Scrying without Tears:

The Theory, Technique and Uses of Scrying

by Anousen Leonte

Copyright 2014

All Rights Reserved

other works:

Sigil Magick: the Basics

Evocation Through Sigil Magick

Obligatory introduction

Scrying is difficult to define in a single sentence, but I will try: to scry is to

glean information from the visual imagery the mind superimposes upon a
blank surface. In scrying, the mind is in a relaxed and open state, and one's
eyes are fixed on a single, blank canvas—often black, and called a scrying
mirror. When you physically look at something, the mind anticipates that
something will be there. If nothing is there, yet you are still looking at it,
then you will begin to see something—that is, if you are sufficiently relaxed
and receptive. The mind will begin to concoct or hallucinate images upon
its surface, and this, essentially, is the basis for scrying. It is possible to do
this strictly for fun and it can be quite inspiring for artistic or philosophical
purposes, but traditionally scrying was used to uncover new and hidden
information. Yet the ancient texts that are available to us speak of the actual
process of scrying in unclear terms, and many modern books on scrying do
not actually give a practical, step-by-step process of how to train yourself to
scry, nor do they explain the logic behind the practice. Many sorcerers and
sorceresses, not knowing how to pursue actual scrying, will dabble in it a
bit and perhaps make a beautiful scrying mirror or two, but few become
accomplished in it without having a natural affinity for it beforehand. Also,
those who have a natural affinity for scrying often write as if everyone had
the same affinity. In my case, I had zero affinity for scrying starting out, and
it was only after a long and difficult process of working at it that I
eventually was able to scry. Prior to the practice of magick, I have never
seen spirits, never had a psychic event, encountered no such thing as a
"sober" hallucination and was fairly dense and stupid when it came to such
matters. I believed in them, of course, and wanted them, but nothing was
easy. Most all of what I learned about scrying was learned by actually doing
it. But by fighting for it I also learned how to train myself to do it. And if I
can be trained, anyone can be trained. It will take time and effort, but there
is a clear, step-by-step process to learn to scry. It is not a talent that only
some have, by the grace of the gods or whoever. It is a skill that can be
learned, provided one knows how and has the will to do it. I assume you do,
so let's get on with it.
 Why scry?

This is an inevitable and good question. If the purposes of scrying are to

gain access to information one wouldn't have access to otherwise, wouldn't
it be easier to consult the Tarot, the I Ching, or some other form of
divination?

There is some truth to this. I wouldn't recommend anyone rely solely on

scrying. However, scrying is not merely a form of divination. When you
scry, you are literally seeing new things. A Tarot card or an I Ching
hexagram can tell you about things, but they can't actually physically depict
something for you. In scrying you can be able to eventually see a face of
someone you do not know or a place you haven't been, and later have it
confirmed. If the information you want requires you to know the physical
outline of something, or its appearance, you simply cannot get a handle on
this through regular forms of divination. Scrying is necessary. You can learn
a lot about things through other forms of divination, but you can't see
anything. Scrying, however, allows you to do so. Therefore, everyone can
theoretically benefit from it, provided they learn how to do it.

This is not the only use of scrying, though. Before you get to the point
where you can see complex imagery in scrying, you will see many abstract,
ghostly and fragmented images, and these can tell you just as much as
regular divination can. In fact, they are a more personal form of divination
in that the imagery is arising directly from your own consciousness,
whereas the Tarot or I Ching are using forms derived from someone else.
By scrying through these abstract forms, you can learn something of your
own internal and unknown symbol system, as well as perceive some aspects
of how your mind works. There are philosophical implications for scrying
as well, and by learning to scry you will exercise the total mind in its ability
to perceive new realities. Therefore, merely by training yourself to scry, you
will find that other magickal tasks have new power and meaning to them,
and some things which formerly were difficult have now become
unexpectedly easy. The magickal strata of our mind is like a muscle, and by
exercise it becomes more and more powerful. Scrying is one of many
exercises, but it is an especially potent one.

