THE ART OF SCRYING

(L.< scruatari = to look at) is a form of divination which uses crystals, crystal balls, water, fire or other shiny objects of fascination as the focus.

Essentially, the person doing the scrying focuses attention on the tool being used and freeing the mind, allows thoughts, ideas, pictures as a television screen. The size of the picture depended upon the size of the object and like the TV, it had to be tuned in to get the best picture.

Learning to scry can be frightening to the uninitiated. It takes a certain amount of control as well as submission, to get results. What is meant is that when focusing on the tool, you must have your mind free of extraneous things, things that pull your attention away. You must also allow yourself to be open to impressions, and not be distracted with the clouds or vapors that form in the periphery of your vision. Trying to control the situation can interfere with the results, the control should be done before the scrying begins.

There are various tools that can be used. They are as follows:

1- The crystal ball. This is the most popular tool for scrying. The ball can be glass, crystal or plastic. The most common are balls formed from optical quality glass that are ground round and polished to be absolutely clear. The most expensive are those that are ground and polished quartz, amber or other clear material. The third and the least expensive are cast out of acrylic plastic. The plastic one scratches more easily and takes more care, but works non-the-less.

2- The scrying stone. This is a polished crystal that is usually worn around the neck. It is not necessary that the shape be a sphere. Since the shape is less important, a lot of individuality can be shown. The size, shape, color and personal preference produce a large variety of possibilities.

3- The Magic Mirror. This is a sheep of glass that is painted black on the back side. The most common magic mirror is a large clock face that is painted black on the convex side. Scrying is done by using the concave side.

4- The scrying cup. This is an ordinary tea cup that has the inside painted black. For scrying, water is poured into the cup and the person doing the scrying looks into the water.

5- Sometimes an ordinary bowl is used. Water is poured into the bowl and black ink is added to make a black opaque surface.

6- Fire. Some people are drawn into fire, such as a campfire. The red glow of the coals seem to move and dance and play out a fiery scene. The flame of a single candle works really well and can be used for exercise in scrying. More on this later.