Posted by Melvin on Jul 23, 2009 in
Stormy Life Business loans or commercial loans are designed for a wide variety of small, medium and startup business needs including the buying, refinance or growth of a business. Business loans are similar to a commercial mortgage in that money can be borrowed over an extended period of time, usually a maximum of 25 years, and are secured on the building being acquired.
A loan for a business can be secured against most types of freehold or long leasehold properties, such as factories, shops, pubs, care homes, guest houses, restaurants, office buildings, industrial units, blocks of flats and more. A business loan can also be secured against a residential building. The procedure is very similar to that of a commercial mortgage except that the usual maximum that can be borrowed is 60% of the assessed Market Value. However, a few lenders will let you borrow up to 75% depending upon the proposal and the security offered. Interest rates on the business loan are variable and depend upon the status of the borrower and the length of the term.
These percentages are known as the Loan-to-Value ratio, or LTV. The lower the LTV, the lower the risk is to the lender. The higher the LTV, the greater the risk to the lender and it is usually the case that a higher interest rate would be charged. Lenders will not usually advance above 75% LTV to try to make sure that there would be enough security in the event of a quick sale, often through an auction house when it is expected that property will sell at a reduced rate of up to 25% below the normal market value.
Posted by Melvin on Jul 23, 2009 in
Stormy Life Every home desires comfortable seating. Whether in the kitchen, living room, or in the patio, cozy and relaxing chairs are vital for the company to feel at home and for the family members to be able to relax. Bar stools are one of the most comfortable chairs ever built. They are not just for bars, nightclubs or restaurants only.
If you have a detailed theme or motif in the house and you want to acquire a few pieces of bar stools, don’t hesitate. There are numerous types of bar stools that differ in design, form, color, and height. Bar stools may be made from metal, wood, plastic or a combination of materials. Bar stools often come padded with leather, microsuede and other fabric casings. The padded bar stools offer even more amenity than a regular dining chair. On the other hand, the current and contemporary styles of bar stools don’t provide cushions as padding and don’t really suggest clean lines and cut that are vital in modern designs.
Some bar stools can be used in table, counter or bar height. Others can be used in any room area because of their changeable height. This is mainly useful in homes with dissimilar table, bar and counter elevation. There are also exceptional bar stools for extra tall or extra short people.
Bar stools are made with loveliness and practicality in mind. They are created with style and elegance so that they would fit in your home, no matter what existing decor it may already have. Bar stools is the type of home furnishings that flatter rather than conflict. They add a comforting and welcoming feel into every home. Colorful, standard, complicated or traditional – no matter what bar stool type you prefer, there is always one that’s perfect for you. Inspect our bar stools for sale finder for further information.
There are various places in the home where a bar stool can be positioned and used. Bar stools are often lightweight and transferable, they provide spare seating in wherever area in the house when guests visit. For those who like to hold social gatherings but only have limited space for extra bar stools, the foldable type is a great option. Folding bar stools can be folded flat and easily stored when not needed. They are handy and very functional.
Bar stools, like other furnishings, are accessible in a wide range of prices. Some unique pieces often cost a lot higher. There are also simple yet striking bar stools designs that cost below $100. The common prices for elaborate, traditional bar stools are between $100-200. When on a budget, go for sales such as a set of two bar stools for a price of one. If you are planning on purchasing one design in bulk, buy them wholesale to save money. Look around in stores, online or not and investigate for the best deal. Some online manufacturers often provide discounts or free shipping. Practice shrewd shopping and spending in finding the right bar stools at a fair price that you can afford.
Posted by Melvin on Jul 23, 2009 in
Stormy Life People want to jump in a huge bean bag chair. Bean bag chairs are very entertaining and fun to wrestle on and just to sit and watch TV. Many times you can find kids bean bag chairs for a discount. Bean bag chairs are a lot of fun for everyone. I personally like to watch TV in a very soft bag chair. A lot of my brothers and sisters everyday when we were kids would take their bean bag chairs and we would combine them all together. Then, after we had five or six of the big bean bag chairs all in a pile, we would have a big wrestling match.
