What it means
When you dream of a mirror, you're the subject. The dream holds up a question about how you see yourself, and the answer lies in how you felt as you looked. A calm reflection may come at a time when you're at ease in your own skin. If what you saw unsettled you, you may be turning over something about yourself you haven't quite accepted yet.
It's a common dream in times of change: after a move, a break-up, a new job, a birthday that feels heavy, or any stretch when you're asking who you are now. It also shows up when other people's eyes matter more than usual, such as before a big presentation or early in a relationship.
A mirror doesn't answer; it shows. That's why the details are worth remembering: each one tells you something different.
Common variations
Looking different in the mirror
Younger, older, a stranger's face or one feature changed. It comes when you feel yourself changing inside, or when others see you in a way you don't recognize. Notice the emotion: pleasant surprise is very different from recoil.
A broken mirror
Folklore links it to bad luck, but in a dream it usually points to a self-image that has cracked: an idea of who you were that no longer fits. Sometimes that hurts, and sometimes it's the start of a more honest picture.
Having no reflection
Looking and not finding yourself is one of the eeriest mirror dreams. It can echo a feeling of being overlooked, of not knowing what you want, or of having put yourself last while looking after everyone else.
A reflection that moves on its own
When your reflection does something you aren't doing, you're meeting a side of yourself that acts on its own: a wish, a flash of anger or a fear you keep under wraps by day.
Wiping a fogged-up mirror
Clearing away steam or dust to see yourself better often comes with moments of clarity. You're understanding something about yourself that used to look blurry, or giving yourself permission to look at it.
What psychology says
Carl Jung called the parts of ourselves we'd rather not see the shadow, and he likened the first meeting with it to looking into the mirror of the water: seeing the face we don't show the world. Today's research tends to describe dreams as a continuation of what occupies us while awake: if your looks, your body, your age or your reputation have been occupying you, a mirror turning up at night makes perfect sense.
In folklore
In many cultures the mirror is a doorway to another world: mirrors are covered in a house where someone has died, and breaking one is said to bring seven years of bad luck. In dreams these beliefs weigh on us through the fear they stir, not through anything they foretell. No mirror dream predicts misfortune.
Frequently asked questions
Is it bad luck to dream of a broken mirror?
No. The seven-years-of-bad-luck idea is folklore, and dreams don't announce misfortune. A broken mirror in a dream reflects a self-image in the middle of changing.
What does it mean when you can't see yourself in a mirror in a dream?
Usually you feel overlooked, or you've lost sight of yourself. Ask whether you've been putting your own needs last lately.
Dreams are personal: these readings invite you to reflect, they don't decide for you. They are not medical or psychological advice. If you have frequent nightmares or sleep badly, see a professional.