Scrying

What is Scrying?

The Encyclopedia Britannica (2008) describes Scrying as: Divination of distant or future events based on visions seen in a ball of rock crystal. Divination based on an analysis of reflections in water, on polished metal, or on precious stones was practiced by early humans, who probably interpreted these phenomena as a vision of the spirit world. Scrying became widespread by the 5th century AD and was condemned by the medieval Christian church as the work of the devil.   The Crystal Ball by John William Waterhouse (1902, oil on canvas)     Etymology Scrying comes from the Old English word descry meaning "to make out dimly" or "to reveal." Adding the prefix/suffix 'be' (often 'gye' in Germanic languages), gives us the modern word 'describe'. Descry: c.1300, probably from Old French descrier "publish," from Latin describere   Alternative Names: Crystal gazing · Oculomancy / Eye Viewing · Catoptromancy / Mirror gazing · Hydromancy / Water viewing · Fire gazing · Smoke scrying · Cloud scrying · Oil scrying   The History Of Scrying The history of scrying is a little murky. Many try to connect the art of scrying with other methods of divination such as dowsing, tea leaves or the Chinese methods of reading lines and faces. While these methods are historical, they are not the precursors to traditional scrying.   In order for an object to be related to an older object it must have some type of evolutionary connection that can be traced through validated records. Scrying simply does not have this connection to these other methods of divination. But that shouldn't lessen the historical value of those methods, nor the value and historical uses of scrying.   We know scrying was used by ancient Celts, probably by way of the Germanic invasions of the Norse. Scrying plates have been found in several archeological sites around Celtic lands that are known to have been Norse influenced settlements. Druids are one of the earliest known peoples to have used crystals for divination in the form of scrying plates.   Michel de Nostredame (1503-1566), according to his son, would gaze into a bowl of water or dark ink and then quickly take notes about what he saw. He would later compile these notes into his infamous quatrains.   One of the earliest written works of scrying comes from The Shahnameh, a historical epic work written in the late 10th century. Used in pre-Islamic Persia the epic gives a description of the Cup of Jamshid or Jaam-e Jam, as a cup of divination which, according to mythology, was long possessed by the rulers of ancient Greater Iran. The cup was filled with an elixir of immortality and was used for scrying. Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda explains that one could observe all the seven heavens of the universe by looking into the elixir and the whole world was reflected in it. In popular stories such as The Heroic Legend of Arslan, the cup is depicted as a crystal ball. Helen Zimmern's English translation of the Shahnameh uses the term "crystal globe".   In 1958, Classical Greek archaeologist, Sotiris Dakaris discovered a scrying center near the Dodona oracle. This temple was described by Homer and Herodotus, as a place where people would sit in complete darkness while awaiting their turn in front of the oracle. An extensive maze led to a long hallway where the 'gazing' would take place. Dakaris found the remnants of a bronze cauldron ringed with a banister which made it appear that people stand around the cauldron and gaze into it's contents for enlightenment or visions.   Dakaris also describes psychomanteums (sometimes spelled as psychomantium) used by ancient Greeks. These are mirrored rooms designed to communicate with the spiritual realm. Also called "mirror gazing", this is another form of scrying.   Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD. He is famous for his Description of Greece is a ten book series that is dedicated to some portion of Greece from firsthand observations. This collection is a crucial link between classical literature and modern archaeology. In his observations of Patras, he writes: Before the Temple of Ceres at Patras, there was a fountain, separated from the temple by a wall, and there was an oracle, very truthful, not for all events, but for the sick only. The sick person let down a mirror, suspended by a thread till its based touched the surface of the water, having first prayed to the goddess and offered incense. Then looking in the mirror, he saw the presage of death or recovery, according as the face appeared fresh and healthy, or of a ghastly aspect.   In A.D. 312 when Emperor Constantine was marching against the army of Maxentius at Rome, both he and his entire army saw a shining cross of light amid the clouds. This form of cloud scrying has been used as a form of divination around the world. Clouds are said to be the written messages of the Heavens, foretelling the outcome of current events. This is also the predecessor to the modern childs game of seeing objects in the clouds.   We know scrying was used in early Egypt around 4BC from paintings depicted on walls and tombs. Egyptian priests would use water scrying before Egyptian Gods or Goddesses to gain wisdom or foresee future events.   One of the most detailed examples of oil scrying are written in the Greek Magical Papyri written in Egypt between 200 B.C. and A.D. 500. This method of scrying is traced back to ancient Babylonians and found its way to the Egyptians and Hebrews.   Native Americans used a form of scrying by way of rising smoke. This isn't just the stereotypical movie version where a blanket is draped over a small fire and then lifted to release the smoke. Rather watching the rising smoke from a flame and divining images held within the smoke stream.   In the early 20th century women practiced mirror scrying to foretell the image of their future husband. This practice could be found on turn of the century Halloween greeting card, as the one shown to the right.   