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Scrying

Witchcraft
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A divinatory practice of looking into a reflective or dark surface for visions. Common tools include mirrors, water, and crystal.

Detailed Definition
Scrying is the practice of gazing into a mirror, bowl of water, crystal, flame, or dark polished surface in hopes of receiving images or insight. Its poetic power lies in its uncertain vision: the observer may discover prophecy, memory, or only the mind’s own projections. A scrying scene can explore perception and self-knowledge, with the reflective surface becoming both a portal outward and a troubled mirror turned inward.
Example
Example in poetry:
A speaker practices scrying by looking into a bowl of dark water, allowing uncertain reflections to generate dreamlike imagery; A poem may use a mirror for scrying, with the speaker seeing not a prediction but a changing version of the self; The line "In the black glass, tomorrow trembled like a candle" shows how scrying can create vivid visual metaphor; A poet can contrast clear water with clouded water to suggest the limits of knowledge and the desire to see ahead
Additional Notes
Scrying is commonly linked with mirrors, bowls of water, polished stone, smoke, or crystal, though the central idea is sustained gazing rather than any single tool. Images seen in scrying may be interpreted symbolically. In poetry, it can represent self-examination, uncertain vision, reflection, imagination, or a threshold between surface and depth.
Also Known As
Skrying Crystal Gazing Crystal Reading Scry
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