Tag: Scrying

The Witches Spell for January 24th – Full Moon Scrying Ritual

Gothic Comments

Full Moon Scrying Ritual

The upcoming summer months are the perfect time for Full Moon Scrying and I’d like to pass on an old, time honored scrying ritual originally written by D.J. Conway that I have used many times during the long summer nights:

Items Needed:  1 bright, shiny silver coin  1 small, black cauldron or scrying bowl filled with water

Perform this ritual outside where the rays of the Moon can fall directly onto the water in the cauldron. If you cannot go outside, stay in a darkened room near a window that the Moon shines through. Place the coin in the water and take the cauldron in both hands. Gaze up at the Moon and say:

“Lovely Lady of the night,  Mysteries old and futures bright,  Give me a glimpse of that to be  And as I will so mote it be.”

Look down at the coin shimmering in the cauldrons water. With your eyes half closed, adjust your vision as if you were looking into and through the coin. Don’t try to analuze anything you might see or that might come into your mind. Just accept it. Some people, rathar than seeing actual pictures within the cauldron, will have mental impressions, feelings or pictures. When you have finished, bow to the Moon and say thank you. Pour the water out on the ground. You’re done!

Advertisement

Seeing Through Symbols

Seeing Through Symbols

Author: Lady GoldenRaven

In my twenty-plus years of practicing, I have tried many forms of divination. Over these years, there are only four types of divination I use on a regular basis. These are: my pendulum, nature, my scrying mirror/bowl, and runes.

Before I continue though, I want to make it clear, that as Wytchs, shamans, and other holistic health workers: We are not allowed to diagnosis illness, etc. But after many years of experience, you can format your opinion and do what is needed. I have the ability to work in conjunction with many physicians who are open-minded about holistic health. Let them make a diagnosis, and go from there.

My pendulum is my goddess pendant which I wear around my neck. I use it more for healing practices. If the dis-ease of the person is unknown, I take my pendulum and hold it over the five points of the pentagram. Depending on the speed and direction of rotation of the pendulum over the five points, I determine what this person needs as far as treatment. As you know, the points represent Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit. Each of these rule specific systems of the body. When one is overabundant in or lacking in one or more areas, you can figure out what the problem is.

I also use it in my Reiki practice at times. I will hold the pendulum over each of the chakras. If it spins deosil, it means the person is either at normal “rotation” or possibly too fast, depending on the speed of the pendulum’s rotations. If it spins widdershins, this person is depleted in energy in that chakra. Although I am a Reiki Master/Teacher and do not need to do this, I will in cases of severe illness or certain “emergency” works. I have used it over poppits of those I am helping “in absentia” as well.

In both instances, I use it to “divine” the problem so that I may know what to utilize in their therapy. I also use it as any other would for divination. I have held it over parchment with questions written on it. I have held it over poppits in order to find answers to questions such as “Is this person faithful?” or “Is this person pregnant?” You get the idea. This is one of the most accurate forms for my purposes as far as divining for others.

I use the forces and critters of nature on a daily basis. I am not employed at the moment, so I have most of the day to watch and learn. Many times, I have no question to ask, but the powers that be will send signs which I note for future reference. Where I live, it is not uncommon to see eagles soaring on the wind. However, to have one swoop down to me, almost landing on my balcony, was a sign to me. I recently went through a period of major crises. This is when the eagle swooped down. I was literally on the edge of sanity. I am a very strong woman, but for some unknown reason, this time, I felt like I was losing my grip. I could not even bring myself to do Sabbats, Esbats, or other workings. After seeing the eagle, I knew things would be okay eventually. Within one week, three out of five of my crises were over.

I also have a hawk which will land on a tree branch right off from my balcony; we do communicate quite frequently, like old friends. She has also given me many words of wisdom for use at a later time.

I am so closely attuned with nature, it amazes even me. So, I took that to the next level. One day, I was standing in the middle of the woods, a beautiful sunny August day, no clouds, slight breeze. I decided to do a Drawing Down the Sun ritual. I stood there in the star position and did my thing. I also asked the Sun God a question. It was around my daddy’s birthday, who by now, had been on the other side for seven years. Did I ever get an answer! As I stood there, I felt a cold wet sensation on my left fingers. I slowly opened my eyes and turned my head. Was I surprised to see a doe and her fawn. She had touched my hand. They both stood there as I turned my head. Now this is rare for deer. Most of you know they are gone in a flash at the first notice of movement, and especially human scent. There we stood, eye to eye. It seemed like a lifetime that we stood together in the clearing. After a few seconds, though, they scampered on their way. I looked back to the Sun, thanked Him for His answer to my concerns. My ex-husband and his best friend watched in awe from camp. I was only back a few feet from the treeline, so they had a perfect view. My point: I took the signs given to me from the Sun God in the form of the doe and fawn as my answer. Now, why a doe and fawn and not a buck? Maybe due to the nature of my question.

