Healthy skepticism--or, checking yourself without wrecking yourself

"Psi will not lie down and die; neither will it stand up and be counted." -Trevor Pinch, sociologist of science

So, I'd like to put forth a couple of questions that I've been considering as they relate to the so-called supernatural:  Why do we crave proof, and why is it so hard to find?  (And by "we" I mean psychics/occultists/magically aware folks, who accept the reality of these things, but may have occasional misgivings.)  Let's start with the first question: Why do we crave proof?

I blame, first of all, the materialist bias that we absorb from the culture around us.   Most of us are taught as children, and afterwards, that the world operates according to a fairly narrow set of scientific laws.  (Never mind that there are some undisputedly real phenomena, like gravity and consciousness, which science has been unable to fully explain, but I digress.)  We learn that magic isn't real, that clairvoyance and precognition are impossible, and that the people who believe in these things are dupes and fools.  Even if our own families didn't teach us this, materialist culture gives us major bonus for being well, materialist.  And the more we pride ourselves on our intellect and discernment, the harder it is to set those things aside, even temporarily.   The inner skeptic feels free to beat us up.  Proof feels great because it allows us to talk back to him: "No, actually there is something to this stuff.  And if you would just shut up for a minute, I'd like to try and figure it out."

The funny thing about this proof, though, is that it's never enough.  Research has shown that most people (something like two-thirds) report experiencing at least one unexplained event in their lives.  (Forgive me for pulling statistics out of my ass, but I'm too lazy to go look through books for the numbers right now.)  This would be, for instance, the time they saw their dead grandfather walk down the stairs, or the time they had a dream that later came true, or the time they were saved from great harm by some supernatural intervention.  And yet, if you were to poll the same people about their belief in paranormal or psychic phenomena, you would find that much fewer than two-thirds count themselves as believers.

In other words, although paranormal experiences are quite commonplace, belief in the paranormal still fringe-y.  Why? Because it's just so fucking weird that these things happen.  Psychic events--the legit, head-scratching ones--require us to question even our most basic assumptions.  They can cause seismic shifts in our understanding of matter and space, linear time, cause and effect, and free will.  To view a distant or future even is cool and novel, until you think about what it might imply about your world and/or self--then it's perplexing and even disturbing.  As humans, we need some stability in way our senses interact with our environment.  We're good at rationalizing our assumptions about it.  That's why no single unexplained event, no matter how dramatic it seems at the time, is too big to later shove into the folder labeled "Huh" and just get on with business as usual.

Okay, so we can forgive the people who are unable to integrate that "one time" bizarre fluke into a skeptical worldview.  But what about those of us who engage with this stuff on a regular basis?  Well, that "Huh" folder gets mighty thick.  But other than that, I don't really see much of a difference between "us" mystics and "them" muggles.  I'm reminded of a time when I was playing a truth-or-dare type board game with some acquaintances.  I drew a card that asked the players, "Have you ever had a psychic experience? Describe it."  The people playing the game all happened to be professional psychics or dedicated occultists, and a satisfied chuckle went around the room--as if we were hip to some secret knowledge that the rest of the world lacks.  In all actuality, we acknowledge strange events, we entertain theories about them, but we still can't adequately explain (or definitively prove), their existence.  And in the mundane moments that stretch between the transcendent ones, the doubt creeps in.

I may as well add that the skeptical voice of the overculture isn't the only one a seer has to contend with.  Skepticism also comes from magickal education.  Many (though arguably not enough) occultists have trained themselves to be relentlessly self-critical, keeping detailed diaries, dissecting results, and attempting to obtain proof of success at one level of practice before advancing to the next.  This is undeniably a good thing.  And yet, it's very easy to overdo it.  Sure, self-delusion is one of the major pitfalls of this work, but mechanization is another one.  Magick is not a science.  If it was, then you and another practitioner could burn the exact same incense, read the exact same incantation, etc., and get the same results.  But you don't and you never will, because there is an extra variable.  That extra variable is the consciousness of the magician.  And consciousness, as I may have said earlier, is an unexplained phenomena.

The key, I think, is Temperance--mixing that sublime cocktail of right brain juice and left brain juice. Dive into the deep water, but don't forget to come up for air.  Perceive now, believe later.  And a few other cliches that escape me right now.  Uncle Al calls it "the method of science, the aim of religion."  A beautiful idea, but it's also, as a lot of smart people have already pointed out, probably a load of bunk--at least the science part.  And a very fine line to walk, besides.

 Okay.

