 Chapter 6 Part 1 of the Curious Lore of Precious Stones. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by George Frederick Goons. Chapter 6 on Crystal Balls and Crystal Gazing. We have evidence of the use of crystal balls as means of divination in medieval times and scrying in some of its many forms was by no means rare in the Greek and Roman periods. The essential requisite for the exercise of this species of divination is a polished surface of some sort upon which the scryer shall gaze intently for this purpose mirrors, globules of lead, or quick silver, polished steel, the surface of water, and even pools of ink have been employed and have been found to ensure quite as satisfactory results as the crystal ball. The points of light reflected from the polished surface, points de-repair, serve to attract the attention of the gazer and to fix the eye until, gradually, the optic nerve becomes so fatigued that it finally ceases to transmit to the sensorium the impression made from without and begins to respond to the reflex action proceeding from the brain of the gazer. In this way, the impression received from within is apparently projected and seems to come from without. It is easy to understand that the results must vary according to the idiosyncrasy of the various scryers. For everything depends upon the sensitiveness of the optic nerve. In many cases the effect of prolonged gazing upon the brilliant surface will simply produce a loss of sight. The optic nerve will be temporarily paralyzed and will, as little, respond to stimulation from within as from without. In other cases, however, the nerve will be only deadened as regards external impressions, while retaining sufficient activity to react against a stimulus from the brain centers. It is almost invariably stated that, prior to the appearance of the desired visions, the crystal seems to disappear and a mist rises before the gazer's eye. The acans, as Cassanius relates, frequently used a mirror to divine diseases or to learn whether there was danger of sudden death. Of the Temple of Demeter or Cers at Patras, he writes, In front of the Temple of Demeter there is a well. A stone wall separates this well from the temple, but steps lead down to it from the outside. Here there is an infallible oracle, although it does not answer all questions, but only those touching diseases. They attach a slender core to a mirror and let it down into the well, balancing it carefully so that the water does not cover the face, but only touches the rim. Then, after making a prayer to the goddess and burning incense to her, they look into the mirror, and it shows whether the sick person will die or be covered, such is the power of truth in this water. This sacred well, with its oracle of the magic mirror, must have been in Lucian's mind when, in his description of the Palace of the Moon King, he says, Another wonderful thing I saw in the palace, suspended over a rather shallow well, there is a large mirror, and anyone who goes down into this well will hear every word that is spoken on earth, while, if he gazes on the mirror, he will see there every city and every nation, just as clearly as though he were looking down upon them from a slight elevation. At the time I was there, I saw my native country and its inhabitants. Whether I myself was seen by them in turn, I am not sure. Lucian adds, with a fine touch of irony, anyone who doubts this assertion needs only to go there himself, and he will find out that I speak the truth. As no one has yet made a trip to the Moon, the assertion is still uncontradicted. In their religious legends the ancient Mexicans taught that their God, Tezcatlipucco, had a magic mirror in which he saw everything that happened in the world. He was sometimes named Nicosiat, sower of discord, because he often stirred up war and strife among men, but he was also Lord of riches and prosperity, which he bestowed and took away again at his will. To the influence of this divinity were attributed many omens and certain strange visions, announced by repeated knockings. In the Orphic poem Alithica, a magic sphere of stone is described. The substance is called Zetoritis, or Ophitis, and is said to be black, round, and heavy. Possibly some metal, rather than a stone, is designated by these names. Hellenus, the Trojan Soothsayer, is said to have used this sphere to foretell the downfall of his native city. He fasted for 21 days and then wrapped the sphere in soft garments, like an infant, and offered sacrifices to it until, by the magic of his prayers, a living soul warmed the precious substance. A strange variety of divination by means of mirrors placed on the heads of boys, who, with eyes blindfolded, were supposed to perceive forms or signs of some description in the mirrors, is noted by Spartianus in his life of the Emperor Didius Julianus, approximately 133-193. This ruler is said to have resorted to this form of divination, and the boy entrusted with the task is asserted to have announced the approaching accession of Septimius, Cerverus 146-211, and the dethronement of Didius Julianus. An indication that the usage of divination by means of a silver cup existed among the primitive Hebrews has been found in the story of Joseph and his brethren in Genesis 44-1-5. We read that Joseph concealed a silver cup in the sack of grain borne away by Benjamin, making of this a pretext for requiring the return of his brethren. He sent messengers to overtake them and directed them to demand the return of the cup, using these words, is not this it in which my Lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth. The Arabic author, Holly Abu-Gufar, tells of a golden ball used by the Magi followers of the roaster in their incantations. It was encrusted with celestial symbols and sat with a sapphire, and one of these magicians, after attaching it to a strip of bull hide, swung it around, reciting at the same time various spells and incantations. Probably the magician, by fixing his gaze upon the brilliant revolving sphere, gradually fell into a hypnotic trance during which visions appeared to him. These he could afterward interpret to those who had sought his aid to read the future, or to obtain information regarding things that were happening far away. An important side on the beliefs of Western Europe in the 5th century, regarding crystal gazing, is afforded by one of the cannons of the Sennad held about 450 AD, by St. Patrick and the bishops, Auxilius and Zerninus. Here it is decreed that any Christian who believes there is a Lamia, or which, in the mirror, is to be anathematized, and is not to be again received into the Church unless he shall have renounced this belief, and shall have diligently performed the penance imposed upon him. In this case, as in many others, the vision in the crystal or mirror did not represent some former or contemporaneous happening, but the figure of an evil spirit, who, either by signs or words, imparted to the scrier the information he was seeking. The power to see images of evil spirits on the surface of water was claimed by those called Hydromanty in the 9th century. This is attested in the work composed about 860 AD by Hinkmar, Archbishop of Reims, who characterizes the supposed appearances as images or deceptions of the demons. These definers asserted that they received audible communications from the spirits, and they therefore evidently believe that the appearances were realities. Although, as we have seen, many different materials were used for scrying, the preference was often given to polished spheres of barrel. In modern times, however, the rock crystal is considered the best adapted for the purpose. In this introduction to crystal gazing by N. W. Thomas, Andrew Lang writes of what he terms hypnagogic illusions, images which appear when the eyes are closed and before sleep supervenes. When faces appeared to him in this way, they were always unfamiliar ones, with the single exception of having one seen his own face in profile. The same was almost invariably true of landscape and inanimate objects. These forms seem to grow out of the bright points of light, which frequently appear when the eyes are closed, and Lang suggests a similar origin for the visions of the scribes, namely the development of the images from darker light points in the glass. In regard to this, we have an interesting passage in the works of Ibn Khaldun, a Persian writer, born in 1332, who gives the following very acute analysis of the phenomena accompanying crystal gazing. Some believe that the image perceived in this way takes form on the surface of the mirror, but they are mistaken. The diviner looks at this surface fixedly until it disappears, and a curtain, like a mist, is interposed between him and the mirror. Upon this curtain are designed the forms he wishes to see, and this permits him to give indications, either affirmative or negative, concerning the matter on which he is questioned. He then describes his perceptions as he has received them, the diviners, while in this state do not see what is really to be seen in the mirror. It is another kind of perception, which is born in them and which is realized not by sight but by the soul, as to the character and quality of the crystal to be used. Abbot Treetheim, the master of the famous Cornelius Agrippa says, Procure of a lapidary a good, clear, palucid crystal of the bigness of a small orange. For example, about one inch and a half in diameter, let it be globular or round each way alike. Then you have got this crystal fair and clear. Without any clouds or specks, get a small plate of pure gold to encompass the crystal round one half. Let this be fitted on an ivory or ebony pedestal. Let there be engraved a circle round the crystal. Afterwards, the name Tetra Gramaton. On the other side of the plate, let there be engraved Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, which are the four principal angels ruling over the Sun, Moon, Venus, and Mercury. The four letters constituting the Tetra Gramaton are the Hebrew characters Yod, He, Wa, and He. As this divine name was regarded in later Judaism as too sacred to be pronounced, the word