It is not just animals from whom I seek answers. I also look to the winds, the flames of fire, and the trees as well. We all know what it means when the winds blow from a specific direction. The same with the flickering of a candle flame or campfire. You can also find answers from talking to the trees. Depending on which gift is given will determine the answer to your question. An acorn finds its way to you; a symbol of strength, the Mighty Oak. Also birch, willow, ash, all give answers in their own unique ways.

The scrying bowl/mirror and runes, I use for those people “seeking” answers. Similar to tarot readings, the answers can be found through the runes in the same manner. These I use more for mundane problems.

Over all, when I seek spiritual answers, I tend to look to nature and my pendulum first. When looking for answers to mundane questions, I use the other divination methods. Do I take the answers I receive and apply them to the question/problem at hand? The answer is: It depends. I will take the advice given, combined with knowledge of the subject already understood. Then I make my decision. For spiritual answers, yes I tend to act on the signs/omens received, but for mundane topics, no.

More Ways to Scry

by Miriam Harline

Though most serious scryers prefer to use either a black mirror or crystal ball, there are other tools with which you can try out scrying, if you’re curious.

Scrying tools include bowls of water. You can scry in water in a black-painted bowl; alternatively, you can take a china bowl of any color and hold it above a candle so its inner surface becomes covered with black carbonization, fill the bowl carefully and slowly with water so as not to disturb that carbonization, then scry in the bowl. You also can fill a bowl with ink and scry in that, or you can scry in water floated over ink. You can scry, too, in quartz crystals, the larger and clearer the better.

Basically, the scrying tool is a point of focus. An accomplished scryer can scry in nearly anything, or without a tool at all, using only the mind’s eye.

Whatever tool you use, scrying does not come easily to most people. You will probably need to try several times to see anything at all. When you do see something, do not discount what you get, however fleeting or seemingly nonsensical. You may feel the images you see are in your mind, rather than within or on the scrying tool. That’s fine. The images are what’s important.

Once you have seen an image, you can interpret it either literally or symbolically, as you would a dream. If you get images you can make no sense of, keep trying. As with any magickal technique, scrying becomes easier and clearer with practice.

Scrying Using the Black Mirror

Seeing Into Darkness

by Katlyn Breene

The following excerpt comes from a book-length work on scrying and magick mirrors. Katlyn, a scrying expert, also runs Mermade Magickal Arts, manufacturing black scrying mirrors in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The black scrying mirror, or magick mirror, is a powerful psychic tool. It can bring the user hidden knowledge and clairvoyant ability and can act as a portal to other planes of existence. History shows its use in many of the traditional mystery schools and oracular temples. Today the serious student of magickal arts can rediscover the ancient rites of the magick mirror, for these techniques are again coming to light.

Scrying can be defined as the mantic art of gazing into or upon a crystal or dark mirror, allowing the physical eyes to relax, thus letting the inner psychic eyes begin to open and receive desired visions or information. The use of the black mirror is one of the best methods of achieving the state of mind required for entering trance and for scrying work. It not only acts as a focal point for visualization but can become a doorway into the astral plane. It allows communication with higher realms and the subconscious and access to Akashic records. The traditional crystal ball is also a wonderful tool, but it is more difficult to scry with and is extremely expensive. The mirror is a more efficient way to begin to learn to scry and journey in other realms. However, all techniques in this article may be used with a crystal ball as well as the black scrying mirror.

Consider the reality of the Akashic records, in which all ideas, actions, influences and vibrations are stored. The practiced scryer has the ability to “read” these records and focus on this vast source of timeless knowledge with the aid of the mirror and a strongly directed imagination. Guides from the world of spirit often lead the scryer in astral travel and mental journeying through the black mirror or crystal sphere. Scrying develops one’s clairvoyant abilities and is especially helpful in strengthening the third eye.

The preparation and construction of the mirror is extremely important. The black scrying mirror must be created with the highest magickal standards and traditions. At the full moon, specially cut glass disks are cleansed and magnetized. They are then anointed with a powerful herbal fluid condenser to attract and hold energy, vital force and any charge given them. A tincture of gold and moonstone is then applied to the surface, and they are ritually blessed under the light of the full moon. They remain for a night and a day within a circle of protection. The black coating is then applied to seal in the energy, and a felt backing is put on to protect the mirror and absorb later applications of fluid condenser. The mirror stand is carved rosewood, ebony or teak.

