~*Scrying*~
Scrying is the ancient art of looking into a reflective or semi-reflective object, be it a crystal ball, a black mirror or a still body of water. The purpose is to attune yourself to your inner eye, focusing on your visionary gifts for guidance, inner focus, meditation, relaxation and clairvoyance. Dependant on your individual path and strength of your visionary skills, the tools used vary, as does the extent of what each person is capable of seeing.
Magicians and Witches of all ages have practiced scrying. The term comes from the English word "descry", which means "to make out dimly" or "to reveal". The services of the scryer typically are sought for predictions of the future & to ask questions.
Scrying is not the use of a "new-age toy", but rather a way to expand your insights, if you believe in the magickal gifts you possess and the magickal energies in your scrying tool(s).
Exercise
Make yourself comfortable in a darkened room. Sit in a comfortable position, perhaps on a pillow. Candlelight is best, but use enough candles so that you can clearly see into your scrying object. Place any candles or lights where they will not distract you, and place the scrying object in front of you in a position where it is comfortable for you to gaze into.
Avoid allowing anything distracting to reflect into the mirror or crystal ball. Just what is distractive is subjective, but your own image will be usually be distracting in scrying, unless it is simply a silhouette. You can avoid seeing a clear view of your own reflection with a little creative lighting. Usually reflections of objects in the room will not distract you....you want to feel pulled into the mirror or crystal ball, drawn into its void in a hypnotic manner.
Breathe deeply. Relax. Breathe and relax for several minutes, as it helps to think the very word "relax" to yourself over and over. While slowly inhaling think "relax", then while slowly exhaling, think "lax".
When you are fully relaxed, gaze steadily into the object. Focus on the void, the inside of the crystal or mirror. Allow your mind to wander. This is opening your third or inner eye. It is a method of divining and inducing self trance. Take your time. Gaze into the object until your brain no longer registers it as a solid object, but rather hazy. It may seem to float. You may get a feeling of vertigo, but this is normal.
You will eventually begin to pick up shapes or images inside the mirror or crystal balls' void. These images will go in and out of focus, sometimes very sketchy, sometimes in a burst of color and clarity. The images may begin to form in your mind, no longer seen inside the scrying object at all.
As the images become clearer, you may find that you know things about what you are seeing. Background information will surface. Allow yourself to experience these images without judgement. You may understand them, or you may not. Often understanding comes long after the divining experience is over.
When you tire, or after you have seen all you believe you will, close your eyes and remember the experience. As a beginner, it is best to start slowly, maybe five minutes of scrying. As your skills increase, increase the duration of time you spend gradually. Write down everything you remember in a journal or your personal Book of Shadows. The records you keep may surprise you in their accuracy.
As your skill with scrying increases, you will come to understand the meaning of the images you see...you will know if they are past, present or future events....if they are personal to you or events that affect someone else's life. With your first few experiences, however, they may not make much sense.
As with any skill, the more you scry, the more proficient you will become. Everyone is capable of utilizing this innate ability, but it may well be dormant. As you gain experience in scrying, your divining ability will grow...images will come to you more easily and your understanding of them will be more and more complete. It may take some time to fully develop your skills in scrying, but will increase with patience and practice.
Charging Your Mirror
(Credited to Donald Tyson, How to Make and Use a Magic Mirror)
Magnetizing the Glass
Before the mirror can be used, it is necessary to align it and make it a conductor, or conduit, of the powers of the Moon. The virtues which lie dormant in the fluid condensers (or conductive silver, in the mirror that is newly yours) must be activated and charged with lunar potential, which the mirror will then retain for a considerable time the way a battery h olds its charge of electrical potential.
This is not simply a mechanical process. It requires the complete involvement of the will and imagination of the owner of the mirror. The mirror exists on the physical level, but also on the astral level of imagination.
When the Moon is approaching or has attained its full face--ideally on the three consecutive nights of the month when the full lunar disk is visible, if all three nights are free from clouds--take the mirror outside with the Moon has nearly reached midheaven, its highest point in the sky. It is best if you can sit comfortably without having to worry about dampness or cold, insects, or other distractions. Sit facing the Moon, and make sure you have an unobstructed view of it.
Look steadily at the Moon and establish an inner link with it. When you feel you have accomplished this, raise the mirror in both of your hands and present it to the Moon as you would present an offering at an altar. Be fully aware that you are dedicating the mirror to the powers of the Moon so that it may function with the aid of these powers. Hold the mirror in such a way that its face is directed at the Moon.
Speak this prayer of dedication, or create your own:
Selene of the silver face,
Fill this vessel with thy light;
With arms to act and eyes to see
In secret realms and hidden ways.
