Before you begin using your pendulum, it’s important to cleanse the object to help shed any unwanted energies from other people who have handled the pendulum or even other objects where it may have previously shared a common space. You can cleanse your pendulum either with smoke from an incense stick or cone (most commonly sage incense although feel free to use your preferred incense), letting the smoke waft it’s way all over and around your pendulum and attached chain. If you prefer not to use incense or it is not suitable to your living situation, you could also leave your pendulum out overnight (think windowsill or another safe pet-free space inside; we know how our cats love to knock precious items off shelving!) to be cleansed by the light & energy of the moon.

Once your pendulum has been cleansed, you’ll want to create a connection to your spiritual tool. A few simple ways to connect with your pendulum is keeping it in your pocket, bag or even under your pillow while you sleep for the first few days; be sure to also hold and feel it often during that time.

After you’ve been able to spend some time connecting with your pendulum, it’s time to determine your YES/NO baseline. The baseline will show you how to interpret the answer your pendulum indicates when asking it questions. Hold your pendulum out in front of you with one hand, a few inches over the palm of your other hand & allow it to hang freely over the center. Ask your pendulum clearly “Show me yes” and watch how it moves & behaves; it may swing side to side, back & forth or circle clockwise or counterclockwise. This is a “yes” from your pendulum. If you don’t see a reaction, you may need to wait a moment and repeat your request again clearly & with confidence until you see your pendulum react. Once you’ve found your “yes” baseline, thank your pendulum for showing you yes & repeat the above steps, this time asking “Show me no”. Again, be sure to watch how it moves & behaves to find your “no” baseline.

Alternately, in place of your palm, you can repeat the above steps using a pendulum board which has the answers yes/no/maybe/rephrase/try again marked along the outer edges.

Now that you’ve determined your pendulum’s baseline for “yes” and “no”, it’s time to ask a few practice questions to which you already know the answer. A few examples would be:

“Are my eyes ____?”
“Is it raining/snowing/storming outside?”
“Is my name ____ ?”

Your pendulum should indicate either “yes” or “no” the same way it did when you determined it’s baseline for answers. If needed, repeat your question a few times until it reacts. If it seems to display a mixture of reactions, you can ask it with confidence to “answer clearer”. If your pendulum still seems to be indicating mixed reactions, you’ll want to repeat the baseline steps to recalibrate your pendulum to reconfirm it’s yes/no indications. If your pendulum is giving you clear and correct answers after some practice questions, you can move on to asking divination questions.

When you’re ready to ask divinations questions, start slowly and focus just on one question at a time. Try to think about your question, what are you really looking to find out - and ask your pendulum in the simplest terms possible; keeping in mind your pendulum will answer either “yes” or “no”.
If there comes a time where you feel as if you’re losing your connection to your pendulum or receiving too many unclear answers or mixed reactions, take some time to go back, re-connect with your pendulum and re-calibrate for it’s baseline answers again.
Take your time and keep working with your crystal pendulum to nurture the connection between yourself & your spiritual tool.

Have any questions? Feel free to reach out to us here & we’ll gladly get back to you as soon as possible!

Jenn & Carlie
Black Cat Curios & Magick