Ways in which the black mirror can be used

  • To contact spirit guides
  • To access knowledge
  • For healing and self improvement
  • As a magickal transmitter and receiver
  • For divining the past, present and future
  • As a portal to the astral plane
  • For shamanic journeying
  • For ritual invocation and evocation
  • To improve visualization skills

Preparing to work with the black scrying mirror

  • Always keep the surface very clean using alcohol and a soft cloth.
  • Never use it for anything but its intended magickal purpose.
  • Do not let others look into its surface, except in ritual context. Keep it stored in a silk bag when not in use.
  • Frequently recharge the mirror with vital force and fluid condenser, as explained following.
  • Practice the visual exercises described following until mastered.
  • Keep the working area clean and free from any disturbance.
  • Generally, scry using the mirror at night, preferably during the full or new moon, depending on the operation. The mirror can be used at any time, but tends to work better at these points.
  • When indoors, light two votive candles, one on each side of the mirror. Use white or colored candles appropriate to the work: blue for healing, purple for psychic work, orange for communication, and so on. (For more suggestions on candle colors, see any standard table of correspondences, for example in Scott Cunningham’s books or The Spiral Dance).
  • Burn a lunar or psychic blend incense before working with the mirror.
  • Place the mirror on a wooden table or altar with a clean cloth beneath it and be seated on a wooden chair in front of it, or if you prefer, assume a comfortable asana on the floor with the mirror before you.
  • Extinguish all light sources except the candles and/or moonlight.
  • Allow nothing to reflect in the mirror’s surface. It should appear as a dark tunnel or window.
  • Before starting, always create a sacred space to work in. Cast a circle of protection or visualize the area surrounded by white light and protection from false or misleading influences – call your guides and guardians to protect the working.
  • Keep a journal to record your experiences.

The rite of scrying

First, clearly decide what you seek or are trying to accomplish in the working and prepare appropriately. Then prepare the work area carefully as suggested previously.

Once you are ready, close your eyes and begin to relax; feel every part of your body releasing, relieved of all tension. Visualize your circle of protection and know you are safe and in control of all that happens within it. Begin to breath rhythmically and fully; try a count of four in, hold four, release four, four in, hold four, release four and so on. Feel yourself entering a light trance surrounded by sacred space, removed from time and the material world. Silently call your guides or guardians of the work, invoking the Goddess or calling angelic presences, spirit guides, watchtowers, astral guardians or whatever you prefer. Reaffirm your desire and the purpose of the work.

Now open your physical eyes and gaze into the mirror; remain relaxed and do not hesitate to blink when necessary. Relax the focus of your eyes but remain alert. After a while, the surface of the mirror will begin to change and fade; a dark mist will appear.

Your inner eyes will now open, and the journey into the mirror begins. Remember that the inner eye sees inside the mind, through the magickal imagination. Most people when scrying do not see the images appear with the physical eyes on the mirror’s surface but see within the mirror and in the mind’s eye. The mirror acts as a focal point, a gateway within.

When you have completed your journey or work you set out to do, begin the return to your body and ordinary senses. Breath fully and deeply, and remain still until you feel you have completely returned. Now close your eyes and remember all you saw and felt during the scrying or journey. Review your entire experience mentally.

Write it all down immediately in a journal kept for this purpose.

To begin to see

This is a very important exercise to master if you are new to scrying or are having trouble receiving images. It will aid your “visual imagination,” which allows your psychic and physical eyes to see clearly together. It gives clairvoyant strength.

Sit before your mirror and begin to imagine objects on its surface, one after another. You should try to see these images clearly in the mirror with your eyes open, just as if they were there in reality. Try simple shapes or colors first. Hold onto the image of each shape, object or color one minute before dissolving it and going on to the next. For example, use a red triangle, a yellow square, a blue circle and silver crescent; see them appear in the mirror using your firm imagination. For best results, do this exercise every day for 15 minutes until it is mastered.

This exercise is well worth the effort; it gives magickal discipline and strengthens the inner eye so visions can come with clarity and ease.

Charging the mirror with light

To charge and empower the mirror with light force is a simple but powerful process. It should be done frequently, especially just before using the mirror, so as to ensure you see correct visions, connect with positive energy and do not experience interference.

First, you must imagine that white light is collecting inside your body, being channeled down from the crown chakra. The body becomes a vessel filled with light. Remember to breathe fully, deeply and rhythmically. Now stand in front of the mirror and direct the palms of your hands toward one another. Imagine that the internal light is now moving into your hands, forming a ball of condensed white light between them. See and feel this clearly in your imagination. When ready, begin to project this ball of light into the surface of the mirror, purifying and enlivening the mirror, filling it with magickal force. See the light “soak” into the mirror. This process needs to be repeated until the mirror feels “full.”