Lord Adonai was substituted for it in the reading of the scriptures. For this reason, when the vowel signs were added to the text to indicate the traditional pronunciation, the consonants Yahweh were provided with the vowels of Adonai, Adonai, and the name was therefore read Jehovah by Christian scholars. The Persian poet Ayami writes of a magic mirror in the poem Salomon and Absel. Then, from his secret art, the sage visor, a magic mirror made, a mirror like the bosom of all wise intelligence, reflecting in its mystic compass all within the sevenfold volume of the world involved, and looking in that mirror's face the Shah beheld, the face of his desire. Roger Bacon, 1214 to 1292, was probably the most gifted man of the 13th century, and his writings testify to an extraordinarily clear perception of the essential principles of scientific research. However, his true greatness was not generally appreciated in his own age, and popular fancy wove about his name a fabric of legend, in which he appeared as an arch, necromancer, and magician. The curious old work entitled The Famous History of Friar Bacon gives a number of the strange recitals which became current in England in regard to Bacon's wonderful powers. One of these treats of a marvelous glass made by the friar, in which events happening at far distant places were mirrored, on one occasion two young men, between whom the friendliest feelings existed, came to Bacon and requested him to let them see in the mirror what their fathers were doing at the time. The friar consented, but the experiment, while successful, was the cause of a terrible misfortune. The story is as follows. The fathers of these two gentlemen, in their son's absence, were become great foes. This hatred between them was grow to that height, that wheresoever they met, they had not one lay words, but blows. Just at that time, as it should seem, that their sons were looking to see how they were in hell, they were met, and had drawn, and were together by the ears. Their sons, seeing this, and having been always great friends, knew not what to say to one another, but beheld each other with angry looks. At last one of their fathers, as they might perceive in the glass, had a fall, and the other, taking advantage, stood over him ready to strike him. The son of him that was down could then contain himself no longer, but told the other young man that his father had received wrong. He answered again that it was fair. At last there grew such foul words between them, and their bloods were so heated, that they presently stabbed the one and the other with their daggers. And so fell down dead. The scepter of the Scottish regalia is surmounted by a crystal globe, two inches and a quarter in diameter, and the mace by a large crystal barrel. In former times these stones were regarded as amulets, and their use was traced back to the druids. Sir Walter Scott tells us that in his time they were still known among the Scottish Highlanders as stones of power. The testimony of John of Salisbury, 1120 to 1180, shows that in the 12th century, in England, divination by means of the arts of the speculare, was often practiced. The Prelate writes that when a boy, he himself and a companion a few years older, received instruction from a priest who was addicted to the use of these magic arts, this priest used to polish the fingernails of the boys with a consecrated oil or ointment, and then direct them to look upon the polished surface until some figure or form should appear. Sometimes the smooth, polished surface of a basin was used. John of Salisbury regarded it as a mark of divine favor that he himself saw nothing upon the smooth and lustrous surface, but he states that his companion observed certain vague and shadowy forms. Certain names pronounced by the priest on these occasions terrified the boy, for he believed them to be the names of evil spirits. Indeed, such was his reluctance to participate in the unholy rites that his presence was believed to interfere with the production of the phenomena. In another part of his holocraticus, John of Salisbury states that the speculare claimed that their gift of seeing visions on polished surfaces was never used to injure anyone, but was often used in the detection of theft and encounter acting magic spells. Under the comprehensive chapter heading, How to Conjure the Crystal so that all things may be seen in it, Paracelsus 1493 to 1541, declares that to conjure means nothing more than to observe anything rightly, to learn and to understand what it is. The crystal was of the nature of the air, and hence all things movable and immovable that could be seen in the air could also be seen in the crystal or speculum Paracelsus showed keen insight, and his conclusions are excellent. One might add, however, that it is a fact that these are images condensed in the double convex lens, for me as it were, an internal crystal sphere. These images are reversed, distorted and twisted, and when they become visible to one who is expecting strange things, they form mental impressions which it is often very difficult to erase. Many crystal yeasers are frequently highly wrought, nervous and susceptible, and other influences uniting with the impressions it produced may give the brain for a time the power to evolve kaleidoscopic effects. Directions for the use of an Erdenspiegel, or Earth Mirror, are given in an old German manuscript written in 1658 by a Capuchin priest. The mirror is to be set about two inches above a board, and the questions to be answered are to be placed beneath it. The scrier is recommended to place three grains of salt upon his tongue, whereupon he is to repeat a prayer and cross himself. He now takes the mirror in his hand and breathes upon it three times, repeating the words in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. These preliminaries having been accomplished, the following prayer, or rather invocation, is repeated, O Thou, Holy Archangel, in, in. I pray to thee most fervently through the great and unsearchable name of the Lord of all lords, and King of all kings, Haud, Hie, Vau, Hie, Tetragrammaton, Adonai, Shaddai. Receive my greeting and give ear to the humble petition which I offer in the name of the great and highest God, Elohim Zebelov, and Thou shalt appear to me in the world mirror. And give me knowledge and instruction in answer to my questions. The strong religious tone of these directions for the use of the mirror and the fact that it is a priest who gives them shows that there was a disposition to tolerate the employment of such white magic. End of chapter 6, part 1. Chapter 6, part 2. The Curious Lore of Precious Stones. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Rita Boutros. The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by George Frederick Cunn's chapter 6, part 2. In medieval times, it was believed that the vision in the crystal was produced through the agency of an indwelling spirit. And therefore it was necessary to use some very potent spell to force the spirit to enter the stone. Many of these ancient spells have been preserved, and they contain a strange and incongruous mixture of religious and magical formulas. In one of these, dating from the end of the 15th century, after a recitation of a long and rambling conjuration, we read, And in ask ye, child, if ye seeeth anything, and if no, let the minister begin his conjuration again. As usual, the scrying was done by a child, the conjuration being spoken by the minister. An important part of the conjuration consisted in the repetition of a number of divine names, most of them originally Hebrew, but so much corrupted by reciters who did not know their meaning, that it is now exceedingly difficult to interpret them correctly. A proof that this form of magic was often regarded as quite compatible with religion is offered us in a passage from a 16th century manuscript where we read that the crystal should be laid on the altar, on the side that the gospel is read on, and let the priest say a mass on the same side. If the conjuration is successful, the same manuscript tells us that these angels being once appeared will not depart with glass or stone until the sun be set, except you license them. It also seems that scrying was looked upon as a special gift, only granted to a favored view as a peculiar privilege, and we read that prayer and a good belief prevailed much. For faith is the key to this and all other works, and without it nothing can be affected. The child's scryer, either maid or boy, should not be more than 12 years old. That a certain religious spirit, however mistaken, often animated the crystal gazers of the 16th century is shown in the case of the speculator of John A. Windor, who confessed that when he led an impure life, the demons would not appear to him in his glass. He would then proceed to fumigate the apartment, as though believing that the very air was contaminated by the sins of the operator. We may hope that the seer was not content with this, but also tried to reform his evil ways. Another scryer, a woman named Sarah Skelhorn, declared that the spirits that appeared to her in the glass would often follow her about the house from room to room, so that she at last became weary of their presence. Both of these scryers had regular employment, for it was quite customary for a gentleman to have a household seer, just as he would have a body physician if he could afford it. A 16th century work on magic, the Hollenswang of Dr. Faustus, whose name has been immortalized for all ages by Gerda, gives very particular and detailed directions for the preparation and consecration of a crystal, whether glass or quartz. Faust asks his Mephistopheles whether such crystals can be made, and the spirit replies, yes indeed, my Faust, and directs Faust to go on a Tuesday to a glassmaker and get the latter to form a glass. It was requisite that this work should be done in the hour of Mars, that is, in the 1st, 8th, 15th, or 22nd hour of Tuesday. The crystal, when completed, must not be accepted as a gift, but a price must be paid for it. When the object had been secured, Mephistopheles directs that it be