Pendulums 101: how to use a pendulum
In the previous posts, we discussed how to choose, and then cleanse and program a new pendulum. Today, let’s talk about the fun stuff — how to actually use a pendulum for healing, divination, and other, more unusual purposes.
So, what makes your pendulum move?
A pendulum doesn't move by itself — after all, it's just a rock on a string. So what makes it move then?
If you’re working with someone’s energy and holding a pendulum over one of their energy centers (chakras), it's the energy pattern of the chakra that will cause the pendulum to move. The energy flowing into it from your hand also comes into play, but the pattern of the movement will be determined by the chakra's state.
What if you use your pendulum to talk to your Spirit Guides or Angels? Non-physical Beings may be able to initiate movement in the pendulum directly using their energy. However, I understand that in many cases, their answer may be received through your Higher Self or Subconscious Mind, which will then cause movement in the pendulum.
And of course, sometimes we take our questions directly to our Higher Self (a wiser, more expansive aspect of our Being) or the Subconscious Mind (one that drives our car while we’re thinking about something else and then wonder how the heck we got home, and one that knows what causes our pain or illness).
So how does the Higher Self or Subconscious Mind make a pendulum move? I’ve heard a couple of compelling explanations.
According to my Akashic teacher Andrrea Hess, the Higher Self passes a signal to our Subconscious Mind, which then produces micro-movements in our arm — so tiny that, to us, it appears that the hand is perfectly still. Those tiny movements initiate a motion in the pendulum. (And when we work with the Akashic Records, apparently the information is first received through our Higher Self.)
According to Dr. Bradley Nelson, creator of The Emotion Code, when the Subconscious answers a Yes or No question, there’s an electromagnetic response in the body, and the pendulum motion reflects that response. Muscle testing methods are based on that electromagnetic response as well.
Using a pendulum in healing: how to check chakra state
I like using a pendulum in my Reiki / energy healing sessions. While some of us are intuitively guided to work on specific energy centers (chakras), and while I can feel energy with my hands, I prefer a somewhat “technical” approach: I go through all the chakras one by one and determine the state of each, so that I know what physical/emotional problems a client may be experiencing and what needs to be addressed during the session.
To measure a chakra's state, hold your pendulum directly over the chakra, and inch or two away from the body. It's best if your client is laying down. Try to hold your hand still, but without getting too stiff (holding your elbow to the side of your body helps stabilize the arm). The pendulum will start moving. Give it a little time — sometimes what initially looks like a circular motion eventually settles into a side to side motion. Let the movement pattern stabilize before you make any conclusion and move on to the next energy center.
Note that chakras 2 through 6 have a front aspect + a back aspect, and the two are responsible for somewhat different areas of functioning (the back aspect is at the same level as where you would normally find the chakra, but is accessible from the person’s back). For a complete picture of a client's health and emotional functioning, you may want to check both sides.
I rely on Barbara Brennan's explanations of what different chakra energy patterns mean. Here are some basics:
Clockwise: This is what we want! The chakra is open and balanced, and is metabolizing energy from the Universal Field like it should.
Counterclockwise: The chakra is closed and may be sending energy out, which on the mental level means projecting our version of reality instead of receiving information from the world outside.
Side to side: A horizontal block — the person may be holding down their energy and feelings in the corresponding area of psychological functioning (e.g. block on the 2nd chakra = suppressing emotions such as anger instead of expressing them).
Up and down: A vertical block — the person may be directing their energy upwards instead of expressing themself in the corresponding area of functioning. Think of what we call “spiritual bypassing”, i.e. resorting to spiritual theories and justifications instead of addressing one’s issues in physical reality.
Diagonally: Another type of block that indicates an imbalance between passive and aggressive response, which means a person may be habitually reacting in a passive way when the situation calls for a more assertive stance on their part.
No motion: If the pendulum stays completely still, then the chakra is not functioning, there is no energy flowing through it.
There are a number of other types of patterns you may see; I highly recommend Barbara Brennan's book called Hands of Light if you're interested in the topic.
Using a pendulum for dowsing / divination
Some of us are lucky to be able to hold long conversations with our Spirit Guides using words (through clairaudience), images (clairvoyance), pure knowing (claircognizance)… while others are incredibly frustrated when the former group makes it sound so easy! :) This section of the article is for those of us who need a little help communicating with our Guides while we're still developing our intuitive senses.
First things first, safety! There can be all sorts of Beings in Spirit in our proximity, without us knowing. When dowsing, it’s important to be certain of where the answers are coming from. I may ask Archangel Michael to surround me with protection (place a dome of protection over the room, or place me in a bubble of protection — whatever image you prefer), and I'd state my will that only my own Spirit Guides and Angels are allowed in my space. Then, I would state the intention about who is allowed to move my pendulum at this time (only my Spirit Guides, or only my Higher Self, etc.)
Of course, if you're skilled in psychic protection, are sensitive to energetic presences around you, and regularly clear your space, you may not need all this, but if you're a beginner, I suggest you use caution in order to make sure the information you receive is reliable and in your highest good.
Now that we know who we're talking to, we can proceed to asking questions!
It's easiest to frame your questions as YES/NO questions. You have already programmed your pendulum and know exactly which movement pattern means Yes, No, and Undecided. So just ask, and watch the pendulum respond.
At times, we don't receive an answer. Accept that it’s not in your highest good to know the answer at this time, or try reframing your question. To get good results, make sure your question is very specific, is very clear in your own mind, and is about YOU and your life. I find that Guides are reluctant to answer questions about other folks unless it's something that directly affects us: first of all, it's not their job to know things about others, and secondly, let's respect other folks' privacy! :) However, if you're in the midst of a healing session and need to ask your client’s Guides a question that will help you serve the client better, you can do that.
If you have a “multiple choice” type of question, you could dowse for it as in this example: “Which of the following is the cause of my fatigue: Is it a physical issue?" (you’ll get a Yes or a No from the pendulum) "Is it an energetic issue?" (yes/no) "Is it an energy drain related to an energetic connection with another person?" (yes/no) ...and so on until you get a yes.
Another, perhaps clearer, option for multiple choice questions is to make a DIY dowsing chart. Take a piece of paper, mark the center, and write down possible answers around it in such a manner that whichever way the pendulum swings, it will point to one of the answers in an unambiguous way (see illustration above).
Hold the pendulum over the center point, ask your question, and see which answer the pendulum swings towards after giving it some time to get into motion. I find that if none of the answers are “it” or the answer is unknown, the pendulum will just keep moving in a circular pattern without pointing at anything in particular. Perhaps the right answer wasn't on your chart, or the question wasn’t formulated very clearly.
Of course, you can try using the same method to communicate with your Higher Self and other benevolent Beings, not only your Spirit Guides.
More exotic uses for a pendulum
One surprising application of a pendulum is to check how good a food item is for you. Yes, really! I learned that from a fun presentation by a local practitioner. Food has a certain energetic value, or aliveness, and we can measure that value by holding a pendulum over the item. The larger the circle our pendulum makes, the more healthy energetic value there is for us in this food item. Compare fresh organic tomatoes to a piece of candy with a ton of processed sugar! So next time you wonder which oil is healthier to cook with, your pendulum can answer that question for you. :) If a food item has been sitting around for too long and you're not sure if it's still safe to eat, you can use the same method (just don't let that override your common sense — or your sense of smell!)
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