This process can also be used to give a special or programmed charge to the mirror. Follow the steps preceding and create the ball of light between your hands, then mentally project your desire into the light before projecting the light into the mirror. This technique can be used for healing works and self-improvement. You can also charge the light with a specific color or vibration – whatever can be felt or imagined can be put into the mirror to aid the magickal energy. The empowering exercise can be used for other magickal operations as well, such as charging other magickal tools and the giving of healing light to another person. All it takes is a strong desire and powerful imagination.

Locking the charge into the mirror is accomplished by willpower. When the light has been absorbed into the mirror, state in your mind and with all the faith you can muster that the charge will remain as long as you require it. To release or remove a special charge, simply reverse the procedure, pulling the light out of the mirror into the space between your hands. Then disperse the energy into the atmosphere through the imagination. Do not draw it back into the body – see it return to the universe.

Creation and use of the fluid condenser

A fluid condenser is an infusion of herbs with tinctures, essences and gold added. It serves to hold the mirror’s magickal charge and attract elemental force. The condenser can be used not only on mirrors but also on all other ritual tools you want to charge for ceremonial use. The use of certain herbs, stones and metals in small quantities attracts etheric energy of a like kind. These fluids can be made individually to represent each of the elements or to enhance a particular work. I recommend making a universal fluid condenser that will work for all purposes, having all elements represented along with tincture of gold, representing solar and God energy, and essence of moonstone, representing lunar and Goddess energy.

The fluid is applied to recharge the mirror and to draw magickal symbols upon it for use in ritual. When the mirror is not in use, it is wise to anoint its surface with the fluid before putting it away. The fluid can be cleaned off with alcohol or distilled water later.

To make the fluid, you must first gather the herbs you need. They can be fresh or dried, but the more life force they contain, the better. The list of herbs following includes some suggestions, but you need not use all the herbs to make a good condenser. Use the ones you can find of good quality.

Once gathered, the herbs are placed in a pot with distilled water or rainwater. There should be about an ounce of each herb and enough water in the pot to cover the contents completely. Bring this mixture to a boil, and then turn down the flame and let it simmer for an hour with the pot lid on. When this is done, let the mixture cool and strain it through a muslin cloth. Put the liquid back into the pot and simmer without the lid until only a quarter of the original amount is left. When this is cool, add the gold tincture, about 13 drops to each pint of liquid. Then add the essence of moonstone. If gold tincture and essence of moonstone are not available, gold chloride or gold salts can be used and whole moonstones and crystals added to the mixture as a vibrational additive. Gold tincture can also be made at home with fairly good results.

To make gold tincture, take a pure piece of gold and holding it with a pair of pliers heat it over a flame until red hot. The red-hot gold is then dunked into a container of about half a quart of distilled water or rainwater. The heat and rapid cooling causes gold molecules to remain in the liquid. This process should be repeated nine times in the same water. Be careful of the rising steam, and try not to get the hot pliers into the water!

When you have combined all the fluid condenser ingredients together in a sterilized glass container, then add an equal amount of wood or isopropyl alcohol to act as a preservative. Store the condenser in an air-tight glass container in a dark place, and it will last for years.

For a very powerful and personalized condenser, add a few drops of your own blood to the mixture. Quartz crystals can be left in the fluid while it is stored to keep it clear.

Herbs for the fluid condenser

  • For the water element: elder flowers, water lily, orris root, white rose, willow, cucumber seeds, jasmine
  • For the fire element: red poppy, cinnamon bark, bay leaves, orange peel, rosemary, marigold, galangal, damiana, tobacco, nutmeg
  • For the earth element: oak, ivy, cypress, mugwort, vervain, patchouli herb, wheat, primrose
  • For the air element: mistletoe, acacia, clover, pine, sage, lavender, verbena
  • For spirit: gold, blood, crystal
  • For healing: juniper, thyme, mandrake, tansy, elder, coriander, lavender, life-everlasting, sage, cypress
  • For universal fluid condenser: chamomile, dittany of Crete, ivy, oak leaves, bay leaves, almonds, cypress, clover, grape leaves, rose petals, mugwort, jasmine, vervain, mandrake root

Incense for psychic work

The best incense to use when working with the mirror or any scrying device is lunar or psychic in nature, representing the sphere of Yesod. These types of blends may be purchased or created by yourself and must be burned on self-igniting charcoal disks. Here are some excellent recipes for fine-quality magickal incense to be used for the rites of scrying.

