A pendulum is an object on a string or chain that will swing in a particular direction, when suspended, to provide an answer to a question you may have.
Types of Pendulums:
Pendulums can be made of wood, crystal, metal, or other various materials.
The benefit of choosing a crystal pendulum to use is that you can select a crystal that corresponds to the type of questions you might have.
Rose Quartz: best to use when you are making choices that come from the heart space and want loving guidance
Amethyst: this helps open the crown chakra and assists in connecting to higher guides - best to use when trying to see the bigger picture and need a clearer connection
Clear Quartz: best to use when wanting a "clear-headed" pendulum that amplifies all kinds of energy - will assist in manifesting your desires by increasing your personal vibration
Sodalite: best to use when you need help resolving a disagreement since it encourages logical thinking, impartiality, and truth
Obsidian: best to use when needing to ground yourself and restore integrity - can also help dissolve fear and pain
Selecting a Pendulum:
The best way to select your pendulum is to see which one responds best to you. If you go to a metaphysical shop to select a pendulum, don't be afraid to touch and play with the pendulums!
When choosing a new pendulum for myself, I typically choose the one my eye is immediately drawn to. I pick it up and walk around with it. I find an area AWAY from the rest of the pendulums and I ask it some questions - Do you want to go home with me? Are you willing to work with me? Do you feel connected to my energy?
99% of the time, the pendulum will respond yes to these questions. If you do not get a good vibe from the pendulum, if it responds NO, or if it doesn't respond at all, that is not your pendulum. This does happen occasionally!
BEFORE Using the Pendulum:
1. Cleanse your pendulum - use sage, salt water (if the material is water friendly), place it on a selenite charging plate, or leave it in the sunlight or moonlight.
2. Prep your questions - have multiple questions ready to ask based on the situation you're seeking clarity or guidance on. Sometimes a pendulum will not want to answer a specific question, so you may need to reword it.
3. Program your pendulum - a pendulum will swing a certain way for "yes" and a different way for "no". Some pendulums also give "maybe" and "unknown" as answers. To program your pendulum, ask it yes or no questions you already know the answers to and see how it responds. For me, my "yes" is a vertical swing and my "no" is a horizontal swing. "Maybe" is clockwise and "unknown" is counter-clockwise.
4. SET AN INTENTION - before every session with our pendulum, it is important to connect to your higher guides and self. Pendulums are easily influenced and each question should be asked with an open mind - if you think to yourself, "I want it to say YES", your pendulum will show you YES. Being open to receiving ANY answer will allow your higher guides and self communicate freely with you.
Using the Pendulum
1. Hold the chain at the top - some find it comfortable to hold it between the thumb and forefinger, others rest their arm on a table or something steady and allow the pendulum to dangle. (Look up pictures on different way to hold your pendulum).
2. Ask the pendulum to show you: YES, NO, MAYBE, UNKNOWN to confirm you understand what each movement stands for.
After I do this, I ask my pendulum if it wants to work with me today. Most of the time I get YES, but sometimes I get NO. If I get a NO response, I ask if it can work with me anyways for a little while and the pendulum usually responds with a yes.
3. Ask your question in a Yes or No format. Give the pendulum time to respond.
4. After the pendulum responds, you can stop its movement with your other hand to reset it for the next question. OR, you can just ask the next question and watch it provide the answer!
5. When you are finished asking your questions, thank your pendulum for helping you discover the answers you needed. Make sure to store it in a safe place.
RESOURCES:
This blog post just mentions the basics, but there are so many ways to use your pendulum. There are pendulum charts you can make yourself or print out that provide different ways for the pendulum to answer you. These include charts with letters, numbers, and even areas of your house (for guidance when you lose something).
I have personally used my pendulum to help me clean out my closet by holding it over each item of clothing and asking if it brings me joy. If the answer is NO, that item gets donated and I move onto the next one. If the answer is YES, that item is a keeper and goes back in my closet. The more you use your pendulum, the stronger your own intuition will become!
Some highly recommended books found on Amazon are:
Pendulum Magic for Beginners - Richard Webster
A Little Bit of Pendulums - Dani Bryant
A Beginner's Guide to Pendulum Dowsing - Brenda Hunt