The definition of scry is "to make out dimly" or "to reveal."
Scrying is a time honored means of divination used by the ancient Celts, probably acquired knowledge via early Germanic invasions.Legend holds that Druids scryed using water as did the Egyptians.

A lot of people will tell you that you will need a scrying mirrors ,crystals , sacred vessel and rituals to scry. That may very well hold true for them. But these are only metaphysical aids to help you focus at the task at hand.Once mastered you can scry in many different ways without anything than your minds eye and something to focus on.

This time Im talking to you about the three oldest and in my opinion, easiest ways to learn to scry.
So lets start with Hydromancy . (just a big word for scrying with water)

Hydromancy is the practice of using properties of the water to divine........ it's color, the ebb and flow of the tides, ripples produced by the breeze or pebbles dropped in a pool are all used to divine images. This is truly a test of focus and your ability to clear your mind and allow the water to "show you the vision". Pisces are particularly good at Hydomancy as are the other water signs !This for most , is truly the easiest of ways to learn to scry . The flow of the water lulls your mind into a suspension similar to when you were still in the womb , granting you easier access to your third eye. And when it comes to practice spending some time gazing at the water while your mind drifts is hardly tedious!

Having said that ,being a Hedge Witch my herbs always come into play no matter the spell. So lets start .....

Most of you already know that Mugwort is a wonderful herb for divination.Mugwort can be used in many forms including a lovely tea. But this time Ive brewed a potion to scry into.

******Please bear in mind this is toxic and is not to drink ! ********

First off any water will do...However the very best water for this type of spell is what I call

"live water" ,water harvested from nature ,rain ,ocean, spring or stump water.

I generally use either stump water Ive collected or rain .In times of drought I'll pop down to the river and nab some river water.

This time I used stump water from an old rotten Elm. Mugwort was the first of my herbs to be tossed into the pot. Next came a bit of Polk Root ,some ground bark from a graveyard Oak ,a piece of Hemp twine and some snake skin.Last of all into my pot went some Yarrow and a slice of fresh Iris root.Now is a great time for me to make this mix because its time to divide my Iris so I had some already dug. Once everything was in I set my cauldron over hot charcoal and left it to cook .Its done when my brew has turned black.Once cooled it will have a surface that's shiny and opaque as pictured above. At this point you can ladle some into your preferred container or do as I do and scry into the cauldron.

Before attempting to scry for the first time anything "legal " that will induce a state of altered awareness should be done. *****Please no fake pot that stuff turns your head to jelly and you end up eating faces.Dont be a face eating zombie! *****Nor does this mean its time to get your drunk on!

For beginners I recommend trying dim lighting ,incense (your choice),candles and some nice meditation music or soft Jazz. All or any of these will help you relax and allow your mind to drift as your inner eye opens.If you are trying to divine future events you have to keep your mind a blank ,gaze into the pot and allow the images to emerge .You may perceive a mist form before images surface or you may just have them pop out at you clear as a bell.Pay attention to what you are seeing ,they may seem random and the images will sometimes come in symbolic form.

Scrying is a deeply personal experience and each person will scry differently.After I am done scrying ,I'll strain my "pot juice" and bottle it. I get 3-4 quarts from my little cauldron and I use it for various witchy chores that pertain to divination.For instance I soak wand wood and crystals in it ,reuse it for scrying at a later date or have a bit for friends in need. The dregs I bury so they are returned to the earth and not laying out for a furbaby to get into.

Flame gazing or Lychnomancy is the practice of scrying using flame ,a candle , fire or the light of an oil lamp.This practice is also called by some Lamp gazing and is practiced quite a bit in amongst the Mountain families in West Virginia and Kentucky. Any form of scrying works the same way, it always comes down to the same three basics , focus ,the ability to clear your mind and practice.When flame gazing your images will appear in the flame, or close to the flames providing you messages and guidance. The picture above is of a flame I created with Sage ,Willow ,Hydrangea , Mugwort and Wild Cherry. I was peering into a health matter for someone hence the fire was built with Willow & Sage for healing. Mugwort and Cherry for divination and Hydrangea to invoke magic.Samhain is the perfect day for divination of this sort because most witches that can have a fire have one.Its also a wonderful winter "crafting " to practice if you have a fireplace. After all an evening peacefully gazing into your crackling fire as winter howls outside is not a hardship !

This brings me to one of my personal favorites scrying with smoke. Some form of smoke scrying has been used by Native Americans ,tribes in Africa ,Voo Doo practitioners and Witches since the dawn of time . It is the practice of watching the rising smoke from a flame and divining images held within the smoke stream. now there's a good reason that I love this one so much.I'm really good at it and its one of the few "spells" that you can capture on film working.I have captured amazing images when doing this.

A good camera can preserve images of the divination for you future reference far better than notes .However I don't recommend using one from the very beginning . You need to learn to scry with as few aids as possible.But once you have done so ,bring your camera into your circle and take a few shots .I think you'll find as I have that the magic is there for all to see.The picture above was taken while I was smudging a divination wand with Snake's blood / Polk berry oil ,look and you will clearly see the face rising in the smoke.This was present in all the pics snapped that evening.

The last picture was taken when I fired up my cauldron to send my best friend's Momma safely through the veil. She had been ill for 3 years and in a coma for several days.The purpose to this cauldron wasn't really divination it was to ease her way .As my cauldron smoldered and gave up we got the call she was gone.A week later I finally pulled the pictures taken that day off of my camera. There I saw my proof that she was escorted safely beyond my realm .I wonder if any of will see what I did.

Elm

Elm is a feminine energy and relative to both the elements Earth and Air. It adds grounding and focus to any spell working. I use it a lot when working spells that involve horticulture, passage thru death, rebirth, or the invocation of the Goddess. I included Elm in this list because I used Elm stump water for the base liquid in my scrying pot .Know your adjuncts ..... you have to consider the aspects of everything added in a spell.

Oak

Oak has a strong masculine energy and is alined with Earth ,Water and Spirit.In all spells unless they are for a specific gender to need to balance the male/female aspect .Oak is my choice in this matter. It centers your mind, permitting you to ignore distractions and focus on your task at hand.Oak promotes observation and intuition.Both of which are important components to successful scrying.

Willow

Willow is to me ,is the most feminine of trees.She brings to your spells a strong alignment to both water and spirit .willow deals with death ,rebirth and easing the souls of those recently passed. It strenghtens the third eye , promotes spells of healing and will align itself to your inner will.

All of the remaining adjuncts are an even mix of male/female and bring to spells strong properties of divination ,protection and invokcation of magic ...............

Hemp

Hydangea

Yarrow

Mugwort

Polk Berry

Iris

I used the Snake Skin /blood for its properties of transmutation