Psychic energy can be channeled, used and interpreted in a multitude of ways. Accordingly, many different methods of Lithomancy, like other psychic arts, have existed and evolved throughout the ages. The method discussed herein is based on interpreting the Pattern formed when a Subject or the Reader drops or tosses Sixteen Stones into a Circle of leather, lace, string or similar material. The Sixteen Stones consist of Six Personal Stones and Ten Planet Stones.

The Six Personal Stones represent personal issues: Life, Luck, Love, Commitment, Magic and Place. The Ten Planet Stones represent the ten planets and their astrological associations: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The Sun and the Moon are considered planets in astrology. This basic system of Lithomancy covers a period of three months or longer, though a Reader can make adaptations and read for longer or shorter time periods. CLICK HERE to see my Sixteen Stones.

According to the principles of astrology, every human experience falls under the domain of one of the ten planets, or some combination of planets. Lithomancy makes use of all ten planets and their associations, represented by the Planet Stones, and offers additional avenues for interpretation, represented by the six Personal Stones. A Reader can even add an extra Stone or two to represent a specific person, event or situation that is of special importance to a Subject. The Sixteen Stones cover so much that additional Stones are seldom necessary, but I have used them in some readings to hone in on a particular area of interest or concern.

To make use of this art, a Reader should first become familiar with the meanings, influences and attributes associated with each Stone. The Reader then needs to learn the various ways of ‘seeing’ Patterns in terms of the relationships between the Stones, the flow of energies, and the timing and sequence of events, people, experiences and situations. The Pattern formed by the Sixteen Stones visually represents the Subject’s life and present situation, as well as the most likely possibilities and events that will unfold over the next three months or so. It’s all there, displayed in symbolic form in the Stones and the Patterns. It is up to the Reader to interpret meaning, and this ability is attained through intuition and experience.

Lithomancy is not an exact science. It is a learned art, and as with any art, skill develops with practice. The beauty of this system of divination is that it is not difficult to understand and apply, and that intuition, a natural attribute of being human, is the key factor. There are no hard and fast rules, only guidelines and suggestions. As a result, every Reader will invariably develop a personalized system, tailored to his or her own personality, basic nature and psychic perspective. A Reader can then apply variations and personal adaptations to this method in order to read for people other than the Subject, different situations or alternate time frames. Simply put, effective divination depends on a Reader’s ability to ‘see’ the relationships between Stones and interpret meaning. Insight is the goal. Intuition is the process of applying one’s psychic facilities to access that insight. The Stones, the Circle and the Patterns are only the medium. The message lies therein. Keep in mind that many people with highly developed psychic abilities give profound readings using no medium other than their own psyches.

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Keywords and Triggers

The terms ‘keywords’ and ‘trigger’ (or ‘triggers,’ used as both a noun and a verb) will be used in the following sections. A trigger is indeed what the term implies: a stimulus that causes, initiates, or actuates (triggers) something else to happen. A trigger can be a smell, a sound, a person, an object, an observation, a thought, or just about anything. Seeing a photo from the past, hearing a certain phrase spoken, or returning to a particular place can act as a trigger by stirring up a tide of emotions, thoughts or memories that can bring other issues to one’s attention.

Triggers usually manifest via association, aided by experience and knowledge. In context with Lithomancy, ‘trigger’ describes the process through which a Reader uses a reference point to intuitively arrive at a particular insight. The reference point that triggers this insight may be a Stone, an image that appears in a Pattern, a thought that comes to mind, or virtually any aspect of the reading process, be it visual or intuitive. To benefit from the power of triggers, a Reader should have a solid grasp of the various meanings associated with each Stone. Think of the main words used to describe these meanings as keywords. Keywords trigger a stream of images, thoughts and feelings that enable a Reader to determine the events, people or situations associated with a particular Stone or group of Stones in a reading.