We would take the bean bag chairs and maneuver them as pillows so we could tackle each other. As far as what kind of chair I like it really doesn’t matter. I like bean bag chairs that are fluffy. There are bean bag chairs with various materials as the cover. There are leather covers, vinyl covers, cloth covers, and many others that you can choose from. Many times you can find a good price for a nice chair. These guarantees can last about 2-3 years if you’re lucky.
About older bean bag chairs I do not have a preferenced one, type, or company that I prefer over the others. Basically, I just like the ones that are really big and when you return home from a hard day at work you can just plop down in them or dive right into them. So come check out our website and decide which bean bag chairs are at your favorite.
Posted by Melvin on Jul 23, 2009 in
Stormy Life Introduction
There may be some confusion about the term Solar Power because there are a number of systems that have been established for many years using the sun to heat water, heat ovens to cook food or heat your home either directly or indirectly. But what we are really interested in is the idea of producing electricity from the sun. That electricity can then be used for different uses not just for heating water or rooms. Technically Solar Power is any system which is powered by the sun to produce useable energy.
Making electricity really isn’t that hard so I am told. The technology is now available to convert the sun’s light into electricity using Photovoltaic cells. One company I know has developed large scale photovoltaic plants in Southern Spain, where of course there is plenty of sunshine. Panels made up of photovoltaic cells can be installed on the roof or placed anywhere they will capture the sun. They are then connected to the electrical supply in the home and used to run the everyday appliances we depend on.
What Does Photovoltaic Mean?
Photovoltaic literally means light and electricity and the technology has been developed to convert solar energy into usable power. Basically the sun produces white light, which is just a different kind of energy; as I understand it, photovoltaic cells trap this light and turn the wavelengths into electricity. They do not need bright sunlight to operate so even on cloudy days electricity can be produced due to the reflection of sunlight, and on days of light cloud energy yields are higher than in bright sunshine.
How Photovoltaic Cells Work
To make these cells produce energy you need two layers of semi-conductor material which has been adapted, so that one is positively charged and the other negatively charged. When light shines on the semi-conductor, electrons are released to produce electricity. The greater the light the more electricity is produced. The electrical field across the junctions between the layers causes electricity to flow as (DC) Direct Current. Photovoltaic cells are then joined together to make panels which are positioned strategically to capture as much sunlight as possible on or around the designated building. Once the photovoltaic cells are joined together they officially become Solar Panels.
Where to Install the Solar Panels
Once you decide to have solar panels then positioning them for optimum light and sunlight is a consideration. If you have a good roof space high enough and not shaded by trees, preferably facing south or south west, then you will probably have the ideal location. Because we live a bungalow there is a huge roof facing south on one side. Looking at the design of the roof we concluded we could have several panels facing South East, South and South West thereby capturing sunlight throughout the whole day.
Solar panels can be mounted on frames on a flat roof or the ground or even on the side of buildings. I would think the main criteria are that they are safe and stable so they won’t fall over or blow away in high winds. The solar panel we have for hot water is securely mounted on our roof with strong metal fixings.
Solar panels are produced in many shapes and sizes, some are even made as roof tiles, and there is some new technology on the horizon enabling solar panels to be incorporated into actual windows. Smaller portable solar panels can be taken on holiday when you go camping or caravanning.
From the many shapes and sizes available a solar panel will fit with any design required.
Why Would You Want to Install Your Own Solar Power System?
Green Energy – Well firstly there is the issue of ‘going green’ and avoiding using carbon producing energy. There has never been a better time to do your bit to save the planet. Carbon emissions are contributing to the erosion of the glaciers which provide much of the world with drinking water. Global warming is a huge concern and if a large proportion of the world population reduce their carbon footprint then the hope is that global warming will slow to its natural cycle in the evolution of the earth.
