![\"Dice](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-mass.jpg\")
I am going to assume that not everyone reading this article is familiar with tabletop RPG\u2019s (Role Playing Games), so if you are, please bear with me as I explain some basic concepts about dice in general, and how they are most often used in tabletop gaming.\u00a0 I lean heavily on RPG associations because those are my strongest associations with dice, and I am delighted to get to nerd out about RPG\u2019s and how their systems can be applied to real magic.\u00a0 If you have other associations that inspire you to use your dice in different ways, go for it!<\/p>\n
Types of Dice<\/h2>\n
There are an absolutely dizzying array of dice available today.\u00a0 They range from rather boring six siders with pips (dots) on each side, to hand-crafted works of art with complex images created within the body of the dice themselves<\/a>.\u00a0 Plastic and epoxy resin dice are by far the most common, but dice are also made from stone, gemstone, wood, metal, bone, ceramics, glass, and more.\u00a0 If you are so inclined, you can even purchase a set of epoxy resin dice molds and make your own set.<\/p>\n The main way to refer to dice is by the number of sides it has.\u00a0 You can sometimes find the rare die with sides numbering 3, 16, 24, 30, 50, or even 100 (yes, I did at one point own a true 100-sided die, and no, it did not work very well), but most dice are going to be D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, or D20 (\u201cD\u201d for \u201cdice\u201d + the number of sides).\u00a0 That is because those are the sizes used most often for tabletop RPG\u2019s, and gamers are the largest market for dice sets.\u00a0 In fact, when you are looking to buy dice, \u201cdice set\u201d by default means an RPG set with a range of dice sizes.\u00a0 If you want a dice set for a specific board game like Yahtzee, you must ask for the game or specific dice by name.<\/p>\n Dice of all types are available for individual sale online or in gaming and comic stores, but they are also available in sets.\u00a0 A good set is usually going to have 1D4 (one four-sided die), 1D6, 1D8, 2D10, 1D12, and 1D20.\u00a0 You need 2D10 in order to roll for 100, with one die representing the ten\u2019s digit, and the other representing the one\u2019s digit.\u00a0 So, if your ten\u2019s digit die rolls a 2, and your one\u2019s digit die rolls an 8, your D100 roll is 28.<\/p>\n The most common type of dice for gambling and boardgames are D6 dice with pips on the sides.\u00a0 The number of pips indicates the value of that side.\u00a0 Six-siders can be found in a delightful array of novelty forms, from dice the size of a pinhead, to clich\u00e9 fuzzy dice to hang on your rear-view mirror.\u00a0 If what makes the die quirky or novelty holds symbolic or personal meaning for you, then that extra layer of meaning can be applied to magic.<\/p>\n Hand-crafted dice can come in just about any material, and some of them are stunning works of art.\u00a0 The price you pay for them usually reflects the materials cost and time spent creating the dice, but it is an option if you want a unique set of dice, or dice made out of a specific material.\u00a0 Some hand-crafted dice are even made with occultists in mind, using runes, ogham, planetary symbols, knotwork, or other symbols or sigils on the sides instead of numbers.\u00a0 If you want something truly unique to suit your practice, it may even be possible to commission a dice artist for a set of dice to exactly your specifications.<\/p>\n Since dice come in literally every color, and a wide variety of materials, it is possible to have magically charged or consecrated dice that are also sympathetic via color magic or material symbology.<\/p>\n Professional gambling pipped dice can be found, but they are pricey.\u00a0 They are designed to exacting standards<\/a> so the die will not be weighted, and has a completely even chance of landing on any side.<\/p>\n Most dice will have manufacturing imperfections that cause them to roll less than perfectly, and even the difference in weight on each side created by carving numbers and symbols does have a statistical impact on rolls.\u00a0 Fancy carvings and sculpting, potentially even more so, especially if the sculpting and carving is not completely consistent around the die.\u00a0 Most of the time you will not see that difference unless you statistically track your die for thousands of rolls, but when you get a new die it is worth giving it a bit of a test run to see if it is glaringly weighted or imperfect.\u00a0 Just roll it a couple dozen times, focusing on letting it fall where it naturally wants to, and see if you get results fairly evenly around the whole die.<\/p>\n If you find that your die is slightly weighted, I do not recommend using it for role playing (sometimes the missteps make for great storytelling).\u00a0 However, it may be perfect for use in spellcrafting, especially if you really like the aesthetic of the design.\u00a0 Just be sure to keep in mind what numbers it wants to fall on the most frequently.<\/p>\n Dice trays are a phenomenon among those who use dice regularly, because they keep your dice from rolling right off the table (If I had a dollar for every time I had to chase down an errant die\u2026).\u00a0 Basically, a dice tray is any tray that has steep sides at least 1\u201d high.\u00a0 They are typically anywhere from 6\u201d to 18\u201d across.