buried in a grave, where it must be left for the space of three weeks. It was then to be unearthed. If a woman purchased it, she must bury it in a woman's grave. However, these preliminaries only served to prepare the crystal for the final consecration, as the mere material mass was regarded as inert and possessing no virtue, until certain spirits were summoned to dwell within it. Mephistopheles confesses that he alone would not be powerful enough, and he directs Faust to call upon the spirits Azeruel and Adadiel also. Faust is assured that the three spirits will show him in the crystal whatever he may wish to know. If anything has been stolen, the thief will appear. If anyone is suffering from disease, the character of his melody will be revealed, etc. Another way of preparing a crystal glass or mirror is given in the same work. After the glass has been bought, it is to be immersed in baptismal water in which a firstborn male child has been baptized, and therein it is to remain for three weeks. The water is then to be poured out over a grave, and the sixth chapter of the Revelation of St. John is to be read. Hereupon the following conjuration should be pronounced. O crystal, thou art a pure and tender virgin, Thou standest at one of the gates of heaven, that nothing may be hidden from thee. Thou standest under a cloud of heaven, that nothing may be hidden from thee. Whether in fields or meadows, whether master or servant, whether wife or maid, let this be said to thee in the name of God as a plea for thy help. The visions seen in crystal gazing were often supposed to be the work of evil spirits, seeking to seduce the souls of men by offering the promise of riches, or by according them an unlawful glimpse into the future. Here, as in other magical operations, there was both white and black magic recourse being had in some cases to good and in others to evil spirits. As an illustration of the latter practice, a 16th century writer relates that in the city of Nuremberg, sometime during the year 1530, a demon showed to a priest in a crystal the vision of a buried treasure. Believing in the truth of this vision, the priest went to the spot indicated where he found an excavation in the form of a cavern in the depth of which he could see a chest and a black dog lying alongside it. Eagerly, the priest entered the cavern, hoping to possess himself of the treasure but the top of the excavation caved in and he was crushed to death. The famous charlatan, Dr. D., who was for a time a prominent figure at the court of Emperor Rudolf II, was highly favored by Queen Elizabeth. The queen visited him several times and even appears to have consulted him on political matters. In his diary, the doctor relates that the queen called at his house shortly after his wife's death, which took place March 16th, 1575. Of this visit, he gives the following details. The queen's majesty with her most honorable privy council and other the lords and nobility came purposely to have visited my library. But finding that my wife was within four hours before buried out of the house, her majesty refused to come in, but willed to fetch my glass so famous and to show unto her some of the properties of it, which I did. Her majesty being taken down from her horse by the Earl of Leicester, master of the horse, at the church wall of Mort Lake, did see some of the properties of that glass to her majesty's great contentment and delight. It was at Mort Lake on December 22nd, 1581 that Dr. D made his first essay with his crystal ball. The proceedings were conducted with a certain religious ceremonial and began with a pious invocation to the angel of the stone. This celestial being soon graciously deigned to manifest himself in the stone and, presumably by the voice of the scryer, answered the questions put by those present. There can be little doubt that D used more than one crystal in the course of his experiments that now in the British Museum is of cairn gorm or smoky quartz. This variety of quartz may have been chosen because of the scotch superstitions regarding its virtues, for, as a rule, charlatans seek to avail themselves of already existing superstitions in order to make their innovations more acceptable. To give assurance to those who consulted such crystals that no diabolical agency was involved in the production of the phenomena, it was customary that a child should be the crystal gazer. In Dr. D's experiments, however, it was usually the notorious Kelly, his am dame, who undertook this task of interpreting the crystal visions. The description given by D of a little girl who frequently acted as the intermediary of the higher powers suggests one of the fanciful creations of our great novelist Hawthorne. Her mystic name was Madini, and she is depicted as a pretty girl about eight years old and with long flowing hair. To make her appearance more conspicuous, she was attired in a silk dress with chateaune effects in red and green. At times during the séances, this gay little figure could be seen flitting about this study, rendered even more whimsical and strange from its contrast with the piles of dusty old books, the curiosities and the magical instruments collected there. This visionary maiden, Madini, of whom D relates so much in his diary, was apparently a child of fancy, a creation of Kelly's fertile brain. The diary is somewhat obscure in this particular and easily misunderstood, but there can be little doubt that where Madini is represented as speaking, it is Kelly's voice that transmits to D her revelations. One passage, often overlooked, gives evidence of this. Madini has appeared and is addressing her remarks to Kelly and to D by turns. Finally, D says, I know you see me often, and I see you only by faith and imagination. To this Madini quickly retorts, pointing to E.K. Kelly. That sight is perfecter than his. Evidently we must understand this to signify something that Kelly has told D for the latter's words show that he did not himself see the little fairy pointing to his friend. In many respects, little Madini may recall another spiritual maiden of whom we heard much a few years ago, the sprightly little Indian spirit bright eyes whose love for candy and jewelry was so very earthly. Not only the quality of the crystal had to be considered, but also its support and surroundings. Of this we have an interesting instance in the case of Dr. D's crystal. In one of his manuscripts is recorded the fact that on the 10th of March, 1582, Kelly saw in the crystal a representation of the form and arrangement of the table on which it should be set. Particular instructions on the matter were also directly imparted to the scrier by the angel Uriel. The table was to be square, measuring two cubits each way and two cubits in height, and it was to have four feet. The material was to be sweet wood and upon it was to be placed the Sigillum Day seal of God, impressed upon the purest, colorless wax, the disc being one and one-eighth inches thick and nine inches in diameter. It bore across and the magic letters A-G-L-A, a transliteration into Roman characters of the initials of the Hebrew words signifying, thou art great forever, O Lord. Four other and smaller seals were to be provided, one to be placed under each leg of the table, each of these seals being impressed with geometrical figures within or upon which were the seven sacred names of God and the names of the seven angels ruling the seven planetary heavens Zabothiel, Zedekiel, Mediniel, Semeliel, Sameshiel, Nogabiel, Korabiel, Kokabiel, and Levaniel, the angels respectively of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. Then there appeared to the scryer the figure of the table with the crystal resting upon it. Of this it is said, under the table did seem to be laid red silk to lie four square somewhat broader than the table, hanging down with four knobs or tassels at the four corners thereof. Upon the uppermost red silk did seem to be set the stone with the frame right over and upon the principal seal, saving that the said silk was between the one and the other. It therefore seems that the prejudice in favor of a black or at least a dark background for the crystal did not appeal to Dr. D, and indeed the effect of color may perhaps better serve to neutralize troublesome reflections than does black. The personages Kelly pretended to see in or around the magic crystal were described by him to Dr. D in the greatest detail, and this undoubtedly served to lend more reality and authority to their communications. As an illustration of Kelly's inventiveness in this matter, we may take his description of Nalvage, a spirit that first appeared while the doctor and his fabulous were in Krakow, April 10, 1584, and was subsequently a frequent visitor. The seer introduces his new control as follows. He hath a gown of white silk with a cape with three pendants with tassels on the end of them, all green. It is fur, white, and seamoth to shine with a wavering glittering. On his head is nothing, he hath no beard. His physiognomy is like the pictures of King Edward VI. His hair hangeth down a quarter of the length of the cap, somewhat curling yellow. He hath a rod or wand in his hand, almost as big as my little finger. It is of gold and divided into three equal parts, with a brighter gold than the rest. He standeth upon his round table of crystal, or rather, mother of pearl. When reading the words spoken by Kelly and so carefully preserved by Dr. D, we are reminded, aside from the archaic turn of speech, of the minute descriptions so glibly given by modern mediums. It is true that lately in America, the spirits of the former owners of the land of the blameless aborigines seem to have acquired a quasi-monopoly of the intercourse with the other world. Most of the early records of crystal gazing show conclusively enough that the images revealed in the stone were produced by the expectations, the hopes, or the fears of the gazer. In many cases indeed, the vision is only prophetic because it determines the future conduct of the person who consults the stone. Fully persuaded that what has been seen must come to pass, he or she proceeds more or less