Pendulum dowsing is one of my favorite ways to connect with the spiritual realm. I’ve been dowsing for years. As an intuitive development teacher, I’ve heard beginners have issues with the same pitfalls.

Here are the most common ones, with advice on how to overcome them:

1. My pendulum swings so slowly that the movements are too minor to see.

This is quite normal for beginners. It may take a while for your pendulum to make its first movements. The more experience you have, the quicker your pendulum will begin to move. If you want to speed things up, or if your pendulum movements are too insignificant to see, here are some tips that may help you.

• If pendulum movements are too slow or too small, your arm may be too tense. This makes it difficult for pendulum movements to come through. Arm tenseness is often connected to anxiety about “getting this right.” So, relax your muscles. You won’t get accurate answers if you clench your arm.
• Hold your pendulum in the correct place. Some beginners hold the pendulum too close to the end of the string. This makes the pendulum’s movement too slow. Others hold the string too far down, near the pendulum. Holding it this far down causes the movements to be too fast. The best place to hold the pendulum and maintain sufficient control of it is about halfway down the string—about 6 inches above the pendulum.
• Lean your holding arm’s elbow on something. If you don’t, you’re probably tensing your arm muscles to support the pendulum, leading to slower or smaller movements. I usually rest the elbow of my dowsing arm on a table. If I’m not in front of a table, I rest my elbow in my other hand.

2. When I ask the pendulum my question, the answer sometimes pops into my head before my pendulum can respond.

It’s totally normal for the answers to pop into your head before your pendulum can answer. This often happens to beginners.  It means that you have claircognizance abilities that are kicking in.

It generally doesn’t mean that you’re making up the answers or that your thoughts are taking control.

3. I get conflicting answers from my pendulum that don’t make sense. I receive “maybe” answers to questions that it doesn’t make sense to receive “maybe” answers to.

Here are several possibilities:

• The pendulum doesn’t respond solely to your questions. It also responds to your thoughts.

When your pendulum responds to a question in a seemingly erratic way, or in a way that isn’t making sense. you’re probably having thoughts unrelated to the question you’re asking. The pendulum is responding to your thoughts as well as to your question. To avoid this, quiet your mind before you began.

• You’re channeling earthbound spirits with the pendulum. When there’s an earthbound spirit in your energy field, problems with accuracy can arise.
• If you’re too attached to the answer, you may be causing the pendulum to swing in a certain way. If this is happening, try letting the question rest until you’re in a place where you don’t care about it so much. It’s difficult to be objective about things that concern you, so don’t be anxious if you’re in this position. Let it rest for a few days, returning when you feeling less invested. Alternatively, have somebody else perform the reading for you.
• You may be receiving conflicting answers or misinformation if you’re asking about something, but it wouldn’t serve you to have the answer just then. Try asking your Higher Self, “Would it be good for me to obtain an immediate answer to this question?”

These issues can also occur if you’re not experiencing success trying to channel information on a question using methods that don’t involve pendulum dowsing, such as automatic writing or channeling.

4. I double-checked the answers my pendulum gave, and it gave me different answers the second time.

When dowsing, don’t ask the same question twice. Always go with your first answer. Second-guessing your first answer can introduce the energy of doubt and disrupt the whole process. Asking the same question again is like saying, “I’m uncertain about that first answer. It wasn’t good enough for me. I’d like a different one.” This is a blatant attempt to affect the outcome of the dowsing, bending it to the answer that your ego wants.

5. I still can’t get the pendulum to work for me. It’s not responding at all, or I still receive answers that don’t make sense.

Sometimes when you receive inaccurate information by dowsing, you may have fears or unconscious blocks about dowsing. These could be rooted in a past life, or your conscious mind may be telling you that dowsing won’t ever work for you.

To help get the pendulum to respond properly, try using these clearing statements. I recommend that you say them out loud.