This superstition may have been born from the legendary Bloody Mary tale. One version of this legend states Bloody Mary encourages young women to walk up a flight of stairs backwards, holding a candle and a hand mirror, in a darkened house. As they gazed into the mirror, they were supposed to be able to catch a view of their future husband's face in the reflection. There was a chance that they would see the skull-face of the Grim Reaper instead, meaning they were destined to die before they married.   This period of the early 19th century popularized many stage magicians use of crystal balls to foretell the future of members of their audience. At this point the use of scrying became part of the world of entertainment and stage magic and lost it's significance as a spiritual tool for divination. This idea was carried into early films with gypsies using crystal balls to con money from un-expecting clients, mediums who conducted seances and opened the door for horror in the form of possession through divination tools and correspondences with the devil or evil forces.   But for some spiritualists the practice of divine divination remained and the use of tools such as scrying continued behind closed doors. One prominent practioner of scrying was Madame Blavatsky who taught Occult studies and divination. Thanks to Blavatsky and many like her, the use of scrying tools survived the superstition and is widely used by adept psychics around the world.   Scrying Methods Catoptromancy is a form of scrying and divination using a mirror. Also known as captromancy or enoptromancy. Mirror gazing is a popular method of scrying and comes in two forms. The first requires an individual to stand before a mirror and stare into their reflection. By relaxing their vision images appear in the reflection and spiritual messages can be interpreted or questions can be answered. The second method uses a mirror as a scrying plate. A mirror is placed flat on a table or at a 90degree angle. A flame or small light is placed near the mirror to allow the light to reflect onto the mirror. The scryer would then interpret spiritual messages or discern answers to questions from the lights reflection and perceived images.   Ceroscopy is a form of scrying that was very popular in early Russia. A scryer would fully met the wax in a pot, most often made of brass. The liquid wax was then dripped into cool water where tiny shapes were formed. The scryer would then interpret spiritual messages from the molded wax shapes floating in the water.   Cloud gazing is a method of scrying using clouds in the sky. Discerning shapes in the clouds and witnessing their evolution foretells current events and how they will change and come to pass.   Crystal gazing is a method of scrying where a scryer looks into a crystal; typically a ball and reads the images that appear in the reflection. It should be noted that lead crystal balls are not the best tools for this method. Rather natural crystals with all their cracks and imperfections are preferred.   Hydromancy is a method of divination scrying using water, including the color, ebb and flow, or ripples produced by pebbles dropped in a pool. The scryer would then interpret spiritual messages or discern answers to questions from the images perceived in the water.   Lecanomancy is a form of water scrying where a stone is thrown into a basin or body of still water. The scryer divines messages from the sound the stone makes in the water and the images formed in the rippling water.   Lychnomancy is a form of divination by flame. Also called Lamp gazing (Lampadomancy) or Flame gazing. This is a method of scrying using the light of an oil lamp or the flame from a candle or fire. Images are perceived in the flame, or shadowy images are perceived close to the flames that provide messages to the seer.   Another method of Candle gazing employs the use of 3 candles arranged in a triangle. A questioner or a scryer ask questions and the answers are depicted in the action of the flames. ~ A positive answer to a question is indicated by one flame burning higher than the other two. ~ A wavering flame would indicate a journey. ~ A spiral flame indicated plots by enemies. ~ An uneven flame danger. ~ Sparks indicate caution. ~ A sudden extinction of a flame indicates bad luck.   Molybdomancy is a method of scrying using melted metal and water. Using tin or lead, the metal was melted to a liquid state and then dripped into cold water where the metal would harden into varying shapes. A scryer would then interpret the spiritual messages from the molded metal shapes. Molybdomancy is similar to Ceroscopy which uses wax.   Oculomancy is a form of scrying where the diviner gazes into the questioners' eyes and reads the reflections.   Oil gazing is a method of scrying using oil in various forms. It can be placed in a dish, rubbed on the hand or forehead, coated within a cup or plate to reflect light directed into the oil. Written accounts from the Babylonians describe at least 3 forms or methods of oil scrying. ~ "Princess of the Thumb" - A scryer anointed the forehead and thumbnail of a subject. The shiny nail acted as a magic mirror in which the scryer saw spirits. ~ "Princess of the Hand" - Oil was mixed with black soot to make a black paste that was covered upon the hand. The scryer then used the hand as a mirror to scry future events for the individual. ~ Princess of the Cup" - Sesame seed oil was used to coat the inside of a cup that was rested on its side. The cup was used as a concave mirror to capture and magnify the light of a candle that was fixed on its inner rim.   Scrying plates are often made of stone or crystal polished to a very high gloss for reflection. A scryer would gaze into the reflection or would coat the plate with water or oil and gaze into the reflective service. The scryer would then interpret spiritual messages or discern answers to questions from the images perceived in the reflection.   Smoke gazing is a method of scrying using smoke from a flame or typically a fire. As the smoke rises, images are perceived in the smoke that details spiritual messages for the seer.   http://www.paganspath.com/meta/scrying.htm