The keywords in this book, especially those associated with the Planet Stones, include adjectives, nouns, verbs and phrases that encompass a realm of influences, characteristics and ideas. Some keywords appear in more than one category, or are associated with more than one Stone. This reflects areas of overlapping influence and the wide range of interpretations that are possible when considering any Stone or combination of Stones. Click on The Sun to see influences and keywords associated with the Sun.

The lists of keywords for each Stone are more inclusive than exclusive. They contain synonyms as well as antonyms, the obvious and the subtle, the negative and the positive, the aggressive and the receptive, the yin and the yang. The keywords are not necessary listed in order of priority, since the specific meaning of a Stone in a Pattern will vary, depending on numerous factors. Think of these keywords as a range of influences, a spectrum with different hues of a color, or a reservoir of related possibilities from which to draw insight.

Common themes are associated with each Planet or Personal Stone, resulting in the lists of keywords for each Stone. By becoming familiar with these keywords, a Reader can acquire an overall view of the influences attributed to each Stone. Collectively, keywords form a unified frame of reference, like a psychic database, that is accessible via intuition rather than memory.

I see the art of Lithomancy as broken down into two aspects: the visual and the intuitive. The visual aspect is displayed by the Pattern formed by the Stones. The intuitive aspect involves interpreting meaning from the Stones and the Pattern. The first step is to learn what each Stone represents, which is the subject of this chapter. To interpret meaning the Reader applies intuition to ‘see’ and ‘feel’ the meaning behind the geometric layout of the Stones. The reading and interpretative processes are presented in depth in Chapter 5.

In the following sections several different verbs and phrases are used as to describe how different characteristics, influences and attributes are associated with each Stone. These verbs and phrases include ‘represent, influence, affect, associated with, govern, rule, reflect, embody, reveal, symbolize, correspond to, under the domain of,’ and so on. Consider these terms more as interchangeable synonyms than as stipulating a particular shade of meaning or level of association. Focus on the keywords and concepts used to describe the meanings for each Stone, not the precise definition of the terms ‘represent, influence, affect,’ etc.

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The Sixteen Stones

CLICK HERE to see my Sixteen Stones

Stones are some of the most basic yet beautiful of Nature’s creations. They have inherent vibrations to which one can become sensitive, and for these reasons they have been used for divination and rituals since the dawn of mankind. Readers who use Stones for such purposes develop a certain feel and respect for them, and maintain reverence for their purpose and power, just as all artists form strong bonds with the tools of their creativity.

Small stones appropriate for Lithomancy are available at many gift stores, New Age shops, hobby and art stores, online retailers, festivals, fairs, and so on. They can be found in every shape and color or combination of colors imaginable, and with numerous characteristics in their surfaces, curves and edges. The unique facets of a stone can render relevant meaning to the Reader, which can then be passed on to the Subject. Such stones 

Artists create by drawing inspiration from a vast reservoir of ideas, associations, tools and techniques. Accomplished musicians play in all keys, expressive painters use a wide spectrum of colors, and actors draw upon an array of personal experiences. Life is indeed colorful, and to enhance the reading process, I suggest you use Stones that are interesting and colorful to symbolize the panorama of experiences and challenges that life offers. You can choose Six Personal Stones and Ten Planet Stones, and several extras, based on how they look, how they feel, their distinct characteristics, simple gut instinct or any number of considerations when making selections to create a personalized set.

The Stones I use to give readings appear throughout this book. The Stones a Reader chooses will obviously be quite different, and should be. With time, a Reader will discover that even the subtlest characteristics of any Stone can reveal feelings, issues, events, situations or people associated with and of importance to the Subject. I have used a few different sets of Stones over the decades, and they have all worked equally well. I have even given readings by using a stick to draw a Circle in the ground and gravel as Stones. That said, colorful and unique Stones do seem to enliven and enhance the interpretative processes.

