HOW TO PRACTICE SCRYING WITH WATER

You’re welcome to copy my method or create one of your own. Also, don’t feel restricted by water, especially if it doesn’t “call” to you. Experiment with many of the other scrying techniques described above.

What you will need:
A bowl (preferably black or natural)
Water (preferably natural)
1 or 2 candles
Lighter/matches
Crystal/small object
Table
Darkness (e.g. a room at night)

Optional:
Smudge stick

1. FILL YOUR BOWL WITH WATER.



You can use a dark (navy or black) plastic, marble or glass bowl. Dark bowls are recommended because they allow you to concentrate better.

You can put your bowl out in the rain to collect natural rainwater. Or you can fill your bowl with mineral water. If all else fails, tap water should be fine.

2. PUT YOUR CRYSTAL IN THE BOWL.

Prepare your space. You can water scry indoors or outdoors. Just ensure you have a clear space to put your bowl and a candle or two. You can choose any object you like (it doesn’t have to be a crystal). Ensure that the object is right in the center of the bowl: it will serve as a point on which your eyes can focus.

3. (OPTIONAL) SMUDGE THE AREA.



Smudging is the ancient practice of energetically cleansing spaces and people. To use your smudge stick, light its tip and blow it out. Draw the stick over the space you want to use with an intention in mind. 

4. LIGHT THE CANDLE/S.




Light your candles and place them either side of your bowl. The light of the candles must be able to reflect off the surface of the water.

5. ENTER A TRANCE-LIKE STATE.



Trance is an altered state of consciousness. Almost every culture known to man has had its own trance rituals. These may include chanting, drum beating, dancing, singing, fasting, the use of psychoactive plants and visualization. In your case, simply meditating may help you quickly enter into a trance-like state. I like to focus on my breath while listening to tribal music.

Remember, all of this needs to be done in a darkened room preferably at night. You could also try scrying outside as the sense of expansion could contribute favorably to your experience.

6. STARE INTO THE WATER.

After you have achieved an altered state of consciousness, you can then gaze into the bowl. You’ll be able to tell when you’ve reached an altered state when you feel peaceful, expanded, alert, focused and connected.

In order to scry, your eyes need to be relaxed. The crystal (or other object) in the center of the bowl will help to focus your eyes. You might also like to seat yourself in a comfortable position, as sometimes scrying can take a while. Be patient. Often it takes many tries to master scrying.

Next, hold your intention in mind. For example, your intention may be to uncover a hidden gift of yours, or perhaps to discover what is holding you back from achieving a dream. As you gaze into the water, let your eyes soften. Relax your entire face, from your mouth to your ears. Breathe deeply from your stomach. At times images may come and go briefly. Don’t try to hold on to them – this will make it much harder to scry. Instead, allow all images and sensations to come and go freely. The goal is to become a passive observer rather than an active participant. Once again, this can take practice.

After a while, your mind may start to wander. Allow it to. However, ensure that your eyes stay focused within the bowl. Eventually a word, image or even entire scene may play out before you. This is normal. Once you “feel” that your scrying session is over, you may like to ruminate on the words, images or scenes that were presented to you. What were they trying to reveal? Sometimes you’ll be able to immediately understand the nature of the visions presented to you, but not always. Look out for symbolism, analogy and metaphor.

Tips: put a cushion on the floor and sit on it, so that the bowl on the table is at chest height. Before scrying experiment with a comfortable seating position. For example, you may prefer to have the bowl very close to your face or very far away. This all depends on personal preference.

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Scrying is the ancient practice of accessing the unconscious mind. While some forms of scrying may appeal to you, others may be incompatible. Finally, always ensure that you scry with an intention in mind, otherwise you’ll walk away disappointed.