Divination or fortune-telling performed by gazing into crystals, such as crystal balls; a mystical or esoteric practice rather than a scientific one.
From crystal combined with -mancy (from Greek manteia meaning 'divination' or 'prophecy'). This term emerged in English during the medieval and Renaissance periods to describe occult practices, showing how crystals' transparency and geometric perfection made them symbols of clarity and hidden knowledge.
Crystal gazing appears in virtually every human culture—from Navajo scrying stones to European crystal balls—because there's something psychologically magical about looking *through* a transparent object into depth and mystery, even if the science is just your own mind making patterns.
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