Cost – Then there is the cost of electricity today. Utility companies are charging far too much for power and today I read in the paper that one company is not going to reduce the bills now that the price or raw materials has gone down. They plan to use the profits for re-investment! So in fact we are paying twice for the cost of re-investment.
Prices in the UK have trebled in the last year and even with less sunlight in the UK than many other countries solar power is still worthwhile to reduce the bills. During this financial crisis anything that can be done to minimise costs is of benefit. Once your solar system is up and running any excess electricity you produce can be sold back to the national grid. So instead of bills you get paid by the electrical companies for producing more than you can use.
Freedom – When I am showering using the water from my solar heating system, I have this wonderful sense of it being free hot water. I know it is not really free because we have already paid for its installation. But now it is done, it looks after itself and on sunny days there is plenty of hot water. It does not need electricity to make the water flow through the pipes so if there is a power cut we can still get hot water.
My approach over the last few years has been to put in systems that free us from the tyranny of the electricity companies and the oil barons. Without independent systems we have no choices if the powerful companies decide to put up prices or cut us off.
The most persuasive argument for me was when Russia decided to cut off gas supplies to the customers when they had a contract in place so that the people of those countries had no fuel to keep them warm during the coldest winter months. From my perspective is seemed it was all because ‘the powers that be’ wanted to flex their power muscles and increase prices to line their own pockets. None of us want to be in that position.
DIY Solar Panels and Installation
Now that we have a solar hot water heating system installed we are keen to get started on producing our own electricity. We use a great deal of electricity running 5 computers for our home based business and expenses have gone through the roof this year.
The e-books on how to make solar panels are getting more numerous by the month but they are presenting information on the same idea.
The marketing material on each website is persuasive and they claim that you can make these solar panels for $200 or £150 which is a great deal cheaper than they can be bought readymade. The books provide an easy step by step guide written in clear straightforward language with the complete novice in mind. People claim they are making these panels over a weekend and are over the moon with the results.
So why would you want to make your own solar panels and then install them yourself? Wind and Solar power systems have been on the market for years but the costs are virtually prohibitive. The cost of commercial panels makes nonsense out of the whole idea of recovering the outlay within a few years. Then there is the satisfaction of producing something essential to maintain our way of life with your own hands.(Rather like growing your own vegetables)
As well as making these panels for yourself and when you have become more adept at making them, there is the possibility of a lucrative business producing and installing solar systems starting with your friends and neighbours. Once they start telling their friends about the savings they are making you will find you have more orders than you can handle.
Future for our Children and Grandchildren
The ways we have used and misused our natural resources are creating a legacy for our children and grandchildren which will be, to say the least, challenging. The fossil fuels will run out in the next century and as resources become scarce and population increases there will be powerful competition for what is left. I don’t think the world is going to be an easy place to live in and our descendents will have to adapt to a life that could in many ways, be similar to the Middle Ages in Britain or the early settler days in the US.
I won’t dwell on the possibilities of what could be, but I do think anything we can do to help establish a system using renewable energy will be the best legacy we can bestow on future generations.
A wonderful example of natural resources running out is on Easter Island. From study and research of this uninhabited island it would seem there was once a great number of trees. In fact it was completely covered in forest. The inhabitants cut down these trees as a source of fuel but also for carving images which you can still see on the island. However when the trees became scarce, instead of planting and nurturing their valuable resource, they continued to cut down the trees until there were none left. Because there was no more wood they had used up their means of survival so they all died out or possibly left. To this day it is an uninhabited island with no trees. (In New Zealand there is an oral history of the Maori people canoeing from the pacific islands to find their new land of the long white cloud. They could well have been the ones from Easter Island)
Storing Electricity or Selling Back to the Grid.