Lunar blend incense:

  • A base of white sandalwood powder
  • Orris root and myrrh in equal parts
  • Oil of jasmine and jasmine flowers
  • Oil of lotus and synthetic ambergris
  • A small pinch of refined camphor
  • Poppy and cucumber seeds

Blend together sandalwood, myrrh, and orris root, and crush them together into a powder. True refined camphor is hard to come by, but if you should have some available, add a pinch to the powdered base. Also add at this time the poppy and/or dried cucumber seeds. Put this mixture aside in an air-tight jar.

Next, blend the jasmine, ambergris and lotus oils together in equal parts. Coat the dried jasmine flowers with the blended oil and set them aside in an air-tight jar. Let these sit until the next full moon. On the evening of the full moon, mix together (in a silver or crystal bowl if possible) the oil-soaked flowers and the powder base with your hands, meditating as you mix on the beauty and wisdom of Mother Moon. Ask her to bless this incense with Her magick.

Scrying incense (psychic blend):

  • A base of mastic gum, myrrh, galangal powder and frankincense
  • Mugwort and wormwood herbs
  • Rose petals and lavender buds
  • Green cardamom pods and star anise
  • Bay leaves
  • Oils of mimosa and lotus, and dark musk

Blend together mastic, myrrh, galangal and frankincense in equal parts and grind to a powder base. Add a few cardamom and star anise seeds to the base and put aside in an air-tight jar. Now mix equal parts of ground mugwort, wormwood and bay, about half the amount used in the powder base. Coat this mixture with dark musk oil, and put it aside in a sealed jar. Mix the lavender and rose petals together, coat them with mimosa and lotus oil and put them aside in a sealed jar. Let the ingredients stand for nine days during the waxing of the moon.

Then blend all ingredients together by hand. As you mix, meditate upon your spirit guide and developing your psychic abilities. Know that when the incense is burned, your inner eyes will open and a link will be formed between you and world of spirit. (It is best to remove anise and cardamom seeds from the incense before burning; their scent will have been absorbed by the incense base.)

Secret Visions from the Flame

Secret Visions from the Flame

by Andy

 

The old witch added a whitish powder to the fire and waited as the flames grew strangely green. “I see forms taking shape… visions… A tree! No, it is a wheel! A wagon wheel, on a wagon with horses!” She turned back to her guest and asked in a knowing voice: “Are ye planning a journey, perhaps?”

For as long as there has been fire, people have seen visions in it. Shamans would see visions of a good hunt in the campfire and then use its ashes to paint the visions on the cave walls to bring them about. Perhaps the oldest form of divination, fire scrying is one of the most primal (and beautiful) methods a witch has for “seeing the unseen”. It is not an easy form, to be sure, but it can produce clearer results than any other method if done well.

Basically you look into a fire and see the shapes there. Take the seeds of images that the fire gives you and apply all the visualization skills you ever learned to get a coherent vision out. If you are not a good visualizer, this method is not for you. Then you have to figure out what the vision means. Yes, you saw a wolf chasing down a cloud and eating it, but you were wondering if you should take that class at the community college. Finding an appropriate meaning is often the really hard part.

Those searching for visions should find a dark, quiet, and open area. Cast a circle to set up the ritual space. Then invoke the flames, lighting the scrying bowl at the end of the invocation. Detailed instructions on preparing and lighting the scrying bowl are in the side article. How you invoke depends on your relations to fire. Keep it simple if you are not a fire person, go all out if you are a closet pyromaniac.

I like to take a long candle (or long lighter), light it, and draw three invoking pentacles in the air with the flame. The chant of “Fire, Fire, Flames Grow Higher!” punctuates each pentacle, one word per point. Then I bring the fire to the center in front of me and say: “From the fires of the stars, to the fires of our souls, Fire be with us. As you burn in the sun, giving us all light and life, burn for us here and now. Burn through the veil that separates the worlds and let us see that which is unseen.” Then I focus my mind on what I want to know and light the bowl with the fire.

Use as little light as possible while casting and invoking. That will help set the mood and will make it easier to see the flames. Any colors you may see will be enhanced by the darkness. Fire is finicky. If the invoking flame keeps going out or the bowl just will not light, don’t force it. Let it go and try again some other time. You don’t want to see the visions that come from unwilling flames coerced into life with the repeated application of flammable liquids and mechanical aids.

Sit comfortably and stare into the fire. Watch the flames and see what shapes they make. Open and shut your eyes repeatedly. Try to make out the pattern the fire leaves behind your eyes. At first your mind will say it is just the shape of the fire, but put that aside. Picture the shape that it is most like. See the form it takes. This is not easy. It is the same process you use to see the shapes in the clouds (something we, here in Seattle, have a lot of experience with). When you get a vague image, go with it. Let the shapes change as your vision focuses. Open your eyes again and get a new form to help the vision continue to grow. Shapes can change and the vision can move. Just let the flames shape the images they will. With practice, you will move from an image to a movie in your mind.

