Scrying, in General Artwork by Michael Whelan Scrying, in general From Beldragondee Scrying Exercise What is Scrying? Scrying Exercise 2 Herb Scying Jar Scrying can be done with a number of different surfaces, from tealeaves to crystal balls to shag carpets; the basic technique is similar in all cases. Gaze steadily into the scrying surface (feel free to blink or to allow your point of focus to wander a bit; this is not a method of self-inflicted torture). Eventually, you should be able to pick out shapes or images in the scrying surface; these may appear as crude sketches, or occasionally with the clarity of a photograph. You will actually see these images with your eyes. Once this happens, images may begin to form in your mind, no longer projected onto the scrying surface. When this happens, allow your attention to focus on these mental images. From this point forward, the scrying surface is irrelevant; do not be distracted by it. 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. Surfaces, which provide a random high contrast visual texture, such as black tealeaves in a white cup or orange sparks in a black ember, are particularly good for the first stage of the scrying process. However, the vividness of the visual images formed in this way may tend to pull your attention back from the purely mental images that should follow, thus disrupting the natural flow of ideas. Smooth, neutral surfaces, like the surface of a dish of water, a crystal ball, or a black mirror, provide relatively few visual cues to get you started, but if you can make the transition to mental imagery quickly, the visual surface will obligingly fade into the background. Up to Menu Scrying Exercise: Cast a circle. Seat yourself comfortably; breathe deeply a few times to relax and center yourself. Gaze into the scrying surface for a while, then write: What you saw What images came to mind What you found you knew about the images Ground. Close circle. Tealeaves: Use black tea leaves (peppermint works reasonably well if they’re decaffeinated) in a white teacup. Embers: Use embers (a wood fire outdoors or in a fireplace) at night. Water: Use a dish of water in a darkened room, lit from the sides by two candles. The dish should be a solid, neutral color. Crystal ball: Use a crystal ball, as above (or a mirror, turned slightly so you are not reflected in it -- try to fill the view with a blank wall) Up to Menu What is Scrying? Scrying pool, mirror, and crystal gazing...reflect on these ideas. Scrying is a form of divination, but is also much more than that. By gazing into a crystal, pool, mirror or other reflective medium, a Witch is able to enter altered mind states and gain access beyond the veil. Because every person you meet will have a different way of accessing their mind states, you will hear many different scrying techniques, experiment with them to find the one that works best for you. You might read that unless a crystal sphere is true quartz crystal, it will not work. You might hear that a perfect sphere without any visible flaws is necessary. You may hear that your scrying mirror or crystal must never be touched by sunlight. These are simply not true. There are legitimate reasons for each of these 'rules' but it doesn't mean that you have to follow them in order to scry effectively. Let's break down scrying into the basics so you can understand why these rules exist. In this way, you can determine for yourself if you wish to adhere to them, or toss them aside as rubbish. If you wish to begin scrying, you will need some sort of a reflective surface. More about this later, lets look at what you will actually be doing with this reflective surface first. Scrying works on the principles of what is named by some as the Ganze field. If you ever had to sit in the corner as a child, staring at a blank wall until you began to hallucinate and have stories, patterns, or images appear to you, you know what the Ganze field is. If you've ever stayed awake in bed staring at the ceiling until these same things happened, then you also know what a Ganze field is. Ok, so maybe I've spoiled the mystery of scrying by breaking it down into the basics and telling you what it really is. But, perhaps demystifying the process will help you in your practices. Scrying has a very occult side. It isn't how you get to the mind state of scrying that's important, it's the mysteries that are unveiled to you once you are there that are important. Interpreting what you see when you scry is very much like dream interpretation. There are many books that will define each image you glimpse, but essentially it boils down to what those images mean to you. A key element in quickly attaining the correct state for scrying is flashing light. (If you are epileptic, disregard this section, as flashing lights can spark an epileptic seizure; however, if you eliminate the flickering but keep the gaze similar, you should still be able to scry.) Place flickering candles around the room you are working in. Keep them out of your direct line of vision, but at the same time, be certain that the reflection of the flame can be seen in the scrying surface. To get flickering candles, you can either open a window a crack to let a draft help you out, or there are some candles you'll find on the market, especially inexpensive ones, which have a flame that rises and falls rhythmically. These work quite well for scrying. Up to Menu Scrying Exercise 2: You will need: 1) A black mirror, a cauldron filled with water (or an herbal infusion such as mugwort), or a crystal, or a shallow dish of water (made black by the addition of ink), a ring with a nice stone (like moonstone) a black stone like obsidian, a black tile, or whatever reflective medium you wish to use. 2) Five candles To Begin: Place the scrying medium on your altar so that you can look at it from approximately a 45-degree angle while in a very comfortable position. Arrange the candles throughout the room so that they are elevated above the scrying medium but remain outside of your direct line of sight. You may wish to cast a circle at this time or recite a blessing or charge over the medium and over the entire scrying session. Breathe deeply and rhythmically while gazing at the medium. Imagine you are looking through a red lens so that is tinting everything you see. Move on through the chakra colors in a Crystal Countdown fashion (from The Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot) The color sequence is as follows: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. (The rainbow, easily remembered with the initials as a name...ROY G. BIV.) When you feel that you are relaxed, keep looking at the medium. Your first scrying sessions may only last for 10 to 30 minutes, but work up to scrying for an hour at a time. Do not be critical of yourself or your results. If you fall asleep that's ok, if you daydream that's ok too. Just let whatever happens, happen. In this way you will quickly refine your skills. Relax your gaze and allow your vision to blur, focusing on your peripheral - don't really look at the surface. Follow Up: After you have completed your session, jot down a few rough notes. Do what you need to do to ground yourself or clean up the area. Sometime during your day, go back to your notes and fill in more details as you remember them. I use two columns, one for the description of images seen, and one for my translations. Go over each image that you saw. You might consult a symbol interpretation list for dreams, if you wish, or you could also analyze each image by checking what it means to you. For example, a red rose may mean passion in the books, but if your best friend requested them in the hospital, your personal associations are going to be different. The conclusions you draw from your scrying sessions must eventually be your own and as you continue to practice, you will understand yourself and your visions more and more. Up to Menu Herb Scrying Jar: Fill one jar with the following: Cinnamon (dream magick) Nutmeg (good luck) Allspice (healing) Ginger (lunar magick) Basil (protection) Fennel seeds (spiritual healing) Garlic (spiritual purification) Marjoram (protection) Sage (spiritual purification) Cloves (protection) Mustard seed (protection) Up to Menu