consciously to make it happen, to fulfill the prediction. As an instance of this, we may take from an old German book the tale of a love-lorn maiden who seeks the aid of an enchantress to learn whether she will marry her lover, upon whom her parents look with disfavor. The mystic crystal is brought out, wrapped in a yellow handkerchief, and is placed in a green bowl beneath which is spread a blue cloth. The reflections from these different colors being probably calculated to stimulate the optic nerve and favor the appearance of some picture upon the polished surface of the crystal. The young girl, in rapt attention, looks long and earnestly. At last she cries out that she sees her own form and that of her lover. Both look pale and sad, and they appear to be about to set forth upon a long and perilous journey. For the lover wears riding boots and carries a brace of pistols. The girl is so terrified at the sight that she feints away. The sequel of this vision is a runaway match, and we can easily understand that when the lover proposed this adventure, the girl believed that it was written in the Book of Fate and willingly agreed to undertake it. The great humorous poem Hugh de Brass, wherein all the foibles of the 17th century are castigated, does not fail to make mention of Dee and Kelly and their crystal, of the sorcerer whose aid Hugh de Brass seeks, we are told. He'd read these prefaces before, the devil and Euclid, or an or, and all the intrigues, Twix, Tim and Kelly, Laskus and the Emperor, would tell ye. Kelly did all his feats upon the devil's looking glass, a stone, were playing with him at Bo Peep. He solved all problems nare so deep. In his experiments in crystal gazing, Dr. Dee evidently used more than one crystal, and did not indeed confine the operations of his scryer or scryers to brilliant spheres. In the collection of Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill was a polished slab of black stone, obsidian, from Mexico. This came into the possession of Dr. Smith, Pigot, and later, 1853, into that of Lord Lundusborough. It is now in the collection of Prince Alexis Saltycoff. Horace Walpole wrote a label for the stone in which he says that it had long been owned by the Mordance, earls of Peterborough, and was described in the catalogue of their collection as the black stone into which Dr. Dee used to call his spirits. Later it was owned by John Campbell, Duke of Argyle, who gave it to Horace Walpole. Undoubtedly, any polished surface, whether flat or convex, might serve the purpose of the scryer almost equally well. The possible advantage of a convex or a spherical form consists in the multiplying of the reflections and light points so that the sight is induced to wander from point to point, and that forms and even motions are suggested by the superposition and combination of the various reflections. Often, too, a light point visible to one eye will not be so to the other, this sometimes provoking the phenomenon of binocular vision, which asserts itself for a moment or two when the diverse images coalesce again, though imperfectly giving an impression of movement. For one gifted with imagination and the natural quality of visualizing brain pictures, these shifting light points and the more or less definite and repeated reflections of surrounding objects offer abundant material out of which to construct lifelike pictures apparently seen in the crystal. That the brain pictures thus thrown out so to speak upon the crystal may or may not have a peculiar psychic value other than their value is mere phenomena. Depends upon the significance we are inclined to attribute to the processes of the subconscious intelligence, of its existence indeed there can be no doubt, and many of our best thinkers inclined to the belief that through it the narrow limits of our personality are occasionally transcended. Section 18, Chapter 6, Part 3, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Rita Butros. The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by George Frederick Kunz. Chapter 6, Part 3 The following history and description of a crystal ball is given by John Aubrey, 1626-1697. I have here set down the figure of a consecrated barrel, now in the possession of Sir Edward Harley, Knight of the Bath, which he keeps in his closet at Brampton, Brian, in Hefferture, amongst his similia, which I saw there. It came first from Norfolk. A minister had it there, and a call was to be made with it. Afterwards a miller had it, and he did work great cures with it, if curable, and in the barrel they did see either the receipt in writing or else the herb. To this minister the spirits or angels would appear openly, and because the miller, who was his familiar friend, one day happened to see them, he gave him the aforesaid barrel and call. By these angels the minister was forewarned of his death. This account I had from Mr. Ashmole. Afterwards this barrel came into somebody's hand in London, who did tell strange things by it, in so much that at last he was questioned for it, and it was taken away by authority. It was about 1645. This barrel is a perfect sphere, the diameter of it I guess to be something more than an inch. It is set in a ring or circle of silver resembling the meridian of a globe. The stem of it is about ten inches high, all guilt. At the four quarters of it are the names of four angels, Viz, Uriel, Raphael, Michael, Gabriel. On the top is a cross pati. In his Sadacismus Triomphatus, Joseph Glanville writes that one Compton of Summerceture, who practiced physics and pretends to strange matters, demonstrated his power to evoke the image of a distant person on the surface of a mirror. Glanville relates that Compton offered to show to a Mr. Hill anyone the latter wished to see. Hill had no great confidence in his talk, but replied that he desired to see his wife, who was many miles distant. Upon this Compton took up a looking glass that was in the room and setting it down again bid my friend look in it, which he did, and then, as he most solemnly and seriously professeth, he saw the exact image of his wife in that habit which she then wore and working at her needle in such a part of the room, then represented also in which and about which time she really was, as he found upon inquiry when he came home. The gentleman himself averred this to me, and he is a very sober, intelligent, incredible person. Compton had no knowledge of him before, and was an utter stranger to the person of his wife. He was, by all accounts, a very odd person. A contemporary record recites that when a certain Sir Marmaduke Langdale of the 17th century was in Italy, he went to a sorcerer and was shown in a glass his own figure kneeling before a crucifix. Though a Protestant at this time, he shortly after became a Catholic. If we exclude all idea of trickery, it is likely enough that the idea of becoming a Catholic was already present to the scryer's mind and called up this picture before him. The celebrated Cagliostro, a Sicilian whose real name was Giuseppe Balsamo, among his other arts to excite curiosity and play upon the superstition of his contemporaries, had recourse to a species of crystal gazing, and the only authentic biography of this extraordinary imposter occurs the following passage which we give in Carlisle's version. Cagliostro brought a little boy into the lodge, son of a nobleman there. He placed him on his knees before a table, whereon stood a bottle of pure water, and behind this some lighted candles. He made an exorcism round the boy, put his hand on his head, and both in this attitude addressed their prayers to God for the happy accomplishment of the work. Having bid the child look into the bottle, directly the child cried that he saw a garden. Knowing hereby that heaven assisted him, Cagliostro took courage and bade the child ask of God the grace to see the angel Michael. At first the child said, I see something white, I know not what it is. Then he began jumping, stamping like a possessed creature, and cried, There now I see a child like myself that seems to have something angelical. All the assembly and Cagliostro himself remained speechless with emotion, the child being a new exercised with the hand of the venerable on his head, and the customary prayer addressed to heaven. He looked into the bottle and said he saw his sister at that moment coming downstairs and embracing one of her brothers. That appeared impossible, the brother in question being then hundreds of miles off. However Cagliostro felt not disconcerted, said they might send to the country house where the sister was and see. Taken all in all, this experiment does not seem very satisfactory, but we have in it all the essential phases of crystal gazing. Excitement and expectation produce their usual effect upon an impressionable child, and suggestion did the rest. The final vision may have been corroborated in some way or if not it would be explained so as to convince those present at the experiment that the child had really seen a representation of some actual happening. During the terror among those upon whom fell the suspicions of the Jacobins was General Marlier. He knew that a trial and quite probably a condemnation awaited him. A few days before the date fixed for his appearance before the judges he met a colonel in the French army who had served in the American Revolutionary War and who was a firm believer in the truth of the visions seen in crystal balls. In the course of the conversation this subject was alluded to and the general immediately declared that he was eager to put the matter to the test and learn if possible what fate was in store for him. The colonel was at first very unwilling to undertake the experiment. Probably he thought that General Marlier's doom was sealed and, believing as he did in the revelations of the crystal, he dreaded the results. However the general insisted and the experiment took place. As usual the medium was an innocent child. In the crystal appeared a man wearing a private's uniform of the National Guard struggling with one wearing a general's uniform. The child was much excited and terrified by the sight, exclaiming that the general's