How to Work & Calibrate Your Pendulum
This is by no means an official guide. If anything this is just a way of letting you all know how I go about using my pendulum. I’m going to talk about calibration/establishing how I worked out what-means-what before I go into any methodology (I gathered my information from myriad sources and will list them if I can remember what/where they are).
Calibration/Figuring Out What Your Pendulum is Telling You:
Alright, so you might have a totally different way of doing this, but here’s mine! Firstly, you need a pendulum. This may be obvious, but I’m just putting it out there. A pendulum can be any weighted object that is suspended from a chain or string or some kind. You’ll find that lots of people use crystals for pendulums as they work particularly well. I did not with my first pendulum (tragic side story: my Mama accidentally threw my guide sheet and pendulum away when cleaning - absolutely devastating). That being said, you do not have to use a crystal. As I mentioned, my first pendulum was in fact a small silver pendant that held a white and black pearl inside. It was hung on a slim silver chain that was 7″ in length. An effective pendulum should be something that is connected to you and only you as it will be imbued with your energies. Take care - do not allow others to handle your pendulum as it may alter the energies and therefore the accuracy and effectiveness of your tool.
Onto the actual subject of this post (I digress often, as you’ve probably noticed). “But, Rowan how do I even get started!?” I hear you cry. Well, my darlings, this is how I did it:
First things first, you’ll need a piece of paper, a pen, and a ruler (if you like your lines straight) and of course, your pendulum. On the piece of paper, draw a circle as best as you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect but you can draw around a cup or mug if you like to get a nice round circle. Make sure the circle is big enough; I would recommend something akin to the size of the palm of your hand or bigger.
Next, use a ruler to find the centre of your circle and mark it with a dot. Now draw a line horizontally through the dot. Do this vertically and diagonally so that you have a diagram like the one below.
Once you’ve done this, sit down and breathe in and out deeply and calmly. It is time to prepare yourself for divining. Before every use of the pendulum, it is imperative (for me!) to be in a calm and serene state and to do this, I sit comfortably and close my eyes. I envision an aura of protective white light surrounding my body. Starting from my toes I let it envelope me and bathe me in warmth and spiritual energy. I visualize it travelling up through the crown chakra and into the third eye. This increases psychic and spiritual power.
The next thing you must do is a little strange sounding but important in this sort of work. You must tap a small circle counter-clockwise (the opposite direction in which a clock moves) around your thymus with your index finger (your thymus is just over an inch below the hollow between your collar bones on your chest). Doing this helps balance the energies within you.
This next part you will only have to do once, unless like me you lose your guide papers in an unfortunate cleaning mishap:
Now you need to establish the directions and what they mean. For example, which swing means yes? Which means no? Who knows? You will, in a minute. Sit with the soles of your feet planted firmly on the ground and place the paper between your legs/feet and take the chain/thong/rope between your thumb and finger, or two fingers; have a loose but secure grip. Let the pendulum hang and make sure the point of it is above the centre of your circle - this is why the dot in the centre helps because it’s a larger focal point.
To find your directions, you have to ask! Simple! Say aloud: “Show me the ‘yes’ signal/sign”, and take note of the direction of the pendulum’s movement. Does it move clockwise? Counter clockwise? Swing side-to-side? Diagonally? Up and down? If the pendulum does not move, repeat your question. If, after say 5-10 minutes it shows no intention of going anywhere, move onto your next enquiry. Once you have identified your signal, claim it and confirm it by saying something along the lines of, “this is my signal for yes”.
Repeat this exact process for ‘no’, and then, ‘do not know’, ‘ask later’, ‘cannot say’ and ‘maybe’ or ‘sort of’.
To further confirm that these are correct, test the pendulum by using statements that you know the answer to, for example, ‘my hair colour is ______’, or ‘my name is ______’. If your signals are right, the pendulum’s response will be yes or no depending on the statement you have made.
Once you are sure that you have calibrated your pendulum, make a note on your piece of paper regarding the directional signals. Note their meanings down.
Once this is all done, you’re done! You can begin divining to your heart’s content! You can keep using your guiding circle for as long as you like, there is no harm or shame in it! I used mine for a while afterwards to keep myself calm and confident as I am still a baby at this sort of thing.
Good luck and happy witchcrafting!
