When you think about a crystal ball, what comes to mind? Perhaps some over-the-top portrayal of a gypsy with a gold cap foretelling the future as seen in the movies? While some imposter psychics may use a faux crystal ball as a cheap prop, the truth of the matter is that crystal balls have been used for thousands of years as a divination tool.

“Seeing” into the ball is known as scrying, which means a gifted psychic has the ability to see images in crystals and then interprets them to provide helpful information that can help one make an important life decision. This could be anything pertaining to matters of the heart, career, financial outlook — anything goes. When the scrying technique is used with crystals — including a crystal ball reading — this is what’s known as crystal gazing, or crystallomancy. Here’s a deeper overview of how this fascinating tool can aid a psychic into providing a crystal ball fortune reading.