Easy "Bone" Readings for Yes/No Questions

OxfordBear

Hello! This is a simple method I devised of “bone” divination for yes/no questions. It was inspired by the Afro-Cuban oracle Obi, which uses four pieces of coconut rind for a similar purpose, but this was designed to be acceptable to and useable by anyone of any tradition, with no need for initiation into anything or danger of ransacking anyone else’s spiritual heritage. I hope you like it.

You need two pieces of anything flat and two-sided – flat stones, flat pieces of wood or clay, or even two flat pieces of air-drying modelling compound if you want. They should be a comfortable size for you to hold cupped between your hands. They don’t need to be matching, and it might be better if they don’t match, since you’re going to need to be able to tell them apart.

One “bone” represents “Success” and one represents “Obstacles”. Decide which is which, and paint/engrave/burn or otherwise inscribe a design to show what each bone represents on one side of it only. Heathens might use bind-runes for this, Celts might use words encoded in oghams, or you can just make an abstract pattern. The important thing is that you can tell your “Success” bone from your “Obstacles” bone without needing to think about it. When the bones are ready, consecrate them, present them to your spirits or an appropriate deity, or dedicate them to your Higher Self – whatever suits your needs. (Since this is a new method, you should explain it to the spirits first before the first time you use it.)

Hold the bones cupped between your hands, get into your “divination state of mind”, and ask your yes/no question. It should be phrased so that a “Yes” answer is the “good/positive” one. For instance, “Will it be sunny on the day of the picnic?” and not “Will the picnic be rained off?” (Of course, you might be asking about a picnic that someone you dislike is intending to hold, in which case the latter question would be appropriate!) Now drop the bones to the ground and study which way they fall.

If the “Success” bone is face up (i.e. decorated side up) and the “Obstacles” bone is face down, the answer is “Yes/positive/successful/good fortune”.
If the “Success” and “Obstacles” bones are both face up, the answer is “Success is possible, but be careful, there are obstacles you need to work through first.”
If the “Success” and “Obstacles” bones are both face down, the answer is “No”, but it implies there are no actual problems surfacing – it just isn’t the time yet.
If the “Success” bone is face down and the “Obstacles” bone is face up, the answer is “No/negative/unsuccessful/misfortune”.

You can follow up the answer by using the bones to ask more yes/no questions (phrasing them as described above) if you need more detail on the subject, or use them together with a card reading to learn more if you’d rather. Then put the bones away on your altar (or if you don’t have an altar, somewhere private and safe) for the next time you need to use them.

That’s all there is to it. I hope you’ll make some bones of your own and try this out. Let me know how you get on, if you do!

OB
 

AJ

I've been tempted by a bones oracle a number of times
but bones imply something has died and gone
and I'm not going there this year :)

Very nice explanation, thank you. yes no queries are a constant subject here.

Welcome to AT! we love new members.

I could use shells for the same effect couldn't I? hummm
 

danieljuk

thanks for sharing Oxfordbear! really interesting! :thumbsup: might have to try this out in future!
 

morphine

cool read, thanks for the inspiration.
 

Autumn Spice

I love this idea.

I am going to make them tomorrow with something in my craft stash. Ill try it soon.