  I describe a new approach (developed in collaboration with D.E. Holz) to
calculating the statistical distributions for magnification, shear, and
rotation of images of cosmological sources due to gravitational lensing by mass
inhomogeneities on galactic and smaller scales. Our approach is somewhat
similar to that used in ``Swiss cheese'' models, but the ``cheese'' has been
completely eliminated, the matter distribution in the ``voids'' need not be
spherically symmetric, the total mass in each void need equal the corresponding
Robertson-Walker mass only on average, and we do not impose an ``opaque
radius'' cutoff. In our approach, we integrate the geodesic deviation equation
backwards in time until the desired redshift is reached, using a Monte Carlo
procedure wherein each photon beam in effect ``creates its own universe'' as it
propagates. Our approach fully takes into account effects of multiple
encounters with gravitational lenses and is much easier to apply than ``ray
shooting'' methods.