Just having solar panels is not sufficient to provide you with electricity for your requirements. Once electricity is produced there has to be a system to convey the correct power to the appliances. For the most basic system after the solar panel, you will need a charge controller which regulates the flow of electricity to the battery. A battery is an essential item to maintain the supply when it is dark and an inverter which is essential to convert the direct current (DC) generated by the solar panel to alternating current (AC) for use with all appliances. However by DIY the system could pay for itself within a couple of months.
Once your solar power system is up and running you could decide to just provide electricity for your own use and store any excess in deep cycle batteries. You may however prefer to sell the excess back to the national grid to offset any usage you might need over and above the production of the solar panels installed.
Solar power kits are a wonderful way of getting a solar energy system up and running so you can generate electricity for your own use and store any excess in deep cycle batteries.
Apparently there are ways of getting deep storage batteries for free in which to store electricity that you have produced, over and above your current consumption. A charge controller is advisable to monitor and control the charging of the battery and prevent it being overcharged. Careful use of the battery will extend its life and save having to replace it so often.
Selling electricity back to the national grid will require installation of several more items than the basic system uses and is a little more complicated to install. But if it offsets the cost of the electricity you do need, it might be a better system eventually.
Will it work in the UK?
Although sunlight hours are fewer in the UK than in other more sunny climates photovoltaic cells work with light, and as mentioned earlier, they work particularly well on partially cloudy days of which there are many. We already have several solar units in the garden and I have never known them to not have enough light to work, even in winter.
Will we run out of Raw Materials?
The semi-conductor material used in the construction of the solar cells is mostly silicon. Silicon is basically derived from sand and sand is the second most copious material in the Earth’s mass. So I think it is unlikely we shall run out of raw materials.
Conclusion
Hot water powered by the sun has been in use for many years in countries where there is a plentiful supply of sun and is known as passive energy. However the development of new technology whereby light can be converted to electricity is a important step in the evolution of civilisation.
What I don’t understand is why Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain don’t make more use of this technology Now that oil supplies are dwindling maybe they will turn their attention to other forms of electricity production and use their vast wealth to invest further in the solar and wind technology. I did read that there are plans to turn parts of the Sahara into solar power farms, and that the plan is to export a fair amount of the power produced, into Europe. This could be an excellent export opportunity for Africa.
To be completely free of electricity from the grid would be a huge bonus for me and there seems to be a small revolution going on with a ground swell of public opinion demanding the use of renewable sources to produce energy. People are getting fed up with being hostage to energy companies and are looking for ways to challenge the system.
It is a fact that solar power is one of the safest, easiest and cheapest ways to generate electricity for our homes. In an ever increasingly energy hungry planet, currently only 0.2% of energy comes from renewable sources and 93% comes from sources that will eventually run out. So now is the time to look for an alternative in the form of wind and solar energy to provide a very moral and ethical gift for the generations that follow
Posted by Melvin on Jul 23, 2009 in
Stormy Life Introduction
Central to the mythology of mirrors is Narcissus a Boeotian hero, who disliked those who loved him for his own natural beauty. He famously gazed into a pool of water and was so fascinated with the reflection, that he was unable to bring himself to leave the image. Not realising that the image he could see was of his own natural beauty, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the image, and he perished.
The concept of how the mirror works is quite simple. It stems simply from the reflective surface of still water and therefore nature plays its part. When you look down into a puddle or a dark pool of water, the smooth water reflects the light straight back into your eyes. Mirrors work in a similar way, in that a mirror is made up of a coated glass surface which when a polished metal surface or metal film is applied behind the glass, light cannot shine through and so reflects the image back. Young children particularly, are always fascinated when they look into a mirror for the first time and see their own reflection staring back at them. Anyone who has young children will remember the vision of their young child son kissing their image on a mirror. My eight year old daughter loves sitting in front of her mirror applying her make up nearly as much as my fifteen year old daughter!
Where would we be today without mirrors? Mirrors are generally used for personal grooming or interior decoration and have evolved from a luxury item into a necessity. There is an enormous variety of mirror shapes and sizes and over the years, mirrors have gradually developed to meet many different requirements. Today there is a large selection of mirrors , ranging from small mirrors to large mirrors, framed, unframed and includes bathroom mirrors, decorative mirrors, illuminated mirrors, LED mirrors, shaving mirrors, make up mirrors and demister mirrors.