Now let's move on to proof, and it's apparent elusiveness.  Here I'm talking about objective, on-demand psychism.  "Oh yeah, if you're so psychic, then what color are my undies?" or "If those cards really work, then why don't you go down to the racetrack and play the ponies?"  And so on.  Because I think you and me and James Randi can agree that this kind of evidence is very hard to produce.  And yet, here I am spending my free time staring into balls and advising you to do the same.  Are we crazy or what?

I've got a couple of ideas about this.  The first is that human psychic ability is, let's face it, pretty rudimentary. Right now the strongest scientific evidence for it is in the form of statistical aggregates on random guess tests, where large groups of people, taken together, score slightly above probability.  Which is intriguing, but far from Hollywood-ready woowoo.

So...human clairvoyance is like the eyesight of bats--it's there for sure, but not our strongest showing.  Of course there are some ridiculously talented outliers walking around, but for most of us, that capacity is either lapsed or emergent, depending on whose views on human evolution you buy.  (However, what we do possess can be enormously instructive and inspiring, if given time and space to express itself.)

A second reason: It's very difficult to perform psychically in a controlled and quantifiable manner.  Think about the psychic experiences that you've had or heard about from others.  I'd be willing to bet they share two traits in common: They were probably spontaneous, and they probably relate to people or things with which the perceiver had some emotional connection.  There are millions of stories out their about people who have experienced premonitions of danger, crisis apparitions of loved ones, and the like--but no amount of anecdotal material will satisfy the true scientist.  Unfortunately, the unconscious (i.e., psychic) mind gets bored to death guessing cards and random numbers.  The unconscious mind likes drama.  J. B. Rhine, the first to study psi in a laboratory setting, was also the first to notice this tendency.  His best-performing subjects would do well for the first couple of runs through the Zener cards, but their scores would drop significantly the longer they sat for this dull task.  It would seem that repetitious and emotionally neutral information just doesn't resonate in the human unconscious.  In more recent times, researchers have devised studies that try to capitalize on this tendency--using sexual or violent images, for instance, rather than simple symbols--with some positive results.  But we're still a long way off from reconciling the strong anecdotal evidence for psi with the rather feeble lab evidence.

A third reason to consider:  Some people have argued that there's a kind of limiting mechanism in place.  A roadblock that checks our excursions into psychic development, intuition and gnosis.  That we're Not Meant to see through the Veil, that doing so might reveal the Sacred Mysteries of the Universe and ruin the Big Reveal Party that the Universe has planned for later.  Eh, maybe  This one gives off a distinct whiff of eau d'cop-out.  It is hard to penetrate into certain forms of knowing.  But this may well be attributible to the tendency of humans to cling to illusion, rather than some prudish quality of the Anima Mundi herself.  As a hermeticist, I have to believe that it's possible (and desirable!) to eventually uncover all the mysteries of the self and the cosmos.  (Although nobody said it was going to be easy.)

Well, this has turned into a whopper of a post, so I guess it's time to append some practical advice, or at least relate this back to scrying.  At some point in your practice, whether you're a beginner or not, whether you've had success with scrying before or not, you're going to feel the urge to prove to yourself that it works.  (For all the reasons mentioned above, and also for the reason that no smart person want to waste their time on something that doesn't work.)  If you read books on psychic development, the authors will usually suggest different exercises and experiments you can do to get some objective feedback on your progress.  You can also devise your own.

I don't see anything wrong with this at all.  I don't believe that it trivializes the art or anything like that.  I think you should guess facedown cards or divine what's in your mailbox today, if that's what it takes to give you the confidence to persist.  You can also try just sitting down to scry and asking for a sign.  That's worked for me in the past; I find that my crystal isn't adverse to throwing me a bone now and then when I ask.  Just don't do this so much that you bore your subconscious or piss off your guardian angel.  Validation is addictive and it wears off quickly.  It's like no matter how you stuff yourself at Thanksgiving dinner until you swear you'll never eat again, but sure enough you're hungry again on Friday morning.  I'm speaking from experience here.  During periods of intense spiritual practice, I've observed synchronistic or psychic events on an almost daily basis and it's still not enough to permanently allay the thoughts that I may be losing my marbles. (Ah well, at least I'm acquiring plenty of crystals!) There's always the potential to get too obsessesed or too discouraged, but practice moderation and you'll be fine.

That's about it for my little treatise on healthy skepticism.  Until next time, wishing you much love and clear visions!

-M

Legendary scryers: Themis

Programming note:  I thought it might be fun and instructive to do some short segments on famous diviners from the past--some historical tidbits to mix things up a little.  This is the first installment on legendary scryers from history, mythology, and fiction.

