Crystal ball & online shopping?

[Melisandre]

I'd like to buy a sphere for scrying purposes. Never tried this before and unsure of what I'm doing, or how to get started.

I have two questions really. One is whether selenite, which I'd really like to use as my scrying surface, is actually condusive to scrying. Do I have to use crystal or quartz or would selenite be okay?

My second question is about buying online. I've found some spheres for sale on ebay for good prices but I'm worried that they may not be what they appear to be. Would you buy online? If so, do you trust eBay? Or would you just stick to a trusted local vendor? I love my local metaphysical shop but my funds are limited lately and eBay would probably be the better deal.

Thanks for the help!

[janie144]

I am not sure about selenite for scrying, maybe somebody else will answer that for you, but just to add to your confusion have you considered a scrying mirror instead of a ball? I really fancy this one
but I need to save some money first, or drop some huge hints for christmas

As for buying from ebay, I know what you mean, if you are lucky you can get some really great prices but then you worry about the quality and authenticity of your purchase, I guess that is the nature of the beast.

[Yineth]

Originally Posted by Melisandre

I'd like to buy a sphere for scrying purposes. Never tried this before and unsure of what I'm doing, or how to get started.

I have two questions really. One is whether selenite, which I'd really like to use as my scrying surface, is actually condusive to scrying. Do I have to use crystal or quartz or would selenite be okay?

My second question is about buying online. I've found some spheres for sale on ebay for good prices but I'm worried that they may not be what they appear to be. Would you buy online? If so, do you trust eBay? Or would you just stick to a trusted local vendor? I love my local metaphysical shop but my funds are limited lately and eBay would probably be the better deal.

Thanks for the help!

Hey Melisandre,

I'm not too familiar on the part with Selenite, but I say if you have an affinity with the particular item you should use it. I believe when it comes to scrying though it requires a reflective surface overall. So make sure the orb you're planning to buy is nice and shiny?

Now buying online is the tricky, but fun part. I have a mild addiction for purchasing items on eBay (hehe) and I've usually been satisfied with what I've purchased. It might be better for you to maybe browse a little in the real world to get a better understanding of how an item may look, what size you're seeking, etc before making the final purchase.

Usually the sellers on eBay are very kind and are willing to answer any questions or concerns you have on the item you're looking at. Be sure to look at their reviews also and customer satisfaction. Worst-case scenario the items can always be returned back to the seller, but be aware of their return policies.

Hope this helps,
Yin

PS: I tend to try to find vendors who are in my country/area, a.k.a. US vendors. I like the China vendors, but the items tend to take FOREVER to arrive and just the conventional thought of Chinese products kind of slips in... ^^;;

[ThunderWolf]

I'm not much of a scrier, but I question the wisdom of a selenite sphere for that purpose. Selenite has a very high energy and may be too much. On the other hand it might just open you and aid in the scrying.

I heard somewhere (I think either this forum or someone on blogtalkradio) that someone had tried quartz with no luck but as soon as they tried obsidian they had great results.

I have numerous spheres (mostly varieties of obsidian) that I bought on ebay. I've always found it to be a wonderful way to get a good deal on them. There are just a few things you might want to consider when buying on ebay though.

•You will want to make sure the sphere you are looking at has enough different pictures at different angles that you are sure you want it.

•You will want to be sure you know what size it is. It's often listed in the auction (if it isn't, don't buy it), but living in the US where we use inches I often find it listed in centimeters. I use an online conversion calculator and get out a ruler to see exactly what size I'm looking at.

•Be sure to look at all the pertinent details regarding the sale as well. As was already mentioned, things such as a seller's feedback, postage rates, expected delivery dates, whether they do combined shipping if applicable. Don't let any detail of the sale go unnoticed.

•If you're kind of borderline on whether to go with that seller because of their feedback rating you may be able to get a better idea by looking through their individual feedback comments to find out what the negative feedback is about. Sometimes it's an issue that you may not be concerned about or even multiple negatives from the same buyer with an axe to grind against the seller. Sometimes you may find (especially if the seller has added their own comments) that the negative feedback is unwarranted. On the other hand you might find that this is a seller to stay away from.

