What is Charm Casting? How To Use Casting for Divination (Part One)
Rune stones, charms, sticks and even bones? What on earth is casting lots, and how does it work as a form of divination?
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Hi everyone, welcome back to my blog! If you’re just meeting me for the first time, nice to meet you! My name is Ebonie, and this blog (and the YouTube channel) is all about productivity, wellness and spirituality. Thank you for joining me today to talk about casting charms. I hope that you find it helpful!
If you’ve been following me for a while now, you’d know how obsessed I am with learning essentially all I can about different divination methods. I’ve been interested in tarot reading for ages, but now I also use oracle, Lenormand and affirmation cards, and I’ve even started reading tea leaves too!
It’s not that I want to predict the future – I personally don’t believe any of these methods have the power to tell you exactly what’s going to happen. In my opinion, divination simply allows us to tap into our subconscious and intuition. It tells us what we might need to know. It helps us make decisions and reflect on our actions, in the past and present. If you’re asking about the future, at best any divination method might give you some insight into how your current actions might impact the future, if you continue down the same path. Long story short, I believe we have the will to change anything that might be predicted.
So, all that being said, why use any forms of divination? And how do you choose one form over another?
My curiosity has led me to try so many methods now, and I believe that each has its own unique voice. As I mentioned, I use divination – from cartomancy to casting – as a way to connect to my subconscious and intuition. They are all simply forms of guidance, that help us to better understand ourselves, each other, and the human experience.
Using a variety of divination methods allows for different aspects to come through, and it’s a lot of fun! I love mixing tarot and oracle cards with charms, because it gives me so much more information to work with. It’s like being given advice from a variety of people, instead of just one person.
So, what’s the deal with casting lots in particular?
Before cards were created, let alone mass produced, throwing items and objects such as bones, sticks, wooden pieces and stones, is likely one of the first forms of divination ever practiced. I believe that casting lots, or Cleromancy, feels ancient, even in its most modern form, using charms.
There’s something so tactile about casting items, whatever they may be. I really love the energy and movement of casting – it feels very organic and natural. It’s so different from picking a card, and gently placing it down in front of you.
Though piecing together a story that links multiple cards is important – casting brings that connection to a whole other level. When you cast anything, whether it’s charms or rune stones, the interactions between the items – how they are scattered together – is just as important as what each item means individually.
I can’t say I have ever used bones to cast and I can confidently say, that’s one form of divination that’s not really for me! Other forms of casting I haven’t tried, but would actually like to one day, include oghams and witches’ runes. The Ogham alphabet was created and used by the Celts. My ancestors are from Ireland and the U.K, so I would love to try those for sure! When I do, I can share more about it here too, so let me know if you’d like to see that.
Witches Runes contain 13 symbols, many of which are featured in the Lenormand system too, which I find interesting! I find it so fascinating to see the similar themes between all of these divination methods – despite the fact that they all have different historical contexts. And of course, despite the similarities, I want to try practically all of them for myself! But for today, I thought I’d start with charm casting. Then next week, we’ll talk about rune stones!
Firstly though, let me quickly mention what you may need for any form of casting!
Anytime I’m casting rune stones or charms I use a wooden tray and a reading cloth. Having something with an edge or sides is really great for charms especially. A shallow box would work well too. Some kind of material is honestly not always necessary in my opinion – though on a practical note, it does keep the board or tray that you’re using free from scratches!
For charm casting, you may also want to consider using a divination cloth or board that has different sections written on it. For instance, astrological signs, days of the week, months, letters, numbers, whatever you like. I’ve not tried this before, though I’d like to experiment with it in the future. It could be helpful!
One last thing before we get into the specifics of charm casting today. No matter what the method, before beginning any form of divination, I like to take a moment first. I hold the cards, the bag of rune stones or charms, my teacup, whatever it may be, in both hands. I close my eyes and I focus on my intention or question.
The best readings are those you make time for – if I’m distracted thinking about other things I need to do, or worrying and feeling rushed, then I simply won’t get the most out of it. So, I encourage you to take a moment first to get into the right headspace, and have the time aside with limited external distractions, as much as you can. Otherwise, you risk missing messages, not enjoying the process and leaving the reading feeling confused and stressed. Stop and take a deep breath first, and don’t feel bad for setting aside some time for yourself. I gain so much mental clarity from readings of all kinds, even if it’s just my daily Tarot card first thing in the morning. It’s become like my morning coffee! Like drinking my first coffee of the day, taking the time to tap into my subconscious makes me so much happier, which benefits everyone – not just myself.
Speaking of coffee, go get yourself a cuppa, and let’s take a closer look at casting charms!
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What is Charm Casting?