Beyond these benefits, however, is the benefit that comes when scrying is
used in tandem with evocation. If you are in the habit of evoking spirits, the
scrying mirror can become an indispensable tool to aid you in
communication with the spirit. Through the scrying mirror a spirit can show
you other sigils that can be used to contact it, or sigils of other spirits that
you would benefit from. It can dialogue with you through imagery, and any
powers that the spirit has can manifest themselves through a visual medium.
Scrying on your own is powerful, but scrying while evoking a spirit can be
one of the most intense experiences you can magickally have. It is one thing
to "feel" a spirit's presence and to listen to its still, small voice in your inner
mind, but it is quite another when you are there, in the darkness, staring at
your spirit's face in the scrying mirror. Even the flashes of images that you
mentally "see" in evocation are not quite as striking as what you can visibly
see. If you should learn to scry, and evoke, scrying will become an integral
part of evocation itself, and you will wonder how you ever went on without
it.
 Basic scrying process

To scry, you will need the following:

A blank, preferably black surface to gaze at.

A place to sit.

That is all.

The process is as follows:

You sit in front of the black surface, or scrying mirror.

You look at it.

You keep looking at it until you begin to see things on its surface.

You may not think that this will actually happen, but it will. Even if you
have never encountered anything like this before, you will soon find that if
you stare at the black mirror long enough, you will see things. You may go
a few weeks or a month without seeing anything in particular, but after that
something will "break" in your mind, and you will begin to see. This is
when the practice becomes very exciting and will cease being a chore: you
will run to the scrying mirror often to see what new things arise. As time
goes on the imagery becomes more and more complex, and ultimately you
will be able to see full images. And it will only get better with time. To see
strange imagery is, for many people of a magickal persuasion, interesting
enough on its own. It usually begins abstractly, and grows in clarity and
complexity over time. Yet the earlier, abstract images seen in the scrying
mirror actually possess their own language, and can be more useful than a
clear image.

To learn these takes time, however. Though scrying is a simple task, it takes
dedication and discipline to master. If you want to actually use it, you must
resign yourself to the fact that you will must do it each day, preferably from
10-15 minutes. During that time you can have some relaxing music on,
incense going, or whatever else helps you calm down—though you should
be absolutely sober, as a chemical crutch won't help you here. For scrying
to work, the mind must be in a state of deeper relaxation than normal.
Neurologically speaking, the speed of one's brain waves determines the
depth of one's relaxation. Though the brain has many waves all occurring at
once, if these waves are predominantly those which pertain to reverie,
relaxation or visualization, scrying can and will occur.

There are four types of brain waves:

Beta (40-13 cycles a second)

Alpha (12-8)

Theta (7-4)

Delta (4-0)

When we are wide-awake and alert, the brain is running beta waves. If
we're more relaxed or pleasantly focused on something, alpha waves are
predominant. Theta waves are an even deeper state of reverie and
relaxation, and are often associated with dreams. Going even deeper, we
encounter delta waves which are subconscious and unconscious states.
Obviously I do not have the resources to see what brain waves are actually
occurring during my scrying sessions, but I have a hunch it is low alpha to
early theta. I have tried experiments with binaural beats—which are a form
of stereo audio signal that entrains your brain to synchronize to a specified
oscillation—and I have noticed that theta high theta waves are particularly
good for scrying, although ultimately unnecessary. The 7-6 hz range in
particular. Whether or not the theta waves are merely dragging me down
into low alpha is not clear, as my mind-state feels generally the same.
Nonetheless, it is very clear that brain waves and scrying are mutually
related, so if you have trouble scrying without any helpful hardware
backing you up, you may want to look into binaural beats and brain
entrainment. I have also experimented with goggles which flash brain-
entraining rapid lights into the eyes, and though these have no use in
scrying it is conceivable that one could use them prior to scrying. Further
investigations on my part are required to know for certain, and I may update
this book once I have new information.
 Creating the scrying mirror

As stated above, scrying works best with a blank, black surface. It is

traditional to actually craft a black mirror for just this purpose. It is true that
scrying can be done without any mirror at all, but it helps to have a point of
focus. However, so long as you have darkness, you can scry. When your
eyes are open yet nothing inhabits the field of vision, your mind will
naturally want to populate that area with images, and pitch blackness is the
summum bonum of an blank visual field. The darkness, in fact, may work
better for some than any type of scrying mirror, and I suggest you try
working with basic darkness to see if it works better for you than a mirror.
With that being said, historically and traditionally, many things besides
scrying mirrors have also been used. Aleister Crowley, supposedly, used the
back of his thumb. If the mind is suitably trained for it, any blank area can
do. Even the color does not truly matter, though I would suggest black or
white, insofar as they are the least suggestive to the mind, and are the most
helpful colors for inducing imagery.

