| MYTHOLOGY
OF CRYSTAL
BALLS
|
Because crystal gazing has been developed by people
of various cultures through a long period of time,
the term crystal gazing denotes several different
forms of a variety of objects, and there are several
schools of thought as to the sources of the visions
seen in the crystal gazing trance.
Crystal balls have been called Glass Onions, Necro
Balls, and glass ice.
Reflective objects or surfaces, such as animal
or human blood, india ink, ice or water, were considered
a conduit to the spiritual world in ancient times.
Crystal gazing may be used by practitioners --
sometimes called "readers" or "seers"
-- for a variety of purposes, including to predict
distant or future events, to give character analyses,
for fortune telling, or to help a client make choices
about current situations and problems.
With respect to the tool or object used to induce
the crystal-gazer's trance, this can be achieved
with any shiny object, including a crystaline gem
stone or a convex mirror -- but in common practice
a crystal ball is most often used. The size of ball
preferred varies greatly among those who practice
crystallomancy. Some gazers use a "palm ball"
of a few inches diameter that is held in the hand;
others prefer a larger ball mounted on a stand --
although most authors agree that the expense of
a very large ball is not always justified by added
efficacy. The stereotypical image of a gypsy woman
wearing a headscarf and telling fortunes for her
clients by means of a very large crystal ball is
widely depicted in the media and can be found in
hundreds of popular books, advertising pages, and
films of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, and
the pervasiveness of this image may have led to
the increased use of fairly large crystal balls
by those who can afford them.
Books of instruction in the art of crystal gazing
often suggest that the ball used should be perfectly
spherical (that is, without a flat bottom) and should
be supported in a wooden or metal stand. If made
of glass (e.g. lead crystal), it should be free
from air bubbles but may be coloured. If carved
from natural crystalline stone (such as quartz,
beryl, calcite, obsidian, or amethyst, it may display
the natural colouring and structure of the mineral
from which it was fashioned.
Some authors advise students to place a sigil,
seal, or talsimanic emblem beneath a clear sphere,
but most do not. Most authors suggest that the work
of crystal gazing should be undertaken in a dimly-lit
and quiet room, so as to foster visions and more
easily allow the onset of a trance state.
As for the origination of the trance visions themselves,
some practitioners claim that crystal gazing engenders
visionary experiences and preternatural and/or supernatural
insight, while others think that the visions arise
from the subconscious mind of the crystal gazer.
Interestingly, some authors accept both positions
as not mutually incompatible.
Scrying (also called crystal gazing, crystal seeing,
seeing, or peeping) is a magic practice that involves
seeing things supernaturally in a medium, usually
for purposes of divination or fortune-telling. The
media used are most commonly reflective, translucent,
or luminescent substances such as crystals, stones,
glass, mirrors, water, fire, or smoke. Scrying has
been used in many cultures as a means of divining
the past, present, or future. Depending on the culture
and practice, the visions that come when one stares
into the media are thought to come from God, spirits,
the psychic mind, the devil, or the subconscious.
Scrying is actively used by many
cultures and belief systems and is not limited to
one tradition or ideology. However, like other aspects
of divination and parapsychology, it is not supported
by mainstream science as a method of predicting
the future or otherwise seeing events that are not
physically observable.
Nostradamus is believed to have employed a small
bowl of water as a scrying aid.
Lisa Lee Harp Waugh has used bowls
filled with everything from India ink, water urine
and alcohol. She says she gets stronger visions
with each different type of liquid. Also
see: Lisa Lee Harp
Waugh
Rituals that involve many of the same acts as scrying
in ceremonial magic are also preserved in folklore
form. A formerly widespread tradition held that
young women, gazing into a mirror in a darkened
room (often on Hallowe'en) could catch a glimpse
of their future husband's face in the mirror —
or a skull personifying Death, if their fate was
to die before they married.
Another form of the tale, involving the same actions
of gazing into a mirror in a darkened room, is used
as a supernatural dare in the tale of "Bloody
Mary".
Here, the motive is usually to test the adolescent
gazers' mettle against a malevolent witch or ghost,
in a ritual designed to allow the scryers' easy
escape if the visions summoned prove too frightening
The Dr. John Dee Memorial Theater of the Mind research
institute founded by the parapsychologist Raymond
Moody utilizes crystallomancy to allow people to
experience an altered state of consciousness with
the intention of invoking apparitions of the dead.
The visions that scryers say they see may come
from variations in the medium. If the medium is
water (hydromancy), then the visions may come from
the color, ebb and flow, or ripples produced by
pebbles dropped in a pool. If the medium is a crystal
ball, the visions may come from the tiny inclusions,
web-like faults, or the cloudy glow within the ball
under low light (e.g. candlelight).
One method of scrying using a crystal ball involves
a self-induced trance. Initially, the medium serves
as a focus for the attention, removing unwanted
thoughts from the mind in the same way as a mantra.
Once this stage is achieved, the scryer begins a
free association with the perceived images suggested.
