Episode Details

Join host Ann Lund of Haunted and Waiting on the Eye Opener Society podcast for a chilling and thought-provoking deep dive into scrying — the ancient occult practice of gazing into dark reflective surfaces to access visions, messages, and sometimes disturbing imagery.

From black mirrors and obsidian stones to still water, candle flames, smoke, and crystal spheres, this episode explores how cultures across the world have used reflective surfaces as portals into altered states of perception.

Ann opens with a haunting personal account: a friend who stared into the black water beneath an oak-tree-shaded mountain lake and began seeing faces emerging from the darkness. Was it imagination — or something deeper?

🏺 Ancient Origins of Scrying

Long before modern paranormal investigation, priests and mystics practiced forms of divination through reflection:

• Mesopotamian rituals using bowls of oil and water

• Greek hydromancy in sacred springs and early psychomantia

• Celtic wells and darkened battle shields

• Medieval church opposition to reflective divination

A key historical figure discussed is John Dee, advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, who famously used an obsidian mirror for spiritual communication — a practice both influential and controversial in Renaissance England.

🧠 Science, Psychology & the Paranormal

Ann bridges ancient occult tradition with modern research, including the work of Raymond Moody, who recreated a “psychomanteum” chamber where participants reported vivid visions without hypnosis or suggestion.

This episode examines:

• Trance states and perceptual filtering

• The brain’s role in symbolic imagery

• Why staring into darkness alters consciousness

• Modern reports of faces appearing in phone screens, mirrors, windows, and skylights

• Whether scrying reveals hidden perception rather than creating fantasy

Is scrying paranormal… psychological… or both?

📖 Pop Culture & Fear

From medieval superstition to modern fiction, reflective divination has always carried mystery and danger. Ann references the palantír from The Lord of the Rings, demonstrating how scrying lore continues to influence storytelling and our collective imagination.

🎙 Key Takeaways

✔ How to safely begin scrying (tools & gentle methods)
✔ Why so many cultures report similar experiences
✔ What neuroscience says about trance and vision
✔ The risks and rewards of reflective divination
✔ Why scrying sits at the intersection of psychology, spirituality, and fear

Listeners are invited to share their own mirror visions, water-gazing experiences, and unexplained encounters. Visit Haunted and Waiting’s blog and social channels for transcripts, resources, and additional paranormal case studies.

 

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