The Wiccan Rede

For those of you who think that Witchcraft and Wicca are about evil and darkness, please read the Rede as it

 is a statement that provides the key moral system in the Neopagan religion of Wicca and other related Witchcraft-based faiths. A common form of the Rede is: 

 An it harm none, do what ye will.

The Wiccan Rede
(Full Version)

---

Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.
Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.

For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out.
To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme.

Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much.
Honor the Old Ones in deed and name,
let love and light be our guides again.

Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful tune.
Widdershins go when the moon doth wane,
and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane.

When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two.
When the moon rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.

Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail.
When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.

When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth.
When the wind whispers from the West, all hearts will find peace and rest.

Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.
Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.

Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God's
insight.   Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.

Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland.
Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.

Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength to the bright fire burning.
White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.

Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.
Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.

Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be.
Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.

As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now Samhain.
When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.

When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn.
As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magick rite.

Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all.
When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the Horned One rules.

In the spring, when night equals day time for Ostara to come our way.
When the Sun has reached it's height time for Oak and Holly to fight.

Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall.
Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you'll be.

Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you'll know.
When you have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.

With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.
Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good.
When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.

Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

"An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"

Samhain and Hallowe'en

Samhain Blessing! 

 

Samhain and Hallowe'en  

by Jennifer Emick

Even after the demise of the pagan Celtic culture, Samhain remained a popular holiday, and in early Ireland, it was the most important of the four great festivals. There is a common theory that floats about that the institution of Halloween by the Catholic Church was intentionally begun as an answer to the reluctance of the people to give up pagan revelries or the remembrance of the dead.
The truth is actually much less clear cut. The various churches in the first centuries instituted celebrations of their saints and martyrs, which varied according to location, but were celebrated mostly in the spring. By the year 800, German and English churches were commemorating the saints on the first of November, and by 835, most of the rest had followed suit at the urging of Pope Gregory IV. Before this time, however, the Celtic observance was held in the springtime, near the Easter feast.
Also, although there was a definite connection with death and passages, there isn't a lot of evidence that Samhain was held to honor the dead. Most such claims come much too late to be of any use, and the idea is never mentioned in the surviving mythological tales. It is a fair assumption, however, that in this traditional time of tribal gathering, some commemoration would have been made on behalf of the ancestors. It is known that it was sometimes customary to light torches at the entrances of the ancient tombs, to make clearer the passage from the Otherworld.

From the earliest days of the Church, it was customary to observe a day in memorial to the saints; later, this expanded to include all of the dead. The saints of the church were celebrated on November 1 with a solemn mass and singing.
As it was already customary to honor one's ancestors during the Samhain period, it was only natural that the Church's own observances followed suit. It became customary to visit cemeteries on this day, to sweep and clean the graves, and echoing the older custom, lights were lit outside of homes and in cemeteries. Water and other provisions would be left out, and the doors left unlocked. The ancient tombs were not neglected, either; the old custom of walking in deasil procession three times about the ancient monuments carried well into medieval times.
The November celebrations were eventually worn away as the popularity of the All Saints festival increased. Within a few hundred years, the commemoration of the dead also moved from an earlier date to coincide with the November observation, so that eventually, the two would be held back to back. In any case, the Christian observations were quite unlike their pagan predecessor, and by the medieval period, the feasts became solemn reminders of mortality and the grisly fates awaiting the sinner.
In medieval times, as during other feast days, it became customary to spend Samhain night going door to door collecting food and other offerings for the poor, often in exchange for prayers said for the homeowner.
However, the Samhain ritual often involved a costumed masquerade, some say in imitation of the fairy procession. If a homeowner gave generously to these masked visitors, the visitors would make a solemn procession around the kitchen fire — a tradition that clearly echoes the ancient Samhain rituals. Were the hosts less than generous, they would be cursed in a similar manner.

