Pendulum Dowsing

by Diane Marcotte

Dowsing is the process of using a tool such as a pendulum or rod to discover things that cannot be discovered using our everyday senses. It is a term that in the past has been associated primarily with the finding of water sources. Modern dowsers, or diviners as they are sometimes known as, dowse for oil & gas, minerals, water, lost objects, and lost people to name just a few. A pendulum can also be used to determine one’s state of health and whether particular medicines, supplements, etc should be taken. One can also dowse for health-care services, identify environmental stressors, find or create healing spaces, and locate a safe place to place our bed or working area.

The Pendulum

A pendulum is nothing more than a communication device. In and of itself it has no power and no ability to move. Although no one knows how or why dowsing works, it is most commonly thought that the movement of the pendulum is controlled through or by your subconscious (or something of that nature). Any object hung from a piece of string is a pendulum. As dowsing pendulums can be purchased in all sizes, shapes and materials, it is important only that you choose a tool that you’re comfortable with for all pendulums work equally well for experienced dowsers.

In fact, it is important not to impose any beliefs on yourself that a particular pendulum is better than another. If your favourite crystal pendulum isn’t available, a washer hung on a piece of fishing line will work just as well!

Learning to Dowse

Dowsing is a skill that anyone can learn. It does take practice but then what worthwhile goal is ever reached without effort? Before you can practice you do need to discover what the movement of the pendulum means.

For beginners, dowsing can be accomplished using three movements: one for a YES/POSITIVE answer, another for NO/NEGATIVE, and a third for MAYBE/NEUTRAL (or a Rephrase the Question) response. Experienced dowsers may also count the number of swings or turns to determine depth of an item being searched for; rely on the movement of the instrument to determine the length of a particular treatment they’re doing; etc.

The first step is determining what YOUR responses mean. Your responses may vary from another person’s but that is fine – what works for you is all that counts!

Take your pendulum and hold the string or chain between your thumb and first finger, about 2 ½ to 3 inches from the weight at the end.
Sit quietly for a few moments to centre 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.
While slowly swinging the pendulum vertically back and forth, mentally (or out loud) ask the pendulum to show you your YES movement by swinging in a circular direction. This will be clockwise or counter-clockwise. If there is little or irregular movement it might be beneficial to hold the pendulum over your right knee. Repeat the question “Please show me what my YES response is.”
Repeat for a NO response (over the left knee if necessary).
Ask for your MAYBE response. Oftentimes it will be a back-and-forth swing at a 45-degree angle. It should be something quite different from the circular motions.

Now you practice, practice, and practice some more! You should start by asking questions that you know the answers to. For example, is my name ____ (choose a name other than your own)? You should get a NO response. Repeat the question using your own name. You should get a YES response. Then you can move on to asking questions where the answer can be verified, such as “Are there any messages on my answering machine?” If you get a YES response, ask, “Is there 1 message?” “More than 1 message?” “Is there 2 messages?” and so on. These simple exercises, done consistently, will enhance and confirm your ability to dowse.

Using charts

There are a number of charts available commercially or you can print out the chart below. You can add numbers 0 to 100 (in increments of 10) for a percentage chart or mark the names of various remedies (Bach Flower, homeopathic, etc.) to see which ones you should take. Anything at all can be marked on the chart. Hold your pendulum at the centre of the bottom line and slowly swing it back-and-forth horizontally. Then ask a question such as “What is the percentage of likelihood that it will rain today?” The pendulum will slowly move to a diagonal back-and-forth swing over the correct figure.

Feel free to print out a blank chart here.

Diane is a dowser from Oakville, Ontario and is a former Board Member of the Canadian Society of Dowsers.