Throughout history, mankind has experimented with many different ways to explain the present and foretell the future. One such method is dowsing - using implements to find information or to locate sources of water or other materials. The pendulum is one of many tools that a dowser might use. However their simplicity makes them an ideal choice - simply a weight suspended by a thread. Pendulum dowsing has a range of uses¹: it can give answers to questions, be used as an indicator when looking for something, and give general advice on matters such as compatibility with another person, suitability for a career or place of residence, or general health-related questions.

Pendulums can be made from anything as long as they are heavy enough to hold the thread taut. The thread should be black as it is a neutral colour. The most accurate pendulums seem to be made of wood or crystal - these substances act neutrally and don't influence the responses of the pendulum. Some pendulums are hollow allowing small objects or minerals to be placed inside. This is a form of 'sampling' - using a sample to determine an energy source and to get the pendulum to locate a similar energy.

Pendulums are especially useful when dowsing indoors, such as over maps and charts, to find ley lines, or finding lost objects or persons in relation to a map or chart. Some dowsers use pendulums to search for things that are not visible to the human eye with startlingly accurate results in some cases.

How To Read A Pendulum

Reading a pendulum means interpreting the movements to determine the answer to a question. A pendulum has two natural rhythms or movements, circular or side-to-side. Each of these movements is a way in which the pendulum is communicating with a positive or negative response. But different people get different responses. To some, circular means yes, and side-to-side means no - for others it's the other way around. To determine which is yes and which is no for yourself, the simplest way is to ask a question like, 'is my name.....?' saying your real name. You will thereby discover what a positive response looks like. You should then repeat this with a false name to find out what a negative response is.

Here is one Researcher's experience:

I got a piece of black thread and a small plug of wood, and I tied the one to the other. I sat down at a table, resting my arm, relaxed, waited for the pendulum to come to a stop, and asked it whether I'm called 'Tony' (I am). It moved in a clockwise circle. I asked it whether I'm called 'Bryan' (I'm not). It moved in a anti-clockwise circle. I asked it whether, if I called my friend in San Francisco at that moment, he would answer the phone. It moved in a straight line, directed away from me and back towards me. I called Patrick; he answered the phone. We talked.

Later, I asked it whether I should try to get to bed early tonight. It moved in a clockwise circle.

Here's my hypothesis so far. Either A. Straight line, to and fro, means 'yes'; straight line, side to side, means 'no', clockwise means 'you know damn well it's yes', and anti-clockwise means 'you know damn well it's no; stop testing me' or B. This is all a load of dingo's kidneys.

How To Hold A Pendulum

Either sitting or standing, comfortable and relaxed, hold the thread between thumb and finger at a comfortable height. If sitting, it's better to be resting your elbow on a table. If right-handed then use that hand, or if you're a lefty then use your left. If scanning a map, start slowly from a top corner until a response is obtained from a particular area.

How It Works

The theory is that the human brain and nervous system together act like a radio. A radio that can only receive medium wave frequency is much less sensitive than one that can receive long and short wavelengths as well. In the same way, a dowser is sensitive to energies that a less receptive person is unaware of. The pendulum is thought to clarify the nature of the energy - positive or negative - that a dowser has sensed through his or her nervous system. This sensitivity can be developed through dedicated practice. Practitioners must give themselves up, with a neutral mental attitude, to the power of the pendulum and their muscles must be so relaxed that they respond to the slightest pendulum movement.

Dowsing For Ley Lines

Ley lines are the Earth's natural energy lines, they are believed to be like invisible electricity cables hidden in the earth. The technique in using a pendulum for ley lines is a little different. Adopt a neutral mental attitude or the reading will be influenced. Again, hold the pendulum as outlined above and dowse over a map of the area in question. The pendulum will be drawn to a way in which the ley line runs. If a circling or spiralling occurs, this reflects a place where ley lines cross. Once a person has got used to using the pendulum correctly, it can then be used with a selection of charts to find the answers to almost anything.

Alternative Medicine

Many alternative therapists also use pendulums to test for food allergies, metal reactions and so on. Radionics practitioners, using radiesthesia to diagnose and treat illness, first dowse a sample or 'witness' from a client, such as a lock of hair, a drop of blood or urine or a signature. Through this they attune themselves to their client's wavelength, as the sample vibrates with the client's energy and is representative of the whole person. This method means that the practitioner can discover any imbalances in the patient without the patient being physically present. Existing imbalances are corrected with a complex radionics instrument which the therapist sets to the required healthy vibration for the patient. The representative sample (hair, blood and so on) is then subjected to this frequency. Therapists believe that as the sample returns to its correct, balanced frequency, so the absent person returns to that frequency and is healed.

Opposition

The effectiveness of dowsing with a pendulum and the existence of ley lines are controversial issues, and while sceptics are still waiting for scientific proof, many dowsers are happily finding answers, objects and ley lines, without the scientific community's endorsement. Whether a sceptic or a fervent believer though, no one suggests you follow the advice of a pendulum blindly. Unless you strongly believe in chance, it is recommended you take any obtained reading with a pinch of salt.