The technique of deliberately looking for and declaring
these initial images aloud, however trivial or irrelevant
they may seem to the conscious mind, is done with
the intent of deepening the trance state, wherein
the scryer hears their own disassociated voice affirming
what is seen within the concentrated state in a
kind of feedback loop. This process culminates in
the achievement of a final and desired end stage
in which rich visual images and dramatic stories
seem to be projected within the medium itself, or
directly within the mind's eye of the scryer, like
an inner movie. This overall process reputedly allows
the scryer to "see" relevant events or
images within the crystal ball.
CRYSTAL BALL
Written by tommy shaw
Lead vocals by tommy shaw
I used to like to walk the straight and narrow
line
I used to think that everything was fine
Sometimes Id like to sit and gaze for days through
sleepless dreams
All alone and trapped in time
All alone and trapped in time
I wonder what tomorrow has in mind for me
Or am I even in its mind at all
Perhaps Ill get a chance to look ahead and see
Soon as I find myself a crystal ball
Soon as I find myself a crystal ball
Tell me, tell me where Im going
I dont know where Ive been
Tell me, tell me, wont you tell me
And then tell me again
My heart is breaking, my bodys aching
And I dont know where to go
Tell me, tell me, wont you tell me
Ive just got to know
Crystal ball
Theres so many things I need to know
Crystal ball
Theres so many things Ive got to know
Crystal ball
[extra verse used occasionally live]
If you should see me walking
Through your dreams at night
Would you please direct me
Where I ought to be
Ive been looking for a crystal ball
To shed the light
To find a future in me...
To find a future in me...
Crystal ball
Theres so many things I need to know
Crystal ball
Theres so many things Ive got to know
Crystal ball
One should never just buy a crystal
ball. To many occultist, mediums and psychics say
the ball actually calls or talks to them telling
them that it they who should be possessed by them.
If a crystal ball is not happy with
you then a vision you will never see in it. So it
seems if a Crystal ball is in your destiny it will
come to you when the time is right and you will
know it to if you just happen to see one calling
to you.
Many people try too hard at first
when learning to scry. An intense effort to see
something can interfere with the process. Relax
and allow yourself to be open to the experience.
Begin by grounding and centering yourself. Connect
with your high self and or spiritual source. Deep
breathing can help with this connection. This mirror
is protected and set for positive connections only.
You may additionally surround yourself
with your own circle of light, call in your angels/guides
or use a simple protective method of your choice
before beginning.
You might see easily understood images
but you may see clouds or colors or symbols. Often
it helps to have a pen and paper at hand to keep
a quick log of symbols or words and other impressions
Though not everyone can maintain focus and take
notes . Experiences vary greatly from subtle abstract
visuals or energies to complete visions etc. images
may appear as though on or in front of the screen
or in your mind they my be rough impressions or
as clear and detailed as a movie of real event.
Allow your eyes to wander gently upon the surface
of the( or skull) ball, ink or mirror and your mind
to be receptive. Set an intention for the kind of
information you are seeking . 5 - 10 minutes is
ample time for your initial scrying practice .
Tips & Warnings
Try to scry only at night. Scrying is considered
to be closely connected to the moon and its lunar
phases.
Be sure to keep all lights turned off and only see
by the light of the flashlight or candle you are
using.
Usually done alone, another person may be in the
room for a scrying session.
If you need help interpreting images from your scrying
sessions, consult reference books on mystical symbols.
Time and patience are necessary for you to become
highly accurate at this skill. Allow yourself the
chance to grow and develop skill at scrying.
Don't be afraid if you see images that may be alarming
to you at first. End the session, engage in a period
of rest, meditation and/or prayer, then try again
later.
Don't engage in scrying while under the influence
of alcohol or drugs. You want to have a clear head
and perception fully intact to gain the most accurate
messages from these sessions.
If you are absolutely convinced that you have no
intuitive or psychic ability at all, chances are
you will be unsuccessful at scrying. Try to keep
an open mind.
CRYSTAL SKULLS
Now more so then in the past people
are using crystal skulls to divine with. The crystal
skulls are a number of human skull models fashioned
from blocks of clear or milky quartz crystal rock,
claimed to be pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts
by their alleged finders. However, none of the specimens
made available for scientific study were authenticated
as pre-Columbian in origin, and in the opinion of
the contemporary mainstream scientific community
they were manufactured in the mid-19th century or
later, almost certainly in Europe.
The skulls are often claimed to exhibit
paranormal phenomena by some members of the New
Age movement, and have often been portrayed as such
in fiction. Perhaps the most widely known of such
portrayals occurs in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull, the fourth film of its series,
and elsewhere within that franchise. Crystal skulls
have been a popular meme appearing in numerous sci-fi
television series, novels and video games.
Mitchell-Hedges skull
Perhaps the most famous and enigmatic skull was
allegedly discovered in 1924 by Anna Le Guillon
Mitchell-Hedges, adopted daughter of British adventurer
and popularist author F.A. Mitchell-Hedges.
Anna Hedges claimed that she found the skull buried
under a collapsed altar inside a temple in Lubaantun,
in British Honduras, now Belize.
