A pendulum is a weight that is suspended from a pivot. It can be any type of weight and it can hang from any type of string or chain. Now spiritually speaking, a pendulum is commonly used as a divination tool, meaning it’s commonly used to help gain clarity on a situation and receive answers.
Throughout the ages, pendulums have been used for a variety of different purposes. They have been used for healing, unblocking or fine-tuning chakras, answering important questions and even determining the gender of unborn babies. In the practice of dowsing, they have been used to help locate water wells and valuable minerals and resources in the ground.
The question a lot of people have is, what actually causes the pendulum to move? That is a question that does not have a precise answer and the responses you receive will vary depending on who you ask. There are some people that believe your “Higher Self” is what moves the pendulum. Others believe that it may be your subconscious mind or you may hear other people say that you are moving the pendulum yourself, which may be the result of the subconscious mind being activated. You’ll also find people that believe that a spirit comes and moves the pendulum. The wonderful thing is, as you start to work with your own pendulum, you’ll develop your own understanding of how you work with it.
Choosing a Pendulum
When choosing a pendulum, it is important to take your time and allow your intuition to help you in your decision. Whether you are browsing pendulums online or you’re physically in the store touching and holding them, allow your intuition to take control and select the pendulum that best speaks to you. Exploration is the best way and you might even feel called to having multiple pendulums for different occasions. Pendulums are designed using a variety of different materials including, wood, crystals, brass, glass, copper and ceramic. So if there is a certain material that you’re drawn to, you’ll more than likely find a pendulum that vibes with your aesthetic.
Cleansing a Pendulum
One of the first things you should consider doing after receiving your pendulum is to energetically cleanse it. The pendulum can pick up energy from the atmosphere, people, and other energies that may come in contact with it, so it’s best to cleanse your pendulum before you use it. Cleansing your pendulum can be as simple as setting a mental intention to release any previously held energies. You can also hold the pendulum under cold running water and use sage and incense to clear the unwanted energies. After you are done cleansing your pendulum, hold it and carry it with you to see the type of vibration it gives off.
How to Use a Pendulum
The first step in using a pendulum in divination is determining what each directional swing of the pendulum means to you. The pendulum can swing in a front to back movement, side to side, diagonally, clockwise and counterclockwise.
You should sit down, relax yourself and rest your elbow on something that is sturdy. Hold the pendulum by the end of the chain with your index finger and thumb and allow the pendulum to just hang. Then begin to ask “What does a Yes look like?” and allow the pendulum to swing in the direction of what it has determined “yes” to be. After “yes” has been determined then ask “what does a No look like?”. Once you have a defined “yes” and “no” then you can find the directions for “I do not want to answer” and “I can not answer that”. These are just some guidelines, so feel free to come up with other answer types you’d like to use with your pendulum.
Make sure you are practicing with your pendulum daily in order to increase your confidence in using it and to also test its accuracy. Ask it questions that you already have knowledge of the answer and see how it responds. Practice is very important! It is no different than practicing a musical instrument. The more you practice with it, the better you will work the instrument and also strengthen the connection to your intuition.
