Pendulum Practices
Pendulums are usually cone-like objects attached to a string or chain which will swing back and forth when suspended in a fixed location. They have long been used around the world for practices of spiritual healing and cleansing. These days pendulums are often made of various crystals however wood, glass and metal pendulums are also traditionally used.
The practice of healing with pendulums relies on the energetics of the environment, people or other objects in its proximity. The idea being that energetic blockages in one's body, mind and spirit can be located and cleared using the knowledge provided by the pendulum’s swing. Therefore, it is believed that emotional, spiritual and physical healing can be benefited from the help of the humble pendulum.
They can also be used to ask questions when you’re in a place of needing some answers, guidance or clarity on a sitation or place in your life.
There are many ways to use a pendulum and you can get creative with it yourself, there are no strict rules, use your intuition and see what you find, you might surprise yourself!
Cleanse a space before a ritual or divination practice, use it in conjunction with journaling? Or maybe you’re a holistic practitioner looking for another tool in your toolbox? The possibilities are endless.
Let the pendulum choose you
If you think you’ll be choosing your own pendulum, think again… go into the process of choosing / being chosen with an open mind and heart. Make sure to get a sense of which one is calling you! Look, feel and listen to the pendulums to sense which one is yours.
Do I cleanse by pendulum?
You may wish to cleanse your pendulum of unwanted energy it has picked up over time. There are a few ways to energetically cleanse, feel into what feels right for your particular pendulum.
Options include, bathing it under running water, bringing it to the ocean and placing it in the water, saying a prayer over it or leaving it out on a selenite charging plate.
Getting to know your pendulum
First things first is understanding how your pendulum responds and moves to different energies and vibrations. Your pendulum may spring side-to-side, back-to-front or rotate clockwise, counter-clockwise or in an elliptical shape.
Whatever shapes you notice from your pendulum, use and ask the right questions to understand their meanings.
When you are getting to know your pendulum you will need to start by asking it to show you what different movements mean. Ask questions such as “What does a positive response look like?” or “What is a negative response movement?”, or you can get more advanced and ask it trickier questions as you begin to understand it more and more.
Given the nature of the answers you are likely to receive it is more appropriate to ask yes or no questions or your pendulum, asking open questions or questions that are not simply affirmative or negative will not give you simple answers.
To help you develop a deeper connection with your pendulum it can be useful to set an intention before using it. This will help you and your pendulum connect on a certain wavelength and will help you to clear your mind and be certain of what you are wanting to achieve to avoid any confusion. You can begin by setting an intention such as truth seeking or clarity for the day ahead and then proceed to ask your series of questions you would like to find out about. Take your time with it, make sure to allow time to receive the answer and be patient with yourself as well, the more you use your pendulum the better you’ll understand it.
We have a variety of beautiful crystal pendulums here at Thornbury Apothecary! We have just about all the colours of the rainbow available so come into the shop and find yourself yours to take home!