• “I release my fears regarding pendulum usage. I reject all judgments, perceptions, and beliefs that I can’t or shouldn’t use the pendulum. I release all desire and requirement to believe that I can’t or shouldn’t use the pendulum. I accept and totally believe that I’m now free to receive accurate information and reliable signals.”
• “I release all my fears about answering the questions. I will not resist the answer. I allow my subconscious to answer the questions.”

These clearing statements will reprogram your subconsciousness to reject resistance and fear. As a beginner, you may find you need to use releasing statements several times before obtaining a “yes” or “no” answer from the pendulum.

If you’ve tried all these suggestions but dowsing still doesn’t work for you, you may need to try another method to connect with your spiritual guides. Give pendulum dowsing a break and instead try tarot cards, oracle cards, automatic writing, claircognizance or clairaudient channeling, or guided visualization.

The phrase “garbage in, garbage out” is a computerism that explains the value of good data on both ends of a process. The concept can also be applied to pendulum readings.

Pendulums are common tools used in spiritual readings. A pendulum can give a simple “yes” or “no” answer to any question you ask. Therefore, the quality of the questions that you ask during a pendulum reading will have a significant impact on the quality of the answers that you obtain. It’s truly all in the language. Following are some tips on framing good questions for a pendulum reading.

• Be as specific as you can. Use names, places, times, dates, and anything else that will narrow the focus of the matter in question.
• Be certain that it’s possible to answer your question with a simple “yes” or “no.” If it can’t, you need to rephrase it.
• Don’t use words like “should” or “supposed to” in your questions.

To formulate good pendulum questions, try adding your own details in place of the blanks of these sample questions:

Would it be in my best interest to ___ ?

Would it be in the best interests of all involved if I ___ ?

Is it be worth it for me to ___ ?

Am I correct to believe that ___ ?

Would it be wise if I ___ ?

Here’s just one example of a poorly worded question: “Should I go to Emily’s party?” There are multiple issues with the question.

• The word “should” is too vague. It requests an opinion based on vague attributes.
• There are not enough details. Who is Emily? Where is the party being held, and on what day, and at what time?

To phrase the question more appropriately for a pendulum reading, you could instead ask this: “Would it be in my best interests to attend the party that Emily Smith is hosting at her house on April 10th?”

More Pendulum Tips

More goes into successful pendulum sessions than good questions. Here are some additional tips to help you conduct a good pendulum reading.

• Before you begin asking questions, always specify your higher self as the source. If you don’t do this, your pendulum will naturally default to your subconscious as the source of answers. Your subconscious is not the same as your higher self.

To specify your higher self as the source, begin your pendulum reading by say something like: “I entreat my higher self to consider the following questions. I seek answers that are absolutely truthful, so they align with the greatest and highest good for all.” It’s up to you to decide if you will say this out loud or silently to yourself.

• Cleanse the energy both within you and around you. To do this, visualize yourself being enveloped by purifying waves of white light. Alternatively, you could use smudge sticks.
• Relax and quiet your mind before and during your pendulum session. If you need to, do a 30- to 60-second meditation. Visualize a calm and happy place with no distractions, like a forest or a beach. Visualize yourself peacefully lying or sitting in solitude and enjoying your surroundings. This will set a relaxed tone for your pendulum session, and will provide your conscious mind with a resting place while you conduct it.
• Breathe slowly steadily, in through your nose and out through your mouth. This will help center you and calm you.
• Ground yourself. To help do this, try visualizing roots that anchor you physically to the earth. Let your roots reach deeply into the mantle of the earth. If you’d like, you can visualize your roots winding around quartz crystals or other beautiful gemstones.
• Be fully present. While you use your pendulum, don’t multitask. Don’t think about your to-do list or tonight’s dinner menu during your session. Focus only on the task at hand. You can multitask again after you finish your reading.
• Allow enough time for your session. Be patient and let the pendulum swing for as long as it needs to.
• Be objective. In pendulum sessions, neutrality is your ally. You probably will be tempted to let your conscious mind influence the swing of the pendulum. But if you do this, any answers you obtain will be useless.
• Keep your emotions out of your session. Attempting a pendulum session when you feel emotionally upset will deliver unreliable results. Also, it will make it difficult for you to remain as objective and grounded as you need to be if you ask questions that are emotionally charged. It’s certainly possible, but you have to set your emotional responses aside so you can calmly approach your session.
• Don’t attempt to predict the outcome. Consciously or unconsciously, attempting to predict the outcome, or even trying to anticipate the swing of the pendulum, will certainly corrupt your results. Anticipating the outcome has the same effect as trying to predict it.

