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How Dice Are Used In Fortune Telling

How Dice Are Used In Fortune Telling
Jun 11, 2009
2 minute read

Dice, like cards, are some of the oldest game pieces in history. And, like cards, dice can be used for fortune-telling, also referred to as divination. The ancient Greeks referred to divination with dice as astragalomancy, with astragalus meaning "dice made of (animal) knucklebones" and "manteia" meaning "divination."

Antique or modern six-sided dice made of wood, stone or bone work best for divination purposes, but plastic ones will work fine for the novice astragalomancer.

Ask a "yes" or "no" question. Use one die to determine the answer to a "yes" or "no" question. Hold the die in your hand and ask the question out loud. Throw the die. If an odd number comes up, the answer is "no"; an even number signifies "yes."

Determine basic past, present and future situations. To expand on the one-die method, take three dice and think of a current situation in your life. Throw the dice in a way that they fall more or less in a line. The die to the left is the past; an odd number means the history of the situation was negative, and an even number indicates the history was positive. The center die is the present; an odd number means the current situation is as negative as it will get, and an even number says the current situation is as positive as it will get. The die to the right is the future; an odd number means the outcome will be negative, and an even number indicates the outcome will be positive.

Add the numbers. Take the three dice again, and throw them. Add up the number of dots. Add again until you get a number that is nine or less. For example, if your total dots are 18, add the 1 and the 8 to get 9. Use this counting system from folklore to determine your future:

1 - sorrow 2 - joy 3 - a gift 4 - new love 5 - silver is coming your way 6 - gold is coming your way 7 - someone will tell you a secret 8 - three good things will happen to you 9 - your true love is, indeed, true

Rhomylly Forbes

Rhomylly Forbes has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. A freelance writer since 1997, Forbes has been published in A&U Magazine, Romantic Times Book Lovers, Old-Time Herald, and Celtic…

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