How to Program a Pendulum for Divination Work

Pendulums are a very popular and easy to use method of divination in many witchcraft spaces. In basic terms, a pendulum is an object that is suspended from a fixed point so that it can swing back and forth freely under the influence of gravity^[1]. Within witchcraft and divination practices, these are used to answer yes or no questions, communicate with the Higher Self, and find lost objects. In this post, we will explore popular pendulum materials, how to make your own pendulum, and different ways to use a pendulum in your practice.

Pendulums In Witchcraft

Using a pendulum for divination is called “dowsing”. Historically, dowsing was not always used for divination. Sometimes people would use dowsing to diagnose disease, locate people and objects, and even find sources of underground water. In the early 1900s, the Vatican even hired someone named Abbé Mermet to locate several lost treasures^[2]!

A pendulum is an easy method of divination to learn and use once you get the hang of it. Unlike tarot, oracle, or tasseography, divination with a pendulum is much more simple. Signs and symbols do not need interpretation when using a pendulum. Instead, you will be interpreting the movement of the pendulum.

Most pendulums that you will find in metaphysical stores are going to be made of sterling silver with a suspended crystal point on the end. Crystal point pendulums seem to be the standard by those that use them but the type of crystal will vary. You can choose a pendulum based solely on the common correspondences of the crystal point attached to it. Here are just a few examples.

Clear Quartz – This crystal is believed to be a great protector against negative energy. Clear quartz pendulums may help provide mental clarity, calmness, and a state of spiritual healing. Use clear quartz pendulums if you have difficulty getting clear answers.

Rose Quartz – This beautiful pink crystal is the perfect crystal for love readings. Use a rose quartz pendulum to gain insight into your love life or self-love practices.

Aventurine – A crystal with a wonderful green hue, aventurine pendulums may be good to find answers about abundance, career, and prosperity. Use an aventurine pendulum for answers about your job, help finding a job, or uses in luck.

See also: Crystal Attunement Meditations

Uncommon Pendulums And Making Your Own

As mentioned above, a pendulum can be any object suspended on a string or chain so that it can move freely. Besides crystals, pendulums can be made from wood, chambers, metals, and other items you have around your home. This also means that as long as you have something to suspend on a string, you can make your own pendulum! Here are a few ideas for making your own pendulum with objects around the house.

• Do you have any rings? If so, then you have a perfectly good pendulum right at your fingertips! Tie a string to a ring you own and program it (more on this in a minute) to answer your questions.
• Paperclips are a great substitute for pendulums. Tie a string around one end of a paperclip and use this as a temporary — or permanent! — pendulum in your practice.
• Rough stones and rocks can also be used as pendulums. These may be a bit more tricky to tie up with a string but if you can accomplish it you will have a useful pendulum!
• You can even make your own clay pendulum. Similar to making your own worry stone with clay, you can sculpt a pendulum with clay to use in your practice. When you make your own, you then have the ability to carve symbols and sigils into the clay and decorate it in any way you want! This can lend more personal power and meaning to the pendulum than one you bought from the store.

Programing Your Pendulum

The most common way to use a pendulum is to answer yes or no questions. Before you can do this, though, you need to program your pendulum or ask it to show you the answers it prefers. Here is a simple guide to programming your pendulum for yes or no answers.

1. Sit in a quiet space. Ground and center yourself with deep breaths while holding the pendulum in your hand. Focus on your intention right now — you want to program your pendulum for divinatory use.
2. If you choose to cleanse your pendulum before programming it, now is the time to do this. You can use any method of cleansing that you would like. Smoke cleansing is the most popular method and can be done by running the pendulum through the smoke of cleansing herbs.
3. Hold your pendulum by the end of the chain and let it dangle in front of you. Wait for it to come to complete stillness. If you have unsteady hands, you may want to consider getting a pendulum holder.
4. When you are ready, ask the pendulum to show you movements for the answers yes, no, and maybe. Common pendulum movements include back and forth, side to side, clockwise, and counter clockwise. Go slow and do not rush the pendulum. This may look like you holding the pendulum in front of you and saying, “Show me yes. Show me no. Show me maybe. Show me I don’t know. Show me I don’t want to answer.“
5. If there is no answer then your pendulum may not have set movements for answers. This can be the case if you do not follow an animistic path or if you made your pendulum yourself. If your pendulum does not give you answers, it is up to you to show it what answers you prefer. This may look like you holding the pendulum in front of you and saying, “This is yes,” while moving the pendulum in a back and forth motion.
6. Once you have the answers and movements from the pendulum, be sure to keep a record of them! Write these down in your Book of Shadows to reference in the future when you use your pendulum.

Using Your Pendulum

Now that you have a pendulum and it is programmed, it is time to use your pendulum! There are many ways you can use your pendulum. Let’s talk about a few of them!

Yes/No Questions

Arguably one of the most common methods of pendulum use, you can use your pendulum to answer simple yes or no questions. This is one reason you want to program your pendulum before use. Otherwise, how is your pendulum supposed to know what direction to swing? You can begin this process by holding your pendulum in your hand (or using a pendulum holder) and calling on the who you are looking for an answer from. This can be your subconscious mind, your higher self, a particular spirit, or a deity. Be sure to specify, though, otherwise you will just be receiving answers from your subconscious mind. Then when you are ready, ask your question and wait for the pendulum to move. If it does not move, ask again or try again later.

Pendulum Boards

Almost like a Ouija Board, pendulum boards are accessories for use with a pendulum. Rather than swing in a specific manner due to pendulum programming, a pendulum board lets your pendulum swing over different answers. This can be as simple as a board with the words yes, no, and maybe on it. It can even be as complex as a board with the alphabet, yes/no, and different numbers on it. This style of pendulum reading may be a bit more complicated than your usual yes or no question. If you are new to pendulums you might want to wait to try this method until you have more practice with your pendulum.

Finding Lost Objects

We all lose things occasionally — some of us more than others — and using a pendulum can be a quick and easy way to find your lost object. You can even use this method to find people, too, though it may be a bit more complicated and harder to do. Finding a lost item can be done in many ways but we will talk about the two most common here.

The first method is by utilizing your yes or no answers from your pendulum. Let’s say, for the sake of example, that you are looking for your favorite ring. You remember wearing it the day before but you do not remember taking it off. Grab your pendulum and start asking questions! Is it in your house? Is it on the first floor? The second floor? Is your ring in the kitchen? In the bathroom? Once you have narrowed it down to a specific room or location, stand in the doorway of that area and ask your pendulum to point you in the right direction. Follow the swing of the pendulum and let it lead you to your object!

The second method is by drawing a chart. On a piece of paper, draw a simple layout of your home. Be sure to label each room, too, so the pendulum knows what they are looking at. Start at one corner of your drawing and ask the pendulum to point you in the right direction. If the pendulum swings over multiple rooms, hold it over the center and ask for clarification. You may even use this method and hold your pendulum over the entire chart. Once you have your answer, check that room and see if you are correct.

Practice With A Pendulum

Using a pendulum takes practice. That is completely normal! One easy way to practice using your pendulum to find answers is to have someone in your house hide an object. Then it is your job to use your pendulum to find it. This type of practice can help you grow a deeper connection to your pendulum, your intuition, and your higher self. Whatever way you choose to use your pendulum, practice and trust in yourself make for good divination.

Answers From Beyond

Pendulums are not the only method of divination out there! Explore more methods of finding hidden answers in these posts below. Connect with your subconscious, higher self, or guides and move forward in your day knowing your are Divinely guided.