Quick Specs
- Author: Mystic Dylan
- Publisher: Weiser Books (April 2024)
- Format: Paperback, 128 pages with 20 casting boards
- Best for: Bone reading beginners, folk magic practitioners, intuitive divination builders
Bone Reading : An Ancient Divination Practice for Modern Practitioners
Cleromancy, the casting of objects to read their arrangement for divinatory meaning, is one of the oldest and most geographically widespread divination practices in the world. Ancient Chinese oracle bones dating to the Shang Dynasty (roughly 1600 to 1046 BCE) represent one of the earliest documented examples. Among the Zulu people of southern Africa, bone reading developed into a sophisticated tradition in which practitioners work with sets of animal bones, shells, and objects passed down from teachers, each item carrying a trained meaning within the reader’s system. European folk divination includes similar casting practices, and indigenous traditions across the Americas have used thrown lots for centuries.
Mystic Dylan, a Los Angeles-based reader working in tarot, bone reading, palm reading, and spirit work, brings this practice into an accessible contemporary format with this 128-page book published by Weiser Books in 2024. The book is explicit that “bones” in this context is metaphorical: your casting set can include crystals, shells, coins, keys, dice, small charms, or any found objects that carry personal significance. The practice is inclusive by design, requiring no sourcing of actual bones and no formal initiation. Browse my tarot and divination books for companion reading on other casting and divination methods.
The 20 Casting Boards and Building a Personal System
The book’s most distinctive feature is its 20 casting boards printed on the interior pages. Each board is designed to lie flat for direct use, making the book itself a functional divination tool rather than a reference guide you consult separately. The boards cover a range of question categories, from relationships and timing to spiritual guidance and general life overview, each with designated zones and clear instructions for interpreting where objects land relative to the center and boundaries of the board.
Beyond the boards, the book covers how to select and build your personal set, how to assign meanings to your objects, cleansing and protection rituals for your casting tools, and introductions to related practices including pendulum dowsing, scrying, cartomancy, and rune casting. Mystic Dylan is direct about the African diasporic and folk magic roots of bone reading, particularly the Zulu tradition, while making clear this is an open practice accessible to all practitioners regardless of background. Bone casting is also used in hoodoo.
How to Use Throwing Bones by Mystic Dylan
How to get started with bone reading using Throwing Bones, Crystals, Stones and Curios by Mystic Dylan.
- Read the opening chapters first
Read the opening chapters on object selection and meaning before collecting your first bones. The book advises gathering items that resonate personally: shells, crystals, coins, dice, small charms, and found natural objects.
- Cast onto a board from the book
Lay the book flat on a stable surface and cast your bones onto the board. The objects that land within specific zones of the board carry the reading, and proximity to the center is generally read as more immediate relevance.
- Journal each casting and compare intuition with guidance
Record each casting: sketch where every object landed, note which curios appeared, and write your interpretation before consulting the book. Comparing your immediate intuition with the book builds a personal casting language.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock this book because bone reading fills a real gap in the divination library: it is older and more cross-cultural than tarot, requires zero proprietary materials, and builds a personal practice language that becomes more accurate with time. Mystic Dylan writes accessibly without dumbing down the African diasporic roots of the practice, and the 20 usable casting boards make this a genuinely functional tool rather than just an introductory read. For practitioners who want to go further with crystal and stone divination, browse my crystals, stones and gemstones collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bone reading, or cleromancy, is documented across cultures worldwide. The Zulu tradition of southern Africa is one of the most formalized, using sets of bones, shells, and animal parts that have been trained and passed down through practitioners.
Your casting set can include animal bones if ethically sourced, but Mystic Dylan notes that bones is metaphorical. Crystals, shells, coins, keys, dice, and found objects all qualify, making this an accessible practice that requires no bones at all.
The book includes 20 unique casting boards printed directly on its pages, covering topics including relationships, career, timing, spiritual guidance, and general life questions. Each board has designated zones and instructions.
This book was published by Weiser Books in April 2024 and is aimed at modern practitioners who want to build a personal, intuitive divination practice grounded in folk magic traditions without requiring formal initiation.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet