Let’s start with the basics, the top three questions:
What Is A Pendulum?
A pendulum is simply a suspended, non-magnetic weight that swings back and forth. Pendulums come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. There are mathematical and mechanical reasons for its use, but using a pendulum as a divination tool for spiritual work is what we will be focusing on here.
How Did It All Start?
Pendulums are the modern equivalent of divining rods. Divining rods are either Y-shaped rods or two L-shaped rods that are used to detect the presence of water and other metals or minerals. The rods themselves are made from metal or a simple stick from a tree branch. When the rod(s) bend towards the earth, there is allegedly water underneath. Think this practice sounds outdated and a little too witchy? Imagine everyone’s surprise when Domonoske (2017) highlighted in U.K. Water Companies Sometimes Use Dowsing Rods To Find Pipes, the practice isn’t as lost as normally thought. What started as a tool to find water, minerals, and metals in the 16th century slowly evolved into a tool of divination by the 18th century and is still used in the 21st century. What? Well, stranger things have happened.
How Do Pendulums Work?
Essentially, a pendulum reads energy. According to Eason’s (2005) The Art of the Pendulum, a pendulum takes in information and then relays it back to us. The question is, where does this information come from? The answer varies depending on the diviner and their beliefs.
Join us every Monday for Midnight Crab Oracle’s Pendulum Series. Each week we will explore different topics surrounding pendulums from historical use to best practices. If there are specific questions you would like answered, comment below and we will be sure to include them in the following week’s post.
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