Rest the mirror in your lap or upon a small table so that you can catch the reflection of the Moon in the mirror's depths. Do not let go of the mirror; hold it between your hands. Look intently at the image of the Moon in the mirror and begin to recite this chant under your breath:
Luna, Diana, Persephone,
Hecate with faces three,
Descend, ascend, and come to me.
Again, you may make up your own chant if you prefer, but it must be a verse that you can repeat over and over with only a small portion of your awareness occupied with remembering the words, and it must explicitly call down the powers of the Moon.
As you chant, let the rhythm of the words harmonize with your breaths. Focus your will upon the image of the Moon in the glass, and mentally strengthen and enlarge it. Visualize a silver halo around the Moon extending to the mirror frame like an expending silver ripple on the surface of a deep, black pool. Draw this energy into the frame with your hands and feel its coolness against your palms and fingertips. Do not let it flow up your arms--keep it concentrated within the mirror.
When the mirror seems to vibrate with a silver glow and you can feel its energy building into a vortex, which will naturally tend to be created by the circular shape, and when you are convinced the mirror can absorb no more of the virtue of the Moon, hold your two hands grasping the mirror near its middle, and speak this binding incantation (or one of your own):
Selene of the starry night,
I bind thy power and thy light
Within this glass, before thy sight.
As you finish, place the mirror in your lap or on the table, and slowly bring your hands together so that they cut the beam of light that extends from the Moon to the surface of the glass. Keep your eyes fixed upon the image of the Moon in the glass, and more your hands in such a way that the circle of the Moon is cut by the visible reflection of your hands, reduced to an outline and finally blocked altogether. Lower your joined hands, which should be touching along the index fingers, onto the surface of the mirror.
Raise your eyes to the Moon and give a personal thanks for the light you have received, using these or your own words:
I thank thee, threefold Hecate,
Goddess of the shining veil,
Goddess of the silver bow,
Goddess of the secret key,
Luna, Diana, Persephone.
After charging your mirror, let it "rest". It is not good to try to use the mirror on the same night it is magnetized. The act of charging the mirror and the act of scrying are completely separate. The mirror may be used on the following night and anytime thereafter.
It is recommended that the mirror be recharged in this manner roughly every three months if it is to retain its maximum potential.
If you live in a cold climate, the above can be modified to take place indoors. Try to find the best window in your home...the one that has the most direct Moonlight when the Moon is at its apex. Of course, the room should be unlit, except by the light of the Moon.
Simple Magick Mirror Spell
(Credited to Scott Cunningham)
Stand or sit before your magick mirror (black mirror).
Set twin candles of the appropriate colors on either side.
With a grease pencil, bright red lipstick, or water-soluble paint, draw a rune or symbol of your need.
As you draw it, be sure to do so in the space your face occupies in the reflection.
See the symbol becoming infused with your reflection, and know such will be in your life.
Close your eyes and firmly visualize your need, then leave the area where the mirror is located.
The symbol should be allowed to remain on the mirror until morning, when it should be wiped away using a cloth, preferably without looking at it.
Mirror Chant (nywitch)
Mirror of Moonlight,
Mirror of glass,
Allow me to see
What e'er shall pass.
Sweep clear the veil
That lies before me.
This is my will,
So Mote it Shall Be.
Spiritual Cleansing of Your Mirror
There is no set rule to spiritual cleansing of a mirror, or any other scrying object. Some practitioners sprinkle Sea Salt on the mirror and allow it to sit on the mirror overnight. Table salt can also be used as a substitute for Sea Salt, if unavailable. Many scryers use prepared Herbs, such as Mugwort, as well.
The important element is to visualize the banishing of all unwanted influences...the actual method used is less important then the intent behind it.
Physical Cleansing of Your Mirror (for Black Scrying Mirrors)
A professional glass cleaner will clean the best, leaving the fewest streaks and spots, but if you are a purist, a simple dampened cloth also works well. Simply wipe the mirror with a soft cloth and wipe dry with another soft cloth. Cotton works best. IF any water spots remain, gently rub them with the dry cloth, being careful not to scratch the mirror. The mirror's bond is extremely strong, but the bonded surface is on the reverse side. The exposed, outer surface of the mirror is glass and can be scratched.
If you should scratch your mirror in time, do not despair over it. The mirror will function perfectly as a scrying tool, even with a scratch or two. It may help your scrying experience to avoid letting the scratches "catch the light" when you are using your mirror. Remember, a scratch is only a physical mark, it does not harm the magickal power of the mirror.
Copright2001NyWitch
