Moon
And Scrying
© Cinnamon Moon
While this is a topic that
would fit well in our Divination forum, I am going to
discuss it here as a part of our Moon Series.
Lunar scrying is a method
of divination that has been used throughout the ages
and throughout all cultures to initiate visionary experiences
and see into matters clearly. It is often said that
bodies of water are Diana's Mirrors...Diana being the
goddess of the Moon. The element of Water itself is
assigned to the Moon in most traditions and the art
of scrying as well.
How does one scry, into water
or any other surface for that matter? The act is a simple
one, and it is not something to intimidate you in any
way. While there are very elaborate rituals and ceremonies
in some traditions, I do not find they are necessary.
It is best done facing the East since this is the direction
of the Higher Mind, conception, illumination, and insights.
Scrying is simply a focal point to summon a vision and
an ability that can be developed. When one wishes to
know more about a situation or to look upon another
they are concerned about, any reflective surface will
do: a bowl of ink, a crystal ball, a bowl of water,
a lake, a pond, a pool, or a mirror laid flat are common
instruments of visionary work.
To prepare for this one must
sit quietly and create Sacred Space through the process
of centering. Calling in the elemental forces is recommended,
and it is a simple spoken invitation for them to attend
your session. Some people like to smudge and purify
the area being worked in with different incenses and
this is personal preference, but some sort of purification
and centering process should be applied for the right
state of mind and spirit to be achieved. Please see
the Knowledge Center articles on these subjects if you
need help with the process. You will want solitude and
an undisturbed atmosphere in the immediate environment.
Once Sacred Space is prepared,
a bowl of water, seated over a pool, or body of water,
you want to set the stage. Scrying is best done on the
Full Moon cycle but anywhere from the New to Full will
serve you best. The reflective qualities of the Moon
and the light it gives off permits illumination and
vision. Working in this way as the Moon wans is prohibitive
as the energy is drawing away from us during that time
and weakens the work we are trying to call to us.
Sessions should initially
be no more than 15-20 minutes, and if you are unsuccessful
at that time you should stop and try again on another
night. It can take several sessions to build a successful
vision and as you work in this way you will also build
a natural ability to stay with the work for longer periods.
This said, let me address what the signs of a successful
scrying session will bring to bear on the exercise.
First of all you want to
make sure that you are not looking at the surface of
the scrying area, look at the center and beyond it,
or through the surface, and you want no images being
reflected other than the Moon herself or you can sit
with the Moon allowing just the illumination of the
surface itself to stand out with no image of the Moon
showing. Both ways are acceptable. The images will appear
either on the surface of the water, mirror, or Moon.
You want to soften your gaze,
and you do not need to strain your eyes--it's okay to
blink them--focus on the surface you are scrying into
and concentrate on the question or individual you have
in mind. No wandering thoughts at this time, as they
will detract from your success. It must be a focused
thought and held firmly in mind. Next you will pass
your hands, over the surface with three sweeps: left
hand receptive first (if you are right handed); right
hand active (dominant hand) next.
The surface of your scrying
will begin to cloud over. This may appear as fogging,
or clouds that The surface of your scrying will begin
to cloud over. This may appear as fogging, or clouds
that are roiling around, it can look like wisps of smoke
lifting from the surface, but there will be some form
of clouding, and sometimes a spinning of the outer rim.
As this happens let it come. It is the first sign that
you are coming to your scrying portal and the clouds
will begin to clear leaving you a "screen"
where the images will appear.
The size of the surface
at this point becomes insignificant and you may find
it covers your entire field of vision as if you had
stepped into that surface itself as a landscape. At
this point you may find little pinpoints of light begin
to dance across the surface. They can be silver or multicolored,
and they will begin to form patterns, clustering to
bring in the images. Some people do not get this experience
but go directly into the vision and it can vary between
the two. Each of us has to get a feel for how we receive.
As the images come there
is also variation. We may get a "connect the dots"
image, a symbol, stick figures, outlines, or a full
vision in black and white or in color. Again, this varies
from individual to individual and can be a mixture of
all the above. Let the images come, and watch what they
reveal. I've had them play out as if they were on a
television screen and I were watching a movie, and I've
had pinpricks of light form symbolic representations
of locations and events, as if I were looking at a page
in a coloring book.
