What is a pendulum, anyway?
Pendulums are a cool way to point yourself in the right direction when you’re not sure which way to go. A pendulum is a way of opening the door from your conscious mind to the subconscious mind and your innate intuition. You can use a pendulum to help you make decisions, find lost things, and answer random questions. Just about anything can be used as a pendulum. If you don’t have a pendulum handy, a necklace with a pendant, or even a set of car keys hanging from a key fob will do. A pendulum can be as simple as a rock tied to a piece of string.
An actual pendulum is perfect of course, and small enough to fit in your pocket. You can find gazillions of them in rock shops, metaphysical shops, and online, or you can make your own. Most pendulums consist of 3 parts: A small bead or bauble for your fingers to grasp at one end of a thin not-too-long chain that suspends a slightly heavier stone (or metal piece) that usually has a pointed end.
They can be as plain or as fancy as you like, and they’re generally inexpensive, though you can find some made of more high-end metals and stones. I am a bit of a snob in that I only want to use real gemstones, not gemstone chips set in Epoxy. But that’s just me. To show you a few different styles of pendulums, here are links some I found on Amazon:
This model is plain but pretty and functional. It’s made of Pyrite, but you can find pendulums just like this one made from many different gemstones.
Here’s a metal one, a bit too busy for my taste, but the weighted end is probably heavy enough to make for a nice swinging motion.
Here’s one that’s more rounded in shape.
And this one’s a little more fancy.
This one’s plain-old quartz. You can’t go wrong with plain-old quartz.
You can also find some great pendulums on Etsy:
This is very similar to the pendulum I use, though I bought mine second-hand at a metaphysical shop for about the same price. I like it because the stone is slightly heavier than most, which to me makes it more responsive, with a more vigorous swing. (Or maybe my pendulum just loves me as much as I love it.)
This one’s handmade wire-wrapped with a natural quartz point.
High-end stones make this one a little pricey, but it sure is pretty.
As you can see, there isn’t a lack of choice when it comes to finding the perfect pendulum for you. You’ll want one that’s well-balanced, with the weight stone symmetrical, and all the connecting pieces centered so it doesn’t swing off-kilter. It’s easy and cheap to order one on Amazon if you’re raring to get started, and that’s a good idea. But it took me years to find my perfect pendulum that called to my soul. So go ahead and put that online-bought pendulum in your pocket, but when you’re out in the world, keep looking for the one that calls to your soul. It’s out there.
HOW TO USE YOUR PENDULUM:
- Buy a pendulum you really love, one that makes your heart sing. Most pendulums are made of gemstone, so choose one that resonates with you. Or if metal is more your thing, you can easily find those too. Everything has a frequency, so choosing a pendulum you love is important – it’ll better match your frequency.
- For the first few days, keep your pendulum in your pocket (or your bra, I’m not judging) during the day, and on your bedside or in your pillowcase at night. This allows your pendulum to harmonize even more fully with your frequency.
- How to hold your pendulum: You’ll hold your pendulum by grasping the small bead between your thumb and forefinger, letting the larger stone dangle.
- How to program your pendulum: You can ask the pendulum to reveal its preferred way of indicating YES or NO and wait for the pendulum to start moving. But I like my pendulum to show its answers in a specific way, so I “tell” the pendulum what I want by swinging it freely in the direction I want it to go. I’ll even say it out loud: “This is a YES … This is a NO …” etc. It makes sense to me for a YES to be like a nod, with the pendulum swinging toward my body and then away. It makes sense to me for a NO to be like a shaking head, in a side-to-side motion. You can also program other answers into your pendulum. For example, a circular clockwise motion could mean YES, BUT… indicating that there are certain conditions that must be met before the YES comes to pass. A circular counterclockwise motion could mean NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. A pendulum that hangs straight and doesn’t move could mean YOU NEED TO CLEAR YOUR HEAD BEFORE PROCEEDING or ASK AGAIN LATER or THE ANSWER CAN’T BE KNOWN. You get to decide how you want your pendulum to deliver your answers.
- Once you’ve programmed your pendulum, ask it to show you each of the answers you’ve programmed… “Show me a YES … Show me a NO …” Etc. You won’t move your hand at all to make this happen. Hold the pendulum perfectly still and allow it to move on its own. Do this several times.
- You may find that your pendulum takes a while to move, and / or the movements are very small. The more you practice, the more easily the answers will come. You can also get the pendulum going by swinging it in a wide arc, then hold very still and wait for it to settle into its own direction.
- Asking questions: Try at first to ask questions to which the answers don’t matter. Asking weighty or important questions can block you from receiving the answers, especially if you’re anxious about what the answer may be. At first, stick to easy (even stupid) questions like “Will this chair fit by the window?” Or “Will my blue shoes match this outfit?” or “Did I leave my keys on the kitchen counter?” Be specific, stick to YES / NO questions, and avoid the word “should.” The pendulum isn’t supposed to make your decisions for you. Its only function is to clarify or reveal current patterns.
- A pendulum is a fun first step to accepting your psychic abilities, because of course the pendulum itself doesn’t “know” anything. It’s simply an extension of your own frequency, a way of showing yourself something you already know or can access by connecting with the collective consciousness we all share. Have fun with it!
- If you lose your pendulum … buy a new one. And don’t beat yourself up. We often choose pendulums that match our frequency or serve a purpose during a certain time of our life. When that time passes, or the pendulum has served its purpose, it will move on, and so should you. If your old pendulum shows up after you’ve bought a new one, congratulations! Now you have two, one for the house and one for the car!
