Your Guide to Astragalomancy, Also Known as Dice Divination
February 27, 2024 | Miriam Rachel
Astragalomancy is a type of dice divination using astragali dice as they have markings on six sides. But the practice can involve various types of dice. These dice can be used for several purposes. They were initially used as sheep or gat knucklebones. The Ancient Romans and Greeks used it, and Hermes was the one who created this method to predict the future, find out about someone’s character, or diagnose illnesses. Over time, dice divination has evolved. More discussion will happen about the history of Astraglomancy, modern-day divination, and the different types of dice that practitioners use for dice divination.
The History of Astragalomancy
As mentioned, the Ancient Greeks and Romans used this form of dice divination, and it is believed that Hermes established it. It took only a short time before the Ancient Greeks used it regularly to predict the future.
Then, the Ancient Romans adopted astragalomancy, but they did it to diagnose illnesses, as they used it as a medical tool, which you would never see today as an accurate way to diagnose an illness. Other cultures and those with other religious affiliations adopted astragalomancy, such as the Tibetan Buddhists.
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The way that practitioners used dice divination was to roll the dice three times, and every time the dice landed in a specific way, it would have meaning. Dice divination has evolved, and now let’s discuss the modern-day purposes for astragalomancy.
Astragalomancy For Modern-Day Uses
Dice divination is no longer used to predict illnesses; it is now used to gain clarity on a situation or how to move forward when you are stuck. Astragalomancy can help you make some critical decisions like other divination tools do.
You can also use dice divination with other tools, such as tarot, if you choose. That is if you gain more intuitive clarity using other tools. There is no right or wrong answer to how you use it as long as you use it for ethical purposes. There are many types of dice that you can use for divination, and various types will be discussed in this guide.
If you want to use classic dice for games for dice divination, you can use them, as you will need a set with markings on six sides. Game stores, like Etsy or Amazon, will sell them, or other retailers, such as Walmart, will sell them. You do not want to start using the dice for divination immediately after purchasing them because you need to know what type of energy they carry from the retailer. If you also buy dice from someone selling them, you want to use them for something other than divination with their energies.
Therefore, you must cleanse them in a bowl of sea or Himalayan salt overnight or place them on the window sill overnight to soak in the moonlight. You can also place the dice on the window sill during the day to soak in sunlight, but you want to leave them quickly, or the UV rays may damage them.
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After cleansing the dice, when the time is right for you to do some divination with them, you will find a flat surface, such as a table. You can place a protective cloth on the table to cover the energies from the table. Think about a question you want to ask to get clarity on. Then, roll the dice once, and you will want to interpret the meanings you see on the dice face up. Let’s go over each number, and here is a numerology cheat sheet for that:
One – fresh starts and new beginnings.
Two – Choice and balance.
Three – Community, friendships, forward movement, and growth.
Four – Structure, foundation, stability, and organization.
Five – Movement and change.
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Six – Family, responsibility, harmony.
Seven – Spiritual connection and wisdom.
Eight – Abundance and power.
Nine – Culmination and completion.
Ten – New cycle or journey.
Eleven – Trust, recovery, and connection.
Twelve – Spirituality and intuition.
Thirteen – Transformation and changes.
Fourteen – Freedom and hope.
Fifteen – Balance and peace.
Sixteen – Knowledge, wisdom, and perseverance.
Seventeen – Assertiveness and passion.
Eighteen – Success and perseverance.
You need to master the numerological meanings of the dice and combine the meanings of each dice you roll as they appear to form a reading. For example, if you want to get a reading on whether or not you should look for another job because your job seems unstable, roll three dice and the first one you roll, you end up with a two, and then the second one, you end up with a four. For the third one, you end up with a five, and you would have to know the meanings of each of those numbers and add them up (2+4+5+11).
Therefore, in the reading, you would get two representing “choice and balance” and then a four, which is “structure, foundation, stability, and organization.” Then, five would be “change and movement,” they add up to eleven, which is “trust, recovery, and connection.”
Therefore, the way you can interpret this reading is that you know you have a choice whether to stay or look for another job, as shown by two. Then, four indicates that you need structure and balance within your work, which you lack with your current job. Then five comes up, which indicates change and movement, as this message is clear that it is best to look for another job to find the security that you need. And finally, as these add up to 11, it tells you to trust the job-seeking process.
You can have a lot of fun with astragalomancy, which is easy to learn. But you can use different types of dice, and now let’s discuss the astrology dice.