To help you release the outcome, try this little muscle exercise. Close your eyes. Behind your eyelids, look upward. This will temporarily short-circuit your conscious mind’s desire for control, and return you to an unbiased, neutral state.

• To receive more definite responses, say “please respond louder” or “please be more clear.”
• To help focus the pendulum’s energy, try cupping your free hand underneath its weight.

Conducting a successful pendulum reading is as easy as following these tips. How did your reading go? Please share your results in the comments section below!

Few are familiar with pendulums.  Some are only aware of them as the means by which folk are hypnotized.  There is much more to them than that. For some, they hold the answers to delving into their own intuition.

History

Using a pendulum is actually a form of dowsing. Dowsing is using an object on a string to find the answer to yes or no questions. This method was originally used to help find minerals, water and oil. As late as in the 1960’s The government of South Africa asked Venrne Cameron to help them locate some natural resources. Cameron had, n the past, used dowsing to find submarines for the Navy.

A pendulum is used as a tool to access the intuition  by becoming an extension of our own subconscious guided by the universe.  Some use it as a way to guide them towards the answers to emotional questions.

Taking care of your pendulum

It is very important to cleanse the pendulum before use. This is similar to cleansing a crystal before use. A pendulum can be cleaned suing sage.   The sage is burned to purify the energy of both the pendulum and the room.  This will remove the negative energy that may be lurking around.  The pendulum can be cleansed with sound on crystal or Tibetan bells.

Using the pendulum

Once your pendulum is ready, you can proceed to the next step.  Stabilize your dominant hand by placing the elbow on a table or other flat surface.  Hold your pendulum by the top of the chain or string and then ask a question.  Ask a question that has a yes or no answer. The pendulum will swing. Remember which way it swings for a yes answer. Then repeat the process with a question that has a no answer.  This quick test should be repeated every time you use the pendulum.

Questions

Do ask some warm up questions by asking ones that have answers that you are in control over.

Other than that, there is no limit as to what kind of question you can ask. For example if you have a question about love, you might try asking if you are in a good relationship or if you and and your partner are really compatible.  You can ask questions about health; questions regarding diet and your well-being.  And , of course, there are questions about your work life; are you in the best job for your talent and aptitude? Or is it good time to a ask for a raise?

You can ask questions about finances, such as it is good time to buy stocks and is it time to invest?

Your pendulum can be used when you have choices that need to be made.  Some have used their pendulums to help decide in situations where all options are equal.   This could be as simple as what to eat for dinner  or as complicated as what neighborhood to consider  relocating to.

Locating lost things

You can use a pendulum to help find something that has gone missing. You start by asking if the object is able to be found.  If your pendulum indicates no, it might be impossible to find it.  If the answer is yes, you can then ask questions as to where you should begin looking.

Wrapping up

Some thank the pendulum for their assistance, just as they do any other tool they use in their metaphysical work.   Using the pendulum takes concentration and commitment and once you start, you should keep up the work with your intuition. As with any other psychic tool, use your best judgment.

A pendulum can be a very useful tool for aiding in spiritual healing and inner growth. The actual definition of a pendulum is an object attached at the end of a metal chain or string that, when suspended from a stationary position, will swing either in a circular motion or back and forth. When envisioning a pendulum, one might think of an object with four metal balls, known as Newton’s pendulum. Or, one might think of a watch clock swinging back and forth from a chain as a pendulum. Pendulums can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be made from multiple types of materials, including wood, glass, metals, and crystals. However, a wooden pendulum tends to be the pendulum of choice within the healing community, as other materials tend to absorb energies that can interrupt or influence information.

