Scrying

A crystal ball used for scrying

Scrying is the technique of gazing into an object such as a crystal ball or mirror for the purposes of divination. Anyone can learn to scry, but, like most things, it takes a little practice at first. The amount of time you use for scrying can vary from a few minutes to half hour.   

Scrying is comparable to meditation, and is most easily performed by individuals familiar with meditation techniques and working with their intuition.

Dim the lights of the room and set the scrying object in front of you. Relax your eyes and gaze steadily into the surface of the tool. Do not worry about if you are staring "correctly", rather, if you need to blink, blink! If you feel your gaze shifting, allow it to happen. Stay relaxed, and stay focused on your question.

Typically a mist will seem to form on the surface of the object, almost as if a veil is being lifted before your eyes. It is important to not become too excited at this occurrence, rather you should strive to remain calm and focused. Eventually, the mists will clear, and you should be able to pick out shapes or images in the scrying surface. These images may appear as crude symbols, or occasionally with the clarity of a photograph.

Although you will actually see these images with your eyes, what has happened is that the images themselves begin to form in your mind via your intuition. As this stage progresses, you will no longer see the images projected onto the scrying surface. Rather, you should allow your attention to focus on these mental images.

As the images become clearer, you will find that you know things about what you are seeing. Background information will come to the surface of your mind. Pay attention to what you know about the images you are seeing. This stage is marked by astral impressions, which is evident by the dreamlike quality of the state.

Tools used for Scrying

Although the crystal ball is the immediate tool that comes to mind when visualizing a scrying witch, it is far from the only one available. Other methods of scrying include:

A scrying mirror is a concave glass painted black on the reverse side.

•  Water in a black bowl or cauldron
• Scrying Mirrors
• Crystal Balls and/or scrying stone jewelry (also known as a keek stone)
• Fire/flames
• Incense smoke

Beginners to scrying may find it easiest to scry from fire or smoke, or to add a silver coin to a the back bowl of water. These methods allow a point of focus, depth, and in many cases movement which lulls the intuitive mind into a working state.

Scrying Tips

Following the candle scrying ceremony outlined here, relax your eyes and stare at your face in the mirror. Your face will darken, as with shadows, and will shift shape. This is extremely useful for past life work.

When scrying with a crystal ball, it is useful to hold the ball in one or both hands with a piece of black velvet behind it. It may also be helpful to turn the ball occasionally.