Ritual to Experience the "Other Side"

=== Introduction ===
I'm sure if you're reading this, you've already got some idea of the strange things that seem to leak in to our world from the void. Places, objects, and sometimes people can be anchors for these things; allowing them to slip through. Those strange shadows that dart just out of view, the hushed whispers seeming to come from nowhere, the odd happenings in otherwise normal places. These can mostly be attributed to what is collectively known as the 'Other Sides'. Picture if you will, our plane of existence as a mulch-faceted gem. Every side of the translucent gem can just slightly see another through it, but not quite see full images. Our world is much the same; we can usually only see faint bits of the other "facets," unless something is very, very wrong. Often times the events that cause us to gain insight in to the other realms of our world are dangerous, mentally scaring, and tampering with them can cause the curious very severe issues.
But still, there are many of you out there that are curious. You read accounts of these incidents - whether factual or twisted and embellished second-hand retellings, some even outright fake - and start wondering what it would be like to have just a taste of those... "adventures." Maybe you have felt cold winds brush on your arm in a still room, or seen something you can't account for and grew to enjoy the feeling.
The adrenaline pumping through your system, the unique pleasure that comes with fear and the unknown. Maybe you haven't had any sort of 'paranormal' encounter and simply crave the experience. You might want a story to tell your friends, or you might want to 'prove' the fact these things can and do happen. That is why I'm writing this for you.
Using this "ritual," you will be able to get a small taste of one of the "other sides." It isn't "dangerous," as long as you do it correctly. If you don't do it correctly, there's no risk of possession or some horror movie nonsense. You may, though, burn yourself, maybe bump in to something a little hard, develop a fear of mirrors or open windows. But nothing too bad.
===What You Will Need ===
# A mirror large enough to show the reflection of your upper body (chest, shoulders, and head) while also allowing you to place a fully open palm on the surface, IE, no pocket mirrors 
# A pitch-black room. This can be your bedroom; if all the lights are out. Yes, even those from chargers and cellphones and the status lights on computers. NO LIGHT other than that of the next item. 
# A candle large enough to faintly illuminate the mirror in an otherwise dark room. You want to JUST be able to see your self. You will also want it large enough to last up to an hour without going out. Those tall religious candles you tend to find at dollar stores should be enough
# An alarm of some sort. You'll want to wake up at an optimal time.
# Somewhere comfortable to sleep for a few hours.
===Preparation===
First, you're going to want to make sure you have a large enough mirror. If it's not big enough to reflect the requirements at a full 1:1 scale, you're not going to have proper results. It won't cause any problems, but it won't work correctly either.
Make sure the room you're going to be doing the ritual in is PITCH BLACK. I can not stress this enough. You need to make sure the only light in the room will be the candle you use. Cover slits under doors. Cover windows. Turn off lights. Leave your cellphones and illuminated watches in another room. Just as with the mirror, you won't get some 2spooky4me curse or something if you ignore this, you will just not get results.
To make your experience a little easier, make sure you have something to set the candle on. This can be a chair or a stand or even the side of the bath tub. When doing the ritual, you will be facing the mirror.
You do not want to see the flame from the candle. You want to have that hidden behind your body. It needs to be raised enough to dimly illuminate the mirror. You want to be able to just make out details. As I keep repeating, you mess up here and it won't harm you, it'll just waste your time.
Make sure you get a few hours sleep. You want about two hours or so. Make sure your alarm is nice and loud to wake you up. Being in a just-awoken state is what allows you to perceive many of these 'paranormal' events. It'll help here as well. You can, though, do it on a full night's sleep or in the middle of the day.
A side note. If you're going to half-ass any of this, don't even bother doing it. You're just going to waste your time and feel like an idiot when you don't get results.
===What To Do ===
Wake up and enter the room you're doing the ritual in. For simplicity, I'll just be saying bathroom from now on. Once inside, make sure the bathroom is pitch-black. Light your candle and place it behind you on a stand of some sort. Ensure the candle and its flame can not be seen. Stand directly in front of the mirror and put your non-dominant hand against the mirror, off to the side so you can still see your face with out obstruction.
Leave your hand still. Don't press too hard, but make sure your palm and fingers are lying flat. Stare in to your own eyes. Alternatively, if you have problems keeping eye contact for whatever reason, stare at the point on your nose directly between your eyes. Keep focus here as long as possible.
Once you've got that down, you'll alter your breathing. Take in a deep, full breath and hold it for several seconds; as long as you can. Exhale slowly, then take another deep breath. Repeat this as long as you need for it to feel natural, where you can do it with out thinking about it.
Continue staring in to the mirror with your palm on it. Eventually one or more of several different things will happen, depending on conditions, how well you followed instructions, and how attuned you are to such things. The possible results are as follows:
# You may start feeling the glass under your palm crawl and squirm. Possibly even buzz and vibrate. It might feel like putting your hand on a low bass amp, or it could feel like sticking your palm in a pit of insects.
# You may start noticing distortions in your own face. Many people claim to see family members who have passed, but others tend to see alterations on their own faces, from animalistic to demonic.
# You may hear voices, whispers, odd sounds, (often mechanical in nature) or in some cases, music. The volume of these sounds varies from account to account.
# In extreme cases, some people claim to have seen their scenery change. This could be subtle changes from the wall colors to not even being inside any longer. People have also claimed to see others in the reflection besides themselves. Again, these are extreme cases and tend to happen to those who keep focused for long periods.
===Ending The Ritual===
Return to your normal breathing and close your eyes for a moment. Open them and turn on a light. Put out the candle and that's it, simple as pie. Depending on your experience, you may feel uneasy around reflective surfaces. You might want to avoid and/or cover them for the next few days. Nothing's going to get you, unless you're already in an endangered location, but it might comfort you. Your experience may vary from the above results, and it probably will be different each time you do this.
===Final Note===
I do NOT suggest doing this with a window facing out in to a pitch black yard. I do NOT suggest doing this with a glass door facing a pitch black area. Mirrors are safe; they just let you... and them... look back and forth. Doors and windows are a different story. They let things in. And... just keep in mind that while you're trying to get a glimpse of these things, they may be trying to get a good look at you, too.
Category:Ritual
Category:Mirrors
Category:Reality
Category:Beings