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The Six Personal Stones

The Six Personal Stones represent the personal aspects of the Subject’s life and situation, though they may influence or have an effect on other people or situations. I often think of the Personal Stones as being ‘of, within, about, or at the heart of’ the Subject, and the Planet Stones as being ‘to, for, with, or in relation to’ the Subject. Another analogy would be to consider the Personal Stones as acting more in the ‘first person,’ and the Planet Stones as acting more in the ‘third person,’ though all Stones affect the Subject. In readings, however, I never think of these Stones as falling into different categories. All Sixteen Stones combine to form a Pattern that can be interpreted. It just so happens that six represent personal issues, and ten are based on astrological associations.

Flexibility is certainly advantageous in interpreting Stones and Patterns, just as it is in interpreting life and dealing with all forms of human relationships. This flexibility comes about because of the unique way each Subject sees his or her life and situation at the time of the reading, as well as the unique method of interpretation each Reader develops and uses. The sections describing the Personal Stones are much shorter than those describing the Planet Stones, which are based on a long history of astrological associations that have been handed down from numerous cultures and used in many divination systems. One may wonder if the briefer descriptions for the Personal Stones lead to more flexibility or less. I say both.

I feel that the Personal Stones reveal themselves in a unique fashion in each reading because they highlight personal issues of concern to the Subject. In this way there is great flexibility. On the other hand, the brief descriptions given for each Personal Stone tend to focus the Reader on fewer principles, drawing that Reader back to the basic meanings associated with each Personal Stone. Flexibility in interpretation, therefore, is related to the Reader’s intuitive ability, not the length of the definitions given for a particular Stone.

The meanings associated with each Personal Stone come from the method I originally learned and from personal experience gained through decades of giving readings. They are intended to serve as suggestions and guidelines, not as rigid concepts that are ‘carved in stone’ and allow no room for other interpretations or personal adaptations. A Reader may indeed find additional meanings evolve with experience and over time, or that certain meanings continue to come to the surface in many readings. The intuitive powers are the key. Like all systems, this system can change, evolve and transform into a variation of the parent system presented here. If a system works, use it. If it reveals new information that needs to be incorporated, do so. If new adaptations and methods of interpretation seem to appear, consider implementing them.

How we interpret virtually everything in life evolves over time and with experience. The art of Lithomancy is no different. This book is intended merely as a starting point in explaining how one can interpret Stones in a Pattern, certainly not the last word on the subject. Any Reader who practices this art will develop psychically and discover that a personalized method of interpretation continually reveals itself more and more with each reading. Eventually the art of interpretation will become second nature and manifest almost exclusively through feelings and intuition, rather than through analysis or logic. To get to that point, however, one must start with the basics, just as one starts with the basics to learn to drive, type, do mathematics or play a musical instrument.

The Circle

In the method of Lithomancy discussed in this book, the Circle represents the Environment of the Subject of the reading. This Circle can be formed using a strip of leather, lace, string or similar material about three to four feet in length. I tie a knot near the ends, and often leave a few inches to make two loops as shown in the Pictures that follow. This material should be placed on a cloth on a soft surface and spread out evenly in all directions. A Circle about twelve to fourteen inches in diameter works best in that it allows ample space for the stones to land without forming a tight pile in the center.

The Circle of leather in these Pictures is intentionally almost perfectly round so that the superimposed images (Stones, Clocks, Quadrants, etc.) appear visually balanced and easy to read. It is difficult, of course, to lay a strip of leather in a perfect circle, and equally pointless. The Circle a Reader creates will have imperfections, and it should. A Stone may slip under a portion of the Circle and perhaps imply that its influences could ‘slip into the environment.’ A Stone may rest against the Circle in an awkward fashion or bury itself into an interesting area of curvature, aspects that can offer insight due to its position. Always keep in mind that even the subtlest aspects concerning how the Stones land, form Patterns and interrelate with the Circle can imply meaning, both visually and intuitively.

