gold spiral pendulum swinging on black background

How to use a Pendulum- an Introduction to Pendulum Dowsing

Rebecca Haynes

What is a Pendulum

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. a pendulum is a "body suspended from a fixed point so that it can swing back and forth under the influence of gravity". Anything fitting this description can be classed as a pendulum, however in this instance we are referring to a weighted symmetrical pendant made of either wood, crystal or metal, terminating in a point and suspended by a string or chain, used as a divination tool in Wicca, Witchcraft, Reiki & Tarot. Pendulums are also used by Clairvoyants and by everyday people looking for answers in their own lives.
This is a an example of a pendulum:
gold metal spiral pendulum

What is the purpose of a pendulum

Pendulums are used as divination tools to gain insight and in dowsing to help locate desired objects. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica dowsing "seems to have first come into vogue in the European Middle Ages".  Dowsing involves using either a pendulum or a Y shaped rod made of metal or wood to locate missing or desired objects, or to gain insight from ones own subconscious mind. 
The theory of Pendulum dowsing is that the pendulum or dowsing rods provide a conduit of communication for your subconscious mind or your intuition to indicate simple answers/directions via different movements, ie pendulum rotation, swinging side to side/ swinging back and forth and various combinations such as wide open dowsing rods, crossed dowsing rods etc.
 

How do pendulums work?

The movement in the dowsing rod or the pendulum is actually caused by subconscious muscular contractions of the person performing the dowsing. Some believe that an external force i.e. spirit is responsible for these muscle movements and therefore for moving the object, and other's believe that it is the practitioner's own intuition that is responsible. Either way, dowsing using either dowsing rods or a pendulum has been reported as being a great way to be able to access your own subconscious mind. 
woman holding a gold spiral pendulum

Can you Influence a Pendulum?

The short answer to this question is yes. You can influence a pendulum which is why if you are interested in divination using a pendulum, you should practice using it and connecting with it in unbiased situations. Because it is your own body controlling the swing of the pendulum through micro muscle movements, if you truly believe something, you are likely to influence the answer. If I asked for instance, "is chocolate good for me", I'm pretty sure that the answer would come back yes! But I could never be sure of the actual answer because I strongly believe that it is good. This is where you need to know yourself and perhaps not use the pendulum in cases where you are very biased, otherwise you may just end up reinforcing the same habits you already have!

gold pendulum suspended above dark chocolate, with a bright green mint leaf

 

How do you tell if a pendulum is saying yes or no?

Because a pendulum cannot directly answer, unlike a psychic that is actually speaking to someone, you have to be very specific with the answers that you ask of a pendulum. The spin of your pendulum will be specific to you and your pendulum, just because someone else's pendulum may spin clockwise for yes, yours might not.

For the best results with your pendulum start with "yes" and "no" questions.  Ask "is (insert your name) my name?". Whichever way the pendulum swings is "yes". Verify this answer by asking a question that you know is not true such as "is (insert someone else's name) my name?". The pendulum should move in an alternate direction to give you a "no" answer. Like all tools, the more you use your pendulum, the better it will respond. You will begin to know what the different movements of your pendulum mean and you will be able to tap into your intuition.

 

If you are looking for pendulums, check out our range here.

Let us know if you use Pendulums and what your experiences have been- leave a comment below!

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