The Art of Dowsing

Dowsing is the art of finding hidden things such as water, buried treasure, missing people or answers to our questions with the aid of a diving rod, dowsing sticks or a pendulum. Dowsing also know as water witching, diving, or doodle-bugging is and ancient practice of lost origins dating back thousands of years and is even mentioned in the bible. (Aaron and Moses use a diving rod to find find water in the old testament.) No one knows exactly how dowsing works but the general theory is that dowsing tools act as amplifiers to the vibrations and energies that are found in everything in this realm and others in both animate and inanimate objects and are moved by the sought after objects or energies. I am just going to be doing the pendulum. A dowsing pendulum is an object suspended by a cord, used for obtaining information which the normal senses are unable to access on a conscious level. The pendulum, as an extension of the person using it, may be influenced both consciously and subconsciously making the responses accurate as well as inaccurate. Wishful thinking or a preconceived outcome, however slight, can be magnified making the use of the pendulum in that instance ineffective. You should take steps to prevent this by clearing your mind beforehand.

Choosing a pendulum:

Since a pendulum is an extension of the person it is important that the pendulum be something the diviner likes, it should be a size, color and made of a material the the diviner is comfortable with. Depending on what you are dowsing for the material the pendulum is composed of can enhance the reaction to those specific energies. Certain crystals are believed to to possess certain energies that are compatible with the users energies, for example a pendulum made from the users birthstone. Cheap and easy pendulums can be made from small objects such as a nut tied to the end of piece of string and it will work to. Some people prefer brass pendulums because they are more energy neutral that any other and will have less of its own energy resonating in it. For beginners however the best choice of pendulum is the manufactured acrylic pendulums (a molten plastic that crystallizes upon cooling and is polished so that it is perfectly clear) because it is perfectly spherical, there are no distractions from rotating shapes that many others have. A light Pendulum needs less energy to respond, but is more easily blown about by the wind. You may need a heavier one if you use it outside in strong winds. Ultimately though what ever works for you is best for you.

Holding the Pendulum:

If you are right-handed, then use your left hand for holding your Pendulum, although you can use either hand to Dowse it works best to use your non-dominant hand since it is your receiving hand and wont influence the subtle energies of the pendulum the way your dominant, projecting hand will. With your elbow on the table, you hold the string or chain of the pendulum in between your thumb and first finger, the finger next to the thumb, some people use there middle finger as well which ever method is most comfortable for you. The reactions of the pendulum will vary depending on the length at which the cord is held. If the cord is long then the pendulum will take more time to react. If the cord is held shorter or close to the pendulum then it will react very quickly. The length of the cord will depend on the task. Generally, a pendulum cord can be set by holding the cord short and slowly slipping it through the fingers whilst asking for the optimum length. At the point where the cord length is the best for you, the pendulum will move and this is the point to mark. Before you begin divining sit quietly for a few moments to center and ground yourself. If you find that you are out-of-sorts in some way wait until another time. You should be in a state of relaxed alertness. Do not hold your self or your arm rigidly, being relaxed is key.

Yes or No:

The first thing to do when you are going to be using a pendulum for a yes or no question is to determine what means yes and what means no. To do this you get ready with your pendulum as described above then swing it slowly, gently back and forth horizontally then let it come to stop in the center. Repeat that process vertically, clock-wise circle, and counter-clockwise circle. This is basicly acquainting both you and your pendulum with the different directions you will be using. When you have finished each direction and have the pendulum stopped in the center you ask, either out loud or in your head, “Show me yes.” note the direction the pendulum moves and this will be the yes response. Stop the pendulum again and repeat this process for. “show me no” “show me maybe” and “show me I don’t know(or any phrasing of that)”. Bringing the pendulum to a stop in the center you are now ready to ask a question. An alternate method that some prefer is to have a programmed or set direction as the waiting or neutral position rather than having the pendulum stilled in the start position. To program the neutral position gently swing the pendulum forward and back on the vertical axis keeping in your mind and saying aloud that this is the neutral position to train the pendulum for it. After programming the neutral position you then find the yes and no responses same as above except instead of coming back to the stopped centered position in between you come back to the neutral position

When asking the the question you can ask it aloud or in your head that doesn’t really matter what is really important is that you be as clear and concise as possible in your questioning. It is also important to be honest and open with your pendulum and not try to trick it. Your pendulum is an extension of yourself and should be treated with respect. Once you have linked communication with your pendulum and feel confident, you can begin using it for finding answers which are not known to your conscious, and find out about the hidden truths within yourself, the pendulum gives you literal interpretation from the subconscious.

Using Charts:

There are different types of charts you can create for your divination with a pendulum. Your charts can be linear, circular or semi-circular. Charts that can be useful include alphabets, numbers, yes/no, color, directions and one marked with segments for emotional, physical, mental and spiritual. When using a a chart its a similar method as the yes/no starting with the pendulum in the start/waiting position and asking a question allowing the pendulum to answer, be it spelling out words or picking colors.

I will be posting several different pendulum charts that you can use and modify to fit your needs.

With pendulums you can ask any questions you want and using it often, even if only for mundane questions such as what color shirt should I wear today will only make it stronger and more accurate where it counts as you build a relation ship with it.

If the pendulum doesn't move, it's because you are trying too hard.