Glamour Magic

Glamour magic is one of those things that tend to be regarded as a bit of an embarrassment nowadays. Its old fashioned and a bit cheesy perhaps because it still conjures up images of the Stepmother in Snow White crooning ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?’ 

My family practised witchcraft for generations, and for them Glamour magic was almost taken for granted.  It was a matter of honour not to look your age, and in those days there was no Botox or recourse to plastic surgery.  Instead they spent time with their mirrors every single day – and by mirrors I mean the big, ornate Victorian looking glasses at least a metre square.  And they always had proper, bevelled edges.  This last is important because it ‘lifts’ the mirror towards you, making it easier to build up a relationship between you and your mirror.  You could always tell the members of my family (male and female) that practised Glamour magic: the effects were that noticeable. 

But that was all long ago. Nowadays I’ve known quite a few teenagers who give it a try but usually give up after a few months once they’ve outgrown their outsized pentacles and Death’s Head joss sticks. If they do hang onto the mirror at all, they might paint it black and use it for scrying, which is a pity, because Glamour magic has been around a long time – and it works. 

Part of the prejudice against this type of magic dates back a long way, to the time when looking too long in the mirror was said to conjure the devil to look over your shoulder. (You can often tell how powerful something was by the number of folktales designed to stop you doing it!) Indeed, some people became so puritanical about mirrors that they covered them, especially in bathrooms, which makes as much sense as poisoning a good bottle of wine so you can’t drink it. 

Yet Glamour magic is a welcome relief in a world where so many people find it impossible to look in the mirror without flinching. It always saddens me to hear people endlessly discussing the latest diet fad. Young (and not so young) women diet themselves into oblivion, believing they can never be thin enough. Size zero? Where the hell did that come from? Zero??? It’s as though people won’t be satisfied until they’ve made themselves invisible. 

Of course, we shouldn’t be surprised. For centuries people have been taught to hate themselves. Years ago when religion had more influence on daily life, it actually encouraged people to see themselves as innately corrupt and sinful. Look at the Anglican litany from the Book of Common Prayer, where the congregation repeatedly beseeches ‘Have mercy upon us miserable sinners.’ But are we any better nowadays, when we are encouraged to hate ourselves for being too fat, plain, or in dire need of plastic surgery and Botox injections? Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Slimming World has its ‘Syns’ too… 

Yet when you think about it, we’ve got a lot to congratulate ourselves about. Most of us could look in the mirror and think, ‘Not bad, considering I’ve had a couple of children / I’m living on a student loan / my job pays peanuts and demands blood - and I never have enough money to buy smart clothes/ any clothes / proper food.’ But most people don’t do this. Ever. 

Instead we’re made to believe we must fit into some pre-ordained mould, (and just who ordained it, I wonder?) with the result that nobody’s happy, because we’re never allowed to learn to like ourselves. Magically speaking, this is pure dynamite because mirrors don’t just reflect our physical image; they also absorb and reflect our psychic one as well. So if we start criticising ourselves every time we see our reflection, before long our mirror will be joining in with the odd jibe too.

People are often surprised to learn that all mirrors have distinct personalities. Some are big and bold, others shy, some secretive or cunning, some kind and encouraging, and a very few are downright psychopathic. For example, I’ve never found a decent, friendly mirror in a pub or school washroom. Without exception they are nasty, virulent creatures that act as though they would like to rip out my larynx and replace it with a length of garden hose. Smile into one and they scowl back at you. This is hardly surprising when you think about it. Being a washroom mirror isn’t quite on a par with being a mirror in the Great Hall at the Palace of Versailles, is it?

But don’t let this put you off trying Glamour Magic with an old or second hand mirror. Often the quality of the silvering is excellent, and even before you start trying out some of your magic, you’ll find certain mirrors are more sympathetic than others.  Some will make your complexion look just that bit more glowing, or even shave a few pounds off your hips without you needing to do anything. Even a relatively neutral looking glass can be ‘tamed’ so that it learns to adore you. 

Just remember that mirrors can be very wayward creatures, and their magical properties are what are known as ‘antagonistic’ - in other words they can work either for or against something. So if you intend having a try at Glamour magic you need to be aware that some mirrors will naturally improve your fragile ego while others will (metaphorically speaking) smash it to bits.

But what does Glamour magic do, exactly? Nowadays most people seem to expect a magical makeover, and I’ve lost count of the number of requests I’ve seen for ‘spells’ to change the colour of your eyes – if that’s all you want, go and try some coloured contact lenses! Likewise if you want to magically dispense with grey hairs reach for the hair dye. 

This might make Glamour magic sound a bit of a non-starter. Yet done properly, it not only rolls back the years, it also helps you look like the sort of person you really want to be. It can help create and fulfil your self image. This doesn’t mean you stand in front of a mirror holding a photo of your favourite model/singer/actor demanding to look like them. Nor do you have to gaze soulfully into mirrors of a specific ‘magickal’ shade of pink and cover your head with rosebuds. No. It means that you can actually be yourself. And that has a kind of beauty all its own. 

Of course, there are drawbacks too. It is a very demanding form of magic, you can’t do a ‘bit’ of Glamour Magic or just dabble in it, not if you want the results to last. Even developing a good relationship with your mirror can take time. I suspect the old belief that breaking a mirror brought seven years’ bad luck was based on this; if your special mirror was broken then you had to start afresh and begin ‘breaking in’ a new one. 

Also usually you can only concentrate on one or two things. Maybe glossy hair or wrinkle free skin, or keeping the dark spots away from your hands as you get older.  The magical effects are noticeable, but may not satisfy anyone who has set their heart on Botox or plastic surgery.

Some people like to use a full-length mirror, which gives all over coverage of your figure and face. Remember though that in order to get a good view of the whole body you may be too far away to concentrate on your face. Of course you may feel that a wrinkle or two is a small price to pay for sorting out your figure! Also you can only work with one mirror at a time, so there is always going to be something you cannot cover such as your back or feet. 

In magic, as in other aspects of life, you are never going to find perfection. Just deal with it.