Away from personal use, mirrors are also used as part of scientific apparatus such as cameras, lasers, telescopes and periscopes, to reflect light and used as tools in dentistry and medical care.
History of Mirrors
The history of mirrors as far as we can see dates back over 8,000 years. The earliest known mirrors were made from pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring glass from cooled volcanic lava flows. In Anatolia in Turkey, examples of obsidian mirrors dated at around 6000 BC have been found. In south and central America, polished stone mirrors from around 2000 BC on wards have also been found. From around 3000 BC mirrors of polished copper are known to have been crafted in ancient Egypt.
The first metal coated glass mirrors are thought to have been made in the first century AD, in Sidon, known today as Lebanon. The Roman author Pliny makes reference to glass mirrors backed with gold leaf in his Naturalis Historia, one of the largest reference books to have survived from the Roman Empire, which focused on natural and man-made objects and was written in around 77 AD. The Romans also created a technique for making crude mirrors by using molten lead to coat blown glass.
In the 10th Century Arabian Physicists, considered different types of mirrors, reflecting mirrors and parabolic mirrors and another discussed concave and convex mirrors in both cylindrical and spherical geometries. In undertaking various experiments with mirrors, finding the point on a convex mirror at which a ray of light coming from one point is reflected to another point was solved.
During the period of the 14th to 17th Centuries, across Europe a method of coating glass with a tin-mercury amalgam was perfected by manufacturers. Venice was recognised for its glass making expertise and soon became a centre of mirror production using this new technique. Glass mirrors from this period were extremely expensive luxuries.
The particular process of silvering to produce the first silvered-glass mirror is credited to German chemist Justus von Liebig in 1835. He developed a process to apply a thin layer of metallic silver onto glass through the chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The process was adapted for mass production and led to the greater availability of affordable mirrors and formed the basis of what we now consider the normal way to produce a mirror today.
The evolution of the mirror over the years is quite interesting, if like me you love mirrors! It has developed from a luxury item to an item which is now taken for granted in daily use. Today, walk into any shop to look at mirrors and the selection is vast, with many technology features now finding there way into mirrors, to give added simplicity, luxury and decoration.
The selection in backlit mirror which include illumination, LED back lights and demisters is very extensive, so you can find exactly the right mirror for your bathroom.
How are Mirrors Made?
The manufacture of mirrors includes the application to a suitable material of a reflective coating. Glass is the most common material, due to its ability to take a smooth finish and its rigidity. Glass is also more scratch resistant than many other materials.
Early mirrors were made of solid metal, bronze or silver and they were far too expensive for many. Metal is also prone to corrosion and because of polished metal’s low emissivity, antique mirrors were less suitable for indoor use. With indoor lighting at the time supplied by candles or lanterns, the metal mirrors reflected a much darker picturecompared to modern glass mirrors.
In modern times ‘float glass’ is used in the manufacture of mirrors, which is a flat ribbon of glass which is run out of a furnace and along the surface of a bath of molten tin. The temperature of both the glass and molten tin is controlled to enable both surfaces to be made perfectly flat. There are now three common types of mirrors: plain – which has a flat surface, and the two spherical types of mirrors: the convex and the concave. The concave and convex mirrors can be used in an entertaining way, when used at fairgrounds or amusement parks to distort peoples figures reflected in them through bloating, stretching and shrinking, the person or object in front of them. I challenge even the most dour faced individual to stand in front of a mirror in a hall of mirrors without laughing at their reflection!
In some applications, a mirror isn’t a mirror at all. For example, when used in public conveniences, especially in public or factory toilets, where for reasons of cost and the need for greater durability, a single polished metal sheet is often installed as a form of mirror.