How Does a Pendulum Help with Healing?

Pendulums can help promote healing in a number of ways. One way is through the process of dowsing, which is a process that helps seek out invisible energies, thus connecting you to higher energies while locating blocks in positive energy by negative vibes. Pendulums can also help with balancing out your chakras and relieving forms of pain in both the physical and emotional forms.

How Does One Use a Pendulum?

The first step in using a pendulum is to choose your pendulum. However, it should actually be the pendulum that chooses you. Touch and get a feeling for the pendulum. If you feel a temperature change or a sense of vibration, it could very well be the perfect pendulum for you.

Next, you’ll want to cleanse the pendulum. This can be done by simply holding it under cold, running tap water, soaking it in sea salt, or using your mental acuity to free it of any energies it may have picked up. In cleansing your pendulum, it will be ready to go to work for you and your clients.

In using a pendulum, it’s important to understand its directional swings. Pendulums will swing in circular movements, vertical straight lines, and horizontal lines. In understanding the direction of pendulum swings, you’ll then be able to define them during a session. You can ask your pendulum to show you what certain responses look like. Pose questions such as, what does no look like and what does yes look like? In preparing your questions, be sure the answers from your pendulum can be responded too either positively, negatively, or in a neutral response.

In asking your pendulum questions, you should ask plenty in order to be able to receive enough aid from your pendulum during a client’s session. Also, make sure you are stopping the pendulum completely after a question in order to clear any lingering energies before asking the next question. That way energies from the previous questions won’t be interfering with the answers to the next question posed.

One last tip to consider is to make sure you clear your pendulum of any negative energies before and after each time it’s used. That way your readings will be more accurate and able to tune into a client’s energies all the more efficiently.

Get well prepared before each pendulum session

1. Before asking questions you need to cite the source. The following words can be uttered loudly or silently “I call upon the higher self to answer these questions. I will only accept answers from the higher self and not from the conscious mind. I seek absolutely truthful answers that are aligned with the highest and greatest good for all concerned” you can have your own version but you should use it every time.
2. The energy around and within you should be cleansed. Cleansing showers of white light that envelopes you should be visualized.
3. Your mind should be quiet when using your pendulum as well as before using it. You can do a mini-meditation, meaning 30 to 60 seconds before starting only if it’s needed. Just think of a quiet place that you won’t be disturbed like a forest or beach. Just visualize yourself sleeping peacefully alone having fun with nature. Engaging in these activities will enable you to have that conscious kind of mind whiles you use your pendulum since it sets the tone for your pendulum session.
4. You will be calm and centered when you slow and steadily breathe through the nose and out through the mouth.
5. Ground yourself. Think about the link between your body to the earth with the help of the tree roots. Give these roots the chance to penetrate deep into the earth’s mantle, wrapping around the amazing gemstones.
6. Be present. That moment, while you’re using the pendulum, tries not to multitask. Just deal with one task at a time then after finishing you can start your everyday schedule of multitasking.
7. Be patient. The pendulum needs time to swing therefore allow it to take as much time as it needs.
8. Be objective. The pendulum shouldn’t be allowed to exercise any influence if you want the outcome to be useful. You might be tempted to allow your conscious mind to influence the pendulum’s answers which in return will make the outcome more useless. You should be neutral.
9. Don’t be Emotional. Don’t use pendulum when emotional as this may lead to unreliable results. Emotional questions make it hard for one to stay calm and get the right answers. You shouldn’t allow your emotions to get the better part of you but you should stay calm.
10. Refrain from predicting the outcome. Prophesying about the pendulum’s swing will lead to unreliable results regardless of whether it is willingly or unwillingly or even anxiously. If you’re in that situation and you unwillingly anticipate the outcome then you are not different from an individual who is trying to predict.
11. To get a stronger response. Just say “respond louder please” or “be more clear”.
12. Cup your free hand below the weight stone to help pay attention to your energy.

