It will work if you believe it will. The crystal ball has no power of its own, other than that which you give it.

But I like the suggestions that came with the ball. They all suggest treating the ball as a viewing glass of sorts, a symbol for peering into the divine. And because it is substantial (i.e. it has weight and smoothness and transparent qualities), it gives shape and clarity to abstract ideas.

in december 1999 i was in the same dilemma as you are now , for me it was about dowsing .

i had firmly decided to get proficient using a pendulum and earn a living with it .

i practiced daily , 20 minutes a day , for three weeks running .

in the end i was completely exasperated , it refused to move or show any sign of anything .

so i threw it aside and forgot about .

about four days later i got a mailing letter from bernadette goeury ( she is famous here in

france for having won the jackpot in the loto using a pendulum ) .

i bought her pendulum , her book , studied them carefully and eventually had some success.

now in 2011 , i consider i'm good at it and improving , i no longer use her pendulum ,

nor her methods , i have developed my own methods .

it's only recently that i realised that she had 'sold' me the most important starting key :

she had communicated to me BELIEF .

@Catherine I thought it would be easier to answer your question on this thread. Whether we are talking about a crystal ball or crystals; both are a form of divination. Like Eddie said, "the three answers are excellent."

You asked "Have you ever tried scrying? It sort of fascinates me but I gazed into a piece of black obsidian once and got freaked out."

http://www.inwardquest.com/questions/76299/do-you-feel-spacey#sthash.c0J6qfRV.dpuf

I enjoy scrying, water, mirror & crystal & I use candles when scrying. I think you are afraid & you are interpreting what you see from a fear based perspective because you don't really understand what scrying is. You can always surround yourself with white light & set an intention prior to gazing. I don't think there is anything to fear. Besides scrying being a divination tool, more than anything the practice of scrying awakens your 3rd eye, allowing you to be more intuitive. You will perceive many symbols when gazing. Wisdom to interpret will come as you become more open, practiced & relaxed. I did a quick search & came up with a couple more informative links.

Divination, by virtue of its name, is a tool for reaching and communicating with the divine, which means, in a sense, crystals have always been used in communications, just as they are today in radios, telephones and computers. The reason crystals in particular became important tools for scrying is because of their inherent characteristics of transparency and regularity of patterns, called symmetry. Additionally, the energetic fields of crystals and gemstones influence what the scryer sees on a very subtle and often esoteric level.

You can find tips on how to use crystals for scrying as well as read more here http://www.dcsi.net/~bluesky/scrying.htm

Scrying is something I bet you've done without even realizing it - the beginning part of it anyway. How many times have you watched the clouds drifting by in the sky, seeing faces and shapes in them? Have you ever stared blankly at a wall, ceiling, or floor and seen faces and shapes move across them? That is scrying. (kind of) ;-) It means getting into a relaxed, meditative state and focusing on the shapes and symbols we see, and trying to interpret what meaning they may have for us.

Another interesting link http://www.wingsforthespirit.com/scrying-and-divination-techniques.htm