There is another type of dice you can use for astragalomancy: astrology dice. These dice can support any astrology reading you are giving. It is an excellent addition to your astrology readings so you can gain guidance for the transits, and it is a great way to interpret themes in your horoscope.
Instead of numbers being on the dice, you have astrological symbols, as are 12 symbols on them. They typically come in a set of three. One die will have the planets, another will have the zodiac signs, and the last one will have numbers, but they are numbers of the astrological houses.
Here are what themes the planets on the dice represent:
Sun – vitality, self, and ego.
Moon – emotions, family, and home.
Mercury – knowledge, communication, and travel.
Mars – assertiveness, energy, action.
Jupiter – success, growth, and expansion.
Saturn – career, boundaries, and structure.
Neptune – intuition, dreams, and subconscious.
Uranus – rebellion, innovation, change.
Pluto – transformation, power, shadows.
North Node – journeys, life lessons, purpose.
South Node – past lives, karmic lessons, patterns.
Now, let’s go over the astrological signs on the dice.
Aries – initiating, assertiveness, new beginnings.
Finally, there would be dice with the houses in this set, as they would be numbered. Let’s go over what they represent.
1 – will, identity, self.
2 – money, possessions, value.
3 – school, short-distance travel, communication.
4 – ancestry, home, family.
5 – children, fun, entertainment.
6 – work, health, service
7 – partners, intimate relationships, open enemies.
8 – inheritance, other people’s resources, loss.
9 – law, spirituality, long-distance travel.
10 – reputation, career, status.
11 – friendships, hopes, communities.
12 – hidden enemies or hidden things, secrets, subconscious.
Therefore, you would roll these dice together on a flat surface and get a planet, a sign, and the house face up. For example, if you throw the dice and you get Jupiter, Capricorn, and the 11th house together, the way you would interpret that is that you will find that you have success and expansion (Jupiter) if you stay ambitious and keep structure in your life (Capricorn). The way to incorporate that is by networking and keeping the faith (11th house) that you will succeed if you keep working hard.
There are several more types of divination dice for astragalomancy, but there is one more type to cover, which is one that many practitioners use. That is the divination, DnD Dice.
The dice used in DnD divination are typically called divination or fortune-telling dice, and they are different from the classic dice used in games and the astrology dice. These dice are unique and distinct from those used in Dungeons and Dragons gameplay mechanics. There are six dice as one has four sides (D4), another has six sides (D6), another has eight sides (D8), and there is one with ten sides (D10), another with 12 sides (D12), and the last one has 20 sides (D20). Let’s break down briefly the meanings of all of these dice are and do a sample reading with it.
D4 Meanings
The D4 represents the elements:
1 – Air – communication and learning.
2 – Fire – passion, aggression, and spirituality.
3 – Water – emotions, friendship, romance.
4 – Earth – material, home, physical, and blocks of emotions.
The element is a component of the reading from the DnD dice. Let’s now go over the D6 dice.
D6 Meanings
The D6 indicates the problem with the situation that the querent is facing. Aristotole’s Six Elements of Tragedy is what this dice is based on, and it is used to see the crux of the issue.
Let’s go over what each side means.
1 – Plot – drama and arguments and things out of your control happening.
2 – Character – someone else creating problems, or you may be focused on this individual or mourning their loss.
3 – Thought – judgment, fear, worry, obsession, lack of grounding, and issues getting in the way of your thinking.
4 – Diction – problems with communication, hateful comments, or passive aggression.
5 – Song – being in harmony with one another but not being in sync with yourself, dependence on someone else.
6- Spectacle – things appear worse than reality.
When you are faced with a problem, you must take action to rectify it, which is what the D8 dice represents.
D8 Meanings
The D8 represents the action needed to rectify the problem and relates to the Eightfold Path of Buddhism. The meanings are quite straightforward. Let’s go over them now.
1 – View – You are accepting the situation as is, and you are facing the consequences of it.
2 – Resolve – You are ready to commit to whatever action is needed to resolve the issue, and ambition is present.
3 – Speech – You must speak your truth, never lie, and not be passive-aggressive.
4 – Action – Any actions you are taking without harmful intent, and do it to help others.
5 – Ethical Income – Never make a profit from exploiting anyone; be ethical about the work you do.
6 – Create a Better Internal World – Set boundaries so you do not be negatively influenced, and create a peaceful inner world for yourself.