[Melisandre]

Thanks for all your advice, it really helps.

Janie--I do have a scrying mirror, but for some reason scrying with a mirror scares me a bit (I don't know why, maybe it's just a misconception on my part?) so I've never used it.

[janie144]

Aw that's a shame that you are not getting the use of your mirror, in that case I hope you find a crystal ball that suits you, anyway regarding this bit

Originally Posted by Melisandre

Never tried this before and unsure of what I'm doing, or how to get started.

I have found a great post from Celticnoodle in which she gives loads of information, this might help you.

[celticnoodle]

Thanks Janie for putting my post up. I was about to come on here to let Melisandre know that you can indeed scry with ANYTHING!!! So, if you want to scry with the selenite-go for it!

People scry with everything, from crystals that they've purchased to a piece of broken glass to a bowl full of water! Some even use water and ice cubes. Even the backs of your eyelids will work--if you are comfortable with that. So, do get your selenite and try it, Melisandre and see how it works for you. If it doesn't work at first, don't give up--try, try again. It sometimes takes a few tries to get it working for you. Good luck to you and Enjoy!!! and, be sure to share your experiences with us all here. I love reading of others experiences in this.

[Melisandre]

Eeek!! Thanke Janie for the link to celticnoodle's post, which was very informative. And also thanks celticnoodle for your enthusiasm and support I have to say I'm a little nervous going into this but having the expertise, kind words, and support of others here on AT makes me feel like I can tackle it!

[shelikes2read]

As far as scrying goes, for me, the tool in question is something that is able to distract my physical eyes well enough that my non-physical sight can be brought to the forefront. With that in mind, I think that ANYTHING that serves this purpose well enough for the user in question is going to be the appropriate item to use.

Remember, there is a whole slew of non-crystal items that people use to scry on a regular basis, including lead crystal (man-made glass), a bowl of water, a mirror, a picture frame with a glass cover over black construction paper, a candle flame... I can go on. So scrying isn't about drawing energy from the tool. It's an ability that comes from within, not from outside and not directly from the tool.

You know what I learned to scry with? A small clear glass marble. I was in my early teens, I had almost no money, I was reading about scrying, and I wanted to try it. I couldn't even begin to afford a crystal ball (meaning lead crystal, never mind real quartz that would've cost even more at the time). So I started thinking about what else I could use in its place, and then I remembered that I had those marbles. So, because there was no one to tell me, "You can't do that! It won't work!", I went into the exercise PRESUMING that it would work... and it did. Problem solved.

So in my typical long-winded way , what I'm getting at is if Selenite is a stone that helps you bring forth your inner sight, then that's an apporpriate tool for you to work with.

I would hesitate to purchase anything that is both highly valuable and can be forged from anything but a trusted local vendor. I would also take a good look at the seller's reputation, to get an idea of their customers' satisfaction rating.

Also, take a look at the price on a given item, as well as the description. The old adage that "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is" applies here. A reasonably-priced bargain could be just that -- a legitimately good deal. But a RIDICULOUSLY good deal is something that you should really take a hard look at before clicking on that "purchase" button.

[tarotbear]

I'll have to post a pic of my scrying mirror that was made for me and gifted to me.

One thing you may want to do is go to your local vendor - with a ruler - and see what a 63.5 mm (2.5 inch) ball really looks like in your hand before you go out and buy one off ebay. Then check and see what general shipping costs should be - crystal balls are heavy, and it will depend on how the vendor wants to ship. When you read that a crystal ball is 60mm it sounds so large. Sometimes ebay shows the same picture over and over for all sizes and that can be deceptive, too.

Secondly - all the ebay advice is good - be sure you are buying a piece of crystal (which has lead in it) not buying a piece of colored glass. If it says 'rock crystal' I would be suspicious that the picture is a generic one and hope my actual ball looks as good. Read their feedback!