A pendulum is a powerful and accessible way to gain clarity and insight into decisions and next steps as you move forward on your life’s journey. Discover the complete guide for how to use a pendulum, and check out the links below for beautiful pendulums and accessories to get started today.

What Is a Pendulum?

A pendulum is a tool you can use to gain clarity and insight into a situation or problem you may be having. Specifically, it’s a string, cord, or chain with a small object at the end; most often, this object is a triangular shaped crystal, but you may also find pendulums that have objects made of wood, stone, metal, or glass on the end. (Just be sure not to use anything that could be magnetic, as this could affect the pendulum’s function.) There’s also typically another small, weighted object at the other end of the chain, though not always.

Here’s an example of what a pendulum can look like:

You may also hear the practice of using a pendulum referred to as crystal dowsing or pendulum dowsing. This is simply the act of using a pendulum to receive guidance, whether it be about making a decision in your life or even finding your lost car keys.

If you’re looking to strengthen your intuitive powers, using a pendulum is a powerful practice to help you get in touch with your inner knowing. It’s also a formidable tool if you have trouble deciding whether to follow your head or your heart when making decisions. Many people believe that a pendulum is uniquely powerful in its ability to help you to make decisions by bringing together both the left and right sides of your brain. So instead of just following your head or your heart, the pendulum assists you in using the best parts of both in order to help you make the best possible decision for your journey.

When Do I Use a Pendulum?

A pendulum is most often used to gain insight and clarity when there are areas of uncertainty in your life. Anytime you have a question and are looking for help or advice, you can use a pendulum to receive guidance from a higher power.

Now, to be more specific, what kind of guidance can a pendulum offer? If you’re trying to choose between pizza or sushi, should you ask the pendulum to make the final call? Or should you reserve using your pendulum for only the really big life questions, like whether you should quit your job or start a new relationship?

Funny enough, I know people on both sides of the coin: some who only use their pendulum for the more lighthearted questions in life, and others who use it only for the deeper, more meaningful questions.

Those who use it to help them make daily decisions about what to have for dinner or what Netflix show to watch usually say that they use their pendulum for these types of questions because they like to save the deeper, more meaningful stuff for other spiritual practices, like tarot.

And those who use a pendulum for heavier questions often say that they don’t want to become dependent on the pendulum for daily decisions, and it’s a powerful source of guidance that shouldn’t be underestimated.

So who’s right?

Well, no one. And everyone.

Do you have another practice, like tarot, that you like to use for guidance in your life? Then maybe you’ll want to just use the pendulum on those more lighthearted questions. But if you don’t have another practice, or if you view a pendulum as a powerful way to connect with your highest self and/or your spirit guides, then you can absolutely use your pendulum for meaningful insight regarding your life’s path.

So again, there’s no right or wrong answer here. I do recommend, though, that when you’re first starting to use your pendulum, it doesn’t hurt to ask it some of those lighter questions like whether you should have cookies for dessert tonight. Not only will this help you to establish a connection with your pendulum, but it will help you develop trust in its guidance as well.

Who is Answering My Questions?

There are actually different schools of thought here, and none of them are necessarily right or wrong. Everything about this practice is extremely personal to you, so only you know deep inside who it is you’re speaking to.

Here are some common beliefs about who is on the “other side” of the pendulum:

• Your Higher Self: I deeply believe that your inner knowing always knows the way. Thus, it’s not a stretch to believe that your highest self – a self who is deeply connected to their intuition – can guide you to making the best decisions for you.

• Your Spirit Guides: Spirit guides can come in the form of animals, angels, ancestors, goddesses, elemental spirits (like trees or mountains), and other beings. Whether or not you’ve connected with your spirit guides in the past, a pendulum offers a way to connect with your guides moving forward as they help you along your path.

• The Universe: The Universe is the name I most often use to refer to a higher power in my life. You might also refer to this power as God, Source, Source Energy, Love, All That Is, or something else that feels right to you. When you receive guidance from a pendulum, you can view it as though you’re receiving guidance from the higher power in your life.

It’s also completely okay to believe that all of the entities above have a hand in making a decision. You’re also empowered to call upon a specific entity, such as a spirit guide or guardian angel, when you seek their guidance.

What Kind of Pendulum Should I Use?

As mentioned above, most pendulums are made of some kind of cord or chain and have a small object at the end; this is most commonly seen as a triangular-shaped crystal, but other items such as gemstones and wood can be used as well.

So is there one type of pendulum that works “better” than others?

Truly, there’s not. In my experience, and in the experience of many others I’ve come across, the one that’s going to work best for you is the one that you get a good feeling about. If you’re in a crystal store looking at pendulums and one catches your eye, the decision can truly be as simple as picking it up and purchasing it on the spot.

You may already have a favorite crystal, or one that has always held special meaning to you. If so, it’s completely fine to start your pendulum search knowing you want to incorporate that crystal somehow. So if amethyst is a special crystal to you, search for ones with a beautiful triangular-shaped amethyst at the end.

Will it work better if you buy one with a crystal that has a meaning associated with the type of questions you’re going to ask? For instance, if you’re looking for love advice, should you purchase a pendulum that has a piece of rose quartz on the end? You can absolutely try this if this idea resonates with you, but don’t feel like you need to. I’ve had success using a single pendulum for all types of different questions.

The only “wrong” answer would be to choose a pendulum that you don’t really like, or that you don’t get good vibes from.