The Crystal Ball

'I believe,' says Mr. Andrew Lang, in his introduction to Mr. Northcote W. Thomas's "History and Practice of Crystal Gazing", 'that some crystal gazers are, somehow, enabled to 'see' things which are actual, but of which - crystal gazing apart - they have, and can have, no knowledge.  I have no conjecture as to 'how it is done,' but, if it is done, it upsets some extant popular philosophies.'

All lands and all ages have their stories of crystal gazing, though the majority seem to be concerned more with personal visions of the past, the present, and the future than with the detection of crime, with which it is chiefly the purpose of this article to deal.

Of the usual class of crystal vision there are few more interesting examples than that recorded by the late Mr. F. W. H. Myers in the series of papers on the subliminal consciousness.  In this case, Sir Joseph Barnby was the chief witness.  He was attending a wedding at Longford Castle, having left Lady Barnby at Eastbourne.  Whilst he was there a lady known as Miss A... looked in her crystal and described what she saw - a bedroom, and a lady in the room drying her hands on a towel.

The lady who was seen in this vision was tall, dark, slightly foreign in appearance, with rather 'an air' about her.

'This described with such astonishing accuracy my wife and the room she was then occupying,' Sir Joseph wrote in his account of the case, 'that I was impelled to ask for particulars of the dress she was wearing.'

Looking again into the crystal, Miss A... saw that the dress was of serge, with a good deal of braid on the bodice and a strip of braid down one side of the skirt.

This description threw Sir Joseph off the scent, as his wife expressed regret, before he left for Longford, that she had not a serge dress with her.  His astonishment, therefore, was great, on returning to Eastbourne, to find her wearing a serge dress exactly answering to the description, and to learn that, as a surprise, having received it very much earlier than she expected from the costumer, she had arranged to meet him in it.  His wife also recalled the incident that was seen in the crystal, of washing her hands, 'Thinking I was late for meeting the train,' she said, 'I opened the door to call the maid to tell me the time as I washed my hands, standing at the washstand in a line with the door.  I do not suppose I have ever done such a thing at an hotel before.'

Sixteen months later Sir Joseph and Lady Barnby were at Prince's Hall, Piccadilly, when Lady Radnor and Miss A... entered the room.  During the greetings that followed Miss A... called Sir Joseph's attention to a standing figure saying, 'You will remember my seeing a lady in her bedroom while I was looking in my crystal? That is the lady I saw.'  Sir Joseph adds that this lady was his wife, and that Miss A... had never seen her before.

From: 'Crime and the Crystal - has crystal-gazing a scientific basis? by F. A. H. Eyles

A few years ago I was looking in my crystal when I noticed therein a young man beside a bonfire.  He seemed distressed and unable to make his way away from it. I could think of no connection at that time, so returned the crystal to its place on the shelf in my study.

Later that summer, my son went to a rock festival in Reading. The festival was set to last for two or three days, but on the last day we received an urgent telephone from him to say that he was unable to drive himself home and could we possibly come and fetch him? Naturally we did so, even though it was a long way away and a great inconvenience.

On arriving at the festival ground, we found that everyone had gone home, leaving him to fend for himself.  To this day I don't know why he was in the state he was in, but I do have my suspicions.  His father drove his car home for him and I drove our car home.  As he got into it, looking rather dazed and confused, I noticed an overpowering smell of bonfires emanating from his person and his clothes...

The Aurora Borealis

Just to look and wonder! We are so lucky to live on this beautiful planet.


Aurora Borealis timelapse HD - Tromsø 2010 from Tor Even Mathisen on Vimeo.

Home and Hearth

At this time of the year we are aware that we have entered the winter season.  The winds are blowing strongly and most of the leaves have fallen away from the trees, leaving them bare and lifeless looking. It is a time to close in, shut the curtains and stoke up the fire.

When I was small we had an open coal fire.  By now my mother would have the coal bunker filled with lumps of black shiny coal.  She bought what she could afford, sometimes a luxury brand of coal, sometimes coke and sometimes a mixture of both.  I used to watch her light the fire in the morning.  First she would rake out the ashes from the day before.  These would go into the garden.  Next she would put a layer of newspaper and small sticks in the grate and on top of that a layer of the coal.  She lit the newspaper with a small flare and that would light the wood.  The wood, once it got going, would set light to the coal and then the trick was to keep it going and not let it go out.  For that you needed a draft up the chimney.  That was provided by a large sheet of newspaper held against the fireplace space.  A fast draft was sent up the chimney, often accompanied by a loud roar, which I found very frightening.  

That usually did the trick and within half an hour the room was warmer.  Of course we had to keep the fire fed with coal all day but it provided a very comfortable warmth which I remember vividly to this day.

I always try to have some sort of small fire in the house on a cold night.  Even the humble candle can give out the effect of warmth - so important to our well being.

Samhain

It is a week nearly, after Halloween or Samhain as it used to be called.  At this time of the year we need to be on guard because forces from the other world are at large and liable to come and visit us.

It is the time of the Wild Hunt when the Sidhe are abroad, collecting up the souls of the dead to take back to the land of the dead.  There is not much to separate us from the other world at this time and we need to be on our guard and listen for the approach of thundering horses hooves and a loud trumpet call.

You might like to read about the Legend of Sleepy Hollow here. There are many interpretations of this time of misrule.

'Possibly the best known Wild Hunter is the Germanic god Odin and his Furious Host.  Usually lame, attended by horses and dogs, he runs through the night collecting the souls of the dead - specifically the dead that were evil-doers in life.  Sometimes, instead, Odin is thought to hunt a boar or a wild horse, or even a woman.  But Odin was far from the only leader of the hunt.  Depending on the country or region, King Arthur, Sir Francis Drake, Gwydion, and even demons were claimed as leaders of the hunt. - Diana Rajchel'

So if you feel you are not alone some dark night soon while you are out walking, it might be best to go indoors and shut your door and turn out your lights... 

The Blood Moon - 22nd October 2010

To the Cherokee, October is the Harvest Moon, as this is when people gather and preserve most of their food.  To the Choctaw, this is the Blackberry Moon.  In warmer regions, late-cropping berries ripen now and are often dried or preserved for winter use. The Dakota Sioux call this the Moon When Quilling and Beading is Done. These creative pursuits take many hours, so people favour them when less outdoor work can be done but enough daylight still remains to see fine details.

Elizabeth Barrette

We are moving fast toward the festival of Samhain and this harvest moon, so big and beautiful hanging in our skies tonight give just enough light for the last of the harvest to be brought in.  I have watched it for hours now as it travels across the sky, hiding behind clouds, then coming out again with a flourish of light.  I did notice a red glow around the moon tonight but it was not as red as the one in the picture.  The reddish colour is caused by dust particles and is truly beautiful at its best.

It is not only because of the colour that this late moon is called The Blood Moon.  It is also called that for it was a time for shedding the blood of animals which could not be fed during the long winter months.  They would be despatched and preserved to feed people during the winter-time.

This is a good time to start making crafty items for Halloween or Samhain as we call it. There is much to be done as we head into our New Year.

When I was learning Wicca, I started in the run up to Samhain.  To be a witch, it takes a year and a day. That is considered to be a good time span to be sure that you want to go further with your commitment and your studies. After one year and a day I had been through all the moons and all the Sabbats and I felt ready to go deeper.

Take some time tonight to look at the moon if you feel so inclined.  Draw down the energy that she provides for us so freely.