Themis is one of the Titans, the ancient Greek gods who preceded the Olympians.  She has the ability to see both the past and the future, and her prophetic gifts grant her wisdom and perspective coveted by both gods and mortals.  In this kylix painting, King Aegeus, father of the hero Theseus, consults Themis on the question of the royal family's infertility.  The Titaness stares intently into a flat bowl, called a phiale, while the king waits anxiously for his answer.

 According to legend, Themis established the oracle at Mount Parnassus (Delphi), and was its mistress until Apollo defeated the serpent Python and claimed the site as his own abode. In this painting Themis is shown (somewhat anachronistically) in the attitude of a Delphic priestess, balanced on the oracular tripod and holding Apollo's laurel branch.

In addition to being a goddess of prophecy, Themis is also the personification of divine justice.  She is often depicted with scales and sword, making her the ancestress of both the ubiquitous courthouse statue and the Tarot trump called Justice.  Her name has been translated as "law," but Moses Finley points out that themis has no exact analogue in English: "A gift of the gods and a mark of civilized existence, sometimes it means right custom, proper procedure, social order, and sometimes merely the will of the gods (as revealed by an omen, for example) with little of the idea of right."  Clear-headed and ruthlessly impartial, Themis teaches acceptance of things as they are or will be, rather than how the seer might wish them to be.

Choosing a crystal ball

Although its popularity may have peaked in the early 20th century, the crystal ball is still the most quintessential of all scrying devices.  Some modern practitioners, especially professional psychics, shy away from them because of their gypsy/carnival reputation.  But many people cherish crystal balls for their romance, beauty, and unique properties.  If you're in the market for an orb of your own, here's a few things to consider:

Understand the different products that are available. Solid quartz crystals are cut from a single piece of natural stone, and almost always contain what jewelers call "inclusions," or flaws.  Most are less than two inches in diameter, and larger specimens are rare.  Fused or reconstituted quartz balls are made from quartz and sometimes other minerals that have been pulverized and reformed into a spherical shape.  These come in many sizes, and generally have greater clarity and a lower price tag than solid cut quartz.  Glass spheres contain no quartz, but are made of silica dioxide, and may be perfectly clear or display small air bubbles inside.  These are the cheapest scrying balls available, but they may lack the metaphysical properties attributed to genuine crystal.

Also, while clear quartz is the most traditional material, it's not the only option.  Smoky quartz, rutilated quartz, and colored stones like amethyst all have their fans.  Crystal pyramids, tetrahedrons, skulls, and natural shapes are all popular alternatives to spheres.

Spend only as much as you (comfortably) can.  Real quartz can be extravagantly expensive. Frater Achad makes a good point when he writes,

We should choose this crystal, I might almost say, lovingly; at least, if a selection is presented to us we should take the one to which, after a moment of silent consideration, we feel most attracted; and this -- if possible -- regardless of the material consideration of its cost. We should not, however, purchase a globe which is far beyond our material means, so that other obligations would suffer thereby; otherwise, lurking at the back of our consciousness whenever we use it, may be the feeling of having acted wrongly in that connection from the very start.  (Crystal Vision Through Crystal Gazing, 1923)

Realize that the true power of sight resides in the seer--buying the biggest and best tool you can find won't help you if you aren't willing to put in the work of learning to use it.  You can get very good results with a small crystal.  And remember that you aren't wedded to one crystal for life.  You can always upgrade later if your interest intensifies or your financial situation changes.

It's better to try before you buy.  If you're lucky enough to have a crystal supplier in your area, go there first.  The staff will usually be happy to let you grope all the crystals and answer any questions you might have.  In a store, you can hold a ball up to the light to check the clarity.  You can look at it from all angles and examine its inclusions.  (Some people find that the swirls, clouds, and streaks in natural crystal help to trigger visions, while others find them to be distracting.)

Try clearing your mind and see if there's any stone you feel particularly drawn to.  Do any seem to be humming, singing, or calling out to you?  Pick 'em up.  A tingling or warm feeling in your hands, forehead or gut is a good sign.  If you start to see images immediately, then that's even better.  If you can't get to any occult or crystal shops, some alternative sources include gemstone conventions, antique stores, Celtic festivals and Rennaisance faires.  (My first crystal ball came from a rural Rennaisance faire--in the South, these places are hotbeds of sublimated occultism.)  And it goes without saying that you can order one online, but caveat emptor--it's really hard to judge the quality and size of crystals from pictures.  Also, many rock crystals (especially the ones on eBay) are imported from Asia and the high shipping costs negate any savings.