 

Samhain: The Lowering of the Veil

Samhain: The Lowering of the Veil by Jennifer Emick

Samhain, from the more ancient Irish form Samhuinn, was the most widely celebrated of the ancient Celtic festivals. It was a celebration of the harvest, of the closing of the year, and the beginning of the new year. Agriculturally, it was the time when the last fruits of the harvest were collected and stored, and the livestock were culled and quartered for the winter ahead.

The dark time of the year had many magical and mythical associations as well. Samhain was also the time when the gates of the Otherworld were thrown open, allowing the spirits of the ancestors and the Sidhe folk to mingle with the living. It was at this time that the fabled Wild Hunt, a procession of animals, fairies, and spirits, was most often said to occur.

The History of Samhain

The Gauls marked the year into just two halves, the dark or winter half being Sam or Samonios, and the light half Gam or its Latinized form, Gamonios. Like other ancient cultures, the Celts marked the beginning of a day at sunset; likewise, the year was counted as beginning in its dark half.
Caesar remarked on the practice in his writings on the Gallic Wars:

All the Gauls assert that they are descended from the god Dis, and say that this tradition has been handed down by the druids. For that reason they compute the divisions of every season, not by the number of days, but of nights; they keep birthdays and the beginnings of months and years in such an order that the day follows the night.

Samonios, the dark half of the year, was reckoned first in the Celtic calendar. The festival marking the beginning of Samonios was Samhuinn (Samhain), a three-day feast celebrated on the new moon closest to the autumnal equinox. As Beltaine marked the beginning of the summer season, Samhain marked its end. In fact, the word Samhain most likely means “summer's end” and is the current Gaelic name for the month of November. In the first-century Celtic Coligny calendar, a similar three-day festival ushered in the new year in the late autumn.

The festival now commonly referred to as Samhain has had numerous names. In Wales, it was known as Calan Gaeaf, “Winter's Eve.” In Ireland, it was Oiche Shamra, “Samhain Night,” sometimes “Pooka Night.”In Manx, it is Sauin.

The Samhain festival marked the transition between two very different seasons. The growth season was at an end, with the majority of crops long harvested. The time for festivals and tribal gatherings was coming to an end, and warfare and trade would be largely suspended until warmer weather returned. This was a last opportunity for merrymaking and celebration before a long winter confinement.

Samhain was celebrated at the cusp of the seasons, marking the end of the light and the beginning of the dark of the year. In mythical terms, the youthful aspect of the goddess Sovereignty gave way to the withered hag of winter, and the fruits and flowers of the warm season were replaced with the barren cold of winter. It was marked at Tara with a great feast, the Feis Teamrach, or “Mating of Tara,” at which the high king was symbolically mated with the goddess of sovereignty, a celebration that marked the Samhain night coupling of the Morrigan and the Dagda on the eve of the battle of Mag Tuiread.

Indeed, the Samhain was a favorite time for tribal assemblies, during which all of a tuath would gather together for feasting, games, and amusements but also to settle debts and disputes. In ancient times, great offerings would have been made at lakes, shafts, and at the entrances to the Sidhe mounds, as the denizens of the Otherworld would be particularly receptive. Horse races and other feats of strength were not uncommon at this time, a tradition going back to the earliest days of the Celtic peoples.

In the Ulster Cycle story “The Wooing of Emer,” the heroine refers to the festival of Samhain as “when summer goes to its rest.”

