Doppelganger Ritual IV

Doppelgänger Ritual IV:

Department of Parapsychology, London.

Item no. 1282. 15/03/1996.

Found in the sub-basement of Gallowsditch House, Highgate Village, London .

Item is a box containing papers and broken shards of mirror. The box is made from oak, measures exactly 11 inches by 11 inches and is fitted with a brass lock which appears to have been forced open. All four sides and the lid are ornately carved with detailed faces, the eyes have been inlaid with ivory. The papers within are foxed with age, most are water damaged. One page of interest, the most intact and better preserved, is marked with the date 24th September, 1966 and is titled,

“Doppelgänger Ritual IV, Invocation of the Double Self by Edmund Gray”.

In handwritten form the rest reads as follows:

Here I shall transcribe the secret ceremony of invoking the double self. All procedures prior to this are to be disregarded as no successful results were made by my past attempts. Here is the perfected ritual in detail. I have documented this for posterity only and strongly advise against practising the following without a sound mind, the proper knowledge and the tools for protecting oneself against malevolent forces that may manifest themselves because of deviation or carelessness.

Part 1. The Ritual.

Objects required:

A tall free standing mirror.

A small sharp blade.

Candles.

Large quantity of iron filings.

Large black sheet of fabric.

1 Gram of Psilocybin mushrooms (optional).

It is preferable that this ritual be performed late at night so you have complete peace, free from any unwanted interuptions.

Prepare an empty room. This room must be used only for the purposes of this ritual, kept locked at all times and the windows must be blocked out completely.

Stand the mirror at the north wall.

“Seal” the room by pouring the iron filings in a continuous line all around the room making sure to encompass the mirror in this protective space.

Consume the dried psilocybin mushrooms, (the hallucinogenic effects of the fungi will “break down” the walls of reality between this and other hidden planes of existence, it will also heighten your awareness of the elusive and arcane forces that secretly reside in all things).

Wait 1 hour 30 minutes for the mushrooms to take effect before proceeding further.

Now remove all items of clothing and stand before the mirror.

Arrange the candles in a circular manner around yourself and light them.

Take the small blade and make a deep cut along one finger. When the blood is flowing annoint all around the edge of the mirror.

Now stand very still and stare at your reflection; study every inch of your body, starting with the feet first and work your way up. When you’ve reached the head look deep into your eyes and say,

“Spirits of the veiled realm, beings of the looking glass world, speculum speculorum, I invoke you now to assist me in my quest.  From the night world beyond the borders of reality and time, ancient ones  aid me now and give me your blessing”.

Close your eyes and in your mind imagine the mirror as a doorway. Breath deeply in through your nose, hold for three seconds then out through your mouth counting down from ten with each exhaled breath. Step through the mirror door.

Above, around and below you is complete and utter darkness; you’re suspended in an infinite black void. The air is buzzing with static energy which permeates every fibre of your being.

Now envision a bright blue flame materialising from the centre of your chest; concentrate on its glow, see it burn brighter and brighter.

Now it grows in size until it is encompassing your entire body. In your mind say,

“I am a beacon, I summon you. I am a beacon, I invoke you. I am the key and I have opened the way. Follow this spirit light and enter this earthly realm “.

Next, in your mind, turn around and face the mirror door, do the breathing exercise again; this time counting from 1 to 10 then exit. Open your eyes.

The next step requires your upmost concentration and diligence.

With all your being will your reflection to move by its own accord.  Ask it in your mind to move a hand or blink, whatever you choose as long as you focus intently on your reflected self. Do this for at least thirty minutes, if you feel stronger push it to a full hour.

Do not expect to get immediate results, this takes some time to master.

If you are successful you may at first see your reflected self glimmer or twitch ever so slightly; with continued perseverance you will see more dramatic movements, do not be disappointed if you see nothing at all, this takes time, patience and plenty of practise.

This ends the ritual.

Perform this ceremony again twice a week or more. At the end of each session cover the mirror with the black cloth, extinguish the candles and give thanks to the spirits.

When exiting the space be careful not to break the protective seal. Lock the room.

Part 2. On the Arrival of the Double Self.

(The rest of the document is missing; it has been torn away).

Searching the property we found the room described in the ritual guide. It was located on the second floor and had been locked with two locking bolts, each with heavy padlocks. On the removal of these we discovered inside a tall free standing  frame which was the mirror, the glass had been removed; on the floor beneath it were a few small fragments. Haphazardly scattered about were the pages of what seems to have been a diary. Assembling these in order, the last entry is dated 7th October, 1966 and reads,

“He is here! He is me! He has locked me in this room and has taken my place, I’m fading away. I have made a terrible mistake and I am now paying the price for my meddling and my arrogance. I  cannot tear myself away from the mirror. I have no reflection. My skin is crawling with unseen things, it’s driving me insane! The mirror is watching! That unearthly horror that is the black void beyond fills my dreams and relentlessly haunts my waking hours. I have tried to break the mirror but some great force has its hold over me. My body is not my own, I am changed but I am the same. I can’t take anymore of this, I’m losing my mind! Don’t look at the mirror!”

Attatched is a black and white photograph of a blurred face, on the back is written,

“yarG dnumdE si eman ym”

Inspecting the mirror frame we found traces of blood, deep scratch marks and, embedded in the wood itself, several torn fingernails.