How Do You Do Lithomancy? – A Guide to Reading Divination Stones
There are many different types of divination. Some of the more common methods include Tarot cards, tea leaves, and astrology, but there are plenty of other methods that people find just as effective. Lithomancy is one such example, but what are lithomancy stones and How do you do lithomancy?
While answering these questions, we’ll also consider some broader divination questions, such as, what are the different types of divination? And What is crystal divination? Of course, before we can begin exploring the answers, we need to consider what divination actually is.
What is Divination?
Divination is a term that holds a wide range of connotations. Some people associate the term with witches, while others view it as being aligned with devil worship. The truth is actually a lot simpler.
The term ‘divination’ comes from the Latin world “divinare” which translates as meaning “to foresee” or “to predict”. Some translations even suggest that the word means “to be inspired by God”, suggesting that any foresight comes in the form of a gift from above.
The idea behind this practice is to acquire knowledge or information about events that exist outside our time or natural senses. This could be anything from seeing the future to discovering the location of an item or person. So, what are the different types of divination?
As we’ll see in a moment, the answer to that question depends largely on who you ask and where in the world they are from. Your Guardian Angel can help guide you towards this level of spiritual growth and knowledge!
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What are the different types of divination?
Different cultures all use divination in a variety of ways, and as we’ll see, lithomancy is just one of many techniques. In Europe, you may be more likely to find that Tarot cards are the primary tool for prophesizing, while in Asia it might be I-Ching, a type of reading that involves the use of coins.
Similarly, you may find that in North America astrology is the main format of divination, while in Africa it might be Nggam, a practice that involves the use of crabs or spiders.
From banana peels to tea leaves, and from playing cards to crystals, there are very few objects that can’t be used as a tool from seeing glimpses of the future. As we’ll see with lithomancy, we can add stones to that list.
The reason for this is that each item is indeed just a tool; a conduit through which spiritual energy and knowledge can be focused. We are the source of the insight, but our intuition often needs a canvas through which to paint its predictions.
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What is crystal divination?
We’re going to take a moment to discuss crystal divination, as it’s often confused with lithomancy. Arguably, divination stones are used in both, but where lithomancy used lithomancy stones, crystal divination uses crystals and other precious stones, as you may have guessed. So, what is crystal divination?
There are a variety of different readings that can be carried out using crystals. We’re just going to discuss two methods to give you a general idea of how the practice works. This will help distinguish it from lithomancy when we go on to discuss that in a moment.
How to Read Crystals
The simplest reading you can do with crystals is the yes/no method. You may be familiar with this concept if you’ve explored different types of Tarot card reading, but if not, here’s an explanation. All that is required is three white crystals and three black crystals.
Alternatively, you can use three light crystals and three dark crystals, or any combination really provided you can easily tell them apart. Next, we assign a value to each side. Following on with our first example, we’ll give white crystals a ‘yes’ value, and black crystals a ‘no’ value.
It can be beneficial to bless or focus each stone with its associated value. Then it’s simply a case of putting them in a bag, asking your question, and pulling out whichever stone you’re naturally drawn to. A more complicated crystal reading involves assigning each type of crystal a different meaning.
A common method for this is to use the same meanings associated with each of the 22 Major Arcana Tarot cards. For example, Agate is often tied to The Fool, meaning it represents new beginnings, positivity, optimism, trust, and opportunity.
Lithomancy stones
We can now discuss the topic at hand: lithomancy. Before we explore the lithomancy methodology, let’s consider how it differs from crystal divination. For lithomancy, we use lithomancy stones. These are crystals or precious stones of any kind, but rather they are plain, standard stones that you may find as you walk around outside.
This is a major aspect of lithomancy: stone collection. It’s important that you select stones for this purpose, and so you’ll need to spend some time out in nature collecting them. You can buy pre-collected stones, but they may not be in sync with your intentions or energy.
The best thing to do is walk around outside and simply allow yourself to be drawn towards any stone that catches your attention. You should collect 13 stones, but don’t be afraid to pick up a few extras, just in case.
Lithomancy is an ancient practice that has been used at least as far back as the Bronze Age. We know this because archaeologists have found painted stones that match our understanding of how ancient cultures used lithomancy.
How do you do lithomancy?
The next step is to paint your lithomancy stones. The most common method is to associate each stone with a planetary body (out of the 7 used by our ancestors), each of the four elements, the spirit, and the universe, just as the ancients did. You can use a symbol, color, or something more unique.
The important thing is that you’re able to know what each stone represents. The simplest reading involves placing the stones in a bag, asking a question, and then pulling out the three that you’re naturally most drawn to.
This can work like Tarot cards, whereby each stone represents a point in time (past, present, or future), but you can also interpret them as a whole.
As with any type of divination, trusting your intuition is more important than memorizing meanings or following the interpretations of others.
That being said, don’t be afraid to use resources to help you get a hang of the basics of lithomancy.