Breaking glass, it’s such a startling and evocative experience. Of course, the spiritually-minded among us might question: is there a meaning associated with breaking glass? So, today, in this article, we’re going to explain the spiritual meaning of broken glass.
Glass, since its earliest invention, has been seen to possess spiritual meaning, cultivate spiritual energy, and evoke spiritual sensations. For evidence of this, we simply need to observe civilizations, spiritual traditions, and religions around the world. From the glass nazar amulet, or evil eye, to the grand stained glass churches, cathedrals, and mosques—glass is an ever-present feature of spiritual belief.
So, it’s only natural that broken glass conveys a spiritual meaning of its own.
Table of Contents
- Broken Glass: Beginnings
- In a Nutshell: The Spiritual Meaning of Broken Glass
- Destroying Barriers – Good and Bad!
- Broken Glass and Lost Loved Ones
- Is Broken Glass Good Luck?
- Can I Deliberately Break Glass for Good Luck?
- Broken Glass: Symbol of a Broken Heart
- Abundance Vs. Wholeness
- Broken Glass and Transformation
- But What About Seven Years’ Bad Luck?
- Glass and the Divine
- Colored Broken Glass: What Does It Mean?
- Is Broken Glass a Good Omen or a Bad Omen?
Broken Glass: Beginnings
When discussing the meaning of broken glass, we should begin where glass began!
As with many things, the origins of glass aren’t entirely clear. Current thinking credits the ancient Mesopotamians with the innovation. It’s important to keep the history of glass in mind, when considering its spiritual meaning.
Having been around so long, the spiritual and symbolic meanings of glass have been fused into many cultural, religious, and spiritual beliefs. Therefore, the spiritual significance of broken glass, of course, brings with it the weight of a long history.
In a Nutshell: The Spiritual Meaning of Broken Glass
Of course, there’s a lot to the spiritual meaning of broken glass. Broken glass represents the breaking of invisible barriers, it can be good luck, but can also represent a broken heart. We go into further detail on these different spiritual meanings in the sections below.
However, we can distill its meaning into a short list of quick and easy points. Check out the following the list for a quick reference guide for the spiritual meaning of broken glass.
Broken glass represents, conveys, or symbolizes the following meanings:
- Breaking down invisible barriers.
- A message from lost loved ones.
- A symbol of a broken heart.
- Wholeness, oneness / multiplicity, abundance.
- Metamorphosis / transformation / changing forms.
- Clarity.
- Divinity via its relationship with light.
- Good luck.
Destroying Barriers – Good and Bad!
The first meaning of broken glass on the list is to do with breaking down invisible barriers. This spiritual association stems from the windows of our homes; those windows equipped with an all-important pane of glass. The piece of glass represents an invisible shield (or constraint).
As such, we connect the breaking of the glass in a window to the breaking of unseen barriers in our lives. The world is full of physical barriers and also invisible barriers. A physical barrier is easy to see, and so scheming to overcome it can be pretty easy. You need to get around a fence? Well, just find the gate! Or a ladder!
But, when it comes to things like psychological barriers (like our own limiting beliefs) or magical barriers (like spells cast against us), well, they’re harder to overcome.
Consider that a broken window can represent the shattering of barriers between you and your manifestations. So, it could well be that you have finally put to bed a limiting belief. Perhaps you’re ready to accept abundance into your life? So, look out for lucrative opportunities like new jobs or new business ideas.
When it comes to broken spells, though, it’s a bit harder to put your finger on it. It’s difficult to know who has malign intentions. However, in this case, you can simply take the broken window as a good omen that the troubles associated with any negative vibes directed at you are finally over!
Remember, though, that barriers can be restrictive, and they can be protective. A broken restrictive barrier will free you. Whereas, a broken protective barrier could leave you vulnerable. As such, if you do break a piece of glass, it’s always a good opportunity to reflect on possible vulnerabilities in all aspects of your life.
Broken Glass and Lost Loved Ones
Broken glass, especially, mirrors and windows, can sometimes be taken as a message from the other side.
You might have heard that a broken mirror means seven years’ bad luck, and sure, that’s a commonly held belief. On the other hand, though, we sometimes see mirrors as the gateways between our world and the underworld (the other side, heaven, and other various concepts of other realms).
So, when we break a mirror, it represents the breaking of a gateway from here to there. And the same applies for the windows in your home.
So, does that mean you’ve lost your connection to your loved ones who’ve passed on?
