Pendling

by Rainsong

Now for something a little different, this little article outlines a bit about a form of divination: "pendling", or "pendulum dousing". It isn't as flashy as teleportation or large-scale telekinesis, but it can be useful once one has gained some degree of accuracy with it.

Pendulum dousing is simply the use of a swinging object to translate impressions from your subconscious mind into easily-understood answers. The important thing to remember, however, is that the impressions from the subconscious may have origins other than psychic insight... but we'll get back to that point later on.

In theory, any small object that can be hung on some kind of string should work for this. A pendant necklace is ideal, for example. Traditionally, women would use their wedding ring suspended on one of their own hairs to pendle the sex of their unborn baby. Supposedly, it helps if the pendant is connected in some way either to the person who is doing the pendling or to the object of the inquiry: a pendant that you wear often, a piece of a mineral you are trying to find more of, etc. If you push a bit of your own energy into the pendant that you use for this, it may help. On the other hand, I personally have had my best results with this technique using a string of small sodalite beads which I had not yet worn and which had nothing whatsoever to do with any of the questions.

To start with, once you've chosen your pendulum, rest your elbow on the table or arm of the chair or whatever, so that you'll be able to keep your hand steady. Hold the string between your thumb and index finger, or between your thumb and first two fingers in such a way that the pendant dangles freely. I've seen and heard of several ways to hold the string. Try a few and see what works best. (You are keeping notes of your psi activities, aren't you?) I like to lean my forehead on the hand that is holding the pendant, but I'm not sure if this makes any difference.

"Yes and no" questions are not the only way to pendle, but they are often the simplest and have the widest range of use, so we'll start here. Once your mind is relatively focused on the task at hand, "ask" the pendulum to show you which motion it will use to signify "yes". Generally, it will swing back and forth, or left and right, or describe a circle. Watch to see what, if anything, it does. Make note of the answer, then repeat the procedure for "no".

It is possible, although unlikely, that after several tries, the pendulum won't move at all. If this is the case for you, choose a direction and swing the pendulum that way while concentrating on the idea that such a swing will signify "yes". Repeat, with a different direction, for "no". It is unlikely that this will be necessary, and even less so that you would have to do it more than once. Once again, make note of the directions used.

Now comes the fun part. Close your eyes and ask a question that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no". Most people begin pendling sessions with questions to which the answer is already known, just to be sure of the answer directions, before asking questions that rely on clairvoyance, precognition, and/or telepathy. I find it helpful to write out the list of questions before I start, so I can easily jot down the replies for future reference.

Bear in mind that if you have a strong preference for a specific answer, it is likely to swing that way regardless of whether that answer is correct. This is the subconscious we're dealing with here, remember. There are ways around this, though. One such is to write the questions on index cards, one per card, along with at least an equal number of "filler" questions of little consequence. Shuffle the deck and lay them face down. Pendle for each card asking simply, "What is the answer to the question on this card?" Don't look at any of the card faces until you are done with that string of questions. Pencil in a Y or an N, as the case may be, on the corner of each face to keep track. A corner can be raised slightly to do this without revealing the question.

Another method is to have someone else ask the question in his or her own mind, I guess, but that only helps if you won't hear the thought. Telepathic interference in psychic activities is actually quite common, so be careful of that.

To get numbers by using yes/no questions, start with a range and narrow it down. For example, "Is it less than 10?" If not, go to, "Is it less than 20?" If it is less than 10, try, "Is it less than 5?", then, "Is it less than 3?", etc. You can get exact numbers this way, tedious as it may be.

However, be absolutely certain that what you ask is exactly what you mean. Your subconscious tends to be very literal in its interpretation, and, besides, the universe sometimes seems to have a wicked sense of humor. This being the case, if a series of answers is not making much sense, or if you want to double-check, try re-wording the questions.

"Yes" and "No" are not the limits of the pendulum's capabilities. You can ask it to swing different ways to indicate the presence of a particular substance. Water is the most obvious example of this.

You might also draw a circle on a piece of paper and divide the circle into as many partitions as there are applicable answers to a given kind of question. Hold the pendulum so that it dangles in the middle of the circle when at rest, then watch which partition it "points" to when you question it. An obvious use for this is to check the answers on multiple-choice tests. ;)

This same concept can be applied to a map. When the pendulum swings over the map, move your hand in the direction of the swing. If it stops, move back the other way. If it continues, keep moving in that direction, a little at a time. When the correct "spot" has been reached, it will change its movement, most likely to a circle around the spot. You can also use the yes/no method to locate the correct grid reference, of course.

A little creativity ought to let you get answers to practically any sort of question. In my own experience, sometimes it "refuses" to answer a certain question, just sitting there unmoving. Why this is happens is a matter for philosophical debate. I certainly don't have the definitive answer. Just don't get too discouraged if it happens to you occasionally, too.

On the topic of possible kinds of questions, though... A friend of mine recently introduced me to an anime series called "Visions of Escaflowne". In it the "hero" uses pendling to find his invisible opponents during battle. Just for the record, in real life, pendling is too slow a procedure for that. If you pendle to find your opponents in a dogfight, you will almost certainly be shot down.

Be that as it may, pendling is a nice, relatively easy thing to do with nice, easily-visible results. If nothing else, it makes a fun party trick. It is not telekinesis, incidentally, although it often looks that way; just subconscious control of fine muscle movements. It is, or at least was, used by clinical hypnotists to interrogate their patients' subconscious minds. That is a somewhat more mundane use for the technique, not requiring any sort of psychical ability. It may be useful on occasion to pendle to "talk" to your own subconscious. For example, for those of you who keep asking how to "unlock your powers", why not ask your own mind? But be careful what you wish for.

Rainsong

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Last Modified on May 24 2002