Unlocking Intuition Through Bone Casting

Bone casting is a form of divination used in hoodoo. Root workers collected bones from dead cats, opossums, and chickens. After cleansing the bones, root workers placed them into a basket, bowl, or pouch to be cast. 

Meditating on a question or desire they were seeking, root workers cast (threw) bones onto a mat or in a circle. 

Guided by Spirit and intuition, they read the bones, taking note of the bones’ location, facing, and general images being presented. This dictated the divine message or prediction being received. 

In addition to hoodoo, historical evidence of bone casting can be found throughout West Africa and Egypt. It is even referenced in the bible when Jacob predicts Joseph’s future. 

We’ve all heard the saying “trust your gut.” But what about trusting our bones? Even if we are not casting bones in ritual, much of our ancestral intuition lives in our bones. 

Bodies are intuitive. While our bodies tether us to this life, they can sense Spirit and the ancestral realm. 

Our intuition depends on our ability to look within ourselves. How can we see bodies as sacred text to learn from? How will the knowledge we carry in our bones help us to build futures that center the care and wisdom of the Black body?