In 1909, when the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck first appeared, its creator Arthur Edward Waite was already a seasoned scryer. He had published The Book of the Crystal three years earlier, teaching readers how to use a crystal ball, and his own “shewstone” sat on his writing desk. Waite saw no contradiction between the two methods. He used both, and he expected his readers to do the same.
Crystal balls and tarot cards are both tools of divination, but they work through different mechanisms: scrying relies on direct visual trance, while tarot uses symbolic interpretation. The choice between them depends on whether you prefer open-ended vision or structured narrative. Both are ancient, and both are still used today.
What is a crystal ball, and what is tarot?
Crystal ball scrying, also called crystallomancy, involves gazing into a polished sphere of quartz, beryl, or obsidian to induce a trance state. The practitioner looks past the surface of the glass until the sphere appears to cloud over, then to open inward. Images, symbols, or moving scenes appear in the depth of the ball, not on the surface. The reader does not “interpret” the ball the way one interprets a card. The ball shows what it shows.
Tarot reading uses a deck of 78 cards divided into the Major Arcana (22 cards) and the Minor Arcana (56 cards, four suits). Each card carries a fixed image and a set of meanings derived from its symbolism, numerology, and position in a spread. The reader shuffles the deck, lays out cards in a pattern, and derives meaning from the combination of cards, their positions, and the intuitive connections between them.
Both are forms of divination: receiving information from a source beyond the conscious mind. But the source is accessed differently. The crystal ball asks the reader to become a passive vessel. The tarot asks the reader to become an active interpreter.
Where do these methods come from?
The crystal ball has a hazy lineage. The earliest documented use of a polished sphere for divination appears in the Roman Empire, where scryers used bowls of water or oil. The term “crystal ball” itself dates to the Middle Ages, but the practice of scrying with a reflective surface is far older. The Old Testament mentions a “divining cup” used by Joseph (Genesis 44:5). The Druids of Celtic Britain were said to use crystal balls, though the evidence is thin and largely from 19th-century romantic accounts.
What we know for certain is that the English mathematician and alchemist John Dee used a “shewstone” (a polished sphere of obsidian) in the 1580s. Dee and his scryer Edward Kelley held sessions where Kelley claimed to see angels and spirits inside the stone. Dee recorded every session in his Spiritual Diaries, which survive today. The shewstone is now in the British Museum.
Tarot has a clearer paper trail. The earliest surviving tarot decks were hand-painted for the Visconti-Sforza family in Milan around 1440. They were used for a card game called trionfi (triumphs). The cards were not used for divination until the 18th century, when the French occultist Antoine Court de Gébelin published Le Monde Primitif (1781) claiming that tarot was a remnant of Egyptian wisdom. A few years later, Jean-Baptiste Alliette, writing under the pseudonym Etteilla, created the first dedicated tarot divination deck and system. The modern tarot we use today was shaped by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the late 19th century, and the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909) by Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith codified the imagery that most readers now recognize.
What the tools mean
The crystal ball is a symbol of clarity and hidden sight. Spheres have no beginning and no end, making them a natural emblem for the infinite, the subconscious, and the all-seeing eye. In many traditions, the ball is kept covered when not in use, to prevent it from absorbing stray energies. The act of uncovering it is a ritual of opening the door between worlds.
Tarot cards are a system of archetypes. Each card is a doorway into a specific human experience. The Fool, the Magician, the High Priestess, the Tower, the World: they form a story that repeats in every life. The symbolism is deliberately layered. The Rider-Waite-Smith deck, for example, uses Christian, alchemical, and astrological symbols in a single image. The reader’s job is to read those layers.
Both tools require the practitioner to enter a shifted state of awareness. But the crystal ball demands that the reader dissolve the ego. The tarot demands that the reader engage the ego.