Samhain was considered a time of great change; it was also a time of great transparency between the world of man and the Otherworld. Samhain was a traditional time for divination and prophecy, an auspicious time for sacrifice. The transformation of the world brought about other transformations, and it was at this time one could enter the Otherworld. Celtic myth tales involving Otherworld magic often take place during Samhain, and it is at this time when Otherworld denizens made benevolent journeys or even warfare against the living. Samhain was the preferred day for beginning an adventure or setting out on a quest, especially a divine one. Many important events in Celtic mythology take place or begin at the time of Samhain. For example, it is at Samhain that Aenghus seeks to recognize his lover Caer in her swan form.

A common urban legend claims that the Samhain celebration was in honor of a ghastly god of death by the same name. Although a few minor Celtic gods have similar names, none has any connection to the Samhain festivals.

Sacred Bonfires

Samhain was celebrated all over Ireland and Great Britain with the lighting of sacred bonfires. As in similar rituals in the north, the Samhain fires were the first fires of the season. In a ritual that would repeat at Beltaine, all other fires would be extinguished and ritually relit from the sacred bonfires.
The bonfires themselves were inaugurated by the druids, the first according to some accounts on the hilltop of Tlachtga, where it would be easily visible from Tara. The bonfires were not the only fire rituals associated with Samhain. A popular ritual called “lating the witches” involved a solemn candlelit procession, the purpose of which was the discovery of dark magic. If a candle flickered or died out during the procession, it meant that the person carrying it was a certain victim of witches, and special precautions would be taken to protect him or her.
Other precautions would be taken as well. As the Tuatha Dé Danann were well known to roam the countryside, it was customary to leave gifts of milk and bread for them, not just on Samhain but on the other festival days as well. This customary offering was sometimes referred to as the fairy tax, honoring the ancient agreement between the Milesian Celts and the denizens of the Otherworld.

What is Samhain ?

What is Samhain?

Samhain is known by most folks as Halloween, but for Wiccans and Pagans it's considered a Sabbat to honor the ancestors who came before us. It's a good time to contact the spirit world with a seance, because it's the time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest.

Contrary to a popular Internet-based  rumor, Samhain was not the name of some ancient Celtic god of death, or of anything else, for that matter. Religious scholars agree that the word Samhain  comes from the Gaelic “Samhuin,” but they’re divided on whether it means the end or beginning of summer. After all, when summer is ending here on earth, it’s just beginning in the Underworld. Samhain actually refers to the daylight portion of the holiday, on November 1st.

Around the eighth century or so, the Catholic Church decided to use November 1st as All Saints Day. This was actually a pretty smart move on their part – the local pagans were already celebrating that day anyway, so it made sense to use it as a church holiday. All Saints’ became the festival to honor any saint who didn’t already have a day of his or her own. The mass which was said on All Saints’ was called Allhallowmas – the mass of all those who are hallowed. The night before naturally became known as All Hallows Eve, and eventually morphed into what we call Halloween.

Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The old year has passed, the harvest has been gathered, cattle and sheep have been brought in from the fields, and the leaves have fallen from the trees. The earth slowly begins to go to sleep around us.

For some of  people, Samhain is a time to honor our ancestors who came before us. If you’ve ever done genealogy research, or if you’ve had a loved one die in the past year, this is the perfect night to celebrate their memory. If we’re fortunate, they will return to communicate with us from beyond the veil, and offer advice, protection and guidance for the upcoming year.

If you want to celebrate Samhain in the Celtic tradition, spread the festivities out over three consecutive days. You can hold a ritual and feast each night. Be flexible, though, so you can work around trick-or-treating schedules.

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Whimsical Words

                                                            Star Gazing

Have you ever gazed into the stars for an extensive period of time? So long that you suddenly comprehend the fact that you are staring into infinity? This fact settles into your mind like the last circles of a cat before it settles into an easy position. The awareness, the recognition, has been circling within your mind since you first lifted your eyes to the nightly heavens. Just now the thought has come to a point of realization.

Once understanding is embraced you can envision the layers of space and heaven reaching out in an endless way. Is this endlessness but a void? Or is it perception? Is perception a void? Are our limitations set only by what we imagine them to be? I believe we set our own limitations. I feel that if a person stares into a sea of stars they are truly gazing into a sea of possibilities…They just haven’t realized it. They have set their own confines.

Have you ever had the feeling that your dreams were about to come true? It feels as if the world is at your fingertips there to be molded and twisted into what you most desire. It’s a feeling of bliss that springs out extending further and further into those stars until you feel as if you are glowing in unison with them…. I have that feeling now as I gaze into the endless stars…and I plan to hold onto it.

-April