Absolutely not, no way.
But, it can be a message from them that there’s no reason to let their loss anchor you. It’s okay to continue on, and be happy. Enjoy your time before, eventually, you are reunited.
Is Broken Glass Good Luck?
When you break glass, your first instinct is to take it as a negative experience. Of course, that’s natural. Not only are the glass shards dangerous, it’s also going to cost you money to replace whatever it was you broke. And that doesn’t even take into consideration how much time it’s going to take to sweep up all the shards.
But, in spite of all those negatives, broken glass—generally speaking—is an omen of very good luck.
What is behind this good luck omen?
Well, consider the journey of glass. It begins as sand, it is then melted and cooled to create glass. So, it changes from something tiny and innumerable (i.e. grains of sand) into something solid, but brittle (i.e. glass). So, when the glass finally breaks, it is being freed from its form. It has become abundant again. The cycle is complete.
What do we know about complete cycles? Well, broken glass is like the wintertime. In terms of symbolism, it means that the cycle is complete.
It is not a cause for sadness, though. Instead, it is an opportunity for something new to grow in its place. So, think of broken glass as an omen that an old cycle in your life is ending, but something new will come to take its place.
So, broken glass is good luck!
Can I Deliberately Break Glass for Good Luck?
Well, hold up. There is one exception!
For broken glass to be good luck, the breakage has to be accidental.
That means that you can’t go out into your kitchen cabinets and start throwing wine glasses at the wall. No matter how much fun that might sound, it certainly won’t bring you any good luck.
The belief that broken glass brings good luck depends on it being a non-deliberate occurrence. This is because it is meant to be a message or a blessing from the other side, rather than an action on your own behalf to invite good luck your own way.
Broken Glass: Symbol of a Broken Heart
While it is believed that broken glass is good luck, there are contradictory beliefs when it comes to relationships.
So, if you encounter broken glass, but the idea that it’s good luck doesn’t resonate with you, then perhaps a different message is intended.
This other message could possibly be to do with your relationships. Broken glass, some believe, is an omen that a relationship will soon end. This is more intended for romantic relationships, but it could also be a warning that a platonic or family connection is also at risk.
Now, keep in mind that when we receive messages from the other side, it isn’t about something that is set in stone. After all, why bother sending a warning at all if it wasn’t something you could change?
Stay calm and reflect on your relationship. If you would like to end it, then that could be the advice you’re looking for. Alternatively, if you would like to continue on with the relationship then move to address any issues that might fracture your connection with your loved one.
Importantly, though, is the concept of balance between energies. Put simply, crowding somebody with your energy and getting too clingy will naturally cause them to withdraw from you. So, relax, stay cool as a cucumber and, if necessary, seek advice from qualified relationship experts!
Abundance Vs. Wholeness
Glass has an interesting symbolic and spiritual relationship with abundance.
To begin with, glass is created from the one of nature’s ultimate symbols of abundance: sand. Sand is a natural substance, and, as such, conveys the bounty of Mother Nature. Grains of sand cover the beaches, sea floors, and deserts in utterly unimaginable numbers.
The spiritual message sand conveys is, as you might expect, carried over when it is turned into glass.
The complication with the spiritual meaning of glass and abundance arises from the fact that glass is many grains of sand that are heated and fused together. So, while representing abundance and multiplicity, glass also stands for oneness, wholeness, and the individual.
There’s one more complication to consider: that is, when shattered into many pieces, glass suddenly re-exhibits its association with abundance.
Broken Glass and Transformation
The next spiritual meaning of broken glass to cover follows on from the previous one. Broken glass sends a spiritual meaning of transformation.
The reason glass conveys a message of transformation is because, as a material, it changes form quite readily.
It can be formed, heated, reformed, and cooled into an entirely new object. After all, that’s why glass goes in the recycling when you’re done with it—it can be turned into something completely new!
As such, glass (especially broken glass) is a potent emblem of transformation.
But What About Seven Years’ Bad Luck?
It would be pretty easy to fall into the trap of thinking that breaking a window is pretty similar to breaking a mirror. However, the omen is not the same.
A mirror is a very special and symbolic spiritual object because of its ability to reflect a perfect image. Sure, all glass offers some reflectiveness. If you’ve ever tried to take photos of animals behind glass at the zoo then you’ll know that.
However, a mirror is designed to reflect—it’s designed to show you yourself.
