[Ah, another difference between worlds, it seems. Or perhaps a difference in language? Either way, he should have known something would get lost in translation.]

An idea captured in crystal. Say... a tree. The concept would include its roots, the trunk, what sort of bark it may grow, the branches, the leaves, the shape of the leaves... and so on and so forth. By peering within, one can get an idea of exactly what he wishes to create, and thus, through the use of creation magicks, bring that tree into being.