Scrying, A History And Guide To One Of The World’s Oldest Practices ~ by W.S
Scrying is a subcategory in the Art of Divination, in its simplest form, scrying is gazing into the surface of an object and allowing the mind to wander, opening oneself up to the other side allowing images and words into your brain from an external non-physical source. Basically Hallucinating Without the use of Drugs.
Scrying Throughout The Ages
Babylonia
Scrying has been practiced for thousands of years. Our modern history holds Babylonia as the earliest written record of the practice, they put water in bowls alongside droplets of oil. This process was known as lecanomancy a subcategory of hydromancy, and the scryers would read the shapes the oil made within the water to divine possible futures or speak with the dead. The practice spread and later it became more common to simply use water as it was a naturally reflective surface.
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible Briefly Goes over an object which is supposedly used for scrying in Chapter 44 of The Book Of Genesis. A silver chalice is placed inside Benjamin’s Sack to frame him for theft. In his trial, it is stated that the chalice is used for divination, but in the Book Of Genesis, it is never expressly stated he actually did any Divination.
Ancient Persia
The Ancient Persian Epic The Shahnameh, from the 10th Century, details a mystical object known as The Cup Of Jamshid, which was said to be used by ancient Persian kings to Observe the “Seven Layers Of The Universe”. The Cup Of Jamshid is said to have been first used in Persepolis, which existed from 518-330 BCE.
In 1582, John Dee sought the guidance of one of the most famous scryers of the time Sir. Edward Kelley. It was through his teachings that John Dee was able to crack the code of proper visualization and begin to transcribe what he believed to be the voices of angels. They guided him to create Angelical or as it’s known today, Enochian.
Scrying and its modern-day PreConceptions
Scrying has garnered much popularity in Hollywood’s portrayal of witches, in the TV Show Charmed, witches use scrying to find lost objects or the location of Demons. In Supernatural it allows for a witch to see things from a great distance away. And while yes it is true that one can hone these skills to a degree of supernatural clarity, I would be lying if I said it was as Visually stunning in real life.
The Reality is in the Modern Era, Scrying allows one to commune with the spirits of their ancestors and commune with the other side just as it has always been. And with those trained in the art of divination, one can read the past and future of a person or kingdom. The theatrics of modern television paint scrying as a showcase of our abilities, but to the uninitiated when they see someone scrying, they are often unprepared for how dull it is. When a person is scrying and is in a trance, their eyes go dead as they allow their mind to wander. These trance states are what allow one to see past the veil and into the supernatural realm. But to external viewers, it is rather boring, to say the least. This is why you won’t often see a practitioner scrying in front of people who haven’t the foggiest idea of its nuances.
Simple Scrying Ritual For Communing With Ancestral Spirits By W.S
To begin scrying safely one must understand the dangers, you are preparing to go into the world of the supernatural, the things you see can see you as well and you must be aware that they can leave a permanent scar on your psyche if abused in any manner. Go into it with wards up and confidence in your abilities.
This scrying ritual is used to commune with the spirits of one’s own ancestors and when done properly can allow you to have conversations and get advice from them.
Opus Est
- Patience
- Candle
- Dark Room
- Mirror
- Sacred Water
- Oil
- Salt
Before anything, one must prep the mirror for communing with the Ancestral Spirits, To do this mix together one part water, salt, and oil into a slurry. Dipping the left ring finger into the mixture begin drawing the pentacle in each corner of the mirror, connecting each pentacle with a line following the edge of the mirror as shown below
As you are drawing on the pentacles, feel free to use the below chant, but you may change it to your liking so long as the main goals are the same.
“ Lock This Mirror, Lock It Tight, Lock it now with sacred light. Let only those whom I call, Answer Me to give me guidance. May no evil enter through this portal, and may no unnamed spirit answer my calls. As I have said it so it has always been.”
The mirror is now prepped for the ritual, the next step is to create a salt circle where you are going to be seated. As well as a secondary salt circle surrounding the candle and mirror. These salt circles are an extra step of protection between yourself and the spiritual realm.
The next step is to darken the room, as dark as possible, pitch black is best. From there, place the candle in front of the mirror and ignite it, then begin the process of staring into the mirror. Watch as the candle shifts shadows around and brings new shapes to the surface.
After about 10-30 minutes your body will begin to go into a trance state of mind, from there you can call upon the name of one of your ancestors to help guide you. It may not be immediate as scrying takes years to master but after a few tries you should begin to see their faces and hear their voice.
Scrying sessions can be anywhere from a few minutes, to several hours or even days from some accounts. Don’t be frustrated if nothing happens your first time. And most importantly, always remember to thank the spirits for their time and energy, and always remember to say goodbye when you blow out the candle.
After each use feel free to cleanse the mirror with sacred water and store the mirror in a sacred space.
Post Script
Scrying isn’t for everyone and that’s okay. It takes patience and an open mind, but if you decide to give it a try it can do wonders for your spiritual practice.I hope I was able to teach you something new, Until next time my Friends :)
Thank you for sitting down and having Tea with me on the Other side of the Great Divide