The Western Gate

Crystal Gazing
Northcote W.Thomas
With an Introduction by Andrew Lang
Nephilim Press

I first bought this book, the original print, happened to be on Ebay at the time with 5 minutes on the clock. What’s odd is that I had just ordered the reprint from Nephilim Press, but I could use one as a ‘working copy’ and the original to go into the cabinet of musty smelling antiquarian ‘beautiful things’.
The new Nephilim Book version is printed using ‘that’ shitty paper, the rough paper you’d get in the school exercise books labelled ‘rough work’ as opposed to your other exercise books with fine paper that you’d use your best writing on… until 5 pages later and slip back to the normal doctors illegible scribble.
There is a lengthy introduction from Mr Andrew Lang, (he that collected the stories that became 12 volumes of Fairy Books, and also the nursery Rhyme collection). To the naysayers, immediately we are presented with those who tread the path of folly. However, scrying, gazing and ruminations bought on by daydreams are a serious study. Egyptian Pharaohs would be consulted by priests who did little more than gaze into inky black pools, Queen Elizabeth employed John Dee likewise to peer into an Obsidian disc and consult with angels therein. If the upper echelons of society are in on the act, then we, the proles and runts and ruffians, surely should consider the merits of ‘remote viewing’.
The pre-World War books speak in languages where everything is scholarly, everything is presented as if the writer is addressing heavy moustached professors in a Royal Institute lecture theatre. There can be no ambiguity, its a serious subject worthy of attention and refrain from ridicule- OUT! the boy who points at naked kings and get behind thee Satan, let us dwell here in matters dark and glassy.

This fine volume (shitty paper aside) delivers the study of Crystal gazing admirably from ghastly tales of men driven mad after consulting the wispy occlusions within the crystal (A certain –Dove poisoned his wife shortly after a session… of course the inference is that crystal gazing was indeed the mitigating scoundrel), to studies of particular methods employed for raising, what ultimately and seemingly will be nothing more than (viz) wisps and obscure clouds.
It’s not, of course, an exact science, what are we seeing? images reflected from our dreamscape and projected onto a fixed reflective surface? Actual remote happenings that hitherto are unexplained?…Though post-Northcote (and this book) we could shoehorn theories about entanglement and quantum law into a fanciful theory.
Northcote gives us a practical expose of a session, the espying exposer being French, the story is thus duplicated verbatim in French, which is fine if you understand French. If not then, tough.
Examples are given of various objects used in the arte. Many being in gold or on pedestals of Ivory, ebony and materials far beyond the means of most of us common plebeians.
What can we garner from this science? With an empty mind and with a focus on merely to reveal, that which should be revealed, whether we gaze into a crystal ball, scrying disc or speculum ( Northcotes rather one- eyebrow raising term, speculum- To examine by widening an opening (!) ), whatever method we use something will arise. And in the main, it tends to be (viz) wispy clouds, wavy formations, and blurs that, with persistence and ignoring the boredom we are told will clear away to reveal wonder of wonders. It is doubtful winning lottery numbers will arise, or the final gallop of the winning horse at Cheltenham after all this would be manifestation of will, or magic…. hang on, for what purpose then, other than avenues of richly gain or espying a perhaps unfaithful partner does staring into a reflective surface serve? Why contemplation of course.
Where does creativity and genius arise? It cannot be the amalgamation of experience and the aggregation of all the knowledge we have acquired, as genius and creative sparks imply something that has never been seen or arisen before. That (Crystal vision manifestation) is bought on by a clear mind, not a full one. We observe what we haven’t thought of. This is why the weak of mind shouldn’t partake in the theatre of dreams and ritual, things arise that have not come from them, and when we are not in control, some will lose control. Others, observe without interaction or seeking to grab the revelation, just watch. The weak of mind, the mad, dance shoulder to shoulder in this arena with the genius whose sudden burst of inspiration came from out of ‘nowhere’. The genius cries eureka, the mad barks at the moon.
For those who struggle with meditation, and if so, then perhaps it is better to not whip the mind into wanting it to be still, but just to watch the mind as being a petulant child demanding it be heard, that it will hear, demanding interaction with the external. Just observe its nonsense. Failing this. Look outward instead of inward and cast your gaze into the pools, the crystals, the shiny surface and see what arises. Everything is practice, very few of us get the hole in one or can repeat a tune on the old Joanna (piano) after hearing a tune for the first time. Life, thank the Goddess, doesn’t happen like that, we endure that we evolve, we struggle to reach the fruit before evolution grants us longer necks. So practice.
I love Pre World War books, from the Victorian era and earlier, the writing style is fireside bliss to be read on a cosy night with a sip of brandy and a pipe bowl of finest tobacco. Because us Plebs, proles and runts are evolving and the fruit can only be that we inherit the Earth.
If you cant afford the original, or the Nephilim Press version (with the shitty paper) then there are many other options, print on demand ,Amazon, Abe books etc where you can pick it up cheap.
Its a craft which should be explored by every wayfarer, and don’t worry about buying expensive slabs of Onyx, polished Ebony, Jet or Obsidian, turn off your smartphone and use the facia to scry into, no-one will know, they’ll just think like every other soul on the planet your mind is being sucked into the abyss of misinformation and distraction that a mobile phone provides, indulging in what every one else indulges in.