Shadow work helps you gain an intimate understanding of your inner self. It’s the process of exploring the dark, interior realm of your subconscious mind to shine a light on the parts of yourself that are hidden within the Shadow Realm.
 

Uncovering these hidden aspects of yourself is often easier said than done. But by engaging your intuition, you can connect with your subconscious mind. Using this crystal elixir recipe for shadow work will bring important messages and wisdom to the surface. Once there, your conscious mind can be made aware of them. It’s in these messages that we find the gifts that our Shadow side holds.

 

One of my favorite methods of retrieving Shadow wisdom is scrying divination.
Scrying is an ancient divinatory art that can be practiced with a number of mediums. From fire, to crystal balls, to clouds, to water and more. In my Crystal Shadow Work Master Class I teach my students how to uncover the hidden meaning of Shadow Work symbols. We do this through the art of crystallomancy (working with crystal balls - especially Obsidian Scrying balls). Today I’d like to share another method for revealing these important Shadow Realm messages... water basin scrying.

This method of divination involves scrying, or focused gazing, into a shallow dish of water. For this very sacred practice, it’s important to engage your intuition AND your subconscious mind. This will bring hidden messages and wisdom forward where they can be consciously absorbed and integrated for healing and balance. To help connect you with your intuition, we won’t be scrying with ordinary water - we’ll be using a special energy-infused blend.
To create your intuition-boosting scrying water, you’ll need:

A clear, glass bowl
About a cup of spring or distilled water (tap water will work in a pinch)
Your favorite intuition crystal (I recommend Labradorite or Black Obsidian). Just be sure it’s safe to put into water and won’t react, rust, or dissolve. Why not try one of the 5 Best Crystals for Shadow Work?
A Bay leaf (or another non-toxic, intuition-boosting herb of your choice)
A marker or pen
Something for cleansing (a bell, an herbal bundle, or even a Selenite wand)

 
Begin creating your Shadow Work scrying water by choosing a night to prepare it.
Consider the energy of the Moon Phase on that evening and what magical qualities it will bring to your water. NOTE: I highly recommend creating this Scrying Water during the upcoming Full Blue Moon on Samhain (October 31st!). This is when the veil is the thinnest and when you can more freely walk between the worlds of Shadow and Light.
In general, when it comes to Shadow Work:

New Moon: A great time to commit (or re-commit) to your Shadow Work Practice
Waxing Moon: A time when you’re drawing in what you seek from your Shadow Work
Full Moon: A time for heightened intuition
Waning Moon: A time for release and letting go of trauma or wounding that doesn’t serve you
Dark Moon: A time deeply connected to the subconscious and to the Shadow Realm

 
On your chosen evening, place your glass bowl on a tabletop near a window where it can be charged by the energy of the moon.
The bowl doesn’t have to be in direct moonlight for this to work. Just get it as near as possible to the window. You can even place the bowl outside if you’d like!

Pour the distilled or spring water into the glass bowl. Work with your cleansing items to remove any unwanted energy from the water, crystal, and herb. If you’re working with a bell or singing bowl, chime it a few times over the items. If you’re working with an herbal cleansing bundle, get it nice and smoky and use the smoke to cleanse everything. Or if you’re working with a Selenite wand,