The most simple way to make a scrying mirror is to purchase a picture

frame, remove the glass, then paint the cardboard on the back black. That is
all you will need to do. You can prop up the picture easily upon your altar
and spend many hours scrying with it. Nothing more really needs to be
done. It is important that you remove the glass, however, as the glass will
pick up light and reflections, and you don't want this: the black should be as
pure as it can get, with nothing there to disturb it or interfere. However, use
spray paint. Anything else will add little imperfections which could
interfere with your scrying.

The traditional grimoires will often tell you that you need to consecrate the
mirror and place a number of Hebrew letters upon it, or draw the sigils of
angels all over it, etc. This could be helpful but I haven't found it to be any
better than using the basic scrying mirror as described. If you like, you
certainly can try out both methods and see which one works best.
Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism and notorious polygamist, used a
top hat. He did not pull this idea from the ether; such technique was
common in European magical circles of his day. While I am convinced he
likely saw nothing at all in the hat, the method itself is sound: if you take a
large top hat and gaze into it, it will block your field of vision and will
allow imagery to arise in time.

There is a whole plethora of things one can do or use that would accomplish
the same idea. Some have used painted black boxes which have the added
benefit of enticing the mind to see what is inside their depth, and some have
also used large swathes of velvet cloth. A room with all the lights off at
night, however, works just as well, as does a blackened and empty picture
frame.

For some people, black does not inspire imagery as well as white. I do not
know why this is, but it is a common complaint that black will not induce
any imagery at all, whereas white will. If you are one of these people then
you can do the same thing with the picture frame, only using white paint.
Or, even better, you can get a large piece of pure white plastic and hang it or
prop it somewhere in a designated room.

There is yet another method which is pointless when it comes to the color
black, but quite interesting and useful when it comes to white. This is the
well-known ganzfeld technique. Ganzfeld is German for "total-field",
meaning that the total field of vision is enveloped in a single color. In the
past, ping pong balls were cut in half then placed over both eyes, held in
place with clear tape. The eyes would then stare out into the soft, gray
nothingness, and in time the mind would start to conjure imagery to fill the
spaces. Yet there is no point in using ping pong balls when you can simply
purchase clear protective goggles and paint them white. For the very
adventurous, you could, theoretically, buy as many protective goggles as
there are shades of spray paint, and try on all types of shades. This may not
be as good for scrying, but there are a variety of magickal things one can do
with a colorized visual field. As stated before, use spraypaint. Do not try
and slobber paint on in an even fashion, for no matter how talented you are
you are not as talented as aerosol, and never will be. Spray paint, but do so
lightly. Let them dry and try them on. Unless you have room full of natural
sunlight or are brave enough to wear them outdoors (reclining, of course),
you will need to have all the lights on in your room while using them, or a
targeted lamp. Make sure the lamp is not too close to your face or, yes, you
can get burned.
 The symbolic language of scrying

Now that you know how to train yourself to scry and how to make a scrying
mirror, or various ganzfelds, you must learn to interpret what you see on the
scrying mirror. This is where scrying becomes quite complex, if you want
to dive in this far. It is not necessary to understand the abstract imagery on
the scrying mirror if you merely want to learn to see definite and complex
real-world images, but if you want to become in tune with the manner in
which you unconscious or subconscious mind generates imagery, scrying is
one of the better ways. That portion of the mind which generates abstract
imagery on the scrying mirror is—I am convinced—the same part of the
mind from which psychic phenomena arises. In fact, I have a sneaking
suspicion that many aspects of psychic phenomena can be learned from
accessing these more primitive and generative parts of the mind and
learning to interpret their imagery.

Abstract imagery encountered in scrying is a type of imagery is quite

different than what we're usually accustomed to. It is different than dream
imagery, also, or any of the imagery that we associate with normal, waking
thoughts. Examples include swirls, smoke, lattice-like patterns, recurring
textures, horizontal and vertical lines, circles, squares, diamonds, triangles,
kaleidoscope-like imagery, letters and numbers. Once these are seen in the
scrying mirror, they can be interpreted as a kind of divination.