\u00a0 Fancy ones are often made out of leather, but they can be made out of anything. \u00a0Even deep box lids will work.<\/p>\n Fancy and plain dice trays are available for sale.\u00a0 Like the dice themselves, most are mass-produced, but there is also a community of artists that craft them by hand, or even take commissions.\u00a0 It is also relatively easy to make one yourself if you are crafty, or to repurpose a sturdy box lid, platter, serving tray, or decorative tray, provided that it has steep sides.<\/p>\n For purposes of magical use, a dice tray is going to be a lot like having a large offering plate, altar cloth, or tarot cloth.\u00a0 It is not necessary, but it can be very useful for both practical and magical reasons.\u00a0 Exactly what it is made out of, and what decorations it has will depend upon your personal taste, practice, budget, and the intent of your use of dice in your practice.\u00a0 There is no right or wrong answer.<\/p>\n I throw dice with my hands.\u00a0 Some people or traditions might be particular about what hand, or using a cup, or throwing right out of the bag.\u00a0 You can shake it a particular number of times, blow on it, show it to your patron deity, etc.\u00a0 If you have a reason for doing it a particular way, do it that way.\u00a0 There is no wrong or right way to throw your dice, as long as it makes sense to you within your practice.<\/p>\n Magic works on symbology and intent.\u00a0 If a thing represents something to you, then you can use that symbolic representation to power your magical intent.\u00a0 For anyone who has played tabletop RPG\u2019s, the symbology of rolling a D20 is practically etched in stone.<\/p>\n Most tabletop RPG\u2019s are based on a D20 for determining the outcome of any action or event.\u00a0 A high roll is generally good, with a natural 20 representing a critical hit or spectacular success.\u00a0 A low roll is generally bad, with a natural 1 representing a death blow or spectacular failure.\u00a0 \u201cNatural\u201d means the number that comes up on the die when you roll it, before any modifiers are applied.<\/p>\n Most rolls will have a modifier, based on skill level or advantages that are at play.\u00a0 So, if for instance a character wanted to perform a dance, the first modifier would be their skill level.\u00a0 A highly skilled dancer would have a bonus, and someone who had never danced before would potentially have a penalty.\u00a0 Other factors, like an uneven stage, ill-fitting shoes, or a hostile audience, might modify the roll further.\u00a0 The modifiers are added or subtracted from the roll in order to provide the number that represents how well the character does when dancing.\u00a0 Most of the time I feel that anything over a 10 represents a success, and anything under represents failure.\u00a0 The closer it is to 20, the better the success.\u00a0 The closer to 1, the worse the failure.\u00a0 The closer to 10, the more mediocre the result or closer the call (just barely missed it, or just barely made it).<\/p>\n For that reason, I am mostly going to refer to using D20\u2019s, but a high roll on any die is usually considered more successful.\u00a0 If all you have are pipped D6\u2019s from a board game, the 6 would represent success, and the 1 would represent failure, with the rest scaling in between.<\/p>\n What that means is, that you can use the symbology of high rolls to empower spells in a positive or successful direction<\/a>.\u00a0 It really does not matter what the spell or its intent is.\u00a0 If you are looking for success, a high roll on a D20 represents that success.\u00a0 A natural 20 represents spectacular success.\u00a0 If you are working a spell, it is likely that you want a successful outcome, otherwise you probably would not be bothering.<\/p>\n You can add that D20 to your altar as an additional ingredient empowering your spell.\u00a0 I am going to describe two main ways to do that, but if you think of another use that makes sense to you, go for it!\u00a0 What matters most in your magic is that it makes sense for you, not someone else.<\/p>\n In this method, when you are setting your intent and fully focused on success, deliberately set the die on your altar with a high number facing up.\u00a0 On a D20, I recommend either 19 or 20, depending upon whether you want to emphasize general success, or spectacular success.<\/p>\n If you use a 19, focus on how easy it is to set the die to a successful number.\u00a0 Your magic should follow that easy path and find its way to success.<\/p>\n Putting the 20 up requires a bit more care.\u00a0 Consider carefully if spectacular success is particularly unlikely or even impossible, because unrealistic expectations may cause your entire spell to fizzle out and fail.\u00a0 If spectacular success is unlikely, but not impossible, focus on wanting the spell to be a solid success, but it would be fantastic if it really did come up a 20.<\/p>\n Setbacks, stumbles, stagnancy, and missteps are a natural part of just about any process<\/a>, especially if you are working towards goals over time.\u00a0 Even when an upward trajectory is the most visible path, there are going to be occasional plateaus and dips.\u00a0 Rolling the die brings into the magic an awareness and acceptance of those difficulties and doldrums, and emphasizes flexibility and perseverance over immediate success.