Different Types of Mirror
Throughout the ages, mirrors have been employed as symbols of truth, deception and vanity. Mention a mirror and you instantly know that if you look into one, you will see your own reflection staring back at you. The image you see will resemble your own appearance. In optical principles, the reflections in mirrors do not totally match the objects in front of them. When looking into the mirror, trace the contour of the reflection of your head in a mirror. The reflection may correspond in proportion, but will generally be half in actual size.
With such a variety and huge range of mirrors now available, much has been made of the amount of money spent in purchasing mirrors particularly by women, although in this day and age with an increase in men purchasing cosmetics, some men will also be vain enough to carry a mirror.
The vain Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs famously asked her special mirror, “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Mirrors are synonymous with truth.
Mirrors are frequently used in interior decoration to create an illusion of space, and to decorate and amplify the apparent size of a room. They will be used around the home, the office, a pub, club or restaurant to good effect. They work particularly well in night clubs, reflecting the many images of light in the club or room to create a feeling of a much bigger space.
Infinity Mirrors provide an effect of never reaching an end, known as ‘symmetry breaking’ and are particularly effective when used in a dark environment. I remember experiencing this phenomenon for the first time as a child in a large department store lift, where mirrors where on all sides of the elevator car. For those who are not good in lifts I should think this effect probably does nothing to calm them, perhaps that’s why you don’t see lifts like this anymore Or is it just because I’m getting old and that was a particular style popular in the 70′s!
My next favourite kind of mirror after the infinity mirror is the heated mirror, these mirrors have a heating element or what is called a demister pad mounted on the back. The reason a mirror steams up when you have a shower is because the surface temperature of the mirror is colder than the air temperature and causes the water vapour in the air to condense on the mirror. Some bright spark realised long ago that it if you heated the mirror this would avoid it steaming up, brilliant!
For many years heated mirrors have only featured in very expensive bathrooms usually costing thousands, and quality hotels have used heated mirrors as a neat differentiator from the increasingly popular budget hotels and motels. Of course it is not until you step out of the hotel shower and see yourself in the mirror that you realise it is there! Whilst at the back of your mind you realise this is one of the reasons why this room is more expensive than the other hotel across the street.
Last week I heard the BBC Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce state that the best shave you ever had will have been in a hotel, to which he attributed the benefit of the heated bathroom mirror as the main reason. I have to agree, and every time I stay in (nice) hotel I always have a really good look at the bathroom with a view to reproducing the best of its features in my own home.
Today instead of buying one of the many demister mirrors on the market you can actually just purchase a demister pad and fit it to your existing mirror.
In 1980, ska group The Beat had a UK top ten hit with ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’ and the bathroom is probably the location where we tend to study ourselves the most in mirrors. Many will say that it is not wise to look at yourself in the mirror first thing in the morning, but the bathroom is often the first port of call in the morning. Many bathrooms feature a main bathroom mirror positioned on a wall and a bathroom cabinet with mirror doors. Other than the “oh my god” do I really look like that expression, the uses of a mirror or mirrors in a bathroom will generally be to aid the application of make up, hair styling or shaving. One of the major problems with bathroom mirrors is that after showering or bathing, the mirror is steamed up.
A recent addition in the manufacture of heated mirrors is the inclusion of a demister pad which clears the mirror for use in just seconds. Imagine never having to again wait for the steam of the bathroom to disappear from the mirror, or having to open the window, before using the mirror to shave or apply make up. The bathroom mirror demister or steam free bathroom mirror is a great invention. Some manufacturers refer to these products as fog free bathroom mirrors and there is now a huge range available, again some with back lights, LED lighting and built in shaver sockets.
Demister mirrors and steam free bathroom mirrors are not the only recent developments on mirrors. As suggested above another reasonably new product is the illuminated bathroom mirror. Illuminated mirrors maintain the features of a simple mirror, but will enhance any environment in which they are used with the addition of lighting. As with all mirrors, the range of illuminated mirrors is extensive, with a variety of sizes and shapes available. An Illuminated mirror with shaver point can also be purchased.
