Upon reading the book, I discovered that it was originally part of a set containing the five crystals used in the oracle plus a cloth onto which you are supposed to cast them. Since I did not have the rest of the set, I ended up making my own cloth, based on the illustrations in the book, and finding the five appropriate crystals, which are: amethyst, aquamarine, rose quartz, carnelian and black tourmaline.
The method of The Crystal Oracle is very straightforward. You ask your question as objectively as you can and then gently drop the crystals onto the cloth. The cloth itself is printed with 15 concentric lines, each representing an area of life such as career, health, spirituality, family & friends, love, money etc. After casting the crystals, you take note of the lines onto which they fell and then you read the message for each position in the book. Easy-peasy.
The book is only 140 pages long, but it's very detailed. It teaches you the basic properties of each crystal, how to formulate questions and how to interpret the crystals in the 15 positions. It also explains what to do if a stone falls right between two lines or on more than one line, and gives you examples of casts, so you can understand how to bring the different messages given by the oracle together.
If a crystal touches 4 lines at once, it is considered to be in the centre, which is a position in itself, and it is read before all others. The oracle also has three detrimental positions: blocks, danger and opposition. If no stone falls in any negative position, the forecast is considered very positive. If one stone falls in a negative position, it means some caution is needed. If two stones fall in negative positions, it's a warning. But if three stones fall in negative positions at the same time, then the whole cast is considered to be in detriment, affecting the meaning of the other crystals.
So, how does it read? Well, like any oracle that depends on fixed messages written in the book, it felt a little clunky to me at first. I mean, I asked about love and if the stones fell on positions unrelated to the matter, then I did not really get a response, did I? But the more I played with The Crystal Oracle, the more I realised that the messages in each position are open-ended enough that they do not need to be entirely limited to single area of life.
Let me give an example: lets say I asked a question about whether a certain career path will be good for me, and the aquamarine fell in the health position. This is message:
I like the way this oracle connects the different areas of our life, reminding us that we are not compartmentalised beings. A money problem can impact a relationship situation just as much as a spiritual calling can influence one's career choice. It's all related and that's why the creators of The Crystal Oracle emphasise that we should not over-analyse each individual position but should, instead, pay attention to the general picture that the crystals create together.
I suppose that the more one uses the oracle, the less one needs the book. The crystals themselves each has a certain vibe, which influences how they function in each position. The amethyst is about creativity, spirituality and introspection, so the position in which it falls will usually call for new ideas or an in-depth analysis. The black tourmaline is a crystal of energy and protection, so when it falls in the same position as another stone, it emphasises its importance. It can also point to which area we need to take a less daring, more 'protective' approach.
My only complaint is that the Spanish edition seems to have slightly abbreviated some of the meanings when compared to the English original. I would really like to get my hands on an English copy of the book to see how the messages were originally written (the example I used above was taken from this old thread at the defunct AT).
Aside from that, The Crystal Oracle is certainly one of the most interesting crystal-related oracles I have ever come across. There is something so fun and magical about casting stones, like you do with the Runes. And the book, despite its humble size, is packed with a very solid system. It's a shame that The Crystal Oracle has been out-of-print for so long – I think it would be very successful in these days of "crystal craze".
The method of The Crystal Oracle is very straightforward. You ask your question as objectively as you can and then gently drop the crystals onto the cloth. The cloth itself is printed with 15 concentric lines, each representing an area of life such as career, health, spirituality, family & friends, love, money etc. After casting the crystals, you take note of the lines onto which they fell and then you read the message for each position in the book. Easy-peasy.
The book is only 140 pages long, but it's very detailed. It teaches you the basic properties of each crystal, how to formulate questions and how to interpret the crystals in the 15 positions. It also explains what to do if a stone falls right between two lines or on more than one line, and gives you examples of casts, so you can understand how to bring the different messages given by the oracle together.
If a crystal touches 4 lines at once, it is considered to be in the centre, which is a position in itself, and it is read before all others. The oracle also has three detrimental positions: blocks, danger and opposition. If no stone falls in any negative position, the forecast is considered very positive. If one stone falls in a negative position, it means some caution is needed. If two stones fall in negative positions, it's a warning. But if three stones fall in negative positions at the same time, then the whole cast is considered to be in detriment, affecting the meaning of the other crystals.
So, how does it read? Well, like any oracle that depends on fixed messages written in the book, it felt a little clunky to me at first. I mean, I asked about love and if the stones fell on positions unrelated to the matter, then I did not really get a response, did I? But the more I played with The Crystal Oracle, the more I realised that the messages in each position are open-ended enough that they do not need to be entirely limited to single area of life.
Let me give an example: lets say I asked a question about whether a certain career path will be good for me, and the aquamarine fell in the health position. This is message:
Does this make you happy? Then pursue itWell, this message tells me that if pursuing this career will make me happy, then it will also have positive impact on my health. Or that I should take into account whether this career will be good for my health or not (this particular crystal seems to suggests so, but we would have to see the whole cast to be sure).
Think: Will this really make you happy? Or will you eventually find out that you’ve taken on too much? If this is a priority, then pursue it. Remember, however, that what benefits your health and well-being is most favored now.
I suppose that the more one uses the oracle, the less one needs the book. The crystals themselves each has a certain vibe, which influences how they function in each position. The amethyst is about creativity, spirituality and introspection, so the position in which it falls will usually call for new ideas or an in-depth analysis. The black tourmaline is a crystal of energy and protection, so when it falls in the same position as another stone, it emphasises its importance. It can also point to which area we need to take a less daring, more 'protective' approach.
My only complaint is that the Spanish edition seems to have slightly abbreviated some of the meanings when compared to the English original. I would really like to get my hands on an English copy of the book to see how the messages were originally written (the example I used above was taken from this old thread at the defunct AT).
Aside from that, The Crystal Oracle is certainly one of the most interesting crystal-related oracles I have ever come across. There is something so fun and magical about casting stones, like you do with the Runes. And the book, despite its humble size, is packed with a very solid system. It's a shame that The Crystal Oracle has been out-of-print for so long – I think it would be very successful in these days of "crystal craze".
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