Crystallomancy, or scrying into a crystal, has been practised for thousands of years. Scrying is often done into a polished crystal surface which may be either flat or spherical (as with the stereotypical crystal ball). John Dee, the famous mystical adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, scryed into a polished disk of obsidian, a "black mirror" that had been obtained from the Aztecs. It was called a "shew-stone".
You can scry into any reflective surface, from crystal, to metal, from a liquid surface of oil, ink or water (hydromancy) to soap bubbles. Nostradamus would scry into a raised bowl of water.
Make sure your light source is placed off to the side (you don't want the light being the only image you see when you scry!) and stare into your ball, bowl, basin or mirror with a steady, calm gaze. The crystal will begin to look dull or cloudy, then after a time, will clear and images will appear.
There are two main kinds of visions that may occur — symbolic and literal. Symbolic visions need to be interpreted. You can find a list of symbolshere.
Pessomancy or Psephomancy
Pebbles can be marked with symbols or colours. You can then draw them from a bag individually or draw a random number and scatter onto the ground or a chart. This form of divination is called pessomancy or psephomancy, and is a form of sortilege.
Lithomancy
Some people prefer to divine using a number of gemstones. Ideally, the stones should be smooth and similar in size and shape. They may range from pebbles found on a beach to semiprecious stones. This form of divination is known as lithomancy. The divination is accomplished by casting the stones and interpreting the pattern in which they fall. You may either interpret the way the stones relate to each other, or where they fell in relation to a pre-drawn chart, such as a North-South-East-West chart or a chart showing the 12 astrological houses.
In the British Isles, thirteen stones are used. Seven stones represent astrological signs: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. The remaining six stones represent the home, love, life, magic, luck and news.
Another method is to draw out a handful of stones from a bag and cast them on the ground oronto a chart and interpret where they lie. In a spread, rose quartz would indicate love issues, amethyst spiritual issues, and red jasper (or red agate) issues involving your health.
Many people love the look and feel of polished gemstones. A list of 26 gemstones and their meanings can be foundbelow.
Charts
Here is a basic chart of directions that can be used for a simple reading:
North Future influences
West Obstacles
Centre Present situation
East Helpful elements
South Past influences
You sit here to cast the stones from a bag.
An alternate chart to use is one outlining the houses of astrology in the traditional way:
Interpretation of the Houses
- Personal life and appearance. - Finances and values. - Siblings, neighbours, communication, short journeys, schooling. - Home and family. - Hobbies, children, affairs, gambling. - Health, work, daily routines, pets, servants. - Partner (marriage and business). - Shared resources, inheritances, death, birth, other people's money. - Travel, religion, philosophy, higher education. - Career, social reputation, environment. - Friends, goals, social activities, groups. - Unconscious thoughts, enemies, secrets, hidden life, institutions.
Crystallomancy, or scrying into a crystal, has been practised for thousands of years. Scrying is often done into a polished crystal surface which may be either flat or spherical (as with the stereotypical crystal ball). John Dee, the famous mystical adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, scryed into a polished disk of obsidian, a "black mirror" that had been obtained from the Aztecs. It was called a "shew-stone".
You can scry into any reflective surface, from crystal, to metal, from a liquid surface of oil, ink or water (hydromancy) to soap bubbles. Nostradamus would scry into a raised bowl of water.
onto a chart and interpret where they lie. In a spread, rose quartz would indicate love issues, amethyst spiritual issues, and red jasper (or red agate) issues involving your health.