Asking Well-Phrased Questions

Have you come across the phrase “garbage in garbage out?” it relates to pendulum since it’s a computer illustration of the value of data on both sides of a process. The answers you get from the pendulum will be as a result of the questions you’ll ask. It is definitely in the language. Below are ways of framing a good question.

1. Be specific. Anything that pays attention to the matter should be used. These can be names, data, times, places. For example “Is it in my best interest to attend the “How to use a pendulum” workshop taught by……….(instructor name) at……….(location) on………(date) at……….(time)?
2. Make sure yes or no answers are the ones to be used when answering your question.
3. Your pendulum questions shouldn’t involve the words “should” or “supposed”.
4. Only use phrases that your inner self can relate to. You can put your own details into the blank spaces of the following questions.

• Is it in my best interest to…………………….?
• Is it in the best interests of those concerned if I…………?
• Would it be worthwhile for me to…………..?
• Am I correct in believing that……………?
• Is it wiser for me to………………………………..?

Below here is a sample of a poorly paraphrased question.

“Should I go to Mary’s party?”

This question has the following problems

1. The word “should” ask for an opinion based on undefined parameters, therefore, it’s vague.
2. Mary who?
3. What day?
4. What time?

Pendulum readings have a plethora of benefits. One of the biggest benefits is their simplicity. They’re both easy for the psychic to perform and for the client to participate in. But, there are a few things you need to know in order to get the most out of your pendulum reading.

How do pendulum readings work?

Pendulum readings are performed by a psychic using a heavy, weighted stone or object that is attached to a chain or rope, so that it spins and moves freely. The psychic asks that the entities they are communicating with clearly establish what “yes” looks like. They do this by keeping their arm straight and letting the pendulum move freely, of its own accord. The answers can come in several forms, but the most common are to the left, to the right and in circles. When they ask for the entities to establish what an answer looks like, sometimes their reply is subtle, and they’ll therefore have to watch for subtle movements from the pendulum at first. After they do this, they repeat the process and establish what a “no” reply looks like. Once this has been established, the reading can begin.

Another way to get clear answers from a pendulum reading if you have an answer that could result in multiple choices is to write each choice down on a piece of paper. Then, you can arrange the pieces into a circle. The pendulum can be directed to move in the direction of the right choice, and indicate the piece of paper with the answer on it. You can also create a chart, using a similar method, but with one piece of paper, instead of several.

Questions during pendulum readings

The best thing about pendulum readings is that they’re easy. You ask simple “yes or no” questions, and the pendulum answers definitively. (Even if the spirits don’t know, there’s usually a way to tell that this is what they’re indicating.) You can ask anything you want. You should have questions ready beforehand. I usually reflect on my life for a few hours and write the questions down so that I don’t forget them, and I can have them with me and in front of me during the reading. You can also ask follow-up questions during the reading, so you don’t have to stick strictly to your prepared questions.

It’s hard to do, but one of the most important things to remember during pendulum readings is that you need to remain open-minded and neutral. Don’t try to predict the answers you’ll be given, and don’t hope for certain outcomes. If you do, this could greatly influence the answers you receive. Think about it: If you were asked by a person whether their lover would marry them, and you knew they wouldn’t, but the person obviously had their heart set on a particular answer, would you want to tell them the truth and break their hearts? Some spirits don’t want to be jerks. So, staying neutral assures a neutral reading.

You also need to make your questions very clear. If there is any way to misunderstand your question, you’ll get an unclear response. This will happen until you ask a clear question. So, if you don’t want a bunch of frustration, think about your questions carefully.

Conclusion

Whether you’re considering seeking out a psychic to perform your first pendulum reading, or you’re a psychic who doesn’t have a lot of experience with pendulums, the information in this article should greatly help to get you acquainted with pendulum readings. It’s important that both people are comfortable during the reading, and it’s important that the questions that are being asked are clear, as well. But, one more piece of advice: never ask a question that you don’t want an honest answer to.

 The use of a pendulum to seek guidance is a tool that has been used over 200 years old. It is said that using this psychic tool, taps into your higher self, your intuition & your subconscious mind.

