Recently, I was asked to put together a series of resources on divination, and specifically within the divination category, resources on scrying, so this article is the beginning of many resources to come.
What is scrying?
An overview of scrying
Scrying is a form of divination that involves gazing into a reflective surface, such as a crystal ball, a pool of water, or a mirror, to receive visions or gain insight. Practitioners of scrying can access information about the past, present, or future through the images and symbols that appear on the reflective surface. The act of scrying is often used to gain intuitive insights, to communicate with spirits or divine entities, and to explore the subconscious mind.
When people begin the process of learning divination, they are tapping into a large supply of energy and wisdom within themselves and can quickly become susceptible to being drained, exhausted, fatigued, etc., so it's incredibly important to take divination slow.
Getting started with scrying
Start with Grounding, Cleansing, and Protecting Yourself and Your Space
How to Ground Yourself
Grounding before divination is important as it ensures that you are connected to your body, the material realm, and very much present for any messages that will come through. You can ground your energy in several ways including, spending time in nature, walking barefoot on the grass or soil to feel the connection to the earth, sitting crisscross on the ground to connect your root energy source to the earth, imagining roots growing from your feet into the earth anchoring you firmly, practicing intentional breathing exercises, and more. Remember that grounding is a personal practice, so feel free to explore different techniques and find what works best for you.
How to Cleanse Your Space
To cleanse the energy of your space before practicing divination, you can smoke cleanse with sacred dried herbs, sound cleanse with bells or singing bowls, or utilize energy-clearing sprays like Florida water or other cleansing blends. Each method has its unique way of clearing energy and creating a positive environment for your divination session, so use whatever method is easily doable and works best for you. Remember to be intentional through the process, so if you are going to cleanse with burning dried herbs, for example, do not simply wave the burning herbs and smoke around, but set your intentions and focus on cleansing the space you’ll be working in of any negative or stagnant energy so that you have a neutral starting point.
How to Protect Your Space
After cleansing the space to bring it to a neutral state energetically speaking, you’ll then want to protect yourself and the space from any additional unwanted energies from entering during the divination session. This is a critical step as it helps minimize the risk of any disturbances or connecting with any energies that aren't aligned with your highest good. Protection can be implemented by setting an energetic boundary, such as casting a circle, if this aligns with your spiritual path and beliefs, wearing protective crystals, such as black obsidian, black tourmaline, or hematite, or casting a protection spell.
Learning the Basics
1. Choose a scrying tool: Common options include a crystal ball, black mirror, water bowl, or candle flame. The main idea is to look "into" surfaces that act as in-between places, or portals if you will, to see what is reflected in the microcosmic space you're peering into. The theory behind this can even be thought of scientifically, that everything taking place in the macrocosmic (big universe) is reflected in all of its smaller elements. This makes scrying a practice of receiving messages about big-picture concepts happening in the cosmos through looking at the patterns and imagery depicted within these smaller places or surfaces. You can learn to scry with any of these tools:
- Polished obsidian stone
- Oil surface in a dark container
- Smoke from incense or a fire
- Reflective surfaces like mirrors or polished metal
- Ink pools
- Tea leaves
- Coffee grounds
- Clouds in the sky
- Fire embers
- Wax drippings
- Glass of wine
- Polished quartz or other gemstones
- Sand patterns
- Soap bubbles
- Ice surface
- Egg whites in water
- Moonlit pond or lake surface
- Shiny metal objects like spoons or jewelry
2. Create a calm environment: Find a quiet space, dim the lights, and light candles or incense if desired. It's important to be in a distraction-free zone so that outside information doesn't disturb the subtle messages you're about to receive.
3. Cleanse your tool(s): Use sacred incense, moonlight, or visualization to purify your scrying surface. This is important as liminal spaces can easily capture energy we may not want to connect with and this brings it to a neutral state.
4. Enter a meditative state: Take deep breaths and clear your mind of distractions. Allow your own thoughts to drift in and out without paying attention to them. Focus on your scrying surface of choice.
5. Gaze softly: Look into your scrying tool without straining your eyes. Allow your focus to soften. If you've never done this before, it's similar to when you gently unfocus your eyes and allow yourself to see "double"...but don't overdo it. The goal is to look at imagery that enters the eyes and brain that is "in-between" the information that your left eye and right eye are independently receiving and interpreting as a singular 3D image. In between the two sets of information being received by your eyes is a third "liminal space" where light, color, shapes, etc. look blurry and move differently. That is what you want to focus on.
6. Be patient: It may take time to see images or receive impressions. Don't force it.
7. Interpret what you see: Pay attention to symbols, colors, or emotions that arise while scrying. After you're finished, always thank the surface or tool you used to scry with as it held precious wisdom and energy for you to peer into, and for a brief moment was an extension of your own inner wisdom.
8. Record your experience: Keep a journal of your scrying sessions to track progress. If possible, draw what you saw to reflect on as well.
9. Practice regularly: Develop your skills through consistent practice.
10. Trust your intuition: As you gain experience, learn to interpret the messages you receive and think about how they fit in with greater cosmic events taking place in your life, the collective, or the world around you.
May you walk your path with wisdom and prudence. Blessed be on your journey of spiritual growth and healing.