# The Mechanics of Magick: Mirror Scrying and the Strange Brain

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Podcast: [The Occult Rejects](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-occult-rejects-4241641)
Published: 2026-05-18T09:00:21+00:00
Episode link: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOccultRejects
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71888422/scrying_audio_edited.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-occult-rejects-4241641/episodes/the-mechanics-of-magick-mirror-scrying-and-the-strange-brain
Duration seconds: 4126

## Resource

This episode draws on experimental and review literature on mirror-gazing, strange-face illusions, anomalous self-experience, dissociation, agency, face pareidolia, and face-distortion disorders, especially the work of Giovanni B. Caputo, Caputo/Lynn/Houran, Mash et al., Bregman-Hai and Soffer-Dudek, Derome et al., Palmer and Clifford, and Blom et al. Historical and occult context comes from research on catoptromancy, John Dee’s angelic scrying records, the British Museum’s “Dr Dee’s Magical Mirror,” Campbell et al.’s Antiquity study on the mirror’s Mexican/Aztec obsidian origin, and Mesoamerican material on Tezcatlipoca and the “Smoking Mirror.” Links For The Occult Rejects https://linktr.ee/theoccultrejects Occult Research Institute https://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/ Cash App https://cash.app/$theoccultrejects Venmo @TheOccultRejects Buy Me A Coffee buymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejects Patreon https://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejects Core Scientific Sources: Mirror-Gazing, Strange Faces, and Altered Self-ExperienceCaputo, Giovanni B. “Strange-Face-in-the-Mirror Illusion.” Perception 39, no. 7, 2010, 1007–1008. Key use: This is the main science anchor for the episode. Caputo showed that prolonged mirror-gazing under low illumination can produce strange-face apparitions, including distortions, unknown faces, monstrous faces, animal-like faces, archetypal faces, and faces of relatives or deceased people.Caputo, Giovanni B., Steven Jay Lynn, and James Houran. “Mirror- and Eye-Gazing: An Integrative Review of Induced Altered and Anomalous Experiences.” Imagination, Cognition and Personality 40, no. 4, 2021, 418–457. Key use: This is one of the strongest overview sources. It reviews empirical studies on mirror-gazing, psychomanteum work, and eye-to-eye gazing, especiall…

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