assailant had thrown him down and was beheading him. That the vision portended the general's execution was clear enough but the peculiar dress of the executioner was a mystery to those present at the test for the official garb bore no resemblance whatever to a soldier's uniform. The prediction was however fulfilled to the letter. General Marlier was tried, found guilty and guillotined. This in itself did not mean much in view of the innumerable executions in the time of the terror but on the day of this execution Samson the official executioner designed to gratify his personal vanity and to attract the gaze of the spectators dressed himself in the uniform of a National Guardsman. That this altogether unusual circumstance which could scarcely have been known to any of those who assisted at the crystal gazing should have been revealed in the crystal is certainly very mysterious. If we had positive assurance that the events narrated happened exactly in the way they are said to have happened this would be one of the few instances in which the vision seen in the crystal reproduced something entirely unknown to the scryer. Many extraordinary visions are said to have been seen in crystal balls by a French scryer whose grandmother had clairvoyant powers and was sometimes consulted by Napoleon I. It is claimed that the grandson has enjoyed the patronage of many royal personages and had predicted in a more or less definite way the assassination of King Humbert of Italy and the attempted assassination of Alfonso the Eighth and of his young bride when they were returning to the palace after the conclusion of the marriage ceremony. This French scryer has stated that he is powerfully affected when he is consulted by anyone destined to die a violent death. On such occasions he feels in his own organism a modified form of the particular kind of suffering they are fated to experience. This exceptional sensitiveness to occult influences was also shown when the crystal gazer went to the Bulac Museum in Cairo and gazed upon the rows of mummies exhibited there. He immediately felt as intensely as though it were a personal experience the mingled sorrow and rage of the disembodied spirits at seeing their embalmed bodies exposed to the view of the idle crowd when they should have been permitted to rest in their tombs until the hour of the resurrection. In England all those who attempted with a greater or less degree of success to reveal the hidden secrets of the future were expressly designated as rogues and vagabonds according to the terms of an act past June 21st 1824. Such offenders on being duly convicted before the justice of the peace could be committed to the House of Correction there to be kept at hard labor for any time not exceeding three calendar months. This class of undesirable citizens comprised all using any subtle craft means or device by palmistry or otherwise for the deception of his majesty's subjects. The Hemen or diviner of Yucatan places great reliance upon his zestune or clear stone. This may be a quartz crystal or else some other translucent stone but in order to serve for divining purposes it must be sanctified according to special rites gum copal being burned before it and certain magic formulas recited which have been transmitted from generation to generation in an archaic dialect. When thus rendered fit for use the diviner claims to be able to see in the depths of the crystal the whereabouts of lost articles and also what absent persons are doing at the time he makes his observation. Not only this but the future is also laid bare before his eyes as these stones are supposed to possess such miraculous powers we need not be surprised that one of them should be found in almost every village in Yucatan. The Apache medicine men are also fully persuaded that crystals possess the virtue of inducing visions and they have used them for the purpose of finding lost property. To aid in the recovery of stolen ponies is one of the most important tasks of the Apache medicine man and to this end his crystal offers great assistance. Captain John G. Burke relates that he made a great friend of a medicine man named Naachi by giving him a large crystal of ventilated spar much superior to the crystal he had been in the habit of using for his visions that this was thoroughly satisfactory to the medicine man at least is shown by his statement to Captain Burke that by looking into his crystal he could see everything he wanted to see. Of the way this came about he did not attempt any explanation. The magic power supposed to dwell within rock crystal has been recognized in a peculiar way by some natives of New South Wales. They have the barbarous custom of knocking out one or more of the front teeth of their boys at the obligatory initiation ceremonies and on one occasion Dr. Howard was entrusted with the care of a number of these teeth which are believed to preserve a certain undefined connection with the health and fortunes of their former possessors and on this account great fear was expressed lest the custodian should place the precious teeth in the same bag with some rock crystals for the natives thought that the magic power of these crystals would injuriously affect the teeth and threw them the boys from whose jaws they had been broken. In a paper entitled The Origin of Jewelry read before the British Association Professor W Ridley says Australians and tribes of New Guinea use crystals for rain making although they cannot bore them and this stone is a powerful amulet in Uganda when fastened into leather sorcerers in Africa carry a small bag of pebbles as an important part of their equipment so it was in Greece. The crystal was used to light the sacrificial fire and was so employed in the church down to the 15th century. Egyptians used it largely under the 12th dynasty piercing it along its axis after rubbing off the pyramid points of the crystal sometimes leaving the natural six sides or else grinding it into a complete cylinder from this bead came the artificial cylindrical glass beads made later by the Egyptians. Professor Ridley believes that the primary use of all these objects was because of their supposed magic powers he holds the same view in regard to cylinders and rings considering that the use of these as signets only became habitual at a later time and he finds a proof of this theory in the fact that unengraved Babylonian cylinders and Mycenae gems have been discovered. This is of course perfectly true but does not in the least prove that such ornaments may not have been originally worn simply for purposes of adornment. Unquestionably the custom of engraving them so as to render them signets must have arisen at a much later date. Flakort stated that the natives of Madagascar used crystals to aid them in divining. These stones which were said to have fallen from heaven were attached to the corners of the boards whereon the sorcerers produced their geomantic figures. Here however the crystals were not directly used but were only supposed to attract influences propitious to the diviner's efforts. In the notes to the 1888 edition of the Chinese Criminal Code some curious details are given of a practice called Wang Quang Fuchu the magic of the round glittering. While this designation certainly seems to indicate the use of a polished sphere of some description the details given refer to a different practice. We are told that when anything was stolen appeal was sometimes made to a certain Sun Wan Sheng who would then hang up a piece of white paper and utter a spell while a boy gazed upon the paper until he saw the figure of the thief. This magician was punished for carrying on an unlawful practice. The Mexicans made images of their god Tezcatlipoca of Obsidian and the name of this divinity is interpreted as signifying shining mirror. This is supposed to refer to or to have been expressed by the brilliant effect of the polished surface of the Obsidian. Mirrors of this material are said to have been used for divination in ancient Mexico and the neighboring countries. One of these Mexican mirrors seems to have been employed by Dr. D. in his experiments in Crystal Vision. A remarkable series of tests in the art of scrying given in the presence of Lane the great Arabic scholar and translator of the Arabian Nights illustrates the fallibility of most of the evidence adduced in such matters for at first Lane was strongly impressed by the exhibition. Although no crystal was used the process of scrying was precisely the same as in crystal gazing that is to say the vision called for by the visitors was seen by the scryer on a polished surface. The master of ceremonies was an Arab magician though of course he did not do the scrying himself but employed a boy for this purpose for it is generally thought that half grown boys or girls are more receptive. Although Lane himself was perfectly familiar with Arabic an interpreter was always present in the interest of the other Europeans who assisted at the experiments. After invoking many mysterious geniuses and burning incense and scraps of paper inscribed with magic formulas the magician drew a magic square on a large sheet of paper and dropped a quantity of ink in the center. On this the boy was directed to fix his gaze and after he had shown that he was thoroughly under the magician's influence by describing the images suggested to him the visitors were permitted to ask him questions. The answers were successful in most cases a single instance will suffice when the boy was asked to describe Admiral Nelson he replied I see a man clothed in a dark garb there was something strange about him he has but one arm then quickly correcting himself he added no I was mistaken he has one of those arms across the breast this correction impressed those present more than the first statement for it was well known that Nelson usually had the empty sleeve of his coat pinned to his breast it also seemed as though there could be no collusion for both the magician and the boy were ignorant of everything English and evidently knew nothing of Nelson unfortunately however for those who would fain believe that there is something supernatural