From Stephen Cadney
Douglas Heaven writes about the spooky illusion created by staring into a mirror in poor light (2 November, p 39). He seems to be describing “scrying”, known since medieval times.
It was done using a polished surface, such as a sword, mirror or crystal ball, in low light. The resulting facial distortion was ascribed to angels and visions of the future.
English scientist John Dee famously formed a partnership in the 16th century with scryer Edward Kelley. He was impatient to obtain a short cut to knowledge, frustrated by the scientific methods of the time.
One further comparison is to Charles Bonnet syndrome, in which partial or complete blindness results in hallucinations of extraordinary clarity that seem to be the result of the brain’s drive to make sense of fragmentary or partial information from the eye, as suggested for the illusion.
Didsbury, Manchester, UK
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