For instance, I just did a bit of test scrying into the candles I’ve lit to write this by. I saw the flame which made a circle in my mind. Rays came out of the center of the circle and turned into clock hands. The circle turned into a clock face. As I realized what it was, the hands started turning backwards. It probably means I should have started writing this article earlier or something….

After you have your visions, thank the now departed fire, open the circle, and try to make sense of what you have seen. Think about what you saw and ask what it means to you. In my sample, I had a clock moving backwards. Clocks mean time to me. Backwards brings to mind the past or a while ago. Since what I wanted was something for my article, it probably meant I should have started writing this earlier. Or maybe I should rewrite what I did a while ago. Another interpretation occurs to me, the hands were going counterclockwise, or Widdershins. Anyway, that was my vision. I could go for another one for clarification, but that could also just confuse things more.

With practice, anyone can see the visions in the flames. It is interpreting the visions that separates the oracles from the players – with – entrails. Just as anyone with a book can do a tarot reading, it takes skill and work to figure out what it means. I find most symbols to be too personal to give a general meaning list. If you are doing a reading for yourself, whatever you think the symbols mean is probably what they mean. If you are reading for someone else talk to them and ask lots of questions. If they don’t know, suggest what you think, but their meanings are probably the best. If you have trouble coming up with meanings, a book on interpreting dreams will have most of the common symbols and their meanings listed.

The final thing you need is honesty with your vision. Many “life is a bowl of crystals” tarot readers often reinvert inverted tarot cards because “there are no bad things, just challenges.” This neuters the readings. Life has bad things in it, to believe otherwise denies the Dark Goddess. Sometimes you have to eat your own young, figuratively speaking, and it is not pleasant. If you see your yourself being burned at the stake, go with it. Mentally forcing it to be you, as May Queen, being tied to a maypole will invalidate the vision. Not everything you see will be happy. That is why Cassandra, the ancient Greek prophet, considered her visions a curse.

Puzzled, for she wasn’t planning a journey, the woman went home. The next day, at the supermarket, she hit another car in the parking lot. It was a Jeep Wagoneer. “Damned visions! Always right but never right enough!”, she muttered as looked about, hoping no one had seen her.

Fire and You

Fire and You

by Andy

Standout Box

This is fire. Fire is dangerous. Keep that in mind when fire scrying. Light your fire in an open area, leave space around it. Indoors is okay, but leave a window open nearby for ventilation. Also be aware that your fire alarm will probably go off if you are indoors and don’t turn it off.

Take a large bowl, or cauldron, that won’t burn. I use one of those big silvery metal salad bowls. It has taken on a nice burnished, rainbowy look from all the fires. Put the bowl on the floor or on a low altar. Leave at least two feet of room all around it. Put a towel under it if you don’t want what is beneath it to be scorched. You can surround it with large rocks to keep it from being knocked over if you are going to have people moving or dancing around it or if your bowl has a round bottom. Make sure that any animals and small children are safely occupied elsewhere.

Pour in a cup of rubbing alcohol. Light it on fire with a long match or already lit long candle. The fire won’t roar up instantly, but it will do it quickly enough that you will be grateful for the length of the match. Lighters (the short ones) are a good way to get burnt. I use one of those long barbecue lighters both for safety and reliability in the often windy conditions of outdoor rituals.

One cup of rubbing alcohol will probably get you 10 minutes of flame. Plenty of time for a good vision. Let the flame burn out naturally. Do not refill the bowl while the flame is burning. I lit myself on fire once this way. I was careless and did not respect the flame. It reminded me of respect, completely destroying a Lughnasad ritual in the process.

The flame will probably be between two and two and a half feet high. The higher the alcohol content in the rubbing alcohol the hotter the flame will be. Ninety-nine percent fires will also leave more ash and be more likely to set off the smoke detector. Start with the seventy percent until you get comfortable with it. The first time, it will look much bigger than you expect. Practice before using it in ritual. Start with one half cup and work up.

In case of emergencies, probably a spill, don’t panic. Look at the fire to see if it will actually light anything else on fire. Unlike wax/oil fires, you can put rubbing alcohol fires out with water so keep a lot handy. The alcohol will float at first, but then go out. Smothering with a damp towel also works. Just drop the towel over fire. Ninety-nine percent alcohol will produce more interesting fires, but seventy percent will hurt less if you are burned. A bottle of burn cream or a fire extinguisher, even though you will probably never use them, will greatly reassure the pyrophobes around you.