As far as can be ascertained, F.A. Mitchell-Hedges
himself made no mention of the alleged discovery
in any of his writings on Lubaantun. Also, others
present at the time of the excavation have not been
documented as noting either the skull's discovery
or Anna's presence at the dig.[14]
In a 1970 letter, Anna also stated that she was
"told by the few remaining Maya, and was used
by the high priest to will death".[15] The
artifact is sometimes referred to as "The Skull
of Doom", either because of its seemingly inexplicable
properties and the supposed ill-luck of those who
have handled it, or perhaps a play on 'Skull of
Dunn' (Dunn being an associate of Mitchell-Hedges).
Anna Mitchell-Hedges toured with the skull from
1967 and continued to give interviews about the
artifact until her death in 2007.
The skull is made from a block of clear quartz
about the size of a small human cranium, measuring
some 5 inches (13 cm) high, 7 inches (18 cm) long
and 5 inches wide. The lower jaw is detached. In
the early 1970s it came under the temporary care
of freelance art restorer Frank Dorland, who claimed
upon inspecting it that it had been "carved"
with total disregard to the natural crystal axes
without the use of metal tools. Dorland reported
being unable to find any tell-tale scratch marks,
except for traces of mechanical grinding on the
teeth, and speculated it was first chiseled into
rough form, probably using diamonds, and the finer
shaping, grinding and polishing achieved through
the use of sand over a period of 150 to 300 years.
Although various claims have been made over the
years regarding the skull's physical properties,
such as an allegedly constant temperature of 70°F
(21°C), Dorland reported that there was no difference
in properties between it and other natural quartz
crystals.
While in Dorland's care the skull came to the attention
of writer Richard Garvin, at the time working at
an advertising agency where he supervised Hewlett-Packard's
advertising account. Garvin made arrangements for
the skull to be examined at HP's crystal labs at
Santa Clara, where it was subjected to several tests.
The labs determined only that it was not a composite
(as Dorland had supposed), but was fashioned from
a single crystal of quartz. The lab test also established
that the lower jaw had been fashioned from the same
left-handed growing crystal as the rest of the skull.
No investigation was made by HP as to its method
of manufacture or dating.
The crystal skull of the British Museum first appeared
in 1881, in the shop of the Paris antiquarian, Eugène
Boban. Its origin was not stated in his catalog
of the time. He is said to have tried to sell it
to Mexico's national museum as an Aztec artifact,
but was unsuccessful. Boban later moved his business
to New York City, where the skull was sold at auction,
and bought by Tiffany and Co., who later sold it
at cost to the British Museum in 1897.
The largest of the three skulls sold by Eugène
Boban to Alphonse Pinart (sometimes called the Paris
Skull), about 10cm (3.9in) high, has a hole drilled
vertically through its center. It is part of a collection
held at the Musée du Quai Branly, and was
subjected to scientific tests carried out in 2007–08
by France's national Centre de recherche et de restauration
des musées de France (Centre for Research
and Restoration of the Museums in France, or C2RMF).
After a series of analyses carried out over three
months, C2RMF engineers concluded that it was "certainly
not pre-Columbian, it shows traces of polishing
and abrasion by modern tools.
People who believe in the psychic power of crystal
skulls claim the skulls are a center of radiant
psychic energy and have the power to increase happiness
and improve people's lives just by being held, handled
and spoken with; others have alleged that crystal
skulls can be used as some claim crystal balls can
be used, to aid divination. In the 1931 play The
Satin Slipper, by Paul Claudel, King Philip II of
Spain uses "a death's head made from a single
piece of rock crystal," lit by "a ray
of the setting sun," to see the defeat of his
Armada in its attack on England (day 4, scene 4,
pp. 243-44).
Claims of the healing and supernatural powers of
crystal skulls have no support in the mainstream
scientific community. The scientific community at
large has found no evidence of any unusual phenomena
associated with the skulls nor any reason for further
investigation, other than the confirmation of their
provenance and method of manufacture.
Another novel and historically unfounded speculation
ties in the legend of the crystal skulls with the
completion of the current Maya calendar b'ak'tun-cycle
on December 21, 2012, claiming the re-uniting of
the thirteen mystical skulls will forestall a catastrophe
allegedly predicted or implied by the ending of
this calendar. A recent airing of this linkage appeared
in a show on the Discovery Channel.
The alleged associations and origins of crystal
skull mythology in Native American spiritual lore,
as advanced by neoshamanic writers such Jamie Sams,
are similarly discounted. Instead, as Philip Jenkins
notes, crystal skull mythology may be traced back
to the "baroque legends" initially spread
by F.A. Mitchell-Hedges, and then afterwards taken
up:
By the 1970s, the crystal skulls [had] entered
New Age mythology as potent relics of ancient Atlantis,
and they even acquired a canonical number: there
were exactly thirteen skulls.
None of this would have anything to
do with North American Indian matters, if the skulls
had not attracted the attention of some of the most
active New Age writers.