Before getting into how to divine these images, let's look at some of the
most common images that you will encounter. Perhaps the most elementary
form—which, likely, is also the first thing you will see—is something that
looks like TV static:
Once you see this, as you stare even further, it will begin to take the shape
of something else:

At times the shape will come in flashes, or intermittently. As your

concentration and power of scrying grows, however, the image will come in
more slowly. It will then become a fixed, stationary shape, albeit blurry or
flickering:

Then, going even further, it will become a fairly clear image:

For the first few months of attempting to do this, you may not see anything
that could be defined as "clear". Luckily, a blurry outline can nevertheless
give you enough to go on in order to determine what the symbol is, and its
meaning. As your power of scrying grows stronger and stronger, the images
will be sharper and sharper. This way you can track your progress.

Images may also arise as subtle and indistinct shapes, such as a single,
blurred orb:

Then they might rise in size and intensity:

And, after this, begin to break apart:

They may then transform into a nonsensical or indefinite shape, going from
greater order and simplicity to chaos and complexity:

These images will then become more definite shapes, such as lines:

Blocks of blurry movement:

Segmented circles:

Lined blocks:

Diamond-like patterns:

Strange, escher-esque illusions:

Oddly cellular or planetary forms:

Falling shapes, like snow:

Which turn into alternating patterns:

They may even become something less abstract and common, such as a
star:

Also, strange kaleidoscope-like images:

Or you may see different types of spirals:

Which then morph into an actual image, such as a sea-shell:

If you get to this point, you will then see strange, surrealistic forms, some
innocent and some foreboding:
And, most interestingly, forms which resemble a spirit's seal in a grimoire:

However, there is no Bible or dictionary of these abstract images or what

they mean. Some people will see different images than others, and the
images seen will often mean different things for different people. A
clockwise swirling motion for one may indicate that a given action will not
meet with success, whereas for another person it may signify a physical
illness. To be able to interpret the images takes a great deal of time and
effort, yet if successful it can be a very rewarding experience. And once you
have become accustomed to abstract imagery, it is then that more definite
imagery comes to the fore. This is especially useful, for no other form of
divination can actually give you an image of an unknown person or a
location. Also, when scrying is used in tandem with evocation the results
can be very startling and wonderful. It opens up a whole new world of
perception—similar to what people experience under hallucinogenic drugs,
only in this case it is tightly controlled and directable. There are a myriad of
other benefits of a more personal nature which have to do with gaining
greater and greater control and understanding of one's inner being, but it is
not necessary to go into any detail in this regard. For each person the
experiences and benefits will be different. The question is how to get there.

To understand why the unconscious mind first resorts to abstract imagery,

we need to look at how thoughts actually occur. When we think a thought,
or picture an image in our mind, we experience it once it has been fully
formed. We do not see its beginning, nor are we aware of what subtle
processes are at work that give rise to it. A thought or image comes fully
formed, or it begins as a sentence, etc. but what it was prior to this remains
unknown to us. Therefore, we see only one side of thoughts. To see the
other side is to understand scrying.

The mind as a whole goes through a series of steps when it generates any
mental activity. The first step is raw data, which is often experienced as
nothingness or a swirling chaos. Think of when a television or radio is
tuned in between stations: white noise is the result. There is no symmetry,
purpose or direction in anything. This level of mind is the level of freedom,
where thoughts and will arises. The ancients wisely called it the chaos or
abyss.

The second step is motion. Here, the raw data begins to take shape, albeit in
a subtle and indefinite way. Motions, swirls and vibrations occur at this
level. If the data is visually represented, we would also see differences in
tone levels, such as parts rising or falling in contrast, black splotches, white
splotches, etc. If it were audio, we would notice fluctuations in volume and
intensity. This is the first level of our reaction or intention. Impulses arise at
this level, but they are at their most raw and primordial form.

After this occurs, the third step is when symmetry arises out of these subtle
motions. Here, shapes occur. Sometimes they incorporate motion and
sometimes they do not. Again, visually represented we would see lines and
shapes forming. Audibly, we would begin to hear tones and percussive
noises. Sometimes the shapes will fill the total spectrum in the form of
lattices of kaleidoscopes—which, audibly, would be chords or scales,
though without ultimate direction—and other times shapes will merely
occur slowly or rapidly in succession, whereas other times the image will
simply persist then disappear. Reactions, intentions and other impulses now
begin to take more and more defined shape. They begin to have structure
and, very soon, they will rise to our conscious awareness.

