What is Lithonoetic Science?
Updated: Aug 27
In a nutshell, lithonoetic science is the study of how stones and human consciousness interact. It’s the deep exploration of the primordial relationship between psyche, stones, and cosmos to understand the role stones have and do play in the evolution of human consciousness. The name comes from two Greek words, ‘lithos’, meaning stone, and ‘noesis’, meaning knowing or perception.
Lithonoetic science, stemming from lithonoesis, the philosophical ground, is the framework I developed as a gemologist and vibrational researcher because I couldn’t find this information anywhere else. All the courses I took, blogs I read, and books I pored through all explained the quintessential nature of stones in the same way: through chakra pairings, celestial correspondences, and other Hermetic associations.
The traditional gemstone and mineral space tells you what a stone is, where it comes from, its composition, and market value. The metaphysical space, on the other hand, will tell you what a stone does energetically, but it doesn’t explain how or the underlying mechanisms of action. So, you can see how these two spaces, while connected by stones, sit at opposite ends of the spectrum in what they offer. However, I wanted to explore the middle space between these two worlds because I knew there were invisible bridges connecting them, I just hadn’t discovered them yet.
As I started doing more research and experimenting with stones, taking professional trainings in vibrational physis, stone medicine, gemology. Through all of this lithonoetic science was born, which uses the science of stones to inform the metaphysics, with psychology straddling both domains. My methodology involves looking at various aspects of stones to get a more holistic and complete picture of its essence, its vibrational signature.
How I Got Here
My fascination with stones began when I was a child. Years later I reentered the world of stones through the metaphysical door, interested in their healing properties. However, I quickly realized that the key to understanding the vibrational nature of stones lies in the science. This is when I decided to study gemology, got certified in colored stones through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and continuing my studies as a Registered Gemologist Appraiser in training so I not only know how to identify stones, but I also know how to value and appraise them. I was also training in different types of vibrational sciences, including BioGeometry, vibrational radiesthesia (physical dowsing, not mental), and others because I knew if I went deep on both sides, I’d eventually find the connection.
For a long time I didn’t have a name for what I was doing with stones. There wasn’t a title or discipline for what I was doing, which was working in the liminal space between stone science and metaphysics, so I created one.
What Lithonoesis Means
Lithos is the Greek word for stone. Noesis is the greek word for knowing, perception, or direct understanding, and it’s been used in philosophy for a very long time to describe a kind of knowing that occurs through direct, felt experience. So together, lithos + noesis is lithonoesis, which means knowing through the stones, or the deep knowing that occurs between a person and a stone.
I got the inspiration for the name from the late Anthony Damiani, author of the masterwork, Astronoesis. This is a book whose profound knowledge I'm incorporating into my doctoral dissertation and research. The term means knowing by way of the stars. It is very fitting for a philosophy of astrology, which astronoesis is, grounded in the work of Plotinus. In the same vein, lithonoesis is knowing by way of the stones.
Lithonoetic science, then, is the study of that primordial relationship, carried out with gemological tools on one side and research-led practitioner work on the other. In this way, the science and metaphysics of stones inform, not replace, each other. This framework, for me, was necessary because the traditional gem trade doesn’t deal in the subtle energetics of stones, and stone medicine practitioners rarely understand and don’t discuss the gemology or science that helps to inform the energetics.
I can’t speak for all practitioners, but a majority of those I have encountered know very little about the science or gemology of the stones they work with, and, in some cases, sell to others who know even less about stones. For instance, a practitioner may not know that the citrine they’re working with is actually heat-treated amethyst, which is a different stone than amethyst. Yes, they’re both a variety of quartz, but when practitioners work with the energy of a stone, a lot of that has to do with the color of the stone. When amethyst is heated at high temperatures, the internal atomic structure of the crystal changes, which is why the color changes. Now, instead of the purple frequency, the stone emits a distorted, toxic yellow frequency, among others.
The Lithonoetic Framework: How I Assess the Vibrational Signature of a Stone
The framework I created views stones through seven lenses to gain a holistic picture of the mechanisms of action responsible for their energetic qualities. These lenses include:
The stone’s crystal system to understand how energy flows inside the stone (if it has one). This one is important because the crystal system is the geometry through which all the stone’s other properties are expressed.
The bond geometry and atomic density of the stone. This is the basis of frequency height, measurable crystallography, in stones and tells us the frequency at which the crystal lattice vibrates.
Hardness determines a stone’s vibrational stability and integrity, and is a direct measure of how strongly a crystal’s atoms resist being displaced from their lattice positions. Energetically, it can tell us if a stone will keep its energy or disperse it.
