Scrying
scrying A method of Divination done by gazing on an object that has a polished and reflective surface, such as a CRYSTAL BALL or a MIRROR, until visions appear on its surface. Scrying comes from the English term descry, which means “to succeed in discerning” or “to make out dimly.” The TOOL of scryers, called a speculum, can be any object that works for an individual but usually is one with a pol- 288 Schweitzer, John Frederick ished or reasonably reflective surface. The oldest and most common speculum is still water in a lake, a pond, or a dark bowl. Ink, blood, and other dark liquids were used by ancient Egyptian scryers. NOSTRADAMUS scryed with a bowl of water set upon a brass tripod. His prepartory Ritual consisted of dipping a WAND into the water and anointing himself with a few drops; then he gazed into the bowl until he saw visions. Other common tools are glass fishing floats, polished metals and stones, precious gems, eggs, and mirrors. GYPSY fortune-tellers made crystal balls the stereotype of the trade. JOHN DEE, the royal magician to Queen Elizabeth I, used a crystal egg and a black obsidian mirror. In Arab countries, scryers have used their own polished thumbnails. Dr. Morton Prince, a medical psychologist of the 19th century, used electric lightbulbs in scrying experiments with his patients. Wiccans use rounded mirrors, the convex side of which is painted black, or small cauldrons that are painted black on the inside and filled with water. Scryers have their own individual techniques for inducing visions. Some who use crystals focus on points of light on the surface. Others enter a state of altered consciousness and allow images to float into their inner awareness. Some scryers may actually see images appear on the surface of the speculum, while others see them in their mind’s eye. Some images are couched in Symbols, and the scryer must learn how to interpret them. In the Middle Ages, there was a belief that the images formed on a crystal ball or other tool were caused by demons that had been trapped inside by Magic. A formal scrying ritual is given in Crystal Gazing and Clairvoyance, a book written by John Melville in 1896. Melville specifies the use of a crystal ball resting on an ivory or ebony stand that has been inlaid with magical words in raised gold letters. All of the tools must be consecrated by ritual. To begin, the scryer should recite a long and Christian Invocation. According to Melville, any scrying done with evil intent would rebound on the scryer “with terrible effect.”
Further Reading:
- Butler, W. E. How to Develop Clairvoyance. 2d ed. New York: Samuel Weiser, 1979.
- Thomas, Keith. Religion & the Decline of Magic. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1971.
- Valiente, Doreen. Witchcraft for Tomorrow. Custer, Wash.: Phoenix Publishing, 1978.
SOURCE:
The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Copyright © 2006 by Visionary Living, Inc.