Below is a general breakdown of the meaning of each bone type commonly used in bone throwing. These are just basic descriptions of the major bones. You could have many more bones in your collection with different meanings to give you more specific answers to the questions that you ask. You probably will need markings on the bones or use different color bones to discern them from similar bone types
First things first, the short description, then read on for more details..
Back Bone or Spine: Structure and stability, money, material matters, what you value, motivation, influence.
Breast Bone: Love, emotions, heart’s desire, emotional resilience or internal strength.
Leg Bone: Movement on an issue, direction, progress, stability, strength, progress, where you are grounded, a journey or travel by land.
Broken Leg Bone: Obstacles, setbacks, halted progress, injury, need for healing, delays, sickness, vulnerabilities, and challenges.
Pelvis or hip: Mobility, balance, sexuality, personal identity, stability, and grounding.
Rib: Protection, health, and shelter.
Shoulder: Support, burden-bearing, emotional weight one carries, responsibilities and burdens.
Thigh Bone: Spirit, spiritual growth, spirit guide, ancestors.
Upper Wing: Strength, action, or the capacity to take decisive steps, the strength to overcome challenges, structural integrity.
Wing Bone: Freedom, aspiration, elevation, need for release, travel by air, improvement, uplifted, change.
Broken Wing Bone: Restriction, feelings of being stuck, loss of freedom, broken aspirations, need for healing. No movement on issues, not grounded.
Wishbone: Wishes, hopes, desires, dreams, luck, and potential fulfillment.
Xiphoid: Foundation or anchoring force in one’s life, family, friends, or a job/career relationships, bonds.
Back Bone or Spine (Vertebrae):
The spine represents the structure, stability, and backbone of one’s life. It is associated with money, material matters, what you value, influence, or personal power, and vitality. The spine often symbolizes the backbone of a person’s life or their strength. For many people, money provides stability in one’s life.
Breast Bone (sternum):
The breast bone is often associated with the heart and vitality. It can represent issues related to emotional strength or resilience, love, emotions, sex, heart’s desire. In casting, this bone could also point to matters of life force or internal strength.
Leg Bone:
In many bone-throwing traditions, the leg bones are often associated with movement, direction, and progress. The leg bone might represent Journey or travel, this might indicate physical or metaphorical movement, suggesting that the person’s life or situation is on the move. Since the legs support the body, the leg bone can symbolize one’s support systems, stability, or the strength to stand firm. The presence of a leg bone can indicate a forward-moving phase in one’s life, whether in terms of career, relationships, or personal growth.
Broken Leg Bone:
A broken leg bone often signifies obstacles, setbacks, disruptions, a halt in progress, injury, or need for healing. It may signal that something in the querent’s life is preventing forward movement, a feeling of being stuck or unable to take action. It could indicate a disruption in their plans, a delay in a journey, or a challenge that stops them from reaching their goals. The symbol could represent a vulnerability, either physically (such as a health issue or accident) or emotionally (like a broken heart or damaged relationships). A broken bone often calls attention to the need for healing, recovery, or reassessment.
Pelvis or Hip Bones:
The pelvis represents mobility, balance, and sexuality. It is also linked to personal identity, stability, and grounding. It represents balance, stability, and the foundation of one’s life or path. It may also indicate flexibility, transitions, or adaptability.
Rib:
Ribs are associated with protection, as they guard vital organs like the heart and lungs. They often represent protection, health, and shelter. They are linked to the nurturing and protective aspects of life. When rib bones are involved, they may speak to physical or emotional need for safety or support.
Shoulder (Scapulae):
Shoulder blades are associated with support, burden-bearing, and the emotional weight one carries. They are linked to the ability to carry responsibilities and burdens.
Thigh Bone:
The thigh bone may symbolize foundational support in life. spirit, spiritual growth, spirit guide, ancestors. Because thighs are part of the body close to the core, the bone could relate to spiritual connections or foundational relationships. The presence of a spiritual guide or protection that is helping someone rise above challenges. In some cultures, it is used to symbolize a connection between the physical and spiritual realms.
Upper Wing Bone (Humerus):
The upper arm bone may symbolize strength, action, or the capacity to take decisive steps. It could represent the strength to overcome challenges or the need to exert physical or metaphorical effort. Since the upper arm bone connects the shoulder to the elbow, it could symbolize the structural integrity needed to hold things together in one’s life.
Wing Bone:
The wing bone is often seen as a symbol of freedom and aspiration. In many traditions, it may indicate the freedom to act or make decisions, or a need for release, either from a situation or an emotional burden. It may be a sign that a person is elevating in their path or personal growth. It may also indicate the desire for change, suggesting that the querent is ready to move forward or take flight in some way, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. It may also suggest a trip by air, although less common.
Broken Wing Bone:
The broken wing bone is a more complex symbol, often associated with restriction or inability to move forward. It might suggest, A loss of freedom or a feeling of being trapped in a situation. Inability to fly or reach one’s potential, possibly due to fear, limitation, or self-doubt. A broken dream or lost opportunity that may need healing or recovery. Disruption in spiritual or personal growth, meaning a person’s path may be blocked or slowed down by external forces or internal struggles. It may be a message to focus on healing and recovery, or to find a way to regain balance and strength in order to overcome whatever is holding them back.
Wishbone:
The wishbone is traditionally seen as a symbol of wishes, dreams, hopes, desire, and luck. In bone casting, the wishbone can symbolize aspirations, dreams, and wishes. It often reflects the person’s desires or their hopes for the future, sometimes indicating the potential to achieve what one is wishing for—or a reminder to focus on what one truly wants in life.
Xiphoid Bone:
Being part of the sternum, this bone serves as an attachment point for many muscles. This bone looks like an anchor, making it easy to remember it’s meaning. It may represent a foundation or anchoring force in one’s life, relationships or bonds. This foundation may be family, friends, or a job/career that is an anchoring point in life.