Anyone can utilize this easy tool! It is a fantastic way to gain possible and almost insight, to guide you in pretty much any situation.

WHAT IS A PENDULUM?

When you think of a pendulum, your mind likely wanders to the very pretty, very elaborate pendulums that many psychics use. Beautiful crystals at the end of elegant chains. While this is the case for many commercially available pendulums and the energies of the crystals may aid the guidance, they honestly don’t have to be quite so fancy.

Pendulums can be anything that can be attached to a fixed support (a chain, shoe lace, a thread of wool), to allow it to swing. You may therefore use a favourite necklace with a pendant, or even thread an old ring with a piece of string. A conker on a shoelace is also an excellent alternative to a shop bought choice. At a pinch I have even personally used my earphones as a pendulum on the go.

This should give you some ideas for creating a tool that’s bespoke to your needs. Get creative!

TRAINING YOUR PENDULUM.

Pendulums will behave a little differently for each person. After all, it is is an extension of you and no two people are alike. However, here are a couple of tried and tested ways to get into the swing of things.

The first is to ask it a series of yes/no questions you know the answer to. This will give you a sense how it will move to indicate Yes and No.

Example; Is my name ________?

My pendulum swings in a vertical fashion, to indicate that “Yes” my name is _________.

Example: Is my name _____?

My pendulum swings in a horizontal motion, to indication that “No” my name is not ________.

There will of course be some questions that will not have such a defined Yes or No answer and this is where the second  training method comes in handy;

A PENDULUM MAT

You can purchase or create a pendulum mat.

Pendulum mats look a little bit like a compass, they will include the Yes and No directions as well as a few other variables. If creating your own mat, you can include answers that resonate with you that may not be included on a traditional mat.

Speak to your pendulum. Ask it to show you how it would like to move for the different answers.

Example; Pendulum, show me “Try Again”.

Do this over & over again, until you are confident you recognise the movements & the feel of the energy for each answer.

CONNECTING WITH ENERGIES.

Pendulums are quite a versatile tool and another great way that you can use them, is to link in with the energy of a situation.

A good starting exercise for this is, in the morning, write down the name of the day or the present date. Quiet your mind and hold your pendulum over your writing.

Pay close attention to how it moves. Generally speaking, if there is a lot of movement it means that your day will be wonderful, very fast paced and a lot of really good energy. If there is little or no movement it may mean that your day won’t go according to plan or that something needs extra attention.

Once you’re confident in doing this daily, you can try it with other situations.

Whether you have a fancy crystal pendulum or use an old USB cable with a pen stuck on the end, the pendulum can be an insightful and fun tool to use. I hope you enjoy creating your pendulums and using as much as I do.

    A pendulum is a very potent and reliable tool for connecting to a higher guidance and getting right answers to any question. Although it only takes a few minutes to learn how to use a pendulum, it can take a bit of practice to master the art of pendulum dowsing for maximum pendulum reliability.

WHAT IS A PENDULUM?

A pendulum is – in this case – a small weight on the end of 6 – 10 inch piece of thread, string, twine, or chain.

WHAT MOVES A PENDULUM?

Thought moves the pendulum. Thought directs the subconscious as to the direction in which the pendulum is to move. The subconscious uses the brain to send signals along the neurological pathways that control the muscle “twitches” that move the pendulum in the desired direction.

WHY USE A PENDULUM?

To gain information from:

1) Your Subconscious Mind.

2) Your body and cells of your body.

3) Your Higher Self (the intuitive spiritual part of your spirit).

4) Other Spirits.

 Spirit answers through the subconscious. This is why it is important to be clear of unconscious subconscious blocks to spirit communication. If your subconscious was trained (usually this happens in childhood) to fear spirits, or not to see or hear spirits, or that spirits do not exist, your subconscious will block spirit communication. When you ask for spirit communication and you have a subconscious block to this, your subconscious will supply the answers and/or visions you receive and it will attempt to please you by bringing you what you want to see and hear. Until you know if you have such blocks (information you can gain through the pendulum) and have done the work of clearing these blocks from the subconscious (not the conscious) mind communicate only with your own Higher Self. If information is needed from other spirit levels, your Higher Self will ask for this and will then give that information to you.

