Pendulum dowsing is a form of divination that uses a weight attached to a chain or string to provide answers to your questions. It’s an incredibly simple form of divination that anyone can learn to use to tap into their intuition and receive guidance.

The first thing you’re going to need is a pendulum. You can make your own pendulum in several ways. One of the easiest pendulums to make is a ring on a necklace or string. Just slip a ring of good weight onto a necklace chain and there you go. A necklace that already has a pendant hanging from it can work as well. A pointed item is the easiest to read, but you can learn to read other objects. Just make sure that the chain is something that can move freely. Box chains and heavy chains are not recommended. Extremely light pendants won’t work well either.

You can also buy a pendulum. Pendulums come in many forms, some are solid metal, some have gemstones, some are simple and some are ornate. No one pendulum is better than any other. Use what you’re attracted to and what feels good. My personal pendulum is made from beads and a heavy dangle from an old earring, attached to a length of chain. My husband’s is his first wedding band on a necklace chain. Use whatever feels best to you. While gemstone pendulums can seem attractive, they don’t guarantee a better reading. The best reading will come from the pendulum you have the strongest connection to, regardless of what it’s made from.

Now that you have a pendulum, you need to learn how to hold it. You want only a few inches to hang from your fingers. If it’s too long it’ll be unwieldy, if it’s too short it won’t move freely. You can pinch the chain/string between your fingers, let it drape over your index finger, or whatever feels good. You can hold your arm up, or rest your elbow on your knee or a table. Experiment with different positions to find out what’s comfortable for you.

Before using your pendulum for the first time to do a real reading, you’ll want to cleanse it. Use whatever method your spiritual path calls for. I cleansed mine with a blessing tincture at my altar, and I cleanse it regularly with that same tincture. It’s important to cleanse your pendulum of unwanted energies and claim it as your tool for accurate readings. If you’re not sure how to do a cleansing, a really simple way is to pass the pendulum through the smoke of an incense and ask your higher power to clear all negative energies from it, and make it yours for divining answers and serving the greater good.

Next you’ll decide how to do basic readings. You can hold the pendulum over your open palm, over an empty surface (a tabletop, etc.) or over a pendulum chart. Pendulum reading charts can be made or bought. In the beginning, keep it simple, you can expand to more complex reading tools later. Personally, I do quick readings over my palm, but I also have a basic pendulum chart that I made with Yes – No – Unsure – Ask Again on it. When I need to choose between several options, I draw up a quick chart for the specific need. I recommend using your open palm for your first readings. It seems to create a connection that gives strong answers.

Now you need to figure out how your pendulum answers questions. Hold your pendulum comfortably over your palm or table, and ask it “show me YES” and watch what happens. It may swing front to back, side to side, or in a clockwise or counterclockwise circle. Once it seems to have decided a way of moving, say “clear” and wait for it to stop moving. You can clear by touching the tip of the pendulum to your hand or a surface, but I find that saying “clear” and waiting works best. Once it is still, ask it “show me NO” and wait for a response. It should be an opposite action to whatever it did for yes. Next ask it “show me UNSURE” then “show me ASK AGAIN.” Remember to clear between each question, as going from one to the next without this step can give you inaccurate readings. You now know how that particular pendulum will answer questions for you.

Please note that each pendulum can respond differently, and you’ll need to do this with every pendulum you use. I’ve also noticed that on some days, a pendulum will respond differently than it normally does. It’s a good idea to ask it for a “yes” before each reading to make sure you know how it’s responding. Just today my pendulum decided to reverse its normal answering positions. It happens, so it’s a good idea to test regularly.

Now that you have the basics down, you can start asking the pendulum questions. Try to clear your mind of any thoughts about what you want the answer to be, just focus on the question. Feel the connection to your pendulum, and allow it to answer you. Remember that you want to use direct, simple questions with yes/no answers. If you’re including unsure/ask again, expect them to come up. Ask again can mean that you need to ask later, or that you need to rephrase the question. If you’re not sure, ask the pendulum “Do I need to rephrase the question?” or “Should I ask this later?”

Pendulum dowsing is a wonderful skill, and I suggest that you practice it often. The more you use your pendulum, the better your readings will be.

Briana Blair

Briana Blair is an author and artisan. She has published more then 30 books and thousands of articles across multiple sites. After practicing Paganism and witchcraft for 25 years, she's now on a journey as an atheist and skeptic. She's eclectic, unpredictable, and always evolving. Facebook - Twitter