Crystal gazing
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Crystal gazing or crystallomancy is a method for seeing visions achieved through trance induction by means of gazing at a crystal, commonly in the form of a crystal ball. Traditionally, it has been se
A crystal ball
Poster for the stage magician Alexander
Actress Pauline Frederick portraying a crystal gazer in the 1906 play Joseph and His Brethren
Scrying
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Scrying, also referred to as "seeing" or "peeping", is a practice rooted in divination and fortune-telling. It involves gazing into a medium, hoping to receive significant messages or visions that cou
Crystal gazing
…trance induction by means of gazing at a crystal, commonly in the form of a crystal ball. Traditionally, it has been seen as a form of divination or scrying, with visions of the future and of the divine, though research into the content of crystal-visions suggest the visions are related to the expectations…
The Crystal Ball by John William Waterhouse (1902, oil on canvas)
Divination rituals such as the one depicted on this early 20th-century Halloween greeting card, where a woman stares into a mirror in a darkened room to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband while a witch lurks in the shadows, may be one origin of the Bloody Mary legend.
This Halloween greeting card from 1904 satirizes divination: the young woman hoping to see her future husband sees the reflection of a nearby portrait instead.