Scrying — Definition

Scrying uses a focal point — a black mirror, a bowl of water, a candle flame, smoke, polished obsidian, a crystal ball — to produce a soft, defocused gaze. As the eyes relax, the practitioner waits for images, thoughts, or feelings to surface. The technique is found in many cultures: water-scrying in ancient Greece, mirror-scrying in Renaissance Europe, smoke-reading in parts of Africa and Latin America. It is closer to guided reverie than to seeing literal pictures in the surface.

Origin

From the Old English descry, "to make out" or "to spy."

Example

A simple scrying practice is to sit with a bowl of dark water by candlelight and write down whatever images surface in twenty minutes.