least because there were many ancient cultures with similar beliefs about the mirror and it’s ability to reveal the soul.) The idea stemmed from a belief they held that A) mirrors did indeed reflect the soul and B) life renewed every seven years. To break a mirror would damage the soul that was reflected in it at the time. I suspect our souls are a lot more resilient!
Spreading Superstitions
Still, this superstition really got around. Early American slaves were not immune. In their case, they had the perfect antidote. You could wash away those 7 years with 7 hours of soaking the shards in a river heading south.
The superstitions surrounding mirrors involve more than broken pieces however. Some believe death is close by when a mirror falls and breaks by itself. Others are fearful of mirrors in a room where someone has died, lest they catch a glimpse of themselves, as this portends another visit from the angel of death…for the viewer! In Feng Shui, mirrors should be hung at the perfect height to avoid headaches which can occur if the top of one’s head is cut off in the mirror. I have to wonder if that’s superstition or just common sense. And for all you thespians out there, you might be familiar with the belief that looking into a mirror over someone else’s shoulder is likely to bring about some bad luck of your own.
I Survived!
I broke a mirror not too long ago. Of course, in my head echoed all the tales I've heard in my lifetime about bad luck and such. But I've no interest in superstition. Just as the mind can put a negative spin on anything, it can also put on a positive one. Here's mine...
The mirror represents our self-image. Perhaps the breaking of it represents the shattering of the false, the illusions of who we are and all the ways that our identity was programmed into us. It's an invitation to see beyond the surface of things to the core essence. I'm taking my broken mirror as a sign that with this eclipse comes the opportunity to reevaluate my sense of self and breakthrough to deeper, lasting truths.