A Good Time Was Had By All..
I want to thank everyone who came out to Gibraltar last weekend, especially
those who braved the storms on Friday and the winds on Saturday. The
power went out for a few minutes Saturday morning, which added some
excitement to the day. Too much excitement for one little girl who was
scared of dark so I let her hold my mini flashlight until lights started
coming on again. Couldn’t give it to her, my Mom gave us all those
mini flashlights for Christmas and since I started carrying it in my
purse, I have found it comes in handy. Once again, Mom was right.
And speaking of Mom, Sunday was a blast as many people were there with
their mothers (mine was on her way to Florida with my Dad, their
timeshare always starts on Mother’s Day weekend ). I did not
do as well financially, making a smaller profit than usual, but I really
enjoyed talking with several people about stones, the U.P., pendulums,
Michigan’s weather, and other stuff. I chatted with many of the
vendors, all of us complaining about how slow it was (which is a
favorite pastime of vendors... complaining... hee hee ). We all
made a profit at the end of the weekend so the show was a success. If
you go to these shows, don’t be shy about talking to us vendors,
some of us can be pretty amusing (whether we mean to be or not).
And if we don’t have what you are looking for, we can probably
tell you who does or where to find it.
Saturday at Gibraltar is a long day, the show is from 10am to 8pm,
so to keep myself from being bored I always bring something to work
on. This past weekend I brought my pendulum supplies and during the
day I created 6 new pendulums. I have just added them to the Pendulum
Page 2 on the site. A reader who was next to me at the show is interested
in one of them so that one is on hold until the show in June. I have
put it on the site in case she changes her mind and to show it off
: ) (as this is an old newsletter, the pendulums
have sold. You can check out the pendulums I have available now here
Pendulums)
Working with Pendulums
So I guess the topic for this newsletter should be pendulums.
I am always asked at shows what they are and how they are used. Many
times I ask if they have seen the show Charmed , as they used
a pendulum to find demons. I always tell them that being a TV show,
they have to overdo stuff and if you purchase a pendulum and use it
to find someone with a map, your pendulum will most likely not jump
to the spot like it did on the show. But then again, maybe it will :
)
Let me say first that I am not an expert on pendulums. I had never
used one until about 5 years ago while at a show in the U.P.. A lady
made jewelry and pendulums and at the show she made one with a small
hematite point enhanced with silver beads with a smoky quartz and hematite
star at the other end. Smoky quartz and hematite are two of my favorite
stones and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was mine. I then realized
I wanted to make pendulums too. I have never really researched the history
or uses, just let my intuition guide me. For this newsletter, however,
I am checking some sources to be sure my facts are right. Along the
way, I am learning new stuff myself.
My first pendulum, made by a lady
in the U.P.
The act of using a pendulum is called dowsing, which
is new to me as I always said it was scrying, either term
works. Anything can be used as a dowsing pendulum, all you need is a
weight on the end of a string or chain (no, you need a pretty, fancy
one like the ones I make..hee hee ). Several sources say the string
should be around 12 inches long. (This eases my mind as lately I
was wondering if my pendulums were too long, but according to this several
of mine are short). You should hold one end of the pendulum between
your thumb and forefinger.
Some people will tell you that a pendulum will swing clockwise for
yes and counterclock wise for no. This is not always true. I always
tell people to work with the pendulum to let it tell you what
is yes and what is no. I have three pendulums and they have
different yes’s and no’s. One of mine swings in a circle for
yes, the wider the circle the more positive the yes, and stays still
when the answer is no. Another swings in a circle for yes (either direction)
and swings back and forth for no. The third I haven’t asked many
questions of but it responds to me well, I can make it swing...go still...and
swing in a different direction all with just my thoughts. Cool.