Before we become aware of them, however, they must begin to utilize the
building blocks of language. Language is more than words: it is intentional
structure, on a large or small scale. When you interpret a human face, for
instance, you are using the same basic understandings that underlie written
or spoken language. Any and all recognition is based on this. And it is only
through a complex series of recognitions that we are able to express
ourselves. The chain of language begins at this level and, in terms of what
occurs in the mind, we now see the shapes take the form of words, letters,
numbers, identifiable symbols, complex patterns, sigils and even very
rudimentary definite images such as an eye or hand. This is the fourth step.

Once this occurs we then reach the fifth level of conscious thought. In terms
of a television or radio, at this point we would be seeing a show or hearing
music. Everything formerly which has occurred in part now manifests as a
unified whole, perfectly expressing the underlying intentions or perceptions
of the conscious self.

Now, to understand what you see on the scrying mirror is to understand and
know what is meant by the imagery from levels 2 to 4. But these images
possess different significances for different people. There is no universal
dictionary of them, just as there is no universal dictionary of dreams. To
fully understand what these images mean takes time and effort. And, even
here, new symbolic images will often arise. This, too, must be dealt with if
they are to be understood. The whole process is nowhere near as simple and
compartmentalized as mere spell-casting, or even spirit summoning. It
involves learning a new form of internal language.
 The dictionary of images

Though the process of coming to understand the meaning of the scrying

images is fairly easy, it may take a rather long time to understand the full
breadth of the images. The images that appear on the scrying mirror are
potentially as infinite as images themselves, yet, luckily, there are few basic
templates which occur. If these are understood, then their permutations can
be understood as well. For example, if you know what a triangle means,
then it does not matter if you see one triangle, or five, or if the triangles are
moving or stationary. It does not matter, also, its color: knowing what the
triangle itself means will allow you to grasp the significance of all triangles,
and by grasping this their numeric amount, color, motion, etc. can be looked
into. This is not to say that their particular manifestations are not significant
—on the contrary, they are very significant—but if you know the overall
meaning of a triangle, in itself, you will find that all triangles which appear
will signify the same ideas. Their other aspects build upon the essential
meaning of their primary shape. This is how the mind works at a basic
level.

But how do you actually come to learn what they mean? You can sit for
hours at a scrying mirror and see hundreds of different images, but unless
they have a reference point to something external, you will get nowhere.
Therefore, there must be a technique where you can learn the meanings of
the scrying images, note them down, and create a reference book cataloging
these images with their respective meaning. Then it will merely be a matter
of scrying then referring to your memory of what the image means, or, if
you have forgotten, referring to the book.

We are fortunate to live in a time when the collective magickal learning of

our species is fairly extensive. You will not need to look far to find a decent
list of meanings and significances. In fact, I would go as far as to say that
you do not need to look too far beyond three sources:
The Tarot (when interpreted in lieu of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life)

The Sixteen Arabic Geomantic figures

The I Ching (both Trigrams and Hexagrams)

The Tarot and Geomantic figures are more accessible, though the I Ching
often has interesting connotations that Western thought lacks. What I would
recommend is going through each of these and writing down
correspondences associated with each card, figure, etc. You will be adding
to the list of correspondences as new imagery arises, but this will give you a
basic and workable template upon which to build. Before doing this,
however, you should spend some time laying out for yourself a group of
significances and symbols you would like to especially to uncover. and
investigate these first. Start out small, looking at such things as planetary
correspondences, elements, the Zodiac, etc. and then move up to more
involved and extensive systems such as a full Tarot deck or the hexagrams
of the I Ching.

