Contacting the Dead Through Psychomanteum Mirror Gazing
Is it possible to connect with loved ones after they’ve moved on from this lifetime? Sure, it may be common to have seen a ghost or felt the presence of an otherworldly spirit at some point in life, but those experiences are often spontaneous or fleeting.
Through séances and psychic sessions, some claim to have had initiated intentional connections with the departed, but there is another way that one might be able to make contact, drawing on a method originally developed in ancient Greece. It turns out that many people have reported successful contact through the use of a simplified psychomanteum. This modernized practice of mirror gazing has been developed by Dr. Raymond Moody, a man who has devoted his life to studying near-death experiences and, through this process, has had some profound results.
The Ancient Greek Psychomanteum
In ancient Greece, people would go to a Necromanteion, a ziggurat-like temple that was devoted to Hades, Persephone, and the dead, in order to contact the spirits of their departed relatives. Necromanteion translates to “oracle of the dead,” with the Temple of Ephyra being the most recognized.
During a ceremony, subjects would take part in a ceremonial meal, undergo a series of rituals, and perform animal sacrifices. Inside the Necromanteion there would be a long hallway in which a bronze cauldron full of water and was polished often, to be as reflective as possible. The hallways would be dimly lit by lamps that cast flickering light and diffuse reflections on the water, creating a reflective surface like a mirror, in which the Greeks believed they could see the spirits of the dead.
Dr. Raymond Moody’s Mirror Gazing
Within more recent history, Dr. Raymond Moody has brought the concept of the psychomanteum back as a medium for contacting the dead through the simple use of a mirror and without animal sacrifice. Moody, who coined the term near-death experience, is a famous philosopher, physician, and psychologist who has dedicated his life to exploring NDEs and contact with the spirit world.
Mirror gazing with a psychomanteum is similar to the practice of scrying and is sometimes referred to as catoptromancy, or the use of a reflective psychic medium, much like the stereotypical fortune teller looking into a crystal ball. It is used for divination or to uncover messages related to personal development, epiphanies, and prophecies.
How to Contact the Dead & Communicate with Spirits by Mirror Gazing
Moody has developed a technique for easily recreating a personal psychomanteum at home, or wherever one may desire, with the necessary tools. The following are his recommended steps for a successful mirror-gazing session to contact the dead:
- Food – Get into a serene state of mind by eliminating caffeine and dairy the day before. Eat simple meals leading up to your session, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Location – Go to the quietest part of the house, where you can truly relax. Unplug all clocks and phones in that room.
- Clothing – Take off all jewelry including watches; wear loose, comfortable clothing.
- Mirror – Place large mirror in front of a comfy chair, and place it so you can gaze at it comfortably. It’s best if you cannot see your own reflection.
- Chair – Sit in your chair with your head supported.
- Awareness – Ease into your transition to an altered state of awareness.
- Posture – Relax your posture.
- Mood – Soothe yourself with aesthetically pleasing material for about 15 minutes by looking at works of art or listening to soft music, in order to stimulate awareness.
- Memories – Gather photographs and personal items of the loved one you wish to contact. Touch them and remember your loved one. Imprint your loved one firmly in your mind. Family films and videos can help, or anything else that you associate with them.
- Light – At twilight, light a candle and place it behind you. A dim light from behind you is ideal but experiment with the light for proper adjustment. Twilight is best because it typically stimulates altered states, especially for first-timers.
After carrying out these steps, you should start to feel your arms getting heavy and possibly your fingers tingling. You will start to go into a trance-like, meditative state and the mirror might start to appear cloudy as if it were a cloudy sky. Moody says it is important to stay passive at this point, as any attempt to guide the experience will remove you from your hypnagogic state and create interference. It can also be good to have a question in your mind before going into your mirror-gazing session, but not to develop and actively ask the question mid-session as this will, again, interrupt the experience.
Experiences typically last for only about a minute, according to Moody, but experiences can last longer for more advanced practitioners. Experiences from mirror-gazing sessions can range from seeing the spirits of loved ones to entering the mirror or even seeing future events. In fact, Nostradamus’ visions for his prophecies are said to have come from the use of a psychomanteum like the Greek’s used.
Moody says that preparing for sessions properly is the best way to achieve success. For clients of his that have gone through his process of preparation, he says that he has seen an 85 percent success rate in obtaining visions. Often his clients will also see or experience contact with the deceased later in their day or week after attempting contact through mirror gazing.
According to Moody, it is best to keep a log of your visions and continue to practice mirror-gazing sessions as often as needed. He says that of the small percentage of people who fail to have a vision or otherworldly experience, when they give up believing or holding on to any hopes of it working, they suddenly have the most vivid visions.
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When Someone Dies, Can They Come Back to See You?
No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, dealing with the death of a loved one can be incredibly difficult. The smallest message or sign from a deceased loved one can mean the world to any human being. However, there are several ways to receive messages from the dead, but they can be rather subtle and might be overlooked or discounted if you don’t know what to look for. Explore life after death to learn whether a deceased person is trying to contact you from the spirit world.
Loved Ones Communicating Beyond the Grave
There are countless cases of loved ones contacting their living counterparts after they’ve passed, or in some cases while they’ve been clinically dead, before being brought back to life.
In one instance, recounted by Dr. Raymond Moody, the researcher who coined the phrase near-death experience or NDE, a surgeon once told him that while operating on a young man, his patient went into cardiac arrest. Believing he had lost the patient, the man’s wife burst into the room screaming that her husband had visited her in the waiting room and told her the doctor thought he was dead but that he was still alive and able to be saved. The surgeon immediately began to perform resuscitation techniques and brought the patient back to life.
After-death communication is very common soon after a loved one passes away. And while everyone’s loved ones have different ways of communicating this, the signs we see are usually more than sheer coincidence.
When looking for signs of a loved one visiting or communicating with you after they have passed, think of things from their life that they had a predilection for, whether that’s a particular animal, flower, or song. These personal affections typically appear in their attempts to reach you in the physical world, and rightfully so. If there’s one thing you’d associate strongly with them, it’s sure to stand out.