<\/p>\n I do recommend using a dice tray or offering bowl to roll your die in, especially if your altar is small, crowded, or has delicate or flaming objects on it (candles, incense, etc.).\u00a0 Also, roll gently so you do not bounce the die right out of the tray (practicing a few times away from the altar to see how it rolls in your chosen tray is entirely reasonable).\u00a0 It would not do to set your altar on fire or break a sacred object when you work your spell.<\/p>\n When you are ready to set your intent and focus on success, pick up your die and roll it.\u00a0 If it comes up a low number, focus on the fact that setbacks do not define the outcome.\u00a0 You can and will ride them out.\u00a0 Roll it again, and again, and again, until you arrive at a high number that is successful.<\/p>\n Some divination can come into play with this method, with the various rolls representing real trials that you will face in accomplishing your goals.\u00a0 For that reason, be careful if you decide a successful roll is not \u201cgood enough\u201d, and so roll again.\u00a0 It may be reasonable to set the bar high and keep working until you hit a lofty goal, or you may be setting yourself up for missed opportunities at success that will keep you grinding away longer than you need to or want to.<\/p>\n It can be worthwhile to decide beforehand how high of a roll you need for your goal<\/a>.\u00a0 Like with rolling dice in an RPG, if everything is already in your favor, a roll of only 11 or 12 may get you where you want to go.\u00a0 If there are some obstacles, 15 or 16 may be more appropriate.\u00a0 If it is important that everything turn out very well, or it is expected to be difficult, 19, 18, or even 17 will get you there.\u00a0 Be vary careful about insisting on a 20.\u00a0 Spectacular success is generally a rare thing, and an ordinary good success is usually more than sufficient to win the day.\u00a0 Like Icarus flying too close to the sun, you might just burn yourself insisting on perfection or aiming recklessly high.<\/p>\n However, if you do roll a 20, especially in the first few rolls, I would take that as a very good sign indeed.<\/p>\n If your intent is on the more baneful<\/a> or banishing<\/a> end of the spectrum, it might<\/em><\/strong> make sense to want a low roll.\u00a0 But this approach does require a particular mindset.\u00a0 In RPG\u2019s, someone always has to roll for the antagonist, but as a player, you usually want that antagonist to roll poorly.\u00a0 The more poorly they roll, the easier it is for the player to be successful against them.\u00a0 That means that there are times when you are hoping for the low roll, but those situations are usually antagonistic or confrontational in nature.<\/p>\n Say, for example, you want to undo some magic that was previously woven.\u00a0 Yours or someone else\u2019s does not matter.\u00a0 In order to be successful at undoing it, you need that existing magic to fail and dispel.\u00a0 Since a low number represents failure, if you are rolling for<\/em><\/strong> the existing magic, you want the die to show a low number.\u00a0 To give it extra oomph, you can even use two dice, one that represents your efforts (go high), and one that represents the existing magic (go low).<\/p>\n If you are wanting to conduct baneful magic, you can use the same principle, drawing upon both baneful and blessing energies within the same spell<\/a>.\u00a0 The target of the baneful magic gets a low roll, and your efforts get a high roll.<\/p>\n As I mentioned above, you can get dice with symbols other than numbers on them.\u00a0 Exactly how many sides the dice will have depends upon the system the symbols come from, and the whim of the maker.<\/p>\n Some of the easiest pictographic dice to find are going to have symbols related to specific games.\u00a0 If you are familiar with those games and the nuances of what those symbols represent, you can use them in your spellwork or divination.<\/p>\n Other dice that are available will have occult or cultural symbols on them.\u00a0 Some of the ones I found had runes, ogham, planetary symbols, astrological symbols, knotwork, or \u201cspooky\u201d drawings.\u00a0 And, of course there are the oddball dice that do not seem to fit in anywhere, that have seemingly random images inscribed on them once divorced from their source.\u00a0 I suspect most of those come from defunct games, promotions, novelty shops, or joke shops.\u00a0 Regardless of the specific images, if they have meaning to you, you can use them as a sympathetic link in magic, or find meaning in them when doing divination<\/a>.<\/p>\n Throwing bones is a specific kind of divination that is based on throwing found or created objects.\u00a0 These objects may be wildly disparate, and can seem random to an onlooker, but each has very specific meaning to the person using them.\u00a0 They are called \u201cbones\u201d because of historic associations, and because most people who use this form of divination will have at least a couple bits of bone or teeth in their divination bag (at least, that has been my experience).<\/p>\n The seer will usually have a cloth with a circle or other border on it, which the bones are thrown onto.\u00a0 The items that fall inside the circle or border are the ones that apply to the current reading.\u00a0 Their individual meanings and how they fall in relation to each other and any imagery on the cloth are used to intuit the message of the reading.