Scrying: 5 Common Problems & Resolutions

“I now have had my foggy crystal ball for quite a long time. Its predictions are invariably gloomy and usually correct, but I am quite used to that, and they won’t keep me from giving you a few suggestions, even if it is merely an exercise in futility whose only effect is to make you feel guilty.”
– Edsger Dijkstra

Frequencies Scrambled: Sometimes you receive absolutely no images when you scry – nada – not even a curly wisp of hope greets your eyes. You can learn ways of getting better reception in our article on scrying rules. Here we’re talking about pesky repetitious problems for people who Do get scrying results.

Issues with Scrying: Lack of Readiness

Sometimes the images received by your implement disturb you or make no sense whatsoever. When this happens, there can be a variety of reasons. The first and the most common one is forgetting that all-important self-check before divination. Anger, sadness, worry, doubt, and other similar conditions can project themselves into your scrying mirror. These may appear ugly or frightening. When you realize this is the case, simply stop. Fix what’s bothering you or cleanse your mirror, put it away, and try another time when you’re in better sorts.

Problems with Magical Scrying: Hidden Fears

The second possibility for unsettling images in your scrying device is a cry from your subconscious for attention., Maybe you have irrational fears or repressed memories. Psychologically speaking, these images come forward for a good reason. So, what do you do with them?

For one, remember that the mirror gives you an external viewing screen for internal issues. Let that screen provide emotional distance If you feel wholly unprepared, gather a few of the initial images into memory and stop. You can sort these out in bite-size reflections. In any case, when our minds decide to show us these dark places of the soul, it’s best to examine them and bring them to light. A good motto for any magickal path is, Know thyself in truth.

Magical Scrying and Spirit or Energy Interference

The third reason for confusing or disturbing images is the presence of a spirit with its own agenda. While this doesn’t happen often, your scrying devices act as a bridge between the worlds. You never know who exactly might be traversing that astral bridge, sometimes those entities want to chat. Now what?

1. Turn off your tool. Cleanse it and try reaching a different “channel” next time.

2. Accept the spirit’s images. See if there’s a message that may help alleviate the situation (like a ghost who feels lost). The only warning here is that beings from other planes of existence can lie and deceive, so take whatever message they impart with a huge grain of salt.

3. Ask the spirit to leave. Remember that this is YOUR space and YOUR sacred tool. This spiritual entity arrived without an invitation. Now, just like a guest who overstays their welcome a simple nudge may not suffice. At this point, a minor banishing spell or ritual may fix it. Once a spirit knows your serious, they often change their attitude.

4. Get a new scrying device. If nothing works for keeping an unwanted spirit away from your scrying implement, you may have to destroy it and start over ritually. Sometimes, when we create a tool, it houses vibrations that act as a magnet. You can’t just turn the magnet off. While this situation is unusual, just remain aware.

Random Energy Effects on Scrying

Many people in the world are projectors of energy. There are others who have no idea how to keep their auric issues to themselves, leaving a trail of confused vibrations everywhere: This means you may be hit by one of these meandering bolts. Neither you nor your scrying tool has immunity unless you’ve set up sacred space, which acts as a reflective bubble while you work.

There are many other causes of random energy signatures. Everything from memory imprints to psychic splashes brings static into the connection you’re creating. That static distorts and even completely reorders imagery. In this case, wait a while and then try again. Having a clear connection is worth a second try.

Scrying and Wishful Thinking

We talked briefly about carrying negativity into scrying but what about those hopeful thoughts and bits of wishful thinking that remain with us? When we pose a question to our mirror, sometimes those background desires filter through. This is true for even an adept scryer. In other words, our expectations outweigh any imagery the Higher Self or Divine Spirit may offer. You are always in the driver’s seat when working magic.

Distinguishing these personal projections from actual divinations is hard. That’s where your scrying diary comes in handy. Over time, you’ll begin to notice the topics about which you got the answers you wanted versus the answers you needed. So, when you pose similar queries in the future, take extra time for centering and releasing those desires.

Magical Scrying with an Unopened Mind

Beyond this list, there’s one other thing that can get in your way, and that’s you being stubborn. If you’ve sat there for 45 minutes intently looking at a crystal ball or mirror, and nothing happens it could well be that there’s nothing to say. This situation arises when you fully know the answer to the question you’re asking (and hope to get a different one). It also happens when a question is too vague – Fate simply cannot untangle the strands.

It really is okay to walk away and live to scry another day.

Based on the “Little Book of Mirror Magic,” by Patricia Telesco. All rights reserved.