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Crystal Balls - Everything you need to know, including Scrying, Meditating
The History of Crystal Balls
Crystal balls have been used for scrying for thousands of years, the earliest recorded use of crystals as divination tools and crystal balls dates back to the Celtic Druids of Gaul, Britain, and Ireland, who lived during the Iron Age and were pretty much wiped out by Christianity by 600 AD. Much of what is known about Druids—comes from the oral accounts of Julius Caesar and the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder.
Other early crystal gazers, or specularii, preferred a sea-green mineral called beryl, which was polished into spheres to enhance the reflective properties. Beryl is thought to be more magnetically charged than other minerals and, as a result, more apt to connect with the psychic energies of the moon.
Crystal balls have been found by archaeologists in areas like Peru, Siberia, Australia, Chaldea, Greece, Rome, Persia, Japan and China. The ancient Chinese and Japanese regarded quartz as the perfect gem. The artists who carved spheres were thought to be the most capable of spiritual and artistic purity. They considered the quartz crystal ball the heart or “essence of the dragon,” symbolic of the highest powers of creation. They shared the term sui ching for quartz, which means “water essence,” the source of peace and power.
What is scrying?
Scrying is the act of gazing into a reflective or translucent object such as glass, water, a mirror or a crystal to gain mystical insight and to open your intuition. This allows the scryer to gain the information they may not have access to in their conscious mind.
Scrying can be done with hundreds of reflective surfaces, but the most popular way (perhaps thanks to history), is through crystal balls, the other popular way is a black obsidian scrying mirror.
How Do Crystal Balls Work?
Why do fortune-tellers use crystal balls? Almost everyone is familiar with the image of a fortune-teller gazing into her crystal ball and divining someone’s future. Crystal balls are used for scrying and gazing because they are uniform all around and form a spherical lens. Because of its shape, any clear ball (such as Quartz crystals or glass) will have a curvature that bends the rays of light to form a focal point.
Since crystal balls have no edge like traditional lenses do, the focal point is omnidirectional. This makes it ideal for gazing. No matter which way the crystal ball is positioned, it is perfect for the psychic to look deep within.
Along with the image of the fortune teller comes the common misconception that crystal balls have magical powers that enable them to foretell the future. However the images seen with a crystal ball aren’t the foretelling of future events, but rather images from deep within one’s subconscious mind, and the crystal ball is the door through which these subconscious thoughts can be accessed.
When scrying, a trance-like state is induced that dissociates one’s consciousness, enabling information from the subconscious to pass through the mind’s eye. It is here the images are seen, not in the crystal itself. Some believe there is no mysticism to crystal balls or spheres at all.
The information is most likely coming from their spiritual connection to their Higher Self. The crystal ball serves as a vessel between the seer and the Higher Self.
In other words, they are receiving Universal knowledge from their subconscious minds. This is a knowledge that we are all connected to, but some of us are much more open-minded, making it easier to access this element of "magic."
Crystals carry an electric charge called piezoelectricity that can be converted into electrical signals. This electric charge is the very reason that cut crystals are used in watches, TV and radio transmitters. Crystals can also provide oscillations that can drive- very accurate clocks. A quartz crystal clock will not vary more than a thousandth of a second per day.
Choosing a Crystal Ball
Clear Quartz Crystal Balls with marks that look like cracks, inclusions and sparkling rainbows are the best for clairvoyance. Anyone can read a crystal ball with markings in it as the cracks form physical images that help the psychic or clairvoyant eye to pick up the hidden psychic information they hold. Clear quartz crystal can be used in sunlight, moonlight, or by candlelight.
Clear quartz is the most common crystal used for scrying. Crystal gazers use the sphere as windows to faraway places, the past and future.
Amethyst Crystal Balls are good for answering questions about healing and health, for matters concerning the past, for complex relationships such as love, affairs, families, issues concerning women, issues of guilt and blame, spiritual matters, fears and addictions. Amethyst is best used in moonlight or candlelight.
Rose Quartz Crystal Balls are good for questions about love, family, animals, fertility, self esteem, the home and children. Rose Quartz is good in moonlight or soft natural light but not bright sunlight.
Smoky Quartz Crystal Balls help in grounding and clearing negativity from people that drain your energy field.
Selenite Crystal Balls help with clearing and cleansing unwanted energies.
How do I know if my crystal ball is real?
