What is the scope of a Soulgaze?

[g33k]

We know that it's part of the Wizard's Sight.

We know it lets a wizard see the core or essence of a person (and be seen, in return).

Several seem to be "snapshot of the soul" events, where some archetypal symbolic "tableau" is emplaced.  Thomas in the black-and-white desolate Olympus, facing his demon in the mirror; Marcone's sterile steel "tiger's soul;" Rasmussen chained to the cliffside; etc.

Others are different.

Helen Beckitt was re-living her daughter's "death," a clear and distinct memory.

Molly was a hall-of-mirrors many; like a bunch of future-soulgazes (which launches a whole new notion -- are we seeing the first instances of Harry having time powers alongside his other known strengths?).
 
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Maybe it's no more than Jim using them for dramatic purpose; that there isn't so much a "unified theory" as a vague theme centered around what can happen in a Soulgaze.

Is there WoJ?  Or a more-expansive exposition scene by Harry, or Bob?

(I post here in Spoilers in case there's a Soulgaze I don't know of, in a recent short / comic I haven't read)
 

[KurtinStGeorge]

We know that whatever Susan saw when she shared a soulgaze with Harry made her faint.  Harry mentions the soulgaze with Susan, but doesn't go into detail about it.  He does say something about Susan not realizing how good looking she was.  That would be a very intimate thing to learn about someone. 

Of course, this was said near the beginning of Storm Front and we don't know if Jim had a really solid grasp on what Harry experienced when he was  in a soulgaze when he writing his first Dresden novel.  It's possible he hadn't worked out the details yet. 
 

[peregrine]

One thing also to keep in mind is that while a soulgaze is accurate, it's not complete.  Soulgazing someone while they're suffering from a shattered leg they got in a house collapsing that also killed their dog will give a radically different result from that same person during Christmas with family and loved ones.

And no, Molly's soulgaze was indicative of her being at a crossroads where she could go down any number of paths.  Not an actual prophecy or foretelling.

[g33k]

... And no, Molly's soulgaze was indicative of her being at a crossroads where she could go down any number of paths.  Not an actual prophecy or foretelling.

Dunno.

Is there WoJ on this?

The thing is, there's a bunch of rather specific possibilities shown.  Some are pretty clear, and Molly might have known about them.

But others show specific variations on "going down a wrong path," subject to specific external influences (I'd have to cross-ref with Ghost Story, which isn't to hand; but IIRC one of the visions was very much Molly's "Ragged Lady" personna, who was created from Molly's guilt in contributing to Harry's death, her own urges to "do good," and Lea's influences (among others)).  I don't think all of those outside influences are there within Molly's soul to be gazed upon; future choices may bring her to them (or them to her) but they aren't all there in that moment, to be seen.
 

[peregrine]

Why does Molly have to know about them?  Harry was the one doing the soul gaze.  His looking at her various potential futures is interpreted by him, not her.

And they aren't specific potential futures, because, like I said, it's not prophecy.  They're indicative of various ways she could go, as interpreted by Harry.  Not ways she WILL go given the various circumstances. 

[cptnspldng]

We know that whatever Susan saw when she shared a soulgaze with Harry made her faint.  Harry mentions the soulgaze with Susan, but doesn't go into detail about it.  He does say something about Susan not realizing how good looking she was.  That would be a very intimate thing to learn about someone. 

Of course, this was said near the beginning of Storm Front and we don't know if Jim had a really solid grasp on what Harry experienced when he was  in a soulgaze when he writing his first Dresden novel.  It's possible he hadn't worked out the details yet.

That reminds me of an exchange between Terry Pratchett and one of his fans wherein the character of the Patrician was so different in an early book versus the same character several books later. Terry explained that away as the result of the first iteration being written by an inferior author (who had since been replaced.)