The Ancient Art Of Possum Bone Casting

I have spent some time exploring ancient forms of divination. It made me realize one can use just about anything, from bones to rocks, or even animal intestines… anything that may be handy at the time!

A few years back a friend of mine moved from Maine to New Orleans. We are connected on Facebook, so I decided to contact her to see how she liked living in New Orleans, and what she was doing for work. Much to my surprise she said, “I’m doing bone readings in the French Quarter of the city.” Well, that certainly peaked my interest.

I have since began studying the art of bone casting. As with anything, I found lots of ideas and several different opinions on the matter.

Using my own intuition, I settled on learning to read possum bones.

But now the question became…where and how does one find some proper possum bones to cast? I have never seen a possum where I live in the state of Maine (even though I’m sure possum is here.)

So, the hunt was on to get me some authentic possum bones to work with. I thought this would be easy; something one might find easily online? I mean, you can find almost everything to buy on the Internet these days.

Well, it turns out that to get the real deal, it is not really that easy.

My sister and her husband winter in Florida. Possums are plentiful in that area, so I hoped they might find just what I wanted. Not a live one, of course, but one in the form of ‘road kill.”

It is said you must never kill a possum just to get the bones. The most important part of casting possum bone is the ethic of “found bones.” The bones must be given freely ny nature, not intentionally taken by human force.

From the earliest times people have looked for guidance in signs, dreams, and the casting of lots ~ Mircea Eliade

Killing a possum just to collect its bones is a serious spiritual violation and definitely not advised. A possum that has been killed for convenience carries no positive spiritual energy and its bones hold only resentment and confusion, producing false or malicious predictions that can mislead or harm the seeker.

The bones must come from a possum that died naturally or was found already dead. The possum, as a creature of threshold and trickery, is said to know the difference. It will not lend its mystical insight to someone who has not shown it respect in life.

This belief is shared by many bone-reading traditions, which teach that the spiritual tool chooses its relationship with you. Being patient, acting ethically, and showing respect are not just moral virtues, they are also necessary for divination to be accurate and trustworthy. The tradition warns that a practitioner willing to kill an animal for this purpose is also willing to cheat, and the bones remember.

But finding that possum was not so easy. Everyone I knew and their neighbors were on the lookout for some dearly departed possum, but even with several people looking for about a month, not one was seen next to a road. I guess possums just never get run over?

Well, finally, as luck would have it, two days before my sister and brother-in-law were going to leave Florida, on route to the supermarket, they discovered one… right in the middle of the road. It had already crossed over to the spirit world. It seemed like it was meant to be, as the possum was only nicked in the head which left almost all of the bones perfectly intact.

I am forever grateful for my brother in-law for being, what one would call, a real ‘Mainer.’ He did all the work of getting the bones prepared for me to work with.

Among all nations and at all times men have sought to discover the future and to know the will of the gods ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

Long practiced by Indigenous communities in the American South, possum bone casting is a type of osteomancy, or divination using animal bones. During a reading, the bones are tossed onto a cloth, and the way they land then reveal messages about things like weather, harvests, illness, and fate.

Because possums are known for “playing dead,” they’ve long been linked to themes of death and rebirth, which is one reason they’re seen as powerful spiritual messengers. Their bones are traditionally thought to hold wisdom from both the physical world and the spirit world, making them especially meaningful in this kind of practice.

In my research, I also found that possums are used in divination because they’re nocturnal and often spotted near graveyards, which has contributed to the belief that they’re more closely connected to the spirit realm.

Of course, some purists believe that possum bones is the only authentic way to do bone readings. In my opinion it does not matter what divination tool you choose to use. It’s all about setting the intent for the highest good, or what would be the best or most useful information for the sitter to come through. When I teach a class, I want my students to experience a lot of different ways to achieve the connection with their own higher self and the spirit world.

The hardest thing to master is to trust what information you receive. It is always up to the individual whether they accept the advice or reject it. It is always hard to deliver a message that is not what the sitter wants to hear at the time. It is usually what the sitter needs to hear. It is my belief that an advisor will try to deliver messages as kind as possible, no matter which tools the prefer to use.