and scrying it was later discovered that the interpreter was a renegade Scotchman masquerading as an Arab and there can be little doubt that he managed to suggest the boy's answer the fact that no satisfactory results were obtained when this interpreter was absent makes this explanation almost certainly the correct one end of chapter six part three chapter six part four the curious lore of precious stones this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Rita Boutros the curious lore of precious stones by George Frederick Cunn's chapter six part four the Armenians sometimes practice divination by watching the images that appeared or were supposed to appear on the smooth surface of the waters of a well and the person who saw such images was called Harniag he who looks into a well an Arab woman living in the neighborhood of Constantinople enjoyed a great reputation for her power in this respect and was frequently consulted by Armenians and by other dwellers in the Turkish capital whoever wished to question this woman regarding the cause of an illness the whereabouts of stolen objects etc usually took along a child of the household and the actual scrying was generally performed by this child who would describe or identify the forms it saw on the water's surface if however for one reason or another no child was brought the witch herself did the scrying in regard to illness a distinction was made between natural maladies and those directly caused by some spirit should the spirit Perry supposed to cause the dire malady known as dress ev a kind of consumption be seen to glide over the surface of the water the sorceress would find it necessary to invoke the whole race of Perry's to come to the aid of the patient who was expected to pay more than the usual fee for this very special service the Perry's of Armenian legend were sometimes good and sometimes evil spirits in the former case these were supposed to perform the functions of guardian angels and every one was said to have a Perry especially delegated to watch over him this found expression in the fact that when one Armenian felt at first sight an instinctive sympathy for another he would say my Perry loves you dearly in the contrary case the feeling of antipathy was also attributed to the attitude assumed by the guardian spirit toward the new acquaintance these spirits were therefore supposed to encourage or discourage greater intimacy with newcomers in accord with the true interests of those over whom they watched the power to see images in a crystal does not appear to depend to any great extent upon a morbid nervous condition of the seer for many of the most successful experimenters have been of good and even of exceptionally vigorous physique indeed illness seems to diminish or destroy this power at least in the case of those who are habitually healthy this does not imply that some highly nervous or even hysterical individuals have not been favored with crystal visions very probably the rule here is the same as in ordinary hypnotism those persons who have a strong will and sound nerves are able to hypnotize themselves while those whose nerves are disordered are subject to the hypnotic influence of others a well-known lady in new york city in conversation with the writer a few years ago on the subject of crystal balls was advised by him to try a ball herself and see what results she obtained at the end of two years she found that by concentration she had been able to better her understanding of herself and this effect is not only obtainable now by means of a crystal ball but by fixing her gaze upon any bright object this visual fixation has centered her whole being in such a way that her health has notably improved what are the laws that govern the production of these phenomena that the visions are real enough has been proven time and again but it seems almost certain that they do not offer anything but the ideas or expressions existing in the minds or optic nerves of the gazers one of the most painstaking students of the subject miss goodrich freer gives many instances in proof of this which show how easy it would be for a less critical observer to suppose that the crystal revealed something unknown to the gazer on one occasion this lady was at a loss to remember the correct address of a friend whose letter received a few days before she had torn up she resorted to her crystal and after a few minutes saw in it in gray letters on a white ground the address she had forgotten she mailed her answer to this address and the reply came duly to hand with the address stamped in gray upon the white paper of the note which was identical with that she had first received the visual impression had been stirred up and externalized itself when she gazed upon the crystal we believe that this explains the larger number of such visions and that the rest are only inexplicable because the scryer has forgotten the source of the impression that is projected on the surface of the crystal it is true that both miss goodrich freer and many other crystal gazers note instances in which the vision appears to represent something the scryer does not and cannot know however even in these cases when carefully examined there is little difficulty in finding an explanation coincidence accounts for much and imagination for more since it is not the vision itself but the memory of the vision that is later brought into comparison with actual facts we all know how exceedingly hard it is to repeat after a short lapse of time all the circumstances and details of any occurrence there is a natural growth and modification of mental impressions due to association of ideas and where there exists the least wish to make the prophecy accord with the event or the vision with the coincidence happening this growth and modification will be in the direction of agreement this takes place quite unconsciously and the informant will be fully persuaded that all the circumstances are related exactly as they occurred the attempt to identify either persons or scenes observed by the scryer with real persons and real scenes unknown to him must always be open to the objection that the one who makes the identification has no photographic impression upon which to base his judgment but merely the words of the scryer when we remember what mistakes have been made in identifying individuals from photographs we can easily appreciate the great chances of error entailed by the use of a verbal description of a visionary experience even when the person giving the description is both willing and able to make it as exact and adequate as possible a very impartial witness andrew lang states that in the course of a series of experiments he made in crystal gazing he saw nothing himself but found that a surprisingly large proportion of those who tried were successful in seeing pictures of some sort on the polished surface almost invariably when the gazer fixed his eyes upon the sphere it appeared to grow milky hewed and then became black upon this dark background the pictures showed themselves one of the scryers a lady said that as a child she had seen pictures in ink that she had spilled for the purpose this method has been much favored by orientals while lang does not quite venture to assert that all the visions reported to him were genuine ones he inclines to the belief that this was the case with many of them experience has shown however that not all of those who see pictures in or on a glass or crystal sphere can also see them in ink nevertheless in view of the fact that the crystal sphere is said to appear black to the eye before the pictures are seen it would seem that some naturally black surface would be particularly adapted for the purpose an interesting point regarding the phenomena of crystal gazing is the effect produced by magnification upon the images seen or on the crystal ball as to this matter there is considerable difference of opinion for while some experimenters assert that the interposition of a magnifying glass and largest the image others have not remarked any difference in its size under these conditions indeed one of the most critical witnesses mrs. a w veral declares that her vision entirely disappeared when she held a magnifying glass before her eyes on the other hand we have the case of a subject who had been told while in the hypnotic state that he would see a play bill on the crystal when he was awakened and the crystal ball was placed before him he said that he could see only detached letters but when he looked through a magnifying glass he saw all the letters distinctly and read the name of the play in perfect accord with the suggestion this image may have been reflected from some part of the room where the gazer had not noticed it and may have been either before or behind the operator the magnifying glass would naturally make the small condensed letters legible as a play bill would be many times larger than a crystal ball and its minute image naturally too small to read being reduced by the circular surface usually however the image is not on the surface of the crystal but in the beholder's eye therefore when this image appears more clearly under magnification the result is due to the expectation of the gazer based upon his experience of an invariable rule this acts as a stimulus upon the visual function which must be in an exceedingly sensitive state to produce visions at all when however no result or a negative result follows the use of the glass then we can safely assume that the gazer was naturally of a critical turn of mind and was disposed to distrust sensual impressions hence the glass became a disturbing influence interfering with or even completely obliterating the eye picture many attempts have been made to establish distinctions between the different materials used for crystals proceeding on the theory that subtle emanations from them affected the gazer and played an important part in producing the desired vision that the barrel produced a greater number of these visions than any other mineral was the old belief which is still upheld in some quarters today one scryer indeed asserts that his clearest and most satisfactory