When I first started doing scrying bowls, everyone told me I had to put Epsom salt in the alcohol, but no one knew why. Epsom salt makes the flames more even and less wild. When using ninety-nine percent, this can produce the occasional ring effect (a ring effect is like a smoke ring of fire), but overall, the effect of Epsom salt is minimal. Using sea or table salt produces random flashes of gold color late in the burn. Using boric acid, instead of a salt, will give a much more pronounced effect turning much of the fire bright green. Epsom salt and rubbing alcohol are both in the pharmacy part of a large grocery/drug store. Boric acid will be by the contact lens stuff (it is a cleaner). Sea salt is by the food.

For the salts, use as much salt as you do alcohol. For the boric acid, put in as much as you have alcohol, then add more until it gets thicker and souplike. Mix the stuff well and let it sit for a while before lighting. Additives usually decrease burning time. None of the additives are good after burning. They will be smelly, crusty, and you will actually have to scrape out some bit of the boric acid. Throw this stuff away after each use.

Here is a list of all the things you will need or may want for the fire scrying: A metal bowl, rubbing alcohol, a damp towel, a pitcher of water, a long candle, matches, or lighter, burn cream, fire extinguisher, Epsom or other salt, boric acid.

Smoke Scrying

Smoke Scrying

Smoke scrying is best done while relaxing in front of a campfire. You should be in comfortable visual range of watching the smoke rise.

Do not follow the smoke up but rather allow the smoke to forms patterns within your spiritual gaze. In time you will see visions of many far off events.

I have generally found people who have natural artistic skill good at this form of scrying.

The American Indians practise a special type of smoke scrying. It’s called a sweat lodge.

Water is poured over hot rocks in a tent to create steam. The steam is inhaled by those who sit naked around the rocks.

The combination of temperature, humidity and elevated levels of carbon dioxide produce a state in which visions can arise. This form of scrying may be dangerous and should only be undertaken by experienced people.

Scrying

Scrying

 
Divination through scrying in to water has a long history. Water is used
in a variety of ways and one of my favourites is using it to pour melted
candle wax in to and use the shapes to tell what the upcoming year will be
like. Some water gazers prefer to have the light of a candle reflected on
the water surface. Others take the bowl outside on a cloudless night and,
capturing the moon’s reflection, divine by its appearance on the water.
Still others take crystals, place them in the bottom of the bowl, swish the
water a bit then divine the meaning from the shapes and patterns the
crystals make.The ancient Greeks believed that nature spirits dwelled in fresh water and
so I believe this is the best kind of water to use however any water will
do. More traditional people feel that you should not use water from a tap
and so if you do get the chance to visit a stream or sacred well, collect
some water for use in your scrying.

To divine the future with your scrying bowl, pour water into it then let it
settle and ask your question. Sit with your back to the light in a darkened
room and gaze into but not at the water. As with a crystal ball, the water
may cloud. Eventually you may begin to see symbols within its cool depths.
Make note of any such symbols. When no further symbols are seen, begin the
process of interpretation.

 

Author Unknown

——————————————————

 

Scrying

Scrying is a facinating practice in that it enables you to literally “see” the future (or present or past). Almost any reflective surface can be used for scrying (pronounced to rhyme with “crying”). A crystal ball and gazing mirror are two of the best.

Another form of divination, sometimes used by Witches, is scrying into a fire, called fire scrying.

Author Unknown

Fire Scrying

Fire Scrying

Make a fire of driftwood, on the seashore, after sunset (if you are far from the seashore then you can use any old, weathered wood, such as from an old barn, or the like). When the wood has been well burned and is beginning to die down, lay on it a cedar log, a juniper log and three good handsful of sandlewood chips. Let these burn well. Then, as the fire again begins to die down, gaze deep into the dying embers. In these embers you will see scenes of the past, present and future. You may see the actual scenes, but it is more likely that you will see symbolic scenes that need interpreting. This scrying fire is sometimes referred to as the “Fire of Azrael”, and was described by Dion Fortune in her book The Sea Priestess.

Buckland’s Complete Book Of Witchcraft
Raymond Buckland

ISBN 0-87542-050-8

——————————————————–

 

Fire ScryingRosemary Kooiman

Fire has long been a standard ritual tool for the Nomadic Chantry of the Gramarye. We scry in the fireplace when the weather is cool enough for us to build a fire. Additionally, the Lady has charged us to ask at the time of the full moon for that which is our desire, so we burn our petitions to the Goddess and the God during our Full Moon Circle. It is the burning of petitions that I will address, as it is an excellent and magical way for the petitioner to clarify, in his own mind, his objective. I use the generic “he” and “his” as it is less cumbersome. If you feel the need, you may substitute “she” and “hers” where appropriate. The petition, ideally, is something that is lacking, or sorely needed, to fulfill the life of the petitioner.