How you actually use them
A crystal ball session typically takes place in a dim room. The ball sits on a black cloth or a stand. A single candle is placed behind or to the side of the ball, so the flame is reflected but not directly visible. The reader sits with the ball at eye level, about arm’s length away. The gaze is soft, not focused. The eyes might water. The surface of the ball may appear to fog or swirl. This is the moment when the scrying begins. The reader may see images, colors, or faces. Some see nothing at all and instead receive impressions or words. The session ends when the ball returns to its ordinary state.
Tarot begins with a question or a focus. The reader shuffles the deck, often while thinking of the querent (the person asking) or the question. The cards are cut or spread. A common spread is the Celtic Cross, ten cards arranged in a specific pattern. The reader then interprets each card in its position. The meaning of the card is weighed against the question, the surrounding cards, and the reader’s intuition. The reading is a conversation between the reader, the cards, and the querent.
Both practices require concentration and a quiet space. But the crystal ball is a solo endeavor most of the time. Tarot is often a dialogue.
Crystal ball vs tarot: which is which?
The two methods are often compared to different ways of seeing. The crystal ball is a window. The tarot is a map.
The window shows you what is there, but you have to look without knowing what you are looking for. The map shows you a symbolic territory, and you move through it step by step. Scrying tends to be more direct and less structured. Tarot tends to be more controlled and analytical.
In practice, many readers use both. A tarot reader might place a crystal ball on the table to “anchor” the energy of the reading. A scryer might use a tarot card as a focal point to trigger a vision. The two methods are not rivals. They are different tools for the same trade.
Notable figures who used both include Mouni Sadhu (author of The Tarot, 1962, and Concentration, 1963), who taught scrying alongside tarot, and Israel Regardie, a Golden Dawn member who wrote about both in his book The Golden Dawn (1937-1940). The Golden Dawn itself taught both methods as part of its curriculum.
What people get wrong about each
The most common misconception about the crystal ball is that only psychics can use it. In fact, scrying is a skill that can be learned. It requires patience, a relaxed mind, and the ability to let go of expectations. The visions are not always literal. The ball does not show the future like a television screen. It shows symbols that the reader must learn to read.
Another misconception is that the ball must be made of crystal. Traditional scrying spheres were made of beryl, obsidian, clear quartz, or even glass. Modern practice uses all of these. The material matters less than the polish and the reader’s relationship with the tool.
For tarot, the biggest misconception is that the cards are a game or that they predict the future with certainty. Tarot is a tool for insight, not for fortune-telling in the deterministic sense. The cards are ambiguous by design. A good reading is a conversation, not a prophecy.
Another misconception is that you must memorize the meanings of all 78 cards before you can read. Many readers learn a few cards at a time and use the images themselves as prompts. The meaning is in the interaction between the cards and the reader’s intuition.
FAQ
Can you use a crystal ball and tarot together? Yes. Many readers place a crystal ball on the table during a tarot reading to enhance concentration, or use a tarot card as a scrying focal point by staring at its image until it dissolves.
Which is easier for beginners? Tarot is generally easier to start with because the cards provide structure and a starting point for interpretation. Crystal ball scrying requires more patience and a willingness to work with ambiguity.
Do you need to be psychic to read tarot? No. Tarot relies on symbolism, intuition, and the ability to connect the cards to the querent’s situation. Psychic ability is not required, though it can amplify the reading.
Is a crystal ball the same as a scrying mirror? They are similar but not identical. A scrying mirror is a black reflective surface (often obsidian or painted glass) that provides a dark field for visions. A crystal ball is a sphere that refracts light and creates a three-dimensional space for images.
The tools are not the method
We have seen how crystal ball and tarot diverge in origin, practice, and symbolism. But they converge on a single point: both are invitations to step outside ordinary perception. The ball asks you to look without looking. The cards ask you to read without reading. The method matters less than the state of mind.
If you want to explore further, we have a full guide to divination tools that covers both methods in detail, including how to choose your first tarot deck and how to prepare a scrying space. The glossary entry for scrying goes deeper into the history of the practice. And if you are ready to learn the cards, our tarot reading guide walks through the meanings of each card and the most common spreads. Whether you choose crystal or cards, the practice is the same: you sit down, you quiet the mind, and you see what comes.