Pointers and Clusters

Clusters are groups or piles of Stones that land on or close to each other and are thus linked by proximity. Clusters may overlap, and a Stone or more in one Cluster may also be seen as a part of another Cluster. There are no precise rules regarding how far apart Stones can be, yet still be regarded as a Cluster. Since my Stones are enlarged in these Pictures, just about every Stone can be seen as forming some Cluster or another. I will use the term Cluster when referring to and focusing on a particular set of closely interrelated Stones. A Reader may see other Clusters in these Pictures, but I may not refer to them. By practicing this art, a Reader will learn to recognize Clusters and how to interpret them.

I find Stones that land in a tight Cluster often reveal powerful connections and relationships in which the Stones directly reinforce and support each other, or create blockage or interference from other Stones. Situations relating to Stones in tight Clusters seem to occur fast. Sometimes I see loose Clusters as representing areas of concentration where work is required to bring forces together, to define goals or to create unity. Loose Clusters seem subtler in effect and situations usually don’t occur as fast as they might with tight Clusters. When a Stone lands upon another Stone it usually means one thing (Stone) is overpowering another.

Pointers are edges, tips or other characteristics of a Stone that point in a particular direction or in different directions. Most of the Pointers in my Stones (or most stones that are not round) are obvious; others are less clearly defined and subtler. Pointers can be relevant in an overall Pattern and its smaller Clusters because they can imply direction and flow of energies, power, influence and/or connections to other Stones. Not all the Pointers in my Stones feel significant in many readings, but in just about every reading the Pointers on a few Stones feel highly significant.

I suggest you choose some Stones with Pointers. Based on the directed male energy it can represent, Mars feels to me like one of the Stones that should have a strong Pointer. I chose my Love Stone because it looks like a crescent moon, and in readings it often seems to connect things by virtue of its Pointers. Its crescent shape can also imply ‘turning away from’ or ‘turning towards’ some person, attitude or situation.

In certain positions, my Saturn Stone looks somewhat like a dam, symbolizing to me the rigid walls of discipline and learning that Saturn can represent. These walls can act as Pointers, just as the corners can, or they can constrain, block or impede the effects of Pointers from other Stones.

My Mercury Stone is shaped like a triangle with three Pointers. To me, its triangular shape represents the trilogy of Sun, Moon and Mercury, the intermediating and balancing principles of Mercury, and the three dimensions of space through which we travel.

My other Stones have similar Pointers and characteristics that point and can imply direction. By using a Stone, a Reader will learn to interpret its Pointers and see how its other distinguishing characteristics can also imply meaning. Had I chosen different Stones, I know their individual characteristics would also reveal meaning the more I used them, regardless of their size, their Pointers (or lack of) or their shape.

Even the subtlest Pointer on one of my Stones may feel quite significant in the same reading in which strong Pointers of other Stones feel rather insignificant. Likewise, a Pointer a Reader sees in a particular Stone may be of great importance while that Stone’s other Pointers may not. Pointers are only one of many aspects a Reader should consider to interpret meaning. In one sense, the more concepts a Reader develops or discovers about how to see and interpret the Stones, the more insightful and effective that Reader becomes.

There are, of course, numerous possible connections between Stones and directions a Pointer can point, as well as many different ways to read and interpret a Pattern. Like others aspect of the reading process, the significance of Stones and their Pointers becomes truly apparent only when a Reader applies intuition, the most important aspect of the interpretation process, in context with an actual reading for a Subject.

One of many Examples in this book

Examining Clusters

Stones form all kinds of fascinating and revealing arrangements. Study the picture below for a moment. Notice that there is a Cluster in each Quadrant of this Pattern. Let’s examine these in detail.

