A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position.
Why does a pendulum swing?
The science behind the pendulum is explained through the forces of gravity and inertia. The Earth's gravity attracts the pendulum. This swinging-back-and-forth force continues until the force that started the movement is not stronger than gravity, and then the pendulum is at rest again.
Pendulum in metaphysics
In science, pendulums are moved by gravity and inertia, in occult they are believed to be moved by spirits. That’s why pendulums are used for divination.
It depends on the questions and who’s asking it, but pendulums can be moved from a wide plethora of reasons. Some users believe them to be moved by angles, some by spirits, some by elementals and some by Elves.
Suitable materials for pendulums
A pendulum can be made from a variety of materials. The nature and quality of these materials play a role in how well - or how poorly the pendulum functions. The most frequent metals used for pendulums are brass, bronze, silver, copper and gold.
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve varying mechanical and electrical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other within the same crystal structure.
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (such as aluminum, manganese, nickel or zinc).
Silver is the most energy conductive metal on the planet. When you're using a pendulum, you're working with the transmission of energy and the metal that transmits this energy is a major factor in the pendulum's performance.
Copper in it's pure form, like silver, is a highly energy conductive element of earth. But copper is not a precious metal and is much more abundant than silver. It is the metal that powers modern electronic technology.
Gold is a member of the transition metals and sits in the same periodic table column as silver and copper. Gold is, in fact, one of the first metals known to man with its origin being dated back to 3400 BCE by the Egyptians.
How to use a pendulum?
First decide what kind of pendulum works best for you. It’s similar as with choosing crystals. Decide what kind of metal you’re attracted to, we’re never attracted to certain things (crystals, metals, Tarot cards…) without a reason.
Once you’ve decided on the metal, decide what crystal you want to use, too. You can use a pendulum with just the metal of your choice, but if you’re opting for a crystal pendulum, take time to choose which crystal suits you and your needs best.
When you’ve decided on all of the materials, decide what question you want to ask. Pendulum works best for yes/no questions, so it’s best to make our question is straightforward, clear and concise.
Before we make good use of the pendulum at hand, it would be best if we sanctified or cleansed the space in which we’re going to use a pendulum. So, make sure you light some scented candles, incense or smudgesticks.
When we begin with the pendulum divination, it would be best if we positioned our elbow on a flat, steady surface and place the fob of the pendulum between our thumb and forefinger.
We can do the divination above a map, a sketch, a drawing, a photo, a picture, or a Tarot card. Whatever option we choose, it’s best to keep the arm steady and to clear everything from our mind except the questions we want to ask.
Pendulum answers
Front to back means “yes” (like a head nod), side to side means “no” (like a head shake), moving in a circle means “maybe”. Then we need to ‘verify’ the signals, to establish the connection with the pendulum.
How can we do that?
Simple, we ask the questions like “Is my name ___?”, “Am I ‘___’ zodiac sign?”, “Is my blood type __?” to which we already know the answers to in our core and we check the answers of our pendulum(s).
If the pendulum is not giving straight answers, we can cleanse it by passing it through white sage smoke, showering it in sea salt, or leaving it inside of an Amethyst or Clear Quartz geode.
How to use a pendulum for healing?
First chose an appropriate pendulum, just use a pendulum that feels right to you. Then procure a photo of yourself, or of the person whom you’re trying to heal. Then use the pendulum on the photo and ask appropriate questions, like “is my Root Chakra blocked?”, or “does this person has a Sacral Charka problem?”
Once you’ve gathered all of the necessary materials and established the starting question, you can then proceed to ask questions like “is Amethyst suitable for clearing this chakra?” or “can I unblock this chakra with that solution?”. Pendulum is a guide that can make the healing process easier and solution come to you faster.
Alternatively, you can use a pendulum over another person’s body. If a person is experiencing pain or discomfort somewhere in their body, you can lay them down on their back and use the pendulum right over their body to ask direct questions about healing their body or chakras.
Also you can choose to program the pendulum to do the healing for you – in the same manner you can place it above a photo of a person or a person themselves, and you can use the pendulum as a conduit for healing energy.
How to use a pendulum for chakras?
Very simple – place a pendulum over a drawing with human body and accentuated chakras on it and then proceed to ask questions about each chakra while the pendulum gives you answers.
To get more in depth answers about healing, once you’ve located the ‘problematic’ chakra, you can ask questions about how to heal it, or what is the best way to unblock it.
Of course, remember to keep your questions direct, simple and answerable with yes/no. You can also inquire about certain crystals with which you can heal a chakra. By asking a questions like “should I heal a Root chakra with red Jasper?” you can make sure to get the most concise answers.
How to use a pendulum for divination?
The principle remains the same – determine whether your pendulum is cleansed and working properly by asking it questions to which you know definite answers and then proceed to ask the ‘burning questions’ that haunt your heart.
Once you’ve determined your pendulum is working properly, you can decide how to use a pendulum best. Remember to keep you questions direct and concise, but other than that, feel free to do as you please.
Using a pendulum and how to use a pendulum is not an exact science, you’ll mostly feel what is right and what is not working. You have to trust yourself, your gut and your intuition, and of course trust your pendulum.
How to use pendulum for yes/no answers?
If we opt to program our own pendulums, then we need to determine what means “yes” and what means “no” to us. In order to determine how to use a pendulum in the best and most accurate way possible we need to match our symbolic language to that of the pendulum.
That’s where the programming comes in – similar as to when we’re charging crystals with our intent or our healing energy – we can do to the pendulum. First decide what means ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘maybe’ to you and then infuse the meaning into the pendulum.