If you practice evocation, you should also find the image correspondences
of the following twelve topics:

blessing and cursing

attraction and repulsion

evoking and banishing

healing and harming

binding and freeing

changing and solidifying

As an aside, this is how I personally look at these correspondences in terms
of Kabbalah and Astrology:

bless - Jupiter, Chesed, Pisces

curse - Binah, Saturn, Capricorn

evoke - Yesod, Moon, Cancer

banish - Malkuth, Libra

attract - Netzach, Venus, Taurus

repel - Kether, Aries

bind - Hod, Mercury, Virgo

free - Tiphereth, Sun, Leo

heal - Chokmah, Sagittarius

harm - Geburah, Mars, Scorpio

change - Descending Lunar node - Da'ath descending, Aquarius

solidify - Ascending Lunar node - Da'ath rising, Gemini

Once you have your list, then get a large notebook and write down your
first topic. Let's say it is the idea of "blessing", in the sense of blessing a
particular person or thing through a magickal rite. Before you do anything
else, perform a banishing rite on yourself, sending all influences away that
may interfere with the information. Then, take some time to meditate and
bring your mind to a calm, easy space. If there is a certain type of music
that puts you in this state, listen to it. Once your mind is calm and quiet,
then look at the scrying mirror intently. Do so until you begin to see images.
Then bring to mind the topic you want to uncover the symbol for. Repeat it
in your mind while gazing at the scrying mirror—"blessing, blessing,
blessing." Once you begin to see something, focus in on it. Wait until the
image becomes stable. Once it is stable, then draw the image in the
notebook. Make sure you draw it small, however, as you may need more
space if there are other associated images. You can do this for a full session
of images, jotting down as many as come or as many as you can stand. It
will take a few weeks to get them all down, and you will need to expand
your notebook at times, but this is the basic process. You can also have a
digital recorder going during the sessions so you can say what you are
seeing outloud, and use it as a reference or reminder when you later draw
the image. I advocate using this method also in evocation itself, as I outline
in my other book, Evocation through Sigil Magick.

Now, once you have the image noted down, you will need to test it. This is
a twofold process: First, you will need to re-scry it multiple times to see if
the same image keeps coming up. If so, you can be certain that you have
found the right correspondence. Second, you should actually perform a
ritual where you evoke the images that you write down in your notebook
just as if they sigils used to summon a spirit. My book "Evocation Through
Sigil Magick" goes into how to do this in great detail. The only difference is
that rather than using a sigil you made or an established sigil as found in a
grimoire, you will be using the images in your notebook.

This is where things get really interesting: a "confirmation" that the right
meaning has been found can occur in a number of ways—all of which can
differ from individual to individual. But there is an aspect of confirmation
that will be quite clear: something interesting will happen. If you have
found the right image, then your mind will automatically respond to it in a
strange way during the evocation. It may simply flood your mind with a
series of associated meanings and significances found in the image, or you
may see the image on the scrying mirror even more intensely than before (if
you are using the scrying mirror in evocation, that is), or the image itself
may even come to you as a sentient spirit. Many of the same phenomena as
found in evocation will occur. Yet, if you do not have the right image,
nothing may occur, or the image itself may correct you as if it were sentient
being. For instance, you may have wanted to find the meaning of the idea of
"harm" and seen a similar image to the one below on your scrying mirror:

However, when you evoke that image, the image itself—in the form of a
sentient entity—will inform you that the image, in fact, means to "bind."
The problem is that, mentally, you associate the terms too closely in your
own mind. Subsequent scrying sessions on the notion of "bind" vs "harm"
need to be done, and the differences in these images will need to be noted
down.

At this point you may be wondering why not just take a bunch of images
you see in your scrying mirror, draw them down, then evoke them. You can
actually do this, but it is less systematic, and there may be many images that
you neglect. It is better to arrange a series of meanings and significances
first, then scry them, then confirm them, rather than allow your mind to
wander all over the scrying mirror and performing these procedures at
random.

What happens, though, when have gotten a seemingly complete list of

symbols and images, yet, one night, you see an image on the scrying mirror
that you have never seen before? When this occurs, all you need to do is
write it down, then evoke it as before. It may take a few evocation attempts
but eventually you will have an encounter which will make the meaning
clear. At that point you can list it in your notebook and, when you see it
again, you will know exactly what it means.

To state it in a numbered sequence:

1. Place the scrying mirror before you. It should take up a sizable portion of
your field of vision, for if it is too small you won't see anything.

