Crystal gazing is the art of inducing the appearance of images in the depths of a globe of transparent material, traditionally a globe of polished rock crystal, for the purpose of divining hidden or future matters. These images are not generated in any physical way but appear in the globe occultly - which is to say, in a manner that is not understood from an unknown source.

In one form or another crystal gazing is very old. Polished, transparent gem stones such as beryl and chrysoprase, often set into rings, were employed for this purpose in Greek and Roman times. A polished piece of rock crystal was found in the ancient grave of an American Indian shaman, leading archaeologists to speculate that it had been used for crystal gazing.

I use the term "crystal globe" rather than "crystal ball" because it is only fairly recently that crystal gazers have employed perfectly spherical instruments. In past centuries the crystals were more likely to be egg-shaped, or hemispherical, or even flat. They were seldom of large dimensions. The crystal globe fabled to have been employed by the druid Merlin was ovoid and, if it actually existed, probably no more than an inch or two in diameter.

In the tradition of Western ritual magic, it was the custom to set the crystal in a specific type of frame. It is described by Francis Barrett in his 1801 work The Magus:

Procure of a lapidary a good clear pellucid crystal, of the bigness of a small orange, i.e. about one inch and a half in diameter; let it be globular or round each way alike; then, when you have got this crystal, fair and clear, without any clouds or specks, get a small plate of pure gold to encompass the crystal round one half; let this be fitted on an ivory or ebony pedestal, as you may see more fully described in the drawing. Let there be engraved a circle round the crystal with these characters around inside the circle next the crystal [a hexagram with the Hebrew letter Yod in its center], [a pentagram], [a black Maltese cross]; afterwards the name "Tetragrammaton." On the other side of the plate let there be engraven "Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael;" which are the four principle angels ruling over the Sun, Moon, Venus and Mercury; but on the table on which the crystal stands the following names, characters, &c. must be drawn in order.

First, The names of the seven planets and angels ruling them, with their seals or characters. The names of the four kings of the four corners of the earth. Let them be all written within a double circle, with a triangle on the table; on which place the crystal on its pedestal: this being done, thy table is complete and fit for the calling of the spirits...

(ritual crystal set in frame, from Barrett's The Magus, 1801)

Barrett's description is a bit hard to follow. You see in the illustration what looks to be a flat plate of gold with a circular hole cut through it, in which is set the globe of the crystal. We may presume that the illustration shows the front side, before which the scryer would sit. The rear hemisphere of the crystal may have been covered with thin gold foil, in order to reflect the light of the scrying chamber and make the crystal appear to have a golden glow. The double circle surrounding the crystal exists on both sides of the frame. On the front, as you can see, is written in English characters the names of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael. On the back within this double circle is to be inscribed, at the four corners opposite the names of the angels, variously a hexagram with the Hebrew letter Yod in its center, a pentagram traced with a single interlocking line, a Maltese Cross that is filled with black, and finally the name Tetragrammton.

The seven angels of the planets and their seals are to be seen in the illustration from Barrett's book at the top of this page. The four kings of the earth are named by Cornelius Agrippa, who describes them as the four princes. They are Oriens (east), Paymon (west), Egyn (north), Amaymon (south). The names of these spirit princes of the world varies from source to source, but this is how they appear in Barrett's work The Magus, which quotes them from Agrippa's Occult Philosophy.

A double circle is to be inscribed on the table before which the scryer sits. Barrett's text is far from clear, but my impression is that the names and seals of the seven spirits of the planets are to be inscribed in the outer circle, and the four names of the kings or princes of the earth in the inner circle. There is nothing in Barrett's text to indicate whether the triangle on the table is outside and apart from the circle, outside and surrounding the circle, or inside the circle. However, similar figures in various grimoires suggest that the triangle either surrounds the circle or is surrounded by it. Magically, it would make the best sense to have the triangle inside the double circle. A triangle by its occult nature brings forth into manifestation; a circle contains and acts as a barrier. The crystal is set inside the triangle, which helps to open the astral window in its depths and to draw images and spirits forth. At the same time the circle surrounds the triangle, holding within its boundary whatever may manifest inside the triangle. For examples of this type of magical figure (triangle within circle) see Waite's Book of Ceremonial Magic, pages 244 and 259. It is best if the triangle points away from the scryer, since the triangle manifests by drawing downward through the point of its apex toward its base. In this way, the images are drawn toward the scryer.

Crystal is only one substance that was used by the scryers of past centuries. They employed much the same technique with basins of water, bowls of oil, puddles of ink, polished metal surfaces such as sword and knife blades, obsidian, jet, mica, glass, gold leaf, tin foil, and mirrors of all types. All these materials are lunar in nature. Crystal gazing is a very lunar activity. It requires that the scryer become like the moon, a passively receptive reflector of the astral light.

