Litomance is a form of divinatory arts in which stones are used to «see» the past, clarify the present or predict the future.

The history and origin of the litomance are not clear. There are hardly any records about the use of litomance in antiquity, so many aspects of this art remain a mystery.

Some historians believe that it originated in ancient Türkiye, in the city of Constantinople, now called Istanbul. Others believe it goes back to the pre -Roman era.

The oldest story about the use of litomance dates back to the end of the seventh century, when San Focio I of Constantinople describes the use of litomance by a doctor named Eusebio to perform a ritual.

How is litomance performed?

Due to the lack of historical records, the modern use of litomance varies from one place to another and among users. The number of stones, as well as their representations and the techniques used, are somewhat different depending on who is asked.

The most common litomance form in the British islands uses 13 stones that represent love, magic, fortune, home, life and astrological signs: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun and the Moon.

Each of these representations has a vocabulary of meanings that coincide with its own meaning.

For example, love could also mean passion, harmony, honesty, relationships, etc. And Venus, planet and goddess of love and beauty, could mean any of the same things.

Once the question is formulated, the stones are thrown and the meaning is interpreted based on the pattern and the relationship in which each stone falls.

The response received by the stones will be read as the Piedras pitcher considers appropriate. As with any form of divination, intuition and experiences of the Piedras pitcher will determine how he decides to read the stones.

Another form of litomance, more common in wicca and other neopagan practices, uses 16 stones instead of 13. The representations of these 16 stones are man, women, sun, moon, love, death, joy, pain, pain, the past, the present and the future, and the elements: air, fire, water and earth. The last stone is the center or stone of the question and is usually the largest in the whole.

This form of litomance is very influenced by the Tarot and the results are much easier to interpret. The stone pitcher begins by asking the central stone.

Next, the stone is placed on a flat surface, usually above a fabric, and the rest of stones are thrown directly from above. The height at which the stones are released varies between 15 cm and 30 cm.

Once the stones have fallen, they are read in order from the stone closest to the central stone to the stone farthest from the central stone. However, stones that fall more than 15 cm from the central stone are not considered part of the reading.

In this form of litomance, the order in which the stones fall is very important for the interpretation of the results, because the answer is read as a story. For example, if the stone of the past is the first, followed by the stone of water, that of pain, that of the future and then that of joy, the pitcher could read that the person’s past was full of emotional pain and suffering, while his future is full of … joy and happiness.

Now, if the stones fell with the stone of the first last, followed by the joy, the future, the water and then that of pain, the pitcher could read that the person’s past was full of joy and happiness, while his future is full of emotional pain and suffering.

To better understand the representations of the stones and their meanings, a small list of examples that can be used for each stone are offered below.

• Man: A man in himself or action, competitive, aggressive, etc.
• Women: A woman itself or passive, balanced, nutritious, etc.
• Suno Leader, outgoing, self -insurance, etc.
• Moonor intuition, spirituality, change, etc.
• Loveo Relationships, compassion, honesty, etc.
• DeathOr sorry, banishment, new beginnings, etc.
• Happinessor happiness, luck, optimism, etc.
• PainOr sadness, misfortune, pessimism, etc.
• Formero Wisdom, knowledge, insight, etc.
• Presentor reality, learning, awakening, etc.
• Futureor fate, dreams, control, etc.
• Airo Intellect, mental, spring (station), etc.
• Fireo Creativity, willpower, summer (station), etc.
• Water: In itself or culture, emotions, autumn (station), etc.
• Lando Abundance, physical, winter (station), etc.

The meanings assigned to each stone are determined by the pitcher based on the question asked and in its intuition.

As Litomance has gained popularity in the US and Europe, new forms and variations have begun to emerge. In the end, each Piedras pitcher must decide which technique is the best for personal use.

How do I choose my litomantic stones?

The stones that are used in a game of litomance are a matter of preference. Although, most would agree that it is better to have stones of different size, shape and/or color for each representation in order to recognize its meaning.

Then I have compiled a list of stones that can be used to represent the different meanings.

In the center:

Clear quartz, transparent diamondophilite, colorless beryl, etc.

Man:

Piedra de BloodNegro Ágata, Red Carbucancle, Amazonita, Garnet, Topacioetc.

Women:

AGATA BlueParl lace, Zafirojade, Rosa Calcitaetc.

Sun:

Solar stone, Ruby, Carapache Tear, etc.

Moon:

Luna stone, Motherperla, white opallabrador, etc.

Love:

Pink Quartz, Rosa Turmalina, Alejandritadiamante Rosa, etc.

Death:

Rodonita, Coral Blanco, Rodocrosita, Angelita, etc.

Happiness:

Petrified wood, blue quartz, yellow zircon, Celestitaetc.

Grief:

Obsidianaopalo Negro, Dumortierita, Eclogita, Epidota, etc.

Past:

Eye of tiger, fossilapatite, cyanite, seleniteoojo de hawk, etc.

Present:

Cornalinaaguamarina, crisoprasa, morganita, etc.

Future:

Serpentina, Howlita, Labradorita, Adventurerocalcedonia, etc.

Air:

Amatistaonyx, Lapislázulitanzanita, Aragonita, etc.

Fire:

Red Jasperhematites, Fluoritaopalo de Fuego, Citrinoetc.

Water:

Chrysocola, lepidolite, sugilita, feldspar, kunzita, marble, etc.

Land:

Esmeralda, Brown or Jasper green, Peridotoverde Turmalinaetc.

Of course, most stones listed above can be used for more than one of the representations. For example, the amethyst can be used for women, the moon, love, joy, future, air, water or earth.

Ultimately, what stone is used for each representation depends on stones.

References:

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