visions were seen in a cube of blue barrel the beautiful color appearing to dispose the soul to a harmonious unfolding of its latent aptitudes among the instructions given to a would be crystal gazer the question of a proper and wholesome diet is not overlooked as anything which tends to disturb the serenity of the organism will also interfere with the due exercise of the special clairvoyant faculty that expresses itself in crystal visions a curious special recommendation made by one of the exponents of the art is that good results can be had by drinking an infusion of mugwort artemisia vulgaris or of chicory sycorium into bus because of their tonic and anti-bilius qualities moreover we are told that these herbs are under the influence of these zodiacal sign Libra the sign controlling the virtues of the barrel above all the portion of the lunar month when the moon is on the increase is said to be far the best season for scrying as the old astrologers recognized an affinity between the moon and rock crystal the claim is made that the adept at crystal gazing can determine by the apparent difference and proximity of the visions whether they refer to the present or to a more or less remote past or future that is to say are nearer or farther removed in time from the period when the vision appears the distinction between past and future is admitted to offer greater difficulty and a decision as to this point must depend upon a kind of intuitive and undefined impression on the part of the scryer those who have made a sympathetic study of crystal gazing recognize that the visions seen in or on the crystal differ according to the mental and psychic temperament of the scryer two broad distinctions are sometimes established the one class comprising those whose mental attitude is a positive one while the second class includes the passive subjects in the former case the crystal visions are more apt to be symbols denoting some past or future event than a clear picture of the event itself the mentality of the positive subject being perhaps too strong merely to mirror the image cast upon it instead of so doing it transforms the impression received from this image into some symbolic form this process is not however consciously done but the scryer of this type is supposed nevertheless to have an instinctive appreciation of the fact that what he sees is purely and simply a symbol and he proceeds to interpret this in accord with certain generally received rules or in accord with his own personal experience the passive subject on the other hand is more apt to see a clear and definite picture of the persons or events revealed to him sometimes that picture is distinctly perceptible on or about the surface of the crystal while at other times the visual perception will be rather indefinite and clouded although accompanied by a strong mental impression in itself equivalent to that which would have been induced by an actual and objective vision the proper use of the crystal is the prime factor in the art of scrying and great attention is paid to this point by all those who treat seriously of the subject among other things they recognize that freedom from pain or even from a sense of physical discomfort is quite essential for the mind must assume a purely passive and receptive attitude and not be forced to take cognizance of bodily discomfort moreover the nervous system must be in repose for which reason a reasonable time should be allowed to lapse after taking a meal before trying for crystal visions and author on psychomancy affirms that fixing the gaze upon a crystal ball is one of the very best means of bringing out the latent faculty of astral vision and he finds a reason for this in the atomic structure the molecular arrangement of the material he does not however impart any definite information as to what special structural characteristics render glass or rock crystal particularly efficient in this direction the help that may be derived from crystal gazing by those who are striving to pierce the veil that separates the real life about us from that spiritual life which is so much more real for those who believe in it is also admitted by many we cannot refrain from citing here the words spoken by Sir Oliver Lodge at Birmingham September 10th 1913 before the British Association for the Advancement of Science affirming his conviction as a result of scientific investigation of occult phenomena that memory and affection are not limited to that association with matter by which alone they can manifest themselves here and now and that personality persists beyond bodily death one of the latest types of glass balls for crystal gazing has a small circular flat surface on the sphere this may possibly be of service in furnishing a better field for the expected vision and may also lessen the troublesome and baffling reflections which interfere so seriously with the projection of the mental picture a method that has been recommended to crystal gazers is to place the crystal on a table protected from the reflections of surrounding objects by means of a velvet screen and set seven candlesticks with wax tapers in front of the screen the tapers are then to be lighted the room being otherwise in perfect darkness and the would be scryer is to seat himself comfortably before the table laying his hands flat upon it and to gaze fixedly upon the crystal for half an hour or longer the light from the tapers will certainly ensure a multitude of light points in the crystal that the molecules forming the sphere may always remain on report with the gazer he is advised to put it beneath his pillow when retiring to rest the crystal gazer is strongly advised by some to limit the duration of his experiment at first to five minutes during which he is to avoid thinking of anything in particular while keeping his eyes fixed intently upon the ball but without any undistraining of attention should the eyes water after the test is concluded this is to be regarded as an indication that the gazer has persisted too long for brain fag is to be strictly avoided as such a state depresses instead of arousing the hidden and higher psychic faculties even after considerable practice the scrying should not be carried on for more than a few minutes at a time the faculty of visualization plays a most important part in crystal gazing the image thought to be seen on before or behind the surface of the crystal is in its essence a fancied projection of a purely mental image conceived in the brain such an image as is present to the consciousness of many when they call to mind a scene of some vivid past experience or the face of someone they have known and see it as an element of consciousness when it is possible to externalize this interior vision then we have at least a beginning of successful scrying that it may go far beyond this that it may reveal to the gazer events happening in some distant place or even events yet to transpire in the dim future is often claimed and acceptance of this claim must depend largely upon our attitude towards premonitions and prophecies in general here as in the simple picture evolved by an image of the past the crystal is merely the background upon which our cast the mind pictures or soul pictures arising within our being a use of crystal gazing to aid literary composition has been reported in the case of an English author of note who if she lost the thread of the story she was writing would resort to her crystal and would see mirrored there in the scenes and personages of her tale the latter carrying on the plot in dramatic action aided by this suggestion she was able to resume her composition and successfully terminate her story end of chapter six part four chapter six part five of the curious lore of precious stones this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Rita Butros the curious lore of precious stones by George Frederick cunts chapter six part five on crystal balls and crystal gazing in Japan the smaller rock crystals were believed to be the congealed breath of the white dragon while the larger and more brilliant ones were said to be the saliva of the violet dragon as the dragon was emblematic of the highest powers of creation this indicates the esteem in which the substance was held by the Japanese who probably derived their appreciation of it from the Chinese the name Suishou used both in China and Japan to designate rock crystal reflects the idea current in ancient times and repeated even by 17th century writers that rock crystal was ice which had been so long congealed that it could not be liquefied for the Japanese rock crystal is the perfect jewel Tama it is at once a symbol of purity and of the infinity of space and also of patience and perseverance this latter significance probably originating from an observation of the patience and skill shown by the accurate and painstaking Japanese cutters and polishers of rock crystal a crystal ball one of the largest perfect spheres ever produced has been made from rock crystal of Madagascar it is a very perfect sphere and a faultless material the diameter is six and one eighth inches and the ball was held at about $20,000 many fine crystal balls are made in Japan the materials being found in large clear masses in the mountains on the islands of Nippon and Fusiyama and also in the granite rocks of central Japan it is stated however that much of the Japanese material really comes from China the Japanese methods of working rock crystals are extremely simple and depend more upon the skill and patience of the workers than upon the tools at their command our illustration taken from a sketch made by an oriental traveler shows the process of manufacturing crystal balls the rough mass of crystal is gradually rounded by careful chipping with a small steel hammer with the aid of this tool alone a perfect sphere is formed the Japanese workmen thoroughly understand the fracture of the mineral and note just when to apply chipping and when hammering the crystal having been reduced to a spherical form is handed to a grinder whose tools consist of cylindrical pieces of cast iron about a foot in length and full of perforations these cylinders