crystal-gazing 
noun [mass noun]
1Looking intently into a crystal ball with the aim of seeing images relating to future or distant events.Along with charms and talismans, crystal-gazing and the invocation of spirits, he dismissed astrological prophecy and mystical revelation as ‘cheats and shifts to gull the sillier sort of people.’...
- It can involve elaborate rituals for cleaning the ball and for conducting the crystal-gazing sessions.
- It might sound like the sort of question best left to crystal-gazing new agers, but there is growing evidence that the weird movies that play in our heads every night actually mean something.
1.1Attempting to forecast the future.Historians don't do crystal-gazing.