Today scrying is done either with the traditional globes of rock crystal, or with similar globes of clear glass or plastic. The globes are usually spherical and can range in size from between one inch in diameter to as much as eight or ten inches in diameter. Rock crystal, also called quartz crystal, is expensive, especially in the case of larger and clearer globes. Most rock crystal balls have obvious flaws, such as cloudiness, inclusions, voids, and fractures. It is possible to obtain perfectly clear spheres of rock crystal, but they are difficult to find, and extremely costly.

My own primary scrying stone is a sphere of optically perfect quartz crystal three inches in diameter. It contains no flaws of any kind and is as clear as the finest glass. Such a stone is quite rare. It probably came from Brazil, where the largest and best rock crystals are discovered. The stone is so fine, the person who bought it for me as a gift, and who has extensive experience with precious and semiprecious stones, could not believe that it was crystal. She took it to two independent gemologists to verify that it was indeed quartz and not glass. Both confirmed its composition. It is in effect a perfect, three-inch semiprecious gem. Such a stone is ideal for scrying, but good results can also be had using rock crystal globes of lesser quality, and even globes of glass, because glass is a lunar material. I do nor recommend using a sphere of plastic. Plastic is not particularly lunar in virtue.

The images in the crystal are not physical images. It would be impossible to record them on photographic film. Others present in the scrying chamber sometimes see a glow in the crystal when it is used, but even in these cases, the illumination is astral, and could not be recorded mechanically. Many crystal gazers scry in darkness, without actually seeing the crystal with their eyes - physical light plays no part in the process or its success. Light reflected from the depths of the crystal may provide a focus for the attention during scrying, but such reflections are usually more of a hindrance and distraction than an aid.

What takes place when we scry into a crystal? Through repeated practice, the focus of the attention upon the crystal induces an altered state of consciousness that is receptive to messages sent from the subconscious part of the mind, or from active intelligences that dwell there. The subconscious is able to communicate with the conscious in a variety of ways when the conscious mind renders itself receptive to these communications. It can produce the impression of a disembodied voice speaking, or the sensation of a touch on the skin, or an odor, or a taste in the mouth, or can even cause the hand of the scryer to write sentences or the lips of the scryer to utter audible words. In the case of crystal scrying, which relies upon the focus of attention through the sense of sight, the communications from the subconscious occur in the form of images.

On occasion these images are mediated by a spiritual intelligence, or group of intelligences, who may appear visibly within the depths of the crystal, or even in the scrying chamber. Often these spirits are able to speak to the scryer and to understand his words, for the phenomena of crystal gazing do not always restrict themselves to the depths of the crystal globe, nor to visual images alone.

The most gifted crystal gazer since Merlin, the alchemist Edward Kelley (1555-1595), would frequently see and hear and even feel the touch of spirits who appeared outside the crystal when he sat before the stone to scry. These spirits acted as guides or narrators to the animated images that appeared within the depths of the stone. The images took the form of what Kelley would have understood as dramatic stage presentations. The spiritual creatures in the moving images acted out a brief play with Kelley for their audience. The message was contained within the symbolism of the play. Spirit guides helped Kelley interpret the meaning of these little dramatic playlets. Sometimes spirits gave Kelley important messages directly, by speaking to him.

Spirits do not always play a part in crystal gazing, but they are frequently present. The modern tendency is to deny that spirits have any bearing on the success or failure of various forms of scrying. This is short-sighted, in my view. Historically, spirits have facilitated the visions of the greatest scryers. Why not make use of their talents in modern times to achieve the best possible results?

It is also common in the present day to dispense with all ritual forms when crystal gazing. This borders on the foolhardy. Traditionally, scryers sat within a protective circle of the art, and called in prayer upon the names of God and the angels for protection and assistance. By trivializing the act of crystal gazing, modern scryers are apt not only to trivialize their results, but to open themselves to dangers of an occult nature.

Scrying into the crystal is akin to opening a window into the astral world of symbolic images and spiritual beings. Ritual precautions insure that only those images and visual impressions of those beings that are desired may come through this window, which can easily transform itself into a doorway if left unguarded. More importantly, they insure that once the scrying session is concluded, the astral window is firmly shut until the next time the crystal is used.

One of the most famous examples of serious crystal scrying involved the magician Aleister Crowley, who believed himself to be the reincarnation of Edward Kelley. Crowley used a large topaz as a scrying stone when he obtained visions of the thirty Enochian Airs or Aethyrs - dimensions of reality connected with the Enochian magic of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley. This scrying work was done in two parts. It began in 1900 in Mexico, where Crowley scried the first two Aethyrs, and concluded in 1909 in North Africa. The visions were published in Crowley's periodical The Equinox, and later reprinted with extensive notes by Crowley's disciple Israel Regardie as The Vision and the Voice (Sangreal Foundation, Dallas, 1972).