Mirrors with backlit LED lights will enhance any bathroom or environment in which they are installed. Being of low energy consumption LED, or light emitting diode, are more environmentally friendly than traditional bulbs. They are designed to withstand the moisture of the bathroom environment. So water vapour mist will not cause a problem. As a real luxury mirror, illuminated bathroom mirrors and bathroom mirrors with LED lighting can also include a demister pad, to demist the mirror in just a few seconds and an on/off sensor to activate the lights as soon as motion is detected in front of the mirror. Now bathroom cabinets are also available with inbuilt back lights, and LED lighting for that special something different in your bathroom.
As a bathroom accessory the mirror should come high on the list, in fact can you really have a finished bathroom without a mirror? The enormous selection of styles, types, shapes and sizes means that there must be a mirror to match anyone’s budget. Although some of the latest technological versions such as illuminated, backlit and LED mirrors could be considered to be luxury items, some are not as expensive as you may think.
Not sure what to buy for a wedding present? You can bet a heated bathroom mirror won’t be on their wedding present list and these are always very well received gifts, especially if the newlyweds like showers together!
Mirrors, Superstition and Auspicious Energy Flow
I have always loved mirrors, probably why I have ended up in the mirrors business! When I was at school I did a project on them, this was before the internet was invented mind so I trawled through piles and piles of reference books in both the school and local library for months. These days of course it would only take an hour on Google, kids these days don’t know how easy they’ve got it!
Once you get immersed in mirrors as I did all those years ago, or ‘mirros’ as I frequently misspelled it, and start researching them, you find that they play a major part in all aspects of life. Mirrors also feature in superstitions. One of the most commonly known superstitions is that someone who breaks a mirror will receive seven years bad luck. A popular belief for this superstition is that mirrors are a reflection of the soul and if a mirror is broken, then part of the soul is broken. Added to this, some believe that the soul regenerates every seven years in an unbroken condition, hence the seven years of bad luck. I bet you’ve always wondered why that was so I’m glad to share that with you! Mirrors were often used in traditional witchcraft too as tools for performing spells from the belief that mirrors are said to be a reflection of the soul.
It is also said that the mirror does not lie. A mirror can show only the truth. It is a very bad omen indeed to see something in a mirror which should not be there, a technique regularly used in scary movies! Some cultures also have a custom that a newborn child should not look into a mirror until its first birthday because its soul is still forming.
In the southern United States, it used to be customary to cover the mirrors in a house where the wake of a deceased person was being held. If a mirror was left uncovered or exposed, people believed that the deceased person’s soul would become trapped in any uncovered mirror.
In the ancient art of Feng Shui mirror placement is considered very important. There is a lot of information available about this, and it is a subject that can’t be covered in a mere paragraph or two here. But Chi energy flow can be influenced by mirrors so where the energy needs to be reflected, mirrors can be used for this to great effect. Personally I don’t really follow these rules, although my mum has mirrors strategically placed all over her house to redirect in-auspicious energy! One of the principles I do follow though is to make sure I don’t have any mirrors pointing at my bed, or the kids beds, as this is said to reflect your dreams back onto you whilst you are sleeping!
Conclusion
A mirror is defined as a coated glass surface for reflecting images. There is a huge range of mirrors for commercial use, and available in many shapes and sizes. The most commonly seen uses of mirrors are for personal grooming and interior decoration. As a race we are thoroughly addicted to mirrors.
Over time, mirrors have evolved from a luxury item to an item of necessity and many particularly women will always carry a mirror in their hand bags. However, today with technological advancements, some mirrors will be seen as a luxury, particularly those which include illumination, LED or demisting devices. As individuals we spend many hours of our life in a bathroom, so why not treat yourself to one of life’s little luxuries and indulge in a stylish bathroom mirror? After all, let’s be honest, who can really live without looking in a mirror every day?
weeklyshredder.com