Bone reading
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johnnathan
- Initiated
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2012 6:52 pm
Re: Bone reading
Chicken bones are not the strongest channel which you can use,but they are definitely the easiest to acquire.In order to use them in Divination, you`ll need to first purify them.If you are using them to communicate with the dead,be very careful and I wouldn`t use chicken bones for that anyway.Ussually you can purify them in either one of the four elements(but that`s more witchcraft,not magick),then you lay them out in a pattern which corresponds to the question you wish to ask.Ussually it`s a personal preference,but I like to lay them out in the form of triple Ouroboros.
You can also use a pentagram pattern or a circle,though for each person the symbol is different and works differently.Then you ask the question and lift the bone closest to you.While this is not the commonly accepted version of the ritual it tends to work flawlessly for me about 80% of the time.
You can also use a pentagram pattern or a circle,though for each person the symbol is different and works differently.Then you ask the question and lift the bone closest to you.While this is not the commonly accepted version of the ritual it tends to work flawlessly for me about 80% of the time.
Re: Bone reading
i also found that for you:
ask the spirits what is going to happen in the future by counting the holes in the thigh-bones of the sacrificed chicken...look closely at the shaft of each bone to locate the holes.The holes reveal good luck or bad luck, this depends on the type of ceremony performed and what we wish for. Small,thin bamboo sticks are used to show where the holes are and how they slant.
ask the spirits what is going to happen in the future by counting the holes in the thigh-bones of the sacrificed chicken...look closely at the shaft of each bone to locate the holes.The holes reveal good luck or bad luck, this depends on the type of ceremony performed and what we wish for. Small,thin bamboo sticks are used to show where the holes are and how they slant.
Most people fight for the possible.
I fight for the impossible!
I fight for the impossible!
Re: Bone reading
Just a couple of beginner questions on the topic:
What are the best bones for divination of this kind? Could a LBRP suffice for purification of the bones? Does anyone know of books or a treatise on this style of divination? I'm completely unfamiliar with the arrangements of the bones and such, so if anyone has personally worked with it, your input is vital as well.
What are the best bones for divination of this kind? Could a LBRP suffice for purification of the bones? Does anyone know of books or a treatise on this style of divination? I'm completely unfamiliar with the arrangements of the bones and such, so if anyone has personally worked with it, your input is vital as well.
Re: Bone reading
Hello ^_^
Again, not a hugely indepth resource but the only thing I've seen in bookshops on the subject.
"The oracle of the bones" http://www.amazon.com/Oracle-Bones-Book ... 529&sr=8-1
Complete with 4 ceramic "bones" and a casting mat. The system incorporated here is a bit different from the system wherein the caster throws a handful of collected bones of an unknown (to me) quantity, and interprets them in relation to each other. This system uses 4 bones, traditionally taken from a sacrificial animal, something like a pig is fine. The apprentice caster bonds with the beast (feed it, spend time with it, rub its belly, teach it to roll over kinda thing), and then sacrifices it, removing the knuckle bones and the heart, which are stewed together. The bones are removed and the heart is eaten by the apprentice, granting them a link to the bones they cast with.
The bones are thrown from the left hand for a question about the past, the right hand for the future, and both hands for the present. On the casting mat is a circle divided into three parts representing the elements of plant, animal, and mineral. These elements are differentiated by their lifespan. The plant element represents a short lifecycle, the animal a medium-length, and the mineral element (let's call it earth) represents a loooong lifecycle. The four bones have individual meanings which influence the reading by an amount proportional to the element the bone landed pointing at. So, for example, if the bone Scita (thin, broken, broadly speaking represents doubts) is pointing at plant, this is generally a good sign, as it suggests that doubts regarding the outcome are short-lived.
The book contains a large index of possible combinations, with a full page for each reading. The descriptions are very good, and add a lot of depth to the reading. I've found it to be a highly accurate reading, even just using the ceramic "bones" and looking up the readings to apply the text contextually. I see a lot of potential in reading real bones that you've bonded with, after practising for long enough to no longer require the book. I would very much like to try that.
I think that with the bone set incorporating larger numbers of bones, it would be similar. You could work on a casting mat separated by elements, or not if you choose. I would probably select bones loosely based on the "Shaman stones" divination tool in "Urban Shaman" http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Shaman-Serg ... 084&sr=8-3
Each stone represents one of Serge Kahili King's seven shaman principles:
White=awareness
Red=freedom
Orange=focus
Yellow=persistence
Green=love
Blue=confidence
Violet=flexability
They don't actually need to be stones, bones would make an excellent alternative, and although there are seven here, remember that all systems are arbitrary, you can have as many or as few as you wish, so for example you could have 22 bones representing the major arcana, or various quantities (in different systems) corresponding to the runes. The meaning of the reading is intuited based on the meanings of the stones and their patterns and proximity to each other. Some amount of the reading is the overall picture, like reading tea-leaves, some is down to the distance between each bone (if persistence and confidence are close together, this could represent a persistent confidence, or confident persistence), and some is pure intuition. Some folks say a good tarot reader can read a blank deck
It's also possible to use one bone to represent the enquirant, in the shaman stones technique the white stone can be used to represent the enquirant, so the six others are read bearing in mind primarily their distance and direction from the enquirant stone. And, with the oracle of the bones set, when one bone is crossing another, the bone on top dominates the bone beneath in most cases. So if, for example, the bone representing persistence lands on top of the bone representing doubts, this would possibly suggest that persistence will overcome your doubts.