HOW ACCURATE IS INFORMATION I CAN GET FROM A PENDULUM?

Anywhere from accurate to completely inaccurate. The proper use of a pendulum, given below, can greatly enhance accuracy. Nevertheless, you will soon notice you can look at your pendulum and think which way you want it to move and it will move in that direction. The challenge of using a pendulum is to clear your mind completely of any conscious and unconscious thoughts about which directions the pendulum will move and which direction you want it to move. This is easier to do in some areas than in others. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to do when you are emotionally invested in something. Which is why you do not want to rely on the use of a pendulum to make decisions that affect your ego or your emotions. Use the pendulum as one of several tools for gathering information from which you can make well informed choices.

WHERE DO I GET A PENDULUM?

Many health food stores, metaphysical book shops, psychic fairs, crystal shops sell pendulums as do many massage centers.

HOW CAN I MAKE A PENDULUM?

Use a piece of thread, string, thin rope or chain of about 6 – 8 inches and loop it through or tie to one end a ring, pendent, metal washer, crystal, wood – anything that makes a weight. (Do not use magnets or magnetized objects.)

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

• • Take a piece of paper. Draw a circle on it. Draw a vertical straight line down the middle of the circle. Draw a horizontal across the middle of the circle. You will now have a big cross in the middle of the circle. Now draw a big X in the circle by drawing a two diagonal straight lines. Your circle will look like this:

• Sit down. Breathe in and out slowly. EVERY TIME before you use a pendulum mentally imagine yourself surrounded with a gold and white protective light. Now mentally imagine the light of your spirit flowing in through the top of your head (crown chakra) to your third eye. Mentally image this white light flowing to a mental image or thought in your mind of the planet earth – surrounding and filling it. This will increase your own spiritual and physical energy. Now mentally image the white light of your spirit filling your brain and your body. Now tap a 3 inch circle around your thymus – counter clock wise. (The thymus is about an inch and a half below the hollow between your collar bones on your chest. Start tapping at 12:00, just above the thymus. Then tap 11:00, 10:00, 9:00 and so on to make about a 3 inch circle around the thymus. This circle is the clock and you are tapping counter clock wise.) Tapping your thymus in this manner balances the meridian energy flows of your body. This is important in any kind of muscle response testing, which is what you are using when using a pendulum.
• The next five steps you will only need to do once. Their purpose is to establish the directions for your muscle testing response: Place your feet on the floor and place the paper on the floor between your feet. Rest the lower arm of the hand that is holding the pendulum along your thigh. Hold the end of the string/thread/rope or chain between your thumb and a finger. It does not matter which hand you use or which thumb or which finger or even if you use two fingers instead of a thumb. Let the pendulum dangle down between your knees so that the weight at the end of the string is dangling above the center point of the circle (where the lines intersect).

1. Say aloud: “Show me the ‘yes’ signal.” (You are talking to your subconscious.) Note the direction the pendulum moves. Clock-wise around the circle? Counter Clock-wise around the circle? Side to side? Up and down? Diagonally? (If the pendulum does not move immediately, continue to say “Yes”, “Yes”, “Yes” aloud until it does. This could happen quickly, or it may take awhile. If it has not happened after 10 minutes, move on to the “no” directions below or try this again later. Once the pendulum is moving in a definite direction for “yes” state aloud: “This direction is my ‘yes’ signal.”
2. Say aloud: “Show me the ‘no’ signal.” (You are talking to your subconscious.) As with the ‘yes’ signal, note the direction the pendulum moves. (If the pendulum does not move immediately, continue to say “no”, “no”, “no” aloud until it does.) Then say aloud “This is my ‘no’ signal.”
3. Repeat these steps to find these directional signals: “kind of”, “don’t know”, “can’t say”, “ask later.”
4. Now make several simple statements (one at a time) to which you know the answers. Such as: My name is ____. I live at __________. I am _______ years old. My hair color is ______. My eye color is _____. This is for practice and to make certain your signals are working properly.
5. Once you are certain of the directions for each response, mark these down on the paper with the circle so that you remember them. You can use the circle graph each time you use the pendulum until you are familiar with the responses. When this happens you will no longer need to use it. You can then hold the pendulum in any way you want, as long as you keep the arm and hand steady.