Therefore, when you crack a mirror, it can be taken as you cracking the image of yourself. So, naturally, we’ve come to see this as bad luck.
Plain old transparent glass, though, is different. As discussed in this article, transparent glass is more of a barrier between you and the world around you. Whereas, a mirror is a reflection of you and the world around you.
Hopefully that clears up any confusion!
Glass and the Divine
Glass, since the earliest days of its invention, has been given religious importance. This can still be seen today in our churches and mosques.
Light, seen as a gift from God, can pass through glass. Because light can pass through glass, the material has gained importance with religious adherents.
Glass is seen as allowing us to receive the glory of God’s light.
Additionally, the colorful glass used in churches and mosques is intended to represent the breadth of God’s power through bright and intense colors.
Considering glass as a form of religious tribute could mean that a broken pane of glass represents a fractious relationship with the divine.
As such, it is an opportunity for you to reflect on your religious beliefs and the role they play in your life.
Colored Broken Glass: What Does It Mean?
The world around us is full of colorful glass.
Of course, your first thought might be with the beautiful colorful glass windows of churches. But, don’t forget, there are also many more mundane items featuring colored glass.
For example, beer or wine often comes in a brown or green bottle. Moreover, we store some alcohols in blue glass bottles.
So, when glass is broken, does the color of the glass matter? The answer—when it comes to spiritual and symbolic meaning, at least—is yes.
The color of the broken glass adds to the spiritual properties of said color to the general spiritual meaning.
- Blue Broken Glass Spiritual Meaning – Blue is, you may be surprised to learn, consistently voted the world’s most popular color. Of course, the color blue is a wonderfully and inherently spiritual color. It conveys the deep emotion of the ocean, while connecting us to divinity of the heavens. Because glass already represents the divine, blue glass simply doubles down on that message. As such, when blue glass is broken, it is a sudden and stark message to reflect upon celestial matters.
- Brown Broken Glass Spiritual Meaning – Brown is the color of the earth, and is as such the color of all things wholesome, good, and nourishing. The color brown helps ground us, and soothes the noise in our minds. As such, brown glass brings us back to the origin of glass, i.e. sand. That means we can take brown glass as an omen of incoming abundance. So, shattered brown glass could be seen as a warning that you are ungrounded and, therefore, you acceptance of abundance is at risk.
- Green Broken Glass Spiritual Meaning – Green is another color that enhances the conveyance of abundance. Like the color brown, green connects us to the earth, and specifically, Mother Nature. While brown glass can bring general material abundance, green glass reflects the divinity and abundance of Mother Nature herself. Broken green glass conveys a message that, perhaps, you should consider bringing peace to your mind via time spent outdoors, appreciating Mother Nature.
Is Broken Glass a Good Omen or a Bad Omen?
When we discuss omens, the first question everybody wants to ask is “is it a good omen or a bad omen?”
Of course, it would be nice if we could put things into simple “good omen” and “bad omen” categories. But, it’s typically more complex than that.
Not only does the context of the omen matter—in this case, where did you see the broken glass? But, also, your intuition and personal perspective matters too, i.e. what does your mind and soul tell you about the omen? That’s also important.
But, fortunately for us, broken glass is a much less ambiguous omen. Most of the time people accept broken glass as a good omen.
Typically it represents things like new, welcome, and overall, very good cycles beginning in your life. It also represents improved access to vital resources in the near future.
However, sadly, some do believe that a broken window is bad luck and represents a weakness in your spiritual defenses.
Having said that, though, it’s important to take into account that many believe the complete opposite—i.e. that a broken window indicates the destruction of restrictive invisible barriers.
So, over all, broken glass is a fairly good omen!
Further Reading: Learn More About Broken Glass Omens
Thanks for reading our article on the spiritual meaning of broken glass—a lot of thought went into it. In fact, this is a topic we enjoy writing about here at Symbols and Synchronicity. As such, we’ve detailed articles covering the specific meanings of breaking certain glass items.
Check out our list below to learn more on the topic.
- Breaking A Drinking Glass Spiritual Meaning
- Broken Window Spiritual Meaning
- Cracked or Broken Windshield Spiritual Meaning
- Smashed Bottle Omens and Spiritual Meaning
- Exploding Light Bulb Spiritual Meaning
- Broken Eyeglasses Spiritual Meaning
Sources and Resources
– Wikipedia.org History of Glass
– Apochi.com Stained Glass in Iranian Mosque