In their most simple form, a pendulum is a weight at the end of string or chain. One of the most common versions is when a ring is hung on a very fine necklace chain. Many people prefer the cording to be metal chain, but improvising a pendulum using string can work too.

The string or chain needs to only be about 6"-8" long, enough for you to hold it comfortably and for the weight to be able to swing freely. The end you hold can have a ring on it or you can just pinch the chain in your fingertips or wrap it wound your finger once or twice for more security.

Shown here is my favorite crystal pendulum. I got it when I was in high school. I was at a New Age shop with a friend and we looked at a few styles in a case in the store. I asked the woman behind the counter if I could see a couple of the pendulums, and picked the one here, as the crystal had a neat little ghost inside, a sort of shadow version of itself.

The woman who owned the shop asked if she could look at the pendulum when I mentioned the inclusion I saw, and said that this was the one I wished to purchase. She examined the crystal carefully, then told me that the style of inclusion is called a "phantom" and it represents the crystal evolving beyond its previous boundaries, growing to a whole unexpected level. She said that they crafted all those pendulums there in the store and that the phantom had not appeared in the crystal until I touched and viewed it. She said she felt the crystal was especially meant for me as she wrapped it up.

I still have it now, over twenty years later.

When you are using a pendulum for divination or dowsing, you are limited to the use of "yes" or "no" questions. The movement of the pendulum indicates which answer. Although some resources will insist that certain movements mean certain responses, I have found that not all pendulums follow a given set of movements. What has worked best for me is to ask the pendulum itself to show you how it will communicate to you.

Starting out:
You will want to sit someplace that is relatively quiet and free from interruption and distraction. If you are starting out, it often helps to sit at a table so that you can rest the elbow of your pendulum hand on the surface.

Hold the pendulum between the thumb and first finger of one hand, allowing it to hang down freely. You want to make sure that your arm and hand move as little as possible.

If this is the first time you have used this pendulum, you can start by asking the pendulum to show you how it indicates a yes answer, and how it indicates a no answer. Make each question separate, i.e. "please show me how you indicate a "yes" answer. Once a clear motion has been demonstrated, you can then ask for the pendulum to show you how it will indicate a "no" answer. Most often these motions are circular (clockwise and counterclockwise) or linear (left-right or forward-back) but some pendulums move more irregularly.

Asking the question:
Consider the question you wish to ask and make sure it is a yes/no type of question. When I was starting out with pendulums, I would actually speak the question out loud. This seemed to help me hold my focus a bit better. Once you ask, you then have to keep your mind clear. If you focus on one answer or another in your mind, you can actually influence the pendulum to just tell you what you wish as the answer. This can take a bit of practice.

Watching for the answer:
Sometimes a pendulum will hang motionless for many moments and other times it will start to move strongly. Keep your mind focused on the question and allow the pendulum motion to develop clearly. Some motions stay very small and some become quite prominent. If a pendulum motion changes direction in mid-answer, I often take that as a sign that I'm influencing the answer or the question isn't specific enough and I clear my mind and start again.