It's a bit fuzzy. But, I hope this helps, and I wish you luck on your mission
Bones have a certain something about them, death is a powerful force. I think this contributes heavily to the way we work with them, there's an attitude they evoke that seems to make for an incredibly insightful reading.
Again, not a hugely indepth resource but the only thing I've seen in bookshops on the subject.
"The oracle of the bones" http://www.amazon.com/Oracle-Bones-Book ... 529&sr=8-1
Complete with 4 ceramic "bones" and a casting mat. The system incorporated here is a bit different from the system wherein the caster throws a handful of collected bones of an unknown (to me) quantity, and interprets them in relation to each other. This system uses 4 bones, traditionally taken from a sacrificial animal, something like a pig is fine. The apprentice caster bonds with the beast (feed it, spend time with it, rub its belly, teach it to roll over kinda thing), and then sacrifices it, removing the knuckle bones and the heart, which are stewed together. The bones are removed and the heart is eaten by the apprentice, granting them a link to the bones they cast with.
The bones are thrown from the left hand for a question about the past, the right hand for the future, and both hands for the present. On the casting mat is a circle divided into three parts representing the elements of plant, animal, and mineral. These elements are differentiated by their lifespan. The plant element represents a short lifecycle, the animal a medium-length, and the mineral element (let's call it earth) represents a loooong lifecycle. The four bones have individual meanings which influence the reading by an amount proportional to the element the bone landed pointing at. So, for example, if the bone Scita (thin, broken, broadly speaking represents doubts) is pointing at plant, this is generally a good sign, as it suggests that doubts regarding the outcome are short-lived.
The book contains a large index of possible combinations, with a full page for each reading. The descriptions are very good, and add a lot of depth to the reading. I've found it to be a highly accurate reading, even just using the ceramic "bones" and looking up the readings to apply the text contextually. I see a lot of potential in reading real bones that you've bonded with, after practising for long enough to no longer require the book. I would very much like to try that.
I think that with the bone set incorporating larger numbers of bones, it would be similar. You could work on a casting mat separated by elements, or not if you choose. I would probably select bones loosely based on the "Shaman stones" divination tool in "Urban Shaman" http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Shaman-Serg ... 084&sr=8-3
Each stone represents one of Serge Kahili King's seven shaman principles:
White=awareness
Red=freedom
Orange=focus
Yellow=persistence
Green=love
Blue=confidence
Violet=flexability
They don't actually need to be stones, bones would make an excellent alternative, and although there are seven here, remember that all systems are arbitrary, you can have as many or as few as you wish, so for example you could have 22 bones representing the major arcana, or various quantities (in different systems) corresponding to the runes. The meaning of the reading is intuited based on the meanings of the stones and their patterns and proximity to each other. Some amount of the reading is the overall picture, like reading tea-leaves, some is down to the distance between each bone (if persistence and confidence are close together, this could represent a persistent confidence, or confident persistence), and some is pure intuition. Some folks say a good tarot reader can read a blank deck
It's also possible to use one bone to represent the enquirant, in the shaman stones technique the white stone can be used to represent the enquirant, so the six others are read bearing in mind primarily their distance and direction from the enquirant stone. And, with the oracle of the bones set, when one bone is crossing another, the bone on top dominates the bone beneath in most cases. So if, for example, the bone representing persistence lands on top of the bone representing doubts, this would possibly suggest that persistence will overcome your doubts.It's a bit fuzzy. But, I hope this helps, and I wish you luck on your mission
Bones have a certain something about them, death is a powerful force. I think this contributes heavily to the way we work with them, there's an attitude they evoke that seems to make for an incredibly insightful reading.
Re: Bone reading
Vashta,
Your grasp on the topic is staggering and I doubt I could ask for any better answer. Thank you so much for taking the time to really provide the best answer possible. I'm humbled both by your knowledge and your generosity in taking the time to share all of that with us. Many thanks.
Your grasp on the topic is staggering and I doubt I could ask for any better answer. Thank you so much for taking the time to really provide the best answer possible. I'm humbled both by your knowledge and your generosity in taking the time to share all of that with us. Many thanks.
Re: Bone reading
Thank you I'm just glad to be of help ^_^
I'm just glad to be of help ^_^