Quadrant I: The Luck, Uranus and Love Stones form a Cluster. From a geometric point of view all three Stones connect to each other via their Pointers and their proximity to each other. The Uranus Stone seems to wedge itself between the Love and Luck Stones. From this perspective, perhaps this trio of Stones indicates changes (or other Events associated with Uranus) in love and luck. Another possible interpretation would be that the Love Stone links Uranus and Luck, perhaps implying that love or a loved one acts as a bridge between Events associated with the Uranus and Luck Stones. One might also interpret the Luck Stone as bringing luck to the Uranus and Love Stones. In fact, all three interpretations (as well as many others) can be valid and reveal insight. By using each of the three Stones as a different reference point, a Reader can get an even more detailed picture of what this Cluster and each Stone within it represents. As you can see, just from a geometric point of view this simple Cluster of three Stones can imply many possibilities, depending upon which Stone or Stones a Reader uses as a reference point.

Quadrant II: The Magic, Place and Pluto Stones project outward (as I interpret my Pointers) from the Moon Stone. This could imply that female issues, emotions, the subconscious or other Events associated with the Moon Stone are at the core of this particular Cluster, and that the Moon is acting as a force affecting the Events of the Magic, Place and Pluto Stones. Or perhaps these Stones are affecting the Moon Stone, pulling its energy in all directions. The Magic Stone (timing) seems to point backwards, perhaps implying that the Subject may be looking to the past to understand timing issues between Week 3 and Week 4, or into the future. The Pluto Stone seems to point to both the Moon Stone and the future (forward). Maybe some personal or subconscious struggle from the past (Pluto) is a barrier that a mother (Moon) or the Subject has to deal with on an emotional level and evolve beyond.

Another consideration would be that perhaps the Place and Moon Stones act as a bridge between the Magic Stone (timing) and the Pluto Stone (issues coming to the surface). Since everything about how and where the Stones land renders meaning, the Pointers on these Stones may be quite relevant, or they may be of less relevance than the Cluster as a whole, especially since this Cluster has such pronounced geometry. Consider all the different thoughts, feelings and psychic images this Cluster stimulates. Is it a cross? A triangle? A sign? A symbol? Is it balancing or pulling things apart? Is the Moon pushing outward or are the other stones pulling? Or both? Is the Moon comfortably protected by the other stones, or cornered with only one way out? All such considerations act as triggers, drawing the Reader from visual geometry into intuitive levels of interpretation.

Quadrant III: The Stones in this Cluster form a circle. Circles represent harmonious systems with the different parts that work together, as in an atom, a wheel, a solar system, or a galaxy. As such, the Events associated with all five of these Stones seem to reinforce each other. The Life and Sun Stones (both being positive and powerful) connect with the Neptune Stone (spirituality, dreams), then with the Venus Stone (balance, art, love) and finally with the Saturn Stone (lessons, wisdom, restrictions). I started with the Life and Sun Stones because they are closer to the center. A Reader may find one of the other Stones to be a more relevant point from which to start interpreting this cluster. From any starting point, however, this circle does look unified and potent, emphasized by the harmony of Venus, the wisdom of Saturn, the power of Life and the Sun, and the spiritual perspectives of Neptune. Imagine how you might interpret this Cluster if all the Pointers extended outward, like a star, rather than towards the adjacent stone. A different feel? A different meaning? 

Quadrant IV: Here we find the Mercury, Mars and Jupiter Stones point inward and towards the Commitment Stone, as opposed to outward and away from the Moon Stone as in the Cluster in Quadrant II. The Commitment Stone seems positively influenced and/or supported by the expansive nature of Jupiter, the communication and intellectual skills of Mercury and the force and determination of Mars. My Mars Stone has white stripes on one end, and I usually see this as defining the direction of Mars energy. For that reason, Mars could also be applying pressure on the Commitment Stone. Travel (Mercury) may be a factor in this Cluster. Overall, the geometry of this Cluster does seem to indicate many strong influences at work, perhaps benefiting the Commitment Stone the most. Still, each Stone can be interpreted individually or in context with other Stones in this Cluster or in the Pattern. Each point of reference can render insight from a different perspective and concerning a different issue.