Emily Chan
Have you ever wondered how the mystical crystal ball became the symbol of fortune-telling? The practice of fortune-telling has been around for centuries.
It’s based on staring into reflective surfaces like mirrors and pools of liquid to uncover future insights. The sparkling glass ball has appeared in the traditions of several ancient civilizations, such as the Druids.
During the Iron Age (1200 to 600 B.C.), druids lived in the British Isles and France. They were highly respected leaders who practiced poetry, medicine, lawmaking, and religious rites.
They were mostly wiped out with the spread of Christianity, but historical accounts from notable Romans like Pliny the Elder and Julius Caesar provide some details about their religious practices.
Pliny described various forms of magic that the Druids may have practiced. He also mentioned magical rites that involved water and balls, which could refer to the early use of scrying with crystal balls. Scrying is derived from the word “descry,” meaning “to perceive.”
As Christianity spread throughout Western Europe during the Middle Ages, scrying became controversial. Some Christians saw it as a tool for divine intervention, while others saw it as unholy. The most extreme view was that it allowed demonic spirits to enter the physical world.
In the Renaissance period, scholars and academics defended the practice. Mysticism became a branch of science in the Renaissance, so scrying was more widely embraced. It was popular among the educated elite and was a welcome alternative to Christianity.
The church continued to stigmatize the crystal ball, but it was revered in the scientific realm. Eventually, it made its way to the royal English court. An alchemist and mathematician named John Dee introduced the concept of a crystal ball to Queen Elizabeth I.
He was the queen’s close advisor and counseled her on matters of astrology and more. Dee and his partner, Edward Kelley, would regularly gaze into an obsidian mirror in an attempt to communicate with angels.
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