by Darren Owen

Created on: March 03, 2011   Last Updated: March 04, 2011

What is scrying and how to scry

Scrying, the very name conjures up cold evenings in front of fire just staring at the flames seeing images in my mind’s eye come and go.  To other people no doubt it will evoke images of gypsies and crystal balls or ancient pagan priestesses looking deeply into pools of black liquid.

This magical technique is one that is often not practised because it is thought to be too hard or not quite magical enough.  However to the serious practitioner it can be a useful tool in their magical repertoire.  Put simply scrying is the ability to look into a substance and see images of the past, present and future pass in front of your eyes.

The substance you use for this practise if I’m honest doesn’t really matter.  I have done it with water and fire and I believe these two are the most well known and used but I have also seen someone scry using their pint of Guinness so it truly is down to the individual and what they can use. 

The images you see will either be in your mind or when you get a little better at the practise they will be in front of your eyes a little like when you visualise really strongly.  Like any magical practise it will take practise and dedication to become good at this technique so be prepared to put the work in if you want the success that it will bring.

For the following exercise I will stipulate that you use a bowl of water.  You will also need some black ink to pour into the water.  Why would you use black ink? Because it creates a completely reflective surface and blocks the bottom of whatever bowl you use. You are basically trying to stop any distractions before they begin, like thinking the bottom of that bowl needs cleaning or this water is really unclear.

The traditional method of scrying with water is as follows.  Take a bowl of water and pour in black ink.  Swirl it around with a spoon which you don’t mind getting dirty so that you have a bowl of completely black liquid.  Next place a lit candle to one side of the bowl, far enough away that you can see the candlelight in your peripheral vision and it slightly reflects of the water’s surface but not so close that you could knock it over.  Now turn off all the lights and sit down in front of your bowl making sure you are comfortable. 

Stare into the water and let your mind wander.  Don’t try and force any images into your mind but just let them come.  Don’t force the stare but keep yourself fairly focused.  You may find yourself falling into a light trance and this is okay, let it happen but know you can break out of it at anytime you wish.  Do this for about fifteen minutes each day or until you start to get clear mental images appearing in your mind. 

When this starts to happen you can start trying to direct those images.  Either before practise say to yourself that you want to see a particular thing or wait until you are getting the images and say then what you want to see.  This can sometimes take a little while to get good at but keep at it and you will quickly get to the stage where you can choose what to look at.   

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