The Irish wake is a well-known funeral tradition where the family of the deceased covers all mirrors in the home. To hide the physical body from the soul, the family turns mirrors to face the wall. Some Irish superstitions say that if you look in a mirror long enough, you'll see a devil looking over your shoulder.
Covering mirrors while in mourning has a curious ambivalence: both ritual and superstition, a way of honoring the dead and warding them off, a vow that hides within the fear of something going wrong.
Shiva is held for family and friends to begin the healing process. The mirrors in the home may be covered. This is a Jewish custom because during the mourning period the family is not to concern themselves with their own reflection, so there is no need for mirrors.
It's a practice that has gone on for centuries in cultures around the world. In German and Belgium, for example, mourners covered mirrors with a white cloth. In various parts of China, mirrors are immediately covered or turned upside down.
Precious for their material and their function, mirrors were used for Shinto rituals as well as personal use. In order to slow inevitable oxidation and avert marring the finish it was necessary to avoid touching the surface with bare hands and otherwise keep them wrapped up or covered when not in use.
The custom of covering mirrors is especially common among Irish Catholics. The Irish wake is a well-known funeral tradition where the family of the deceased covers all mirrors in the home. To hide the physical body from the soul, the family turns mirrors to face the wall.
Mirrors in ancient Japan represented truth because they merely reflected what was shown, and were a source of much mystique and reverence. Japanese folklore is rich in stories of life before mirrors were commonplace.
Mirrors are said to reflect and enhance energy according to Feng Shui principles. However, when a mirror is broken or cracked, its reflecting characteristics are changed, and the energy it generates may be shattered. This might create unbalanced and negative energy in the living area.
Curtains were closed and mirrors covered until after the funeral so that the deceased's image wouldn't get trapped in a looking glass. It was thought that you might be next if you saw yourself in a mirror at a house where someone had recently died. To prevent bad luck, all clocks were stopped at the time of death.
They could, it was believed, dispel evils and so mirrors become a favourite burial accessory. Also they were to keep the home safe from evil, criminals and misfortune. Ancient Chinese used mirrors in various social functions. They were given as gifts to and by emperors and common people alike.
Despite Jewish law and thousands of years of tradition, more and more members of the Jewish community are electing to be cremated. In recent years, the popularity of cremation has risen around the globe, and members of the Jewish faith have contributed to this growing trend.
Ancient Jews believed that placing the stone on a grave would keep the soul down in this world. Some people find comfort in this. Another interpretation leaning more toward superstition, suggests the opposite, that the stones can keep evil spirits, demons and golems from getting into the graves.
The atmosphere at the shiva is principally solemn, although the telling of anecdotes from the life of the deceased may lighten it. A wake can be joyous, basically an occasion for celebration. Food and drink are a feature of both customs.
The nurse introduced herself as a hospice nurse and was seated on the side of the bed with her patient, Berta Olsen. Berta had told her of a tradition in Denmark that reminded people to leave a window open in the room of a dying person so that the soul could move on after death.
The practice of forcing eyelids closed immediately after death, sometimes using coins to lock the eyelids closed until rigor mortis intervenes, has been common in many cultures. Open eyes at death may be interpreted as an indication that the deceased is fearful of the future, presumably because of past behaviors.
It's common for people to wear sunglasses at funerals, usually because people want to cover their teary eyes, so yes it's totally appropriate as long as their normal black sunglasses. Although when talking to others you should probably take them off.
Coffins and caskets are carried feet first as it is safer and less likely to disturb the body in transport. In addition, many cultures believe that carrying a body feet first has symbolic merit, as it is how humans walk when alive.
'Because sleep has been seen as a tiny death in ancient cultures, covering the mirrors helps keep your spirit from leaving the body or welcoming other spirits to your home or dream world,' Anthony says. 'It aids in resting and brings us safely to morning.
The length of time is different for each person. For most people their mourning period is a long process and it can take years. After about two years you are likely to know the places, events and occasions that trigger your emotions. As you start to know these, you will also learn what helps you to cope with them.
Placing a mirror facing the bed can disrupt the natural circulation of energy in the room. The mirror may deflect or scatter the chi, creating imbalances or stagnant energy pockets. When the flow of chi is disrupted or blocked, it can lead to negative effects on our well-being.
However, placing your mirror in front of your bed violates some feng shui principles. According to Crane and Canopy, placing a mirror directly opposite from your bed can negatively affect how much rest you get at night. Mirrors are believed to cause energy to bounce around, which creates a sense of restlessness.
Generally speaking, Feng Shui experts do not recommend placing a mirror directly across from the door leading into your room, but rather on a wall perpendicular to it. If you have placed your bed in the correct commanding position, it means the mirror won't be placed behind the bed but along the side.
The looking glass/mirror (T. me-long, Skt. adarsa), which represents the dharmakaya or Truth Body, having the aspects of purity (a mirror is clear of pollution) and wisdom (a mirror reflects all phenomena without distinction).
In ancient East, mirrors were regarded as sacred objects having magical powers. They also symbolize water, in that they reflect the world and self, or the enlightened psyche. At the same time, however, they sometimes symbolize arrogance and vanity. Mirrors trigger self-awareness.
First, the early Buddhist use of the mirror as a metaphor of the mind, which becomes dirtied as a mirror collects dust, eventually led to the highly evolved philosophical position of Asafiga and his school called the Yogacara, and then in Buddhist tantric ritual to the washing of the mirror while a deity was reflected ...