A stone’s color and optical properties provide a direct record of which wavelengths of light it will absorb or reflect. Frequencies that are reflected back and seen with your eye are the ones we work with.
Chemical composition and knowing what primary elements make up a stone can give us an enormous amount of details about a stone’s energetic qualities.
The conditions under which a stone formed, including the temperature, pressure, chemical environment, time, and location inside the Earth, are imprinted into the stone and influence its vibrational qualities.
Provenance and locality matter for stone energetics too because a stone that grew in or close to an energy vortex or power spot will have that energetic quality within the stone. If it grew in or near a power spot, the stone may also carry the centering vibration.
When I do a lithonoetic analysis of a stone, I categorize my information and make sure I’ve gathered everything I can find about the stone: documented facts established through published, instrument-based research; practitioner reports from blogs, testimonials, books, journal articles, videos, etc.; and finally, I do my analysis.
What Lithonoetic Science is Not
There are a lot of false claims about stones and their properties, what they can do, or how they can heal. This is a problem for the industry because very little is based on direct testing, research, or experimentation. A lot of what I see is regurgitated claims that were made by someone who channeled the information decades ago, and the internet ran with it because it was easier than doing the necessary research and testing. This is mostly because people just don’t know how to do subtle energetic experiments with stones. My work through Psyche & Stone is meant to remedy that issue.
Lithonoetic science is not medicine or medical advice. Nothing in my framework is meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. If you’re dealing with a health concern, contact a healthcare provider for help.
I’m also not claiming that any radiesthetic or vibrational findings are physics. Working with subtle energy falls outside the domain of traditional, Newtonian physics because that discipline lacks the proper instruments to make such measurements. However, when we move into the quantum realm, all the rules go out the window, and the results I get with stones start making sense.
I’m actively researching several open threads, and when I can, I will publish my findings, including the fails and parts that may not support my original thesis for the stone.
How I Use Lithonoetic Science in Practice
I use lithonoetic science in both of my businesses, Psyche & Stone and Sanctuary of Stones. For Sanctuary of Stones, I use this framework to ensure that every stone I sell and every vibrational talisman I make is vibrationally coherent and gemologically sound. You’ll see this in the way I write my product descriptions, giving you the gemological aspects, metaphysical properties, and vibrational qualities of the stone or piece.
I use this framework in talismanic stone medicine, the only private service I offer. I conduct an energetic and astrological assessment, then I have three mentorship sessions with the client, and I provide them with a detailed usage protocol, custom brain entrainment meditation for working with the piece, and a written talisman dossier documenting everything about the piece, plus 90 days of post-purchase support and mentorship as you work with it.
Common Questions about Lithonoetic Science
What does ‘lithonoetic’ mean? It comes from the Greek ‘lithos’, meaning stone, and ‘noesis’, meaning knowing or perception. Lithonoesis is the deep knowing that occurs between a person and a stone when working with it in specific ways. Lithonoetic science is the study of this stone philosophy.
Who created lithonoetic science? I did. I’m Ashley Sohl, a GIA-trained gemologist and a Ph.D. candidate in consciousness, depth psychology, and cosmology, and I developed the framework to do my own work across both the science and metaphysics of stones.
How is this different from crystal healing? Crystal healing typically refers to the practice of healing with stones itself. Lithonoetic science is a research framework for studying the interaction between stones and human consciousness.
Do I need a science background to learn this? No! I teach the gemology and the science of stones in a simple, easy-to-understand way.
Is lithonoetic science recognized by the scientific community? No, as it is a framework I developed and named, though it is grounded in established mineral science, and applies real depth-psychological principles related to the Jungian process of individuation and time-tested dowsing techniques from long-standing traditions like radiesthesia, Egyptian temple science, New Homeopathy (information medicine), and BioGeometry
How to Go Deeper into Lithonoetic Science
If this way of thinking about and working with stones sounds interesting to you, there are a few options available to experience the work further.
If you want to learn the framework itself, and how to vibrationally test stones the way I do, I’m in the process of creating Lithonoetic Science Part 1: Foundations in the Vibrational Physics of Stones. It is intended to be part one of a three-part program that will be released over the coming months.
Part one isn't available yet, but if you join the mailing list below, you’ll hear from me first when it goes live. In the meantime, the newsletter is where I’ll be sharing some of my teachings and research that I don’t publish publicly.
If you’d rather begin with a stone or ready-to-ship vibrational talisman, everything at Sanctuary of Stones is authenticated and vibrationally tested by me.
If you’re looking for a custom vibrational talisman, please take a look at my private talismanic stone medicine offering - the only way to work with me directly.
I read and answer my own email (no bots or assistants), so if you have any questions about any of this, write to me directly at ashley@psycheandstone.com
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