Treat your new tool with respect.  No, you don't have to buy into every dogma and superstition ever created about crystals. Yours will work just fine, even if you don't bathe it in herb tea and swaddle it with silk and consecate it under the light of three consecutive full moons.  (Although you can do those things if you really want to.)  I think at the very least, though, you should cleanse a new crystal thoroughly, and perform a simple ritual dedicating it to its best and highest use.  You should also store it someplace safe where it won't be disturbed until you're ready to use it.  Personally, I've come to think of my favorite crystal as a trusted collaborator, and to regard it with a kind of grateful awe.  It's been in the Earth's crust for millions of years, after all, and now it's come along to help me do my work.  Whether or not the crystal actually possesses any properties of consciousness is beside the point--adopting an attitude of humility and patience will prove most helpful in any metaphysical pursuit.
 

Why scry?

The motivation for learning to scry is a very personal thing and may be hard to put into words, but it's worth giving it some thought before you begin your practice, and periodically while you are learning.  No, it's not helpful to obsess over goals or give in to the dreaded "lust for results."  But in my experience, all magickal pursuits are safer and more effective when you take a moment to carefully and honestly consider your intent.
Here are some of the most common purposes and goals:

View distance people, places or things
Foresee future events, or determine the outcome of some action
Find lost objects
Communicate with spirits, ancestors, or gods
Discover the history of an object or place
Obtain hidden information about a person or event
Enjoy a state of deep relaxation and/or meditation
Aid in magickal workings
Develop or hone psychic abilities
Enhance a bond with a special crystal or other tool
Visit other planets, dimensions, planes, etc.
Access subconscious memories or desires
Explore or enhance nighttime dreams
Achieve contact with your spirit guide, holy guardian angel, or higher self

Surely this is just a partial list of reasons why you might choose to pursue the ancient art of seership.  What other reasons can you think of?

Your grandma's crystal gazing books, now available online

There are many in-depth texts about crystal gazing that were published before 1923 and have since passed into the public domain in the United States.  Several are available for download free of charge from various places.  Some of these books contain timeless information that remains helpful for the modern student.  Others are full of quaint and superstitious ideas, but still delightful as historical curiosities.  (Many contain a mixture of both!)  Here are some, in no particular order, for your handy perusal (in case of broken links, try googling the title and author):


Sepharial (pseudonym of Walter Gorn Old).  How to Read the Crystal, or Crystal and Seer. 1922.

Frater Achad (Charles Stansfeld Jones).  Crystal Vision Through Crystal Gazing.  1923.  (Also in PDF.)


William Walker Atkinson and L.W. de Laurence. Practical Psychomancy and Crystal Gazing. 1907.

Theodore Besterman. Crystal Gazing: A Study in the History, Distribution, Theory, and Practice of Scrying. 1924.

John Melville. Crystal Gazing and the Wonders of Clairvoyance.  c. 1915.

Catherine Yronwode has compiled a more extensive bibliography, (but no links or texts), which includes descriptions of the original published editions for collectors and book nerds.

Introduction

Welcome to The Scrying Bowl, a website devoted exclusively to the ancient art of scrying.  Scrying (or skrying, to use an alternate spelling) is the practice of gazing into a dark, reflective, and/or randomly patterned object to produce visions.  Modern occultists disagree about the exact mechanics, but it is generally understood to be a form of self-hypnosis that allows the seer to access the deep mind.  Scrying is arguably the most versatile (and challenging!) form of divination that exists.  It is also probably one of the earliest mystical practices, along with ancestor worship and ceremonial burial.  Dr. Raymond Moody traces crystal-gazing back to at least 10,000 BC, when early humans in what is now Iran carved the first known hand-held crystals.

My purpose in creating this site is to assemble the kind of resource that I, as a student, would like to read myself.  There is now more occult information online than I had--even a few years ago--dreamed there ever could be.  And yet, it's still fairly difficult to find caches of quality information on specialized topics.  (This is equally true of the print world, as anyone with shelves full of "Wicca 101" or "Beginning Tarot"-type books can attest.)

The Scrying Bowl exists to bring you, the curious seeker, the best information on scrying methods, theory and history.  We may also occasionally venture off into some adjacent divinatory and visionary practices.  As this project progresses, I will be compiling the available resources on this topic, as well as offering some original commentary.  This is not intended to be a personal magical record (although there are some excellent such journals online), but I may be tossing off a few of my own experiences as they seem relevant or helpful.  It is also not mainly a beginner's guide or how-to (again, tons of good stuff online), but I hope beginners will still find it accessible and useful along the way.

Happy searching!

-M