The scrying surface is merely
a focal point to summon a visual of the information
you are seeking. But where that vision appears defines
things in time and space too. Past, present, and future
can be revealed. You can witness portions of events
or the entire event, all the doings of those involved,
the reasons behind the actions, what has been spoken
or written. Clairvoyance (clear vision) is the ability
that is being called upon but it can also be accompanied
by clairaudience (clear hearing). Some people, those
who tend not to hear during these sessions, will witness
people talking and to bring in the conversation will
add automatic writing to their process. In this case
the hand works on its own to receive the conversation
and there is no focus on the writing act itself. It
happens automatically and is adapted to the vision afterward.
During the session the practitioner
slips into a state of semi-trance and becomes enveloped
in the experience. During this they are still wide awake
and completely aware of their surroundings, so you need
not worry about coming out of the session. It's like
going to a movie and sitting in the audience, you know
there are seats and people around you but your focus
is on the screen.
Sometimes the surface seems
to disappear altogether and the individual is drawn
into it where visions appear life-sized. It may appear
bleary at first but will become clear. Be patient. It
is common for it to take between 5 seconds and 5 minutes
for visions to come to experienced Seers. For me the
milky clouding comes first, then an illuminated ring
begins to spin around the outer edge, first clockwise
and then counterclockwise. It feels like I am adjusting
a set of binoculars with the focal ring. Some see flames
burning and then a vision comes through them. These
"signs" can come intermittently between visions
as well...like the curtain that opens and closes between
the acts of a play. For others the pictures simply "shift"
in an ongoing display of various events, symbols, or
information. The duration of the vision can vary from
seconds to lengthy sessions of 30 minutes or more. I've
watched things for up to an hour, as if watching a television
program.
Sensory input often accompanies
these scrying sessions and you may feel things taking
place quite physically. This ranges from comfortable
to uncomfortable as the case may be. Afterward there
can be a giddiness felt, or dizziness so grounding is
going to be essential to restore your state of balance.
There is nothing here that is going to put you at risk
to your health, however success is not to be expected
if you are emotionally upset or feeling ill. You need
to be in a natural state and calm.
The reflections and points
of light that begin the onset of the vision fix the
scryer's attention as to where that vision is going
to begin. It is common enough to hear raps during the
sessions for some people. On occasion two people may
witness the same vision, this is rare but it does happen.
While I've heard people talk about the location of the
vision in the surface to indicate past, present, or
future, I tend to "feel" that event as such
and find that my vision does not "locate"
itself in this way. It expands over my field of view
and encompasses the entire landscape.
If you have something specific
you are looking for, a focus on that issue, person,
or perhaps lost object is necessary to bring in the
information. You are "looking for something".
If you are uncertain as to what to focus on, or if you
are just wanting to practice this art, you can simply
clear your mind, ask for a vision, and allow it to come.
We are often guided in this way for pathwork or upcoming
issues we are unaware of but may "feel" things
coming toward us and a need to know why. Whatever your
purpose for scrying, persistent and regular practice
will allow you to achieve your goal. The more you do
it the better you get.
I own 5 crystal balls of
varied sizes and all serve to function well. Water,
the Moon itself, a bowl of ink, whatever you choose
to work with, the surface needs to be reflective and
free of distortion. You can work by candlelight but
you do not want that flame reflecting in the surface.
The angle of the gaze should give you just the surface
itself so play with the positioning of your body or
the object you are using to achieve a "clear"
view. Good luck and please feel free to post your experiences
should you explore this fascinating arena!
WalksWith:
Thank You for an indepth informative post on Moon
Scrying Cinn. As questions were forming in my head,
they were being answered in the next line!
Cinnamon:
Oh good, that means I did it right! LOL Thank you for
your comments and I hope it helps you out. If you explore
this arena of study please share your results.
WalksWith:
“I own 5 crystal balls of varied sizes and all
serve to function well.”
What type of crystals
are they Cinn? I have two at the moment. One is medium
green Obsidian or green volcanic glass that is clear
right through, and the other is a dark purple/green
Fluorite which has many beautiful fractures and swirls
through it. I would dearly love to come across a clear
quartz one someday with fractures. Do the fractures
matter or so long as the surface is reflective all should
go well? With a full moon on its way, I'll prepare and
try it then. I'll let you know how it went.
Cinnamon:
They are high grade Austrian Crystal, and were expensive
due to size and quality. Clarity is important but I've
never heard where color matters. If it is easy on the
eye and clear that's what's important. The green Obsidian
sounds lovely. The Fluorite sounds like a piece that
would serve you better in another way as the fractures,
bubbles, and swirls distort visions that come through.