We are not interested at present with the content of Crowley's astral visions, but with his scrying method. It is described by Israel Regardie, who quotes directly from Crowley's own diary record of the events (see The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, Penguin, 1989, page 616). The square brackets are mine.

The Method of obtaining "The Vision and the Voice" was as follows. The Seer [Crowley] had with him a great golden topaz set in a Calvary Cross of six squares, made of wood, and painted vermillion, which was engraves with a Greek Cross of five squares charged with the Rose of 49 petals. He held this, as a rule, in his hand. After choosing a spot where he was not likely to be disturbed he would take this stone and recite the Enochian Call [of the Thirty Aethyrs] and, after satisfying himself that the forces invoked were actually present, made the topaz play a part not unlike that of the looking glass in the case of Alice. (He had long learned not to trouble himself to travel to any particular place in his Body of Light. He realized that Space was not a thing in itself but merely a convenient category - one of many such - by reference to which we can distinguish objects from each other.) Frater O. V., the Scribe [Victor Neuburg], would write down his words, and incidentally observe any phenomena which struck him as peculiar. (For instance, Crowley would at times pass into a deep trance so that many minutes might pass between two successive sentences, as the text to the later Aethyrs shows.) The Vision and the Voice, pages 7-8

This requires some brief explanation. The Calvary cross of six squares and the Greek cross of five squares are symbols used in the rituals and magical work of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, of which Crowley had been a member. They are described in Regardie's book The Golden Dawn. A stylized rose of twenty-two petals was the central detail of the Golden Dawn lamen, and was also used for the construction of spirit sigils. Perhaps Crowley's rose of forty-nine petals had a similar function. In Lewis Carol's novel Through the Looking Glass Alice passes through a mirror into another world. Victor Neuburg was one of Crowley's long-suffering disciples. His magical name in Crowley's occult order, the Argenteum Astrum, was Omnia Vincam. Crowley calls him the Scribe because it was Neuburg's task to write down Crowley's descriptions of his visions of the Enochian Aethyrs.

Crowley, who as I indicated believed himself to be the reincarnation of Edward Kelley, apparently looked upon Neuburg as a reincarnation of John Dee. During the original reception of Enochian magic by Dee and Kelley, Dee would sit with pen in hand and write down whatever Kelley described in the crystal, and whatever the spirits told Kelley. Crowley had a very warped view of the relative importance of Kelley and Dee. He saw Kelley as the central figure in the Enochian communications, and looked upon Dee as nothing more than a secretary recording Kelley's words. This view says a lot about Crowley's ego, but not much about Dee and Kelley. As I have mentioned elsewhere on this site, Dee was the prime mover in the Enochian communications. The Enochian angels looked upon Kelley with contempt, and regarded him as nothing more than an instrument through which they could communicate with Dee.

Another of Crowley's disciples, Frater Achad, gives a different description of Crowley's scrying method:

In that instance a great Topaz, set in a Scarlet Cross, was used. The process was somewhat different from ordinary crystal-gazing, as likewise were the results.

The place of what is known as the "Third Eye" in man, is just above and between the exterior organs of sight. This is known in Hindu Systems as the "Ajna Chakra" and is thought by some to correspond to the Pineal Gland.

Intense concentration on this "Lotus" or "Chakra" produces Visions of a very high character, and this concentration may be increased - or aided - by the pressure of a shew-stone to the forehead just over this "third-eye." Crystal Vision, page 85

It is true that a light and sustained pressure upon the ajna chakra can aid in its activation, but the pressure serves more as a focus for the attention than as a physical stimulation of the chakra.

Reliable texts on the ancient art of crystal scrying are surprisingly few. The short essay in Francis Barrett's The Magus, quoted from above, is useful for gaining an impression of crystal gazing in the Western esoteric tradition. Also excellent are the works Crystal Gazing and Clairvoyance (1896) by John Melville, and Crystal Vision Through Crystal Gazing (1923) by Aleister Crowley's disciple, Frater Achad, from which I have quoted. Achad makes reference to both Barrett and Melville in his little essay, but it is interesting in its own right for the insights it gives into the ritual procedures used by serious ceremonial magicians when they crystal gaze.

A great deal of useful information on all aspects of scrying will be found in my own book Scrying for Beginners. Though not specifically about crystal balls, my book How To Make and Use A Magic Mirror contains much valuable material on the process of scrying that can be applied to crystals.