Acrystal ball is acrystal orglass ball commonly used infortune-telling. It is generally associated with the performance ofclairvoyance andscrying throughcrystal gazing. Used sinceAntiquity, crystal balls have had a broad reputation withwitchcraft, including modern times withcharlatan acts and amusements atcircus venues,festivals, etc.Other names for the object includecrystal sphere,orbuculum,scrying ball,shew/show(ing) stone, and more variants bydialect.
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By the fifth century AD, scrying using crystal balls was widespread within theRoman Empire and was condemned by theearly Christian Church asheretical (magic had been condemned since theApostolic Era with e.g. Chapter 2 of theDidache).[1][2]
The tomb ofChilderic I, a fifth-century king of theFranks, contained a 3.8 cm (1½ inch) diameter transparentberyl globe.[3] The object is similar to other globes that were later found in tombs from theMerovingian period inGaul and theSaxon period inEngland. Some of these were complete with a frame suggesting an ornamental object.[4] It has been pointed out that these mounts are identical to those of later globes also believed to be used for magic or divination, indicating that these crystal globes may have been used forcrystallomancy.[4][5]
John Dee was a noted British mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and consultant toQueen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to alchemy, divination, andHermetic philosophy, of which the use of crystal balls was often included.[6]
Crystal gazing was a popular pastime in theVictorian era, and was claimed to work best when theSun is at its northernmost declination. Immediately before the appearance of a vision, the ball was said to mist up from within.[1]
The use of crystal balls for divination also has a long history with theRomani people.[7] Fortune-tellers, known asdrabardi,[8] traditionally use crystal balls as well ascards to seek knowledge about future events.[9]
The process ofscrying often involves the use of crystals, especially crystal balls, in an attempt to predict the future or otherwise divine hidden information.[10] Crystal ball scrying is commonly used to seek supernatural guidance while making difficult decisions in one's life (e.g., matters of love or finances).[11][12]
When the technique of scrying is used with crystals, or any transparent body, it is known as crystallomancy orcrystal gazing.
Crystal balls are popular props used inmentalism acts bystage magicians. Such routines, in which the performer answers audience questions by means of various ruses, are known as crystal gazing acts. One of the most famous performers of the 20th century,Claude Alexander, was often billed as "Alexander the Crystal Seer".[13]
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Optically, a crystal ball is aball lens. For typical materials such asquartz and glass, it forms an image of distant objects slightly beyond the surface of the sphere, on the opposite side. Unlike conventional lenses, the image-forming properties are omnidirectional (independent of the direction being imaged)
This omnidirectional focusing can cause a crystal ball to act as aburning glass when it is brought into full sunlight. The image of the sun formed by a large crystal ball will burn a hand that is holding it, and can ignite dark-coloured flammable material placed near it.[14] This effect is used by theCampbell–Stokes recorder to form a record ofhours of sunshine.
A crystal ball was among the grave-goods of theMerovingian King,Childeric I (c. 437–481 AD).[15] The grave-goods were discovered in 1653. In 1831, they were stolen from the royal library in France where they were being kept. Few items were ever recovered. The crystal ball was not among them.
TheSceptre of Scotland has a crystal ball in its finial, honoring the tradition of their use by pagan druids.[16] It was made in Italy in the 15th century, and was a gift toJames IV fromPope Alexander VI.
ThePenn Museum inPhiladelphia displays the third-largest crystal ball as the central object in its ChineseRotunda.[17] Weighing 49 pounds (22 kg), thesphere is made ofquartz crystal fromBurma and was shaped through years of constant rotation in a semi-cylindrical container filled withemery,garnet powder, andwater. The ornamental treasure was purportedly made for theEmpress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908) during theQing dynasty in the 19th century, but no evidence as to its actual origins exists. The crystal ball and anancient Egyptian statuette[18] which depicted thegodOsiris were stolen in 1988.[19] They were recovered three years later with no damage done to either object.
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Media related tocrystal balls at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition ofcrystal ball at Wiktionary