<\/p>\n Since collecting a set of bones for divination is highly personal, literally anything small and durable can end up in the set.\u00a0 It is not unreasonable to throw a particularly special die or two into the bag, if you are so inclined.<\/p>\n I have mentioned before that just about anything can be used as a tool for divination<\/a>, and dice are no exception.\u00a0 I must warn you that I am NOT an expert in astragalomancy, but I feel it is important to mention, and I do have some thoughts and suggestions for where to start if you are interested in pursuing this particular form of divination.<\/p>\n All mentions of astragalomancy that I could find online recommended throwing the dice onto a cloth with a circle drawn on it, just like when throwing bones.\u00a0 Dice that fall within the circle are read, and ones that fall outside the circle are omitted from the reading.\u00a0 This is particularly unsurprising to me since most of these sources also indicated that the first \u201cdice\u201d used for astragalomancy in the Mediterranean and Near East were made out of knuckle bones that had been inscribed.<\/p>\n None of the material I looked at mentioned reading the locations of the dice on the cloth, but as someone who once had a set of bones, I cannot help but think that where the dice fall may be important.\u00a0 If that idea makes sense to you, closer to the center would mean greater influence or import, and further from the center indicates lower influence or import.\u00a0 Dice that fall close to each other are likely to interrelate or directly influence each other, like a tarot card that is placed across another card.\u00a0 If there is artwork or symbols on the cloth other than the border, proximity to those can also be read into the meaning.<\/p>\n If you are already familiar with a symbolic system that is available in dice form, that may be an excellent place to start.\u00a0 For example, if you are familiar with astrology, dice with astrological symbols may work very well for you.\u00a0 Same for runes, ogham, planetary symbols, or symbols associated with a gaming system.<\/p>\n If you are familiar with numerology, those principles can easily be applied to astragalomancy.\u00a0 This may be as simple as adding up the numbers on the dice or making other numerological calculations.\u00a0 Additionally, you can use color associations to assign different areas of influence to different colored dice, or keep in mind special associations you have with dice with a particular number of sides.\u00a0 In other words, if the green die with gold numbers represents physical aspects of the query, the numerology of its result will apply to physical aspects.\u00a0 If your D8 represents fortune and luck, the numerology will tell you about fortune and luck aspects.<\/p>\n I also found a couple different rigid interpretation guides for astragalomancy for throwing one or two six-sided dice, but I am not going to link to them because I am wary of rigid divination meanings.\u00a0 Generally, I find that situations we want divination about are not so clean-cut.\u00a0 If you want to find them yourself, a quick Google search on astragalomancy should bring them up.<\/p>\n Even though we can use them for magic or divination, dice are, at heart, all about play.\u00a0 The more you play with them, the more you will understand what they represent, and how you can most effectively use them for more serious work.\u00a0 After all, play is a wonderful way to build your skills and your relationship with your dice, and we could all use more fun in our lives<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dice magic can add power to your craft. From spellcrafting to divination (astragalomancy), dice are a fun and useful tool to keep in your witch\u2019s kit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4260,"featured_media":1774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magical-tips"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"It](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-tiny.jpg\")
Weighted and Imperfect Dice<\/h2>\n
![\"Professional](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-casino.jpg\")
Dice Trays<\/h2>\n
![\"I](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-hand.jpg\")
Throwing Dice<\/h2>\n
Dice Magic and Dice Spellcrafting for the Tabletop RPG Player<\/h2>\n
![\"Using](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-range.jpg\")
Rolling for Successful Magic<\/h2>\n
Method 1 \u2013 Set the Die<\/h3>\n
![\"Take](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-high.jpg\")
Method 2 \u2013 Rolling the Die<\/h3>\n
![\"If](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-highlow.jpg\")
Rolling for Baneful Magic, Banishing, or Counterspells<\/h2>\n
![\"Some](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-symbols.jpg\")
Using Dice Without Numbers<\/h2>\n
Using Dice in a set of Bones<\/h2>\n
![Some pretty Roman dice. <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Dice_MET_chr97.4.117.jpg\">Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a>, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-roman.jpg\")
Astragalomancy \u2013 Divination with Dice<\/h2>\n
![\"Color](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1330\/2021\/03\/Using-Dice-for-Spellcraft-and-Divination-Astragalomancy-colors.jpg\")
Do Not Forget to Play<\/h2>\n
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