In modern times, casting charms is becoming more common, and many pick a card videos feature them. Charm sets can include an assortment of items, based on a variety of different meanings depending on the user. Charms are usually gathered personally over time, creating a unique collection for the individual.
When I started collecting charms to use for divination, I based my set on the Lenormand system. Lenormand is a 36-card system around 150 years old, that initially started in Europe as a fortune-telling tool. The illustrations are generally quite simple, and the answers provided are very direct and to the point.
Essentially, I knew that if I based my charm set on a system that already encompasses the various aspects of life, I’d be able to get a truly in-depth reading, and learn more about Lenormand in the process too. I’ve also added a few extra charms to the mix, anything I feel connected with and believe represents something worth including. I have a Chakra set of charms, wooden letters and these little pebbles with words on them that I’ll use occasionally too.
The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can use in your charm set! Shells, keepsakes, crystals, dice, dominos, numbers, zodiac signs, badges, cards, marbles… Whatever you want! You can even add your rune stones to the mix, though I keep mine separate. But it’s all up to your imagination, and that is what makes charm casting so unique and fun!
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How to Cast Charms
Charms are super personal to the individual, and they can be used in so many ways. I mostly use either one of the following methods!
My absolute favourite way to use them is to draw tarot or oracle cards, then scatter a handful of charms over them.
This gives me instantly more insight, fills in the gaps and helps me get a better reading overall. And it’s just so much fun to see how the charms can relate to the cards!
For a more in-depth reading, I cast them all together, at once!
If I cast all of my charms at once, the first thing I look for is the Goddess Isis charm, which is my female signifier that I relate myself to. Whatever charms fall closest to her, are therefore those I need to focus my attention on first. I then work outwards from there, one charm leading to the next. I sometimes look for particular symbols if I feel a little lost or overwhelmed, such as the four-leaf clover which indicates luck and opportunities.
Another method is to work from the centre outwards. You can attribute the centre as the present time, then as you move outwards, you’re reading further into the future.
As I mentioned, how the charms interact with one another, how they are scattered and displayed or obscured, can change the reading entirely. If one charm is covering another, what could that mean? It will mean different things to each individual, and how I read it also depends on what the charms are in particular.
The main thing to remember is that with any divination methods, there are truly no wrong answers, as long as you’re listening to your intuition.
The charms you use are likely to carry with them their own symbology, so like tea leaf reading, there are many connotations and keywords for any items, animals, subjects, and so on. What comes to mind when you think house, for instance? Stability, comfort, safety, privacy, tradition or history perhaps? If you’re really stuck about the meaning behind a certain charm, you can try googling it, or even use a dream dictionary!
I find charm casting really fantastic at providing an overall, general reading of my life currently.
As I’ve based my set on the Lenormand card system, casting all of my charms at once is similar to doing a full 36-card spread, called the Grand Tableau. It’s like an overview of all aspects of one’s life, and how the different elements might be working together. If you’d like to learn more about Lenormand, let me know, I’d love to talk more about it in another video! Also scroll to the bottom of this blog post for more information, resources and recommendations.
Charms are a really lovely example of casting in the modern day, and I really encourage anyone to try it for themselves. Start by using things you already have or find items around your house – it doesn’t have to cost you any money! If you’d like any specific charms, I went on Etsy and eBay to gather most of my set. You could also try craft shops. It took me a while to gather them all to cover each card in the Lenormand system, but I’m so happy with how it’s turned out and have so much fun casting them!
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If you’d like to see charm casting in action, my new weekly newsletter features a weekly reading, so I hope you’ll consider joining the mailing list below! If you missed it last week, right now when you sign up you’ll also get a free PDF guide to using Essential Oils for Focus. Check out last week’s post here to learn more!
Would you like to try charm casting for yourself? Or have you tried it before? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below! Also, let me know if you’re interested in any of the charms I use, I’d love to help you put together your own set!
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about casting charms today! As I mentioned, next week I’ll talk about casting rune stones, so be sure to hit that subscribe button if you haven’t already and ring the little bell to be notified. If you have any questions about rune stones, ask away and I’ll try my best to answer them in next week’s video!
Thank you so much for watching! I hope you’re doing well, wherever you are in the world.
Ebonie xx
Resources and Recommendations
YouTube Videos on Charm Casting :
✧ ‘The Truth in Story’ YouTube Channel. So many informative videos on charm casting and Lenormand, I highly recommend checking out this channel!
✧ ‘Charmed Intuition Tarot’ YouTube Channel. A wonderful introduction to using charms, and all the different examples that can work in your set!
*Disclaimer: Please note that any recommended products may be affiliate links. If any purchases are made through these links, I may receive a small commission - at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!