Prepare yourself before each pendulum session

1. Always cite the source before asking questions. You can say (either out loud or silently) “I call upon the higher self to answer these questions. I will only accept answers from the higher self and not from my conscious mind. I seek absolutely truthful answers that are aligned with the highest and greatest good for all concerned.” You can definitely craft your own version of this – just make sure you use it each time.
2. Cleanse the energy around and within you. Do this by visualizing a cleansing shower of white light that envelopes you.
3. Quiet your mind (both before and while using your pendulum). Are you relaxed? If necessary, do a mini-meditation. “Mini” as in 30 to 60 seconds prior to beginning. Visualize a calm happy place that has no distractions – like a beach or forest. Visualize yourself sitting or laying peacefully in solitude, enjoying nature. Doing this sets the tone for your pendulum session and will provide a resting place for your conscious mind while you use your pendulum.
4. Breathe. Slow steady breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth will calm and center you.
5. Ground yourself. Visualize tree roots that connect your body to the earth. Allow these roots to penetrate deep into the earth’s mantle, wrapping around large quartz crystals or if you like, beautiful gemstones.
6. Be present – Do not try to multi-task. While you are using your pendulum, don’t also be thinking about what’s on your to-do list, or what sounds good for dinner tonight. Just focus on the task at hand and you can return to your normal state of multi-tasking when you are finished.
7. Be patient – allow the pendulum as much time as it needs to swing.
8. Be objective. Recognize that neutrality is your friend. While it may be tempting to allow your conscious mind to influence the pendulum’s answers, know that if it is allowed to exercise any influence, the outcome will be useless.
9. Be unemotional. Using your pendulum when you are emotionally upset will yield unreliable results. Asking emotionally charged questions can make it difficult to stay grounded and objective and get good answers. You can do it, but you have to approach it calmly and be willing to set your emotional responses off to the side.
10. Don’t try to predict the outcome. Willingly or unwillingly, predicting or just anticipating the pendulum’s swing will sabotage your results. If you find yourself predicting or even if you’re unwillingly anticipating the outcome – it’s the same thing as trying to predict. Here’s a powerful trick: Close your eyes and look up. This little muscle exercise will temporarily short-circuit the conscious mind’s involvement and bring you back to a neutral, unbiased state.
11. To get a stronger response, say “respond louder please”or “be more clear”.
12. Cup your free hand underneath the weight stone to help focus energy.

Asking Well-Phrased Questions

You’ve heard the phrase “Garbage in – garbage out”? It’s a computerism used to illustrate the value of data on both sides of a process, and it pertains to pendulums too. The quality of the questions you ask your pendulum will determine the quality of the answers you get. Truly, it’s all in the language. Here’s how to frame a good question:

1. Be specific. Use names, dates, times, places, anything that narrows the focus on the matter. For example “Is it in my best interest to attend the “How to Use a Pendulum” workshop taught by __________ (instructor name) at ______________ (location) on__________ (date) at _________ (time)?
2. Make sure your question can be answered with yes or no.
3. Don’t use the words “Should” or “Supposed to” in your pendulum questions.
4. Do use phrases that your higher self can relate to. Insert your own details into the blanks on the following sample questions:

• Is it in my best interest to _______________________________?
• Is it in the best interests of all concerned if I _________________________?
• Would it be worthwhile for me to ____________________________?
• Am I correct in believing that ______________________________?
• Is it wise for me to _________________________________?

Here’s an example of a poorly phrased question: “Should I go to Mary’s party?” These are the problems with this question:

1. The word “Should” is vague and asks for an opinion based on undefined parameters.
2. Mary who?
3. Where is this party?
4. What day?
5. What time?