There are times in life when, despite all of your best efforts to keep relationships healthy, you find yourself in a situation where you must be around a person who is behaving badly. What can you do? A Binding is generally out of the question, since that typically involves some pretty serious consequences. Binding spells are a bad way to protect yourself from this type of person, for a variety of reasons. At their most fundamental level, bindings prevent the exercise of free will of another. This is a serious violation of morality and ethics, and should only be considered under extreme situations. (And even then, there are likely to be better methods than Binding.)
But an alternative to a Binding might be to create a “mirror shield”, to help encourage a person to see their actions and behaviors as others see them. A basic truth of the universe is that you can never truly change another person... all true change happens from within. However, when another person’s decisions and actions are having a negative impact on those around him, it would be helpful if they could see themselves as others see them.
One method of performing this type of mirror magic involves creating a reflection of the person's energies, and shining them back at the person. You'd essentially form a magickal reflection for this person that reflects all of their energies back to them. This shield mirror shield is not designed to restrict their flow of energy in any way, it merely reflects an image of what they send out back to them so that they can see what others see.
This doesn't come with a guarantee though... you can lead a person to a mirror, but you can't make them see. However, if your mirror is set as a shield, then this person will be more likely "see" themselves, no matter which way they turn. It can be a very eye-opening experience for someone who isn’t used to introspection.
Make sure, when you set this up, that you allow an “out” so that you are not restricting their free will in any way. The "door" is usually set up as a condition that the shield will dissolve once they've begun to see themselves as others see them.
As with everything, there are consequences for you when you do this magic. The rule of three still applies, even if your intentions are good. You should expect your own actions, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to be under equal scrutiny as a result of this spell, since as a result of working your energy into this spell, it will also act equally on you. Are you prepared to truly see yourself as others see you?
There are many ways you could go about creating this type of spell, all of which require a great deal of focus, concentration, and visualization. Here's one method:
First, create a poppet that will represent the person you wish to help "enlighten". This poppet does not need to be fancy, but do take the time to make it yourself. If you have scraps of fabric, stitch one together. (It's not a beauty contest, and you won't be judged on the neatness of your stitches...) or you can make one out of twists of grass or straw, or from a child's old doll. (cleanse it well first!) However you make it, concentrate completely on the person this poppet is supposed to represent as you are making it. The poppet doesn't need to have every detail of the person, but make sure that it has eyes and ears to see and hear the truth, and include a large heart to accept it. If you want to involve plant allies, you can fill the poppet with herbs associated with protection, healing, clarity, etc.
In addition to the poppet, you will need three flat mirrors and a candle. The candle should be consecrated to the purpose of "illuminating truth". The three mirrors should be large enough to surround the poppet on three sides standing up, like a triangle. /_\ (You might have to hunt around for three mirrors that will work for this. They will surround the poppet, but you can tie them together if you can't get them to stand on their own.) When you are ready to set the spell in motion, gather the poppet, three mirrors, and candle.
~Prepare yourself for full ritual, and cast your circle.
(A circle can be optional for lesser workings, but this isn't one of them. You want sacred space for this work.)
~Invoke God and Goddess to witness your rite.
Explain to them the complete details of the situation, and what you hope to accomplish. (Hint: it's a good idea to stay focused on the positive outcome you desire, rather than ranting about the bad stuff that's happened in the past.)
~Dedicate the candle, then light it.
Use the flame as a focus for deepening your connection to your purpose.
~Name the poppet.
You can say something like "I hereby name you _____ to be a fair and true representation of ______. I hereby charge you with the duty of helping ______ to see himself as others see him. I charge you with the duty of helping ______ see the truth that dwells within his own heart."
~Charge the mirrors.
Hold them lightly in your hands and gaze into them. Fill your heart with compassionate love for the person you are performing the spell for. See the compassionate love spill out from your eyes and reflect in mirrors. (If you find you cannot summon compassion and love for this person, you should not perform this spell. The contents of your own heart will be returned to you threefold as a result of casting it. Therefore, never cast this spell in anger or as an act of malice. You have been warned.)
~Place the Poppet within the Mirrors.
Place the mirrors so that they stand in a triangle facing in on one another, like this: /_\ . Place the poppet within them, facing one mirror, with the back of the poppet against the point where the other two mirrors join. The mirrors should be large enough that the poppet is fully reflected.
~Direct your magick towards your purpose.
Using the candle as a focus, cup your hands lightly over the top of the mirrors and poppet, and speak the purpose of your spell. Remind the poppet that the image of whatever energy is sent out by the person will be reflected back to the person. All of their thoughts, words, and actions will reflect off the mirrors and return to them. Remind the poppet that this person need not remain trapped by the reflections. Once they can clearly see the effects and consequences of their actions, they will be able to step clear of the spell. Lift the candle so that the light of it shines within the wall of mirrors, illuminating the poppet.
~End your rite
Extinguish your candle, and place the mirrors and poppet, intact, in a place where they won't be disturbed.
Although this spell invokes the basic reality behind the Threefold law, I remind you of it again. The energy you send out returns to you three ways. You have now invoked awareness for another, in order that they might see the harm they've caused. But realize that this same process will now happen to you as well. Whatever you wish on another will return multiplied to you. This is why you need to keep a compassionate heart while working this spell. Do not have a speck of hatred, hurt, or vengeance in your spirit when you cast it, because whatever is in your heart is exactly what you'll get back. Remember, whatever you do, returns back to you.
To reverse the spell, remove the poppet from the hall of mirrors, and deconsecrate it. With these words or similar, say “I release thee from the charge with which you have been set. I release thee from your association with _____. You represent _____ no longer. I release thee from this work. Thrice have I said it. You are released. So mote it be.”
~Flame RavenHawk
March 16, 2004