2. Sit still in front of it, calming and relaxing yourself into a receptive state.

3. Formulate the question you have, or the topic you would like to scry, and
then gaze fixedly at the scrying mirror itself. Some people find it beneficial
to try and "beam" the question at the mirror. You should try to keep your
eyes open for as long as you can as you are gazing at the scrying mirror,
however, and keep your mind quiet and focused upon your question or
topic.

4. Once you see an image, look at it carefully and see if it changes or

increases. Pick up your notebook and begin to jot down a copy of it. Do this
for as many questions or topics as you want to, and note the question or
topic for each by its image.

5. After you have a series of abstract images, then evoke them as if they
were sigils, and use the scrying mirror to see if they arise again. Note down
any impressions you have, also. Try to have as many correspondences per
question as possible at the start, and once you get a greater handle on the
meaning you can begin cutting off correspondences which seem irrelevant.

6. Do this again and again. Practice makes perfect.

Once you have a fairly complete dictionary of symbols, you will be able to
actually use scrying as a form of divination. After becoming very complex,
the entire process resolves back into a nice, tidy simplicity: all you need to
do is to have a question in mind, or a piece of information you would like to
find, and stare at the mirror. As the images begin to arise in the mirror, write
them down in your journal for reference. When the session is over, you can
then analyze their associations and perhaps use them in an evocation ritual
once more.

It is true, however, that at the symbolic level scrying is neither more

accurate nor more helpful than other forms of symbolic divination, such as
the Tarot or I Ching. It is more interesting, perhaps, but much of the same
information will be gleaned from any other form of divination—though,
because of this, one could use it as part of multiple divinations on one topic
to derive more insight into it. If you take a given question you have, draw a
few Tarot cards on it, cast a Hexagram, perform some geomancy—as well
as use the scrying mirror—you will get a fairly comprehensive answer to
your question.

Yet, if your topic of divination is particularly visual, scrying can be very

beneficial. Here, the symbolic meaning of the images may indicate
something of it, but you should watch carefully for indications of the
chosen topic in the visual forms themselves. For example, if you are trying
to gain information about an unknown person, and want to learn about the
color of their eyes, hair, the height, weight, etc. you can find out what
abstract imagery corresponds to these attributes.

It is inevitable that you will need to scry something outside of what your list
of correspondences has. In such case, you can simply pick a topic, go
through a series of questions and see what imagery arises. Then, evoke the
imagery as a sigil and see what other impressions you get. If you want to
know hair color, for instance, then imagery which is associated with the
Sun, gold, light, etc. will indicate that the hair is likely blond. If you want to
know whether a person is tall, short or medium in height, oftentimes
abstract imagery will convey these attributes with a greater degree of
explicitness—such as a long line for tall, a box-like shape for short, and an
X or T symbol for medium height.

However, the real heart and benefit of performing scrying—beyond its

psychological effects in strengthening your mental powers of visualization
and receptivity—is when scrying goes beyond the abstract and into the real.
As you continue to scry, the abstract imagery becomes real images, and
these images can tell you far more than any amount of abstract imagery can,
provided your query requires a visual picture. But abstract imagery even in
this case is not totally without benefit, for some people simply cannot scry
colors, and abstract imagery can give a definitive color if necessary. You
could determine, for example, the way a particular car is built and then
determine that it is a red car from the arising of abstract imagery
corresponding to "fire", "Mars", "blood", etc. You can then cross reference
that information with other forms of divination to get the larger picture.
Beyond this, there are other, more enjoyable and interesting aspects and
unintended psychological phenomena which arise through scrying. Often
when you are before the scrying mirror, strange mental states may come and
go, some deeply enjoyable and some quite fierce. If you are using scrying in
tandem with evocation, then the entire process really gets powerful, for a
new world of perception is slowly opening up—one which you always felt
existed, but never quite saw. And once you do this, then those parts of your
mind strengthened and opened up through scrying will increase your overall
receptivity and ability to manifest your will. You will find your dreams
become more vivid, and you will sense things intuitively about people,
places and things you hadn't noticed before. Old memories, too, will well up
inside you with ever-increasing clarity, and these can often lead to personal
insights or breakthroughs. Whether we acknowledge it or not, our will is
bound up with a whole host of learned responses—many of which are
insane or non-functional. To break through these, the mind must become
strong. And scrying, like all aspects of magick, is one of many ways to such
strength.

Good luck.