I've had good results with the acrylic balls as well
and it's different with each of us there. So that may
be an affordable way to start if the Obsidian doesn't
work for you. I'd suggest several sessions with it first
before looking for something different as I believe
it would serve you very well. Just remember that for
gazing you don't want the fractures. If you want a collectible
piece that's different. You see in gazing you look beyond
the surface so you don't want any distortion. Yes, do
post your results. It's a wonderful tool and it does
take time for some to get the hang of it. I wish you
instant connection!
WalksWith:
After reading your post, I'll get the Obsidian ready
(as well as myself! ) Your Austrian Crystal spheres
sound beautiful. I received a very vivid image of them
as I read it. While you've been doing scrying with your
spheres, do you think the information you've received
may have been influenced by where the crystal is from?
Sorry for ALL these questions,
but I am very interested in this topic.
Cinnamon:
To answer your questions, no the information has nothing
to do with where the crystal balls come from but the
quality of the visions definitely is related to the
quality of the crystal. The better the crystal the clearer
the visions and the more information you seem to get.
It's like talking over a phone line, it's either a good
connection or one filled with static that can cut out
or block the conversation. For example, with acrylic
balls I've had some good results, I get images but they
are flashes and you have to put them together like puzzle
pieces. With the Austrian crystal it's like watching
a movie, the images are real, in real time, and ongoing
for an hour or more. Big difference there.
At least in my experience.
You're welcome to ask all the questions you like. That's
how we learn. Keep them coming. I will do my best to
help you out.
WalksWith:
We didn't get a continuous view of the Moon last
night, it was way too cloudy. After the boys were in
bed, I sat outside in the open with the Obsidian. Once
I was in a meditative state, I received images every
now & then when there was a break in the clouds.
I couldn't hold any of them for long once the moon slipped
behind the clouds each time. I was met by Panther and
shown various things. I think I'll need to sit quietly
and meditate on what I was shown to piece them together.
Thank You again.
Cinnamon:
This is a typical reaction. Even with my good crystal
balls the images can vary. This is why quality really
helps, because our own energy varies. It's never good
to scry when stressed or overly tired. It just takes
more out of you and rarely produces good results. I've
found that in scrying I have may differentiations with
the way the images come. It can be anything from tiny
pinpoints of colored light that form images or symbols,
to cartoonish characterization (like in a coloring book),
to a video type moving image where you can clearly identify
the environment and what's taking place in it as well
as the people involved.
One of the key factors in
scrying is to hold your focus. For instance, I might
want to check on my daughter who lives quite a ways
from me and we don't see one another often enough. So
I would look into the crystal and call her name softly.
Just her name over and over and over, like a whisper
but holding her in focus. Now I don't just focus with
my mind, I focus with my heart, feeling the person's
energy signature, "wanting" to know about
them genuinely. It's not like picking up the phone and
saying "I guess I'll just call and see what's up".
The focus is important and the more of yourself you
can put into it without straining the better.
Visions take between 5-20
minutes to appear as a rule. The more frequently you
gaze the faster they seem to come. If you break a steady
pattern of gazing (say you do it every other day for
weeks and then stop for a week or two) it's common to
start over from scratch to get the visions coming through
again. Usually with less effort than the first time
but still lengthy enough to let you know you've "dropped
the ball" LOL. The fact that you got glimpses initially
is a good sign that you will be very successful with
this tool. I wish you the best and will be happy to
answer what questions I can as they arise for you.
WalksWith:
You actually answered something for me, without me
even knowing I had a question for it! Our sons have
been ill over this last week with gastro and severe
hay fever. I have had many wakeful hours over this time,
and I have been feeling very tired and drained of energy
myself - even the night I did the scrying which is possible
for the fading in and out of the visions.
Cinnamon:
Oh good, not that you're tired, but that the question
formed as you read the comment. It is important
to remember that no matter what type of spiritual work
you are doing. You want to be in a very relaxed but
stable state of mind and body so illness and over-exertion
are not the most conducent states to try to work from.
Think about it, you stay home from work if you're ill,
you take a nap if you're tired, you rest when you're
weary. It is the same with pathwork. I'm sure it did
play into the stability of the visions you received.
But part of that may have been the assimilation to the
process too. The more we do it the better we get.