The market is flooded with glass balls that are called crystal balls. Some people prefer these because the glass is totally clear. It is also much cheaper.
You can tell that a crystal ball is not a real gemstone if it is perfectly clear, has small air bubbles, or is a lower price than natural crystal.
A real Quartz crystal ball will have inclusions, tiny dips on the surfaces, and a higher price tag. If you are looking to benefit from the healing properties of crystals, then you must go with a natural and real crystal ball.
What comes to mind for most people is Quartz because we associate crystal with being clear. In reality, you can use any all-natural crystal balls as well. Each has its own healing benefit.
Although gazing and scrying can be done in a glass ball, I prefer natural Quartz crystal balls. They are much more interesting to look at, with rainbows and inclusions and patterns unique to the individual piece.
Crystal balls often take thousands of years to form, so they hold the energy of Earth, history, and ancestry. All of these things help summon positive energy and imagination while you gaze.
On the contrary, glass balls that are sold as crystal balls are mass-manufactured straight from a factory machine. They just don't have the same appeal or power as a real gemstone. If you would like to try scrying yourself, I recommend you work with a real crystal ball. If you are a beginner, I would encourage you work with a Quartz crystal ball.
Cleansing Your Crystal Ball
When you choose your sphere, wash it using a soft cloth, water, and mild soap (Selenite and some other crystals should not be cleansed using this method). This will not only make your sphere clean physically, but also help cleanse the ball’s energies as well. To completely cleanse your ball of any previous and/or negative energy, it is best to smudge it as well. To smudge, simply light a sage smudge stick and pass the ball through the smoke several times.
To charge your ball, place it in the light of a full moon, when the light is strongest.
Uses For Your Crystal Ball
1. Scrying, Gazing
Scrying or gazing into a crystal ball is a popular historic and now mainstream way to use crystal balls.
2. Meditation
Similar to scrying, meditating with crystal balls helps take you into a hypnotic state. The spherical shape makes it easy to hold the crystal ball while meditating.
Depending on what stone you choose to meditate with, you can incorporate the healing energies into your session. For example, you may choose a Charoite sphere for a direct line to your Higher Self or a Shungite sphere to keep you protected while your mind travels during meditation.
3. Feng Shui
Place the right crystal ball in the right spot in your space to balance Feng Shui energy.
These are different than the faceted man-made crystals you see so commonly hung in the home by Feng Shui practitioners.
By placing actual natural crystals in your bedroom, family room, or office, you are reaping the benefits of the stone's healing vibes and bringing nature into the home.
4. Crystal Healing
With all of this talk about healing stones, what better way to use your crystal balls than in a crystal healing session. It's easy to hold a crystal ball in your hands while you focus on your healing session.
Alternatively, you can hold the sphere over the chakras for activation of the blocked energy centres. You could also choose select crystal balls to create a grid around their aura.
5. Group Harmony
Place your crystal ball in the centre of a room, table, or meeting for group or family harmony. Because it is said to spread energies evenly, the crystal ball can equalise your space and create an environment of cooperation and compromise among everyone in the room.
What are the everyday uses of crystal balls?
You may not be into the spiritual side of life or you just want to know what else you can do with your crystal ball, here are some everyday ideas to get you started
1. Massage
Choose the more durable stones for your crystal ball massage. Some stones can even be used with massage oils and lotions. Rolling crystal balls over your tense muscles will provide a cool and soothing effect.
Crystal ball massage can be done on yourself, but of course, it's always nice to have someone else do it for you.
2. Stress Balls
You have seen cheap metal stress balls and now it's time to upgrade to real stress balls. These natural stones can be used to relieve your stress and worries.
You will want crystal balls in the 1 to 2-inch range, depending on the size of your palms. Make sure they fit comfortably in your hands.
Keep them handy for times of need.
3. Interior Decorating
Impress your guests (and yourself) with the magnificence of crystal balls. Whether you are decorating your office, home, or garden, natural stone spheres will provide a colourful and earthy addition to your designs.
For this, I say the bigger the better. Fill up your space with a unique crystal ball style. Place your ball on a stand, a candle holder, or a plush piece of fabric. Line up a whole wall or shelf with your favourite crystal balls and light up the faces of everyone who enters this happy sacred space. Place on a lighting unit.
Most importantly
However you choose to use your crystal ball, just enjoy the energy it brings into your life.
Alison
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