Prior to gathering in Sacred Space to celebrate the Full Moon Circle, each participant is given a small sheet of parchment paper, which is available in most stationery stores, and is encouraged to write his petition on the parchment. The sheet must be small enough (one inch by two is sufficient) to burn thoroughly and quickly so the cauldron will not become clogged with paper and the burning delayed. Petitions should be stated in four or five words. This helps the petitioner to truly define his thoughts. “I want to be rich” does not qualify. We have found that if the petition is lengthy the true wish may be come ill-defined, and may reap less than the desired response. Petitions should be written in pencil. Not only does a pencil write better on the parchment, but it seems to bond the wish more firmly to the parchment, and produces a better result. I have no idea why this is so, but many years of petition burning has proven it to be true. The petitioner will carry the paper into Circle with him.

Supplies required:Sufficient pieces of parchment paper Sufficient pencils

A cauldron large enough to hold the petitions, but not so large that the supply of fuel required would cause a fire larger that anticipated or desired. My small cauldron is three inches high and five across, and will handle up to twenty petitions. For more than this I use my large cauldron which is six inches high by ten and a half inches across.

A supply of fuel. I use grain alcohol. Everclear is one of the names under which it is bottled, and it can be obtained in any liquor store. It seems to burn more evenly and cleaner than the Sterno type of solid fuel. The amount needed is surprisingly small; indoors never more than a shot, and usually much less. Outdoors the amount will vary depending on the depth of the cauldron, the strength of the wind and the ambient dew point and barometric presssure. I strongly advise that the practicioner experiment with the amount of fuel and the size of the cauldron required to burn a specific number of petitions. It could be disastrous to go it blind. The area where the burning is to take place, if in a home, should be magically fireproofed, and a container of water somewhere in the near vicinity is a wise idea. If the burning is to be done outside it is a really good idea to get permission for an open flame if the site is not in your own backyard. Our good name is precious, and we need not antagonize the owners of a property or the guards of a park.

A long taper or match with which to light the cauldron. The word “long” is not used lightly. The flame may jump higher than expected. It is beautiful, but dangerous to the unprotected hand.

During the Circle ceremony, after the cleansing and casting of the circle, and after reading the “Charge of the Goddess, the cauldron is placed in the center of the Circle or the Sacred Space. The HPS declares it is time to petition the Lady and invites the congregation to come forward and present their petitions to the flame while reminding them of their part in the procedure. One receives according to the effort one has put forward to obtain his desire for himself. Truly does the Lord (and Lady) help those who help themselves. While the petitions are being fed into the cauldron, and afterward while they are still burning, the Circle chants the following:

Fire, fire, burning higher, making music like a choir

Bring to me my heart’s desire.

When the fire has burned out the cauldron(s) should be removed from the center of the circle. Please remember the cauldron is HOT, and should be handled with a utensil or with gloves or a pot holder.

The Full Moon ceremony is expanded during the Sabats, each Solstice and Equinox. Since these are a time of transition, two pieces of parchment are prepared; one to rid oneself of a habit, trait or condition that has become unnecessary or honorous during the past year, and one to bring to ones life a new condition or dimension, much like the Full Moon petition. Two cauldrons are used. As one faces North their placement is thus; the one for riddance is in West where the waters may wash the slate clean, and the one for aquisition is in the East where we find beginnings. The procedure is the same, with the cleansing cauldron the one which is lighted first.

During the years we have been burning our petitions, the Goddess, the God and the gods, spirits and watchers have truly blessed us with riches. We have gained new jobs, new dwellings, mates and health. When you have completed your wishing and have received your blessings remember to thank Deity, who helped you get them.

Rosemary Kooiman, Reverend High Priestess Nomadic Chantry of the Gramarye

CLOUD SCRYING

CLOUD SCRYING

 
 
Throughout history symbols of political or religeous importance have been seen in the clouds. 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.
 
It was said the cross contained the Greek words “By This Conquer”. Later that night Christ appeared to Constantine in his dreams bearing a cross in his hand ordering Constantine to have a military starndard made in the same image.
 
Under this standard his outnumbered army was victorious. Down through history entire military battles have been witnessed in the clouds.
Some of the U.F.O. sightings have in fact turned out to be disk shaped cloud formations. Generally cloud scrying is done on days when cloud conditions are good.
 
Having too few or too many clouds is no good for scrying. The best is when the clouds are thick.
Find a nice location to lie down and just relax. Try not to focus on any one cloud but rather allow the clouds to drift across your view.
Visions cannot be forced, they will come naturally when the time is right.