are of different curvatures according to the size of the crystal to be ground powdered emery and garnet are used for the first polishing plenty of water is supplied during the process and the balls are kept constantly turning in order to secure a true spherical surface sometimes they are fixed on the end of a hollow tube and kept dexterously turning in the hand until smooth the final polishing is affected with crocus or rouge finely divided hematite giving a splendid lustrous surface as hand labor is exclusively used the manufacturer of crystal objects according to the Japanese methods is extremely laborious and slow in Germany and France and in the United States the fabrication of rock crystal is accomplished almost entirely by machinery the crystal to be shaped into a ball is placed against a semicircular groove worn in huge grindstones this is illustrated in the case of the method practiced in Oberstein Germany the workman has his feet firmly braced against a support and resting upon his chest presses the crystal against the revolving grindstone it is unnecessary to add that the practice is extremely unwholesome and develops early consumption among the workers a constant stream of water is kept flowing over the stone so that the crystal shall always be moist as the friction would otherwise hurt it and the subsequent addition of water would be liable to cause a fracture the final polishing is done on a wooden wheel with triple E or by means of a leather buffer with triple E or rouge there are three fine crystal balls in the collection of the american museum of natural history one apparently perfect measures five and a half inches in diameter and was cut from a crystal found in macaloon calaveras county california the second is six and a half inches in diameter and is from the same locality but not entirely perfect these were shown in the department of the tiffany collection prepared by the author and were exhibited at the paris exposition of 1900 as part of the j pier point morgan gift to the american museum of natural history another fine crystal ball is now to be seen in the american museum of natural history new york this was donated to the institution it measures four and eleven sixteenth inches in diameter is of wonderful purity and the cutting has been executed with such a high degree of precision that an ideally perfect sphere has been produced crystal balls have been found occasionally in tombs or in funerary urns and their presence in sepulchres may perhaps be considered to have been due to a belief that they possessed certain magic properties in the tomb of childeric circa 436 to 481 ad the father of clovis a rock crystal sphere was found which was for a time preserved in the bibliotec royale paris and later in the louvre museum it measures one and one half inches in diameter the chance discovery of a number of crystal balls is related to mount façade toward the end of the sixteenth century the cannons of san giovanni in latin rome wish to have some repairs made to a house they owned just outside of the city walls and sent thither some workmen with the order to break up or remove two large superimposed stones which were much in the way the workmen proceeded to break the upper stone but were much astonished to find embedded within it an alabaster funerary urn with its cover this had been hidden between the two stones a space for its reception having been hollowed out in the upper and lower stones so that it fitted within them opening the urn there were found inside mingled with the ashes 20 crystal balls a gold ring with a stone setting a needle an ivory comb and some bits of gold wire the presence of the needle was taken to indicate conclusively that the ashes were those of a woman the discovery of the tomb of childeric was made may 27 1653 by a deaf mason named adrian quinquin while he was excavating for the restoration of one of the dependencies of the church of sainte-brise de tournai one of the most interesting objects found in the tomb was the golden signet of childeric bearing his head and the legend childerici regis the earliest description is given in a work by chiflet entired anastasis childerici resurrection of childeric published by plantain of antwerp in 1655 the various ornaments were sent by the spanish governor general of the netherlands to the austrian treasury in vienna and were not long afterward in 1664 graciously donated by emperor leopold the first to king louis the 14th at the instance of johan philip of shanborn archbishop of mains who was under great obligation to the french sovereign in paris the various ornaments were preserved in the bibliotech royale until the night of november 5th to 6th 1831 when many of them with other valuables were stolen by an ex convict closely pursued by the police the thief threw his booty into the sen much of the plunder was subsequently recovered but the signet of childeric was lost forever the crystal ball had not seemed of sufficient value to tempt the thief and was left undisturbed it was later in 1852 deposited in the louvre museum in a personal communication to abbe coche made in 1858 by mr thomas right the latter stated that he had seen at downing in flincher with lord fielding five crystal balls bearing labels declaring that they came from the sepulchres of the kings of france violated at the time of the french revolution they had been purchased about 1810 at the sale of the duchess of portland's effects among the crystal balls found in french sepulchres may be noted one discovered by rigelot in 1853 at era and preserved in the museum of that city this still has the original gold mounting serving to attach it to the necklace from which it had been worn suspended another found at or near levain was in the possession of monsieur dengsois a notary of hennin letard department pas de calais in the bibliothèque at deep there is a crystal ball 32 millimeters in diameter found at duvran department sen inférieure in 1838 in a marrow vingian tomb this is pierced through the department of moselle supplied three discoveries of this kind crystal balls having been found in a tomb at saint pru la montagne sablan and mon vie nébrier the ladder measuring 36 millimeters in diameter the saxon tombs of england have also furnished a contingent of crystal balls for example at chatham at chastle down on the isle of white where four were discovered at breach down barram near canterbury at fairford gloss disher and also in kent we should also note a crystal ball found in a funerary urn at hinsbury hill north hamptonshire this as well as the one found at fairford was faceted from saint nicolas worst assure is reported a crystal ball one and a half inches in diameter in his hydrotaphia or urn burial published in 1658 sir thomas brown 1605 to 1682 author of the religio medici relates that there was at that time in the possession of cardinal farness an urn in which besides a number of antique engraved gems an ape of agate and an elephant of amber there had been found a crystal ball and six knots of crystal one of the largest and most perfect crystal balls is in the dresden groen gewald green vaults this weighs 15 german pounds and measures six and two third inches in diameter it was undoubtedly used for purposes of augury 10 000 was the price paid for it in 1780 a crystal ball known as the caramore crystal because it is kept at the seat of that name belonging to the marquis of waterford has long enjoyed and still enjoys the repute of possessing magical powers it is of rock crystal and the legend runs that one of the lepers bought it from the holy land where it had been given him by the great crusader god free debouillon 1058 to 1100 the ball is a trifle larger than an orange and a silver ring and circles it at the middle the chief and much prized virtue of this crystal is its power to cure cattle of any one of the many distempers to which they are subject its application for this purpose is rather peculiar for the cattle are not touched with it but driven up and down a stream in which it has been laid not only in the immediate neighborhood of caramore is resort had to this magic stone by the peasants but requests for its loan are often made from far distant parts of ireland the privilege is almost always accorded and has never been abused the crystal being in every case conscientiously returned to its rightful owner the names ghost crystals phantom crystals specter crystals shadow crystals etc are applied to a form of quartz in which the crystallization was interrupted from time to time so that in the transparent successive layers there is an occasional opaque layer often no thicker than the finest possible dusting of a wider material sometimes as many as 15 or 20 of these successive growths are observable one over the other when these crystals are in the natural form they show beautifully from the sides and ends sometimes such crystals are found after they have been rolled in the beds of mountain torrents until they have become entirely opaque but when the surfaces are polished the phantom specter or ghost appears with wonderful beauty occasionally the entire crystal has been worn down to a small part of the original prism in which case it is cut into a ball the ball may seem to be absolutely pure but when held in certain lights little tent like markings can often be observed sometimes only one marking is visible but there may be as many as 20 these are occasionally due to a layer of smoky material and though they add a charm to the ball they detract from its value nevertheless crystal gazers may find an additional interest when the ghostly or spectral interior exists in a crystal ball this growth is similar in kind to that seen at times in opaque quartz forming what is known as cap quartz here the crystallizations can frequently be broken apart so that they fit one over the other in many successive layers occasionally the regular crystalline development will be interrupted as it were and in place of the original crystal continuing its growth harmoniously a larger crystal will form on a smaller one forming a sort of mushroom or cap or stilt quartz as it is termed end of chapter six part five