As an oracle reader of several years now, bone thrown readings have always been the most solid form of divination in my arsenal. They're often the form of inquiry that I and many others are most drawn to and sought after. There's something so raw and profound about what comes up while reading. Albeit more difficult to interpret, they are definitely the most potent and personalized way to seek cosmic guidance in life. I'm lucky enough to have all 17 pieces I utilize still intact and energetically significant to this day, across all the years I've been reading. I imagine each piece of the reading media is unique and impactful to the reader in some way, shape or form, creating an individualized experience from reader to reader. Each piece of the set has its own meaning, however each item is not set in one theme or energy. The sum of the pieces falling where they do in a seemingly random fashion is a sum greater than the individual parts. Let me walk you through the significance of my most prominent pieces.
First let me start with the great significance of seashells in general, as they make up most of my set.
I grew up with a great fondness and connection to seashells, even though I grew up in landlocked Illinois. My moon sign being in cancer, this should come to no surprise to the girlies that get it. I had a large, extensive collection that impressed many of my friends growing up, and to this day I still have a great deal of them. In general, seashells hold energetic ties to the moon and sea, which also hold ties to feminine depth and psychic awareness. Seashells being a product of the seas, they make useful magical items chock full of possibilities. Pair that with the interconnectedness of my inner child and child-like abilities, and they're bound to hold limitless power through a divinatory lens.
The first piece I will cover in my bone throwing set is a cream cowrie shell. This piece signifies psychic power, as I see the shell physically as either an open or closed eye, depending on its positioning when thrown in a reading. A face down shell means a developed sense of awareness and wisdom, free of illusion and superficial worry. A face up shell, exposing a slit signifies a psychic talent yet to be uncovered, or a third eye waiting to open. The topic of awareness is often an ignored yet important subject in each of our lives. A subject I feel must be analyzed in its proper setting.
A second profound piece of my set is what I assume to be a mouse bone which I found in the rural West of Colorado. When I found it, it was one of the smallest bones I've ever come across, yet upon further inspection it was perfectly clean and preserved without any cracks or flaws. I immediately saw an energetic influence I simply couldn't ignore. Its energy spoke as a sense of structure, particularly the structures one builds and maintains in life. It could also hint to familial structures or the soundness of one’s relationships.
Another piece featured in this set is an iron nail I also foraged in Colorado, from a very old mining structure dating back possibly hundreds of years ago. In witchcraft, nails can be used to protect as well as direct strong energy. The nail being very small, its physical integrity and sturdiness called to me in a profound way. When I pulled it from its hole in weathered, yet sound wood, it fell in my hand like the smoothest butter. Not only was it extremely satisfying but it was almost as if the nail found its place in my own energy at that exact moment in time.
Another piece in this set is a saltwater pearl pendant I had thrifted many years ago. It originally came as a vintage necklace to which I had come to break later on, leaving only the pearl. This piece is one of the hardest to explain, as its energy is a very specific one. Pearls having importance to divine feminine energy, I tapped into it in a very gentle, unassuming way. It spoke so profoundly, yet so softly to me from the moment I came into contact with it. Its power lies in its sensitivity, its femininity.
Another piece in my bone throwing set is a simple pentacle, one of many, that I purchased in bulk on amazon. Not as phantasmagoric as my other pieces, yes, but an important piece of the puzzle all the same. When I think of the pentacle I think of the elements that lie in all human beings. A sense of self and self actualization is the motif I always seem to come back to. In the set this piece represents the one I'm procuring the reading for, and how that person sits in the energy around them at their particular station in life.
Another piece in my set is a small, tumbled, orange carnelian stone. Gemstones are another magic tool that I hold dearly in my life and in my practice, carnelian being one of my favorites. Carnelian's energy can be described as vivacious, bold and creative. When holding a carnelian stone, one can feel a sense of joy and creativity surge through them. This stone's place in this set can pertain to the heart's joy of one's life, the creative projects and the positivity one experiences from them.
Another piece in my set is another item foraged in Colorado. It is what I believe to be an arrowhead made from some variation of quartz. Its shape and small size could indicate that it was an arrowhead used to hunt small game. At any rate, its shape coming to a point like an arrowhead makes me feel its energy is that of forward motion, clear direction and focus in life. I use it to pinpoint the choices and attention one takes in their current life path and where it is leading them, taking into account the place it falls into in a reading.
Another piece of the collection is an abnormal piece of star anise. When positioned upright, the piece looks like a moth, when positioned upside down, it appears in the shape of a butterfly. Star anise is one of my favorite woody herbs, as it aids in mental clarity and foresight. This particular seed casing sits in its energy of matters of perception and duality, the powers of positivity and negativity and where it falls in the categories of one’s life.
Another piece of this set is a piece of a dark, deep brown smokey quartz stone. The stone originally belonged to a necklace I very much enjoyed wearing. The way it looked and the way its energy grounded me made it my favorite item. One day I grew careless and unfortunately the stone broke in half. I was very upset by this and had felt great loss in it, even trying to repair it. Once a stone is broken, however, there's no fixing it. Thus, the energy of deep loss and depression became this stone's new purpose of portrayal. Many people experience deep sadness at some point in life. Wherever this stone ends up in a reading is where and how loss plays a part in the person’s life.
Even the most seasoned oracles never stop learning throughout the years of honing their craft. I still have so much to understand about divination and my personal modes of divining. I’ve listed just some of the meanings and energies of my personal bone throwing set and how they help me interpret a reading. Divination is a fascinating subject that could never be covered fully in its mysticism. If you’d like to learn more, DM me on instagram or strike up a conversation in any one of my posts. To book a personal reading with me, contact me on Instagram or purchase from my Etsy store.
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