7 – Mindfulness – Be present, and don’t make mountains out of molehills.
8 – Detachment – Unify your mind and body, be present, and develop a healthy detachment.
The next dice is the D10, which is the dice representing difficulty. Each side shows your difficulty level: one is the least difficult, five is the middle, and ten is the most. There is no need to explain it further.
Then there is also the D12, the dice that represents time, as each number can represent the month of the year. Seasoned astragalomancy practitioners may use the D12 for Sabbats and seasons, but it is best to stick with each number representing the months of the year. Let’s finally uncover D20, which represents the lessons.
The D20 meanings represent the lessons you need to learn from the situation. They are based on the 20 cards of the Major Arcana, as the World is not counted. Each of the Major Arcana cards of the tarot serves as a teacher for the lessons you need to learn, as each lesson provides a growth opportunity. Let’s briefly review each side of the D20 dice in correlation to the 20 Major Arcana tarot cards.
1 – Magician – Learning, experimental, new skills.
2 – High Priestess – Focus on your intuition to gain insight and learn while solitary.
3 – Empress – Growth and using creativity to water your planted seeds.
4 – Emperor- Create order and leadership, set boundaries, and build confidence.
5 – Hierophant – Lessons you are learning from teachers and utilizing them in your life.
6 – Lovers – Creating a connection and making a commitment.
7 – Chariot – Take decisive action to go after something you want.
8 – Strength – Rely on your internal strength and develop your sense of self.
9 – Hermit – Discover your hidden knowledge through self-reflection.
10 – Wheel of Fortune – Things outside your control are creating turning points for you and the ebb and flow of life.
11 – Justice – Doing what you feel is right for you and those around you.
12 – The Hanged Man – A paradigm shift or a sudden realization causing a change in your perspective.
13 – Death – Endings and new beginnings, or reinvention.
14 – Temperance – Taking care of your well-being, going with the flow, and creating balance.
15 – Devil – Seeking pleasure as a way of avoiding your issues.
16 – Tower – Outside influences are shaking your ego to the core, suddenly destroying the old.
17 – Star – Hopes and dreams and creating new opportunities.
18 – Moon – Deception and looking underneath something too good to be true.
19 – Sun – Enjoy your abundance and accomplishments.
20 – Judgment – An awakening that will create a new way of being.
Now you know the meanings of the D20 dice, and now let’s do an astragalomancy reading by using the DnD dice.
A Practice Reading with DnD Dice
Let’s read using the DnD dice, and you will look for a story based on what the dice tell you. So, let’s roll all six dice on a flat surface. The reading is based on the querent wondering if their former best friend will return to their life, as they had a conversation with them recently, which went well. However, the querent is not confident that their former friend wants to reconnect. The dice rolled come up as the following:
D4 – Air
D6 – Thought
D8 – Detachment
D10 – 5
D12 – 5
D20 – Temperance
Therefore, the element of Air comes from the D4 dice, indicating communication and the D6 problem comes up as Thought, which is about plenty of worry and fear. The action to take based on D8 is Detachment, which is detaching yourself from the situation or person. The difficulty level from D10 shows as a five, which is in the middle, and the timing based on D12 shows up as five, which can mean May or five months from now. Finally, the D20 comes up as Temperance, a message to go with the flow.
Therefore, the reading suggests that any communication the querent has is suitable with their former friend. Still, they are worrying too much about the outcome, and that is creating more anxiety and grief within. The action they need to take is to detach themselves from worrying whether or not the friend will come back and when. The situation’s difficulty level is moderate, as it will need more time to work through. The friend may reconnect in May or five months from now. The lesson to learn from this situation is to go with the flow.
Astragalomancy is another divination tool that you can practice that involves using dice. You can use any dice for this type of divination, whether the standard dice you use for games, astrology dice, or DnD dice. You can use them for any questions; it is up to you what kind of dice to use. If you want a more in-depth reading, then the DnD dice divination is best to help. However, you can use the astrology dice if you do astrology readings and want extra insight. Astragalomancy is easy to learn and an enjoyable divination method. Have fun with it!
I am a Canadian mom, writer, astrologer, tarot reader, and evidential medium that enjoys traveling loves to unravel mysteries and is passionate about metaphysics and spirituality. I am also a mental health advocate and owner of several Medium publications, one being Tarot Talk, and you can find me at https://miriamreadstarot.com.
