Remember that old song? I have an English friend, Jan, who loves to sing it while using her pendulum. In fact, the first time I ever saw one of my two current pendulums, Jan was sitting at her kitchen table singing that song and using the necklace that was to become my pendulum to determine whether or not I'm allergic to ginger. (She says I am.)

I guess you could say I've caught the pendulum fever from Jan, who uses hers almost constantly. In fact, Jan uses anything that has good energy and will swing freely as a pendulum - mostly her own jewelry. I like this idea of using a necklace because if it's worn on a regular basis, it absorbs some of the energy of the person who uses it as a divination tool.

My pendulum has a name, as does every necklace Jan and her cousin (my dear friend, Charlotte) make. It's a she and her name is Erma, and here's a picture, so you can see what it looks like. I fell in love with it instantly, but had to wait almost a year to own it.

The question most people have is, how does a pendulum work? And my answer is that I'm not sure, but if used correctly, there's no better way to obtain a yes/no answer. The mystery of how and why they work remains part of their charm as far as I'm concerned. My personal belief is that pendulums somehow pick up on energy fields, much like tarot cards do, and that this allows them to tap into the Universal Consciousness.

What I do know for sure, is that almost any necklace, or object attached to a chain, will make an effective pendulum. For instance, the other pendulum I use is an 1837 four pence coin with a hole in it. I put the coin on a chain, and since I wear it at all times, it makes a handy (and very enthusiastic) pendulum. This coin loves to do readings so much that it sometimes gets carried away and hits me in the face. Here's a photo of an identical coin that is just a few years younger than mine.

P.S. The key to a good pendulum reading is to have a very firm idea of which action gives a yes answer, and which action means no. Jan asks her pendulums to swing clockwise for yes and counter-clockwise for no. I ask mine to swing forwards and backwards for yes and from side to side for no. As long as you're certain which is which, the pendulum will cooperate.

Blessings,
Bella