Raymond Moody is best known for his work with life beyond death. He’s a physician, psychologist, philosopher and author. Some of you may be familiar with his work with Near Death Experiences from his best selling book, “Life After Life.”
Psychomanteum is an ancient method of contacting the dead that honestly hasn’t changed much over time. The principal is to have one person sit in a very dark area with a mirror or something else that can reflect angled so that you cannot see yourself but so that you can pick up on other things in the mirror or reflective object by looking into it.
Raymond Moody did an experiment with this some time ago with his psychology students and found some profound results. The majority of his students had an encounter with someone on the other side. He wasn’t expecting this, he honestly though being psychology students that they would explain anything that happened by attributing it to the mind. He was surprised by all the genuine encounters his students were telling him about and their reactions.
The following are his recommended steps for a successful mirror gazing session to contact the dead: (gaia.com)
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.
If you think about it, this is not unlike scrying and I instantly thought of my experiences with scrying when I read this. I wanted to pass this along to all of you today as I thought it was really interesting. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Have a magickal day!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
Jasmeine Moonsong