Seeing the Signs

Using a Crystal Ball

As the Wheel of the Year approaches Samhain and the days grow dark and the nights long, it becomes the time for scrying. This is not something that can be done in the brightness of a hot summer day. This is for the mystery of night and the dark. Even summer nights can be too alive with light for a good scrying session. But the cloudy darkness of October and November nights – the early fall of evening and the reluctant rise of the autumnal sun – makes for the best time to practice those arts that require the dark. Scrying, whether with a bowl of water or a crystal ball, is one of those arts.

I must confess I have never scryed with a bowl of water or plate for the simple reason that I have never had the proper means to make one. I have dozens of bowls, many of them cherished antiques from my grandmother, but they are all pastel in color and totally unsuitable. My personal china is white with an apple design so that would not work either. And of course, I reasoned that someday the perfect bowl may present itself to me as I browse through some tiny shop not even looking for it. Because that’s exactly how it happens!

But I do have a small crystal ball. I have been waiting for the summer months to end so I can use it. Being the kind of person who goes to bed early and gets up early, recently I have been able to have some very informative sessions with it. I wish I could tell you that I see visions in it like Auntie Em calling for Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”. It’s not like that. Is anything ever like it is in the movies?

The crystal ball reflects light. It is very receptive that way. So don’t let it be around unnatural sources of light; turn off the electric light and light a candle before bringing it out of its wrapper. And according to Emily Gems at The Art of Crystal Ball Gazing, while you should charge your crystal ball in the light of a full moon, “Do NOT place your ball in direct sunlight. This will weaken your ball’s magnetism and may render it unable to draw images.” (http://crystal-cure.com/article-gazing.html)

The light of the candle or candles, depending on your ritual, will help you see the images. Often the images will change as you sit and meditate or chant or sing. I usually see three or four. They have ranged from the ocean breaking on a beach to a crown of stars to a grinning jack-o’-lantern. They don’t come right away. Generally I have to sit for a while. Like anything, the waiting is the hardest part.

You can buy crystal balls online; just Google “crystal ball” and there’ll be eight or more selections to choose before you even start looking! Mine was a gift and I love it more every time I use it. As the days get shorter and darker, I know I will be using it more and more. Blessings to all!

Works Cited

Gem, Emily. “The Art Of Crystal Ball Gazing.” http://crystal-cure.com/article-gazing.html. 2011