4. Scrying was so commonplace over the centuries that Queen Elizabeth I of England even invited a mystic – and his crystal ball – into her inner circle
Over the course of history, a number of different civilizations have practiced scrying, or trying to see visions or prophecies by gazing at the surface of an object. In most cases, it’s done by looking closely at a shiny or reflective surface such as a mirror or, as has been common in Europe for many centuries, a crystal ball. Some practitioners believe that they see visions themselves, while others believe that they are mere conduits for the Gods. However, scrying can also be carried out with dull objects. For instance, in the 1820s, Joseph Smith claimed to have seen miracles in stones. He would go on to establish the Latter Day Saint movement.
One of the most famous instances of scrying occurred during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Though a cultured and highly-intelligent woman, Elizabeth surrounded herself with mystics, chief among them the mathematician and astrologer John Dee. As he grew older, Dee became increasingly obsessed with the occult. He would read the Queen’s horoscopes and he would also claim to see visions in a special stone, which he used just like a crystal ball. Elizabeth’s successor on the throne, James I, thought such beliefs nonsense, however, and Dee spent his final years exiled from the royal court and living in poverty.