First you need to find a pendulum. You can use just about anything
you can suspend on a string. Early pendulums were just a ring belonging
to the questioner strung on a string. Some like to use a necklace they
wear a lot, usually a stone pendant. Others, like me, use something
that has been made with the purpose of being used as a pendulum. If
you want to purchase a pendulum, shop with the intention of finding
your pendulum. It may take some time but the perfect one for you will
show up and you will just know it is yours. If you find it in a shop,
hold it and see how it reacts to you. I’ve seen people visually
fall in love with a pendulum but it wouldn’t work with them, it
just wasn’t theirs. If you find it online, you cannot try it out
but if it is yours, you will still be drawn to it.
One of the first pendulums I made.
I decided to keep it when it didn't sell.
Once you have your pendulum you can start working with it. My advice
is to hold it with one hand over your other hand. Which hand to use?
Some would say hold in your dominate hand and others will say use the
other. I say try both and see what feels right, what gets the best response.
The reason I suggest holding it over your other hand is so your energy
is above and below it as you attune it to you. Make sure the pendulum
is still and start asking it yes/no questions. Be sure to ask questions
you already know and mix it up. Things like “Is my name (give
your real name)?” then ask “Is my name (give a false
name )?”. You can make statements too but if your main goal
is to use the pendulum to answer questions then that works best. Pay
attention to the pendulum’s reactions, which way it swings for
each answer. Does it swing? As I said, one of mine stays still when
the answer is no. You may need to do this exercise a few times before
you get consistency depending on how used to using your psychic abilities
you are.
Once you know how to read your pendulum, you can start using it for
many things. Besides asking it questions, you can use it to aid in decision
making . Hold the pendulum over the choices (you can write them
on paper) and go with the yes response. All choices are no? There might
be an option you missed. You can use your pendulum to find things
on a map. Lost an item in your house? Draw a floor plan and ask your
pendulum where it is a you move it slowly over the plan. Use it to pick
stocks, sports teams, lotto numbers, just about anything . You
can use it to find pretty much anything anywhere, I’ve
read that pendulums have been used to find water, gold, underground
pipes, during the Vietnam war some U.S. marines were taught to use a
pendulum to locate underground mines and tunnels. (source: http://www.pendulums.com/history.htm).
The uses are endless.
Some healers use pendulums to check the health of a patient.
Pendulums are used to balance and attune the chakras.
They can detect problem areas in the body. I have read that using a
magnetite or lodestone as a pendulum can heal imbalances in the energy
field. Hold it over the body and when it encounters electromagnetic
stress in the energy level of the person it will rotate. Hold it still
until the rotation stops and the imbalance will be removed. I am looking
for decent sized lodestones to create this type of pendulum.
Pendulum Care
Pendulums are very powerful tools and should be treated as such. When
not in use, keep your pendulum in a nice bag or pouch, in a box,
special drawer, or if you want to have it out for display have
a special place for it. Some might argue that a divinary tool should
not be left out for all to see and touch but if you like to have your
things where you can admire them and have easy access to them, as long
as your pendulum is happy (it works properly for you every time ) go
ahead and display it. I have known a few people who carry their pendulum
with them all the time in their pocket. This is a great way to bond
with your pendulum, energy-wise. Just be sure to take it out of the
pocket at the end of the day, pendulums do not like washing machines
and they hate the dryer.
Which brings us to cleaning your pendulum. First lets
look at the materials it is made of. Many points are made of natural
stone and these can be cleaned with a damp cloth or run under
water (with a few exceptions, some stones like selenite react with
water, check the properties of your stone). Same with wood
points, a damp cloth to remove dust, and maybe a drop of furniture
polish or oil to shine it up.
If your pendulum point is metal, you can use a polishing
cloth to bring back the shine but be sure the cloth is meant to be used
with that metal. There are many sources online that will tell you the
best way to clean a particular metal without damaging it. As for the
chain, many pendulums have a base metal chain that can
be run under water and not damaged if it is dried right away. I have
put sterling silver chains on many of my hand-crafted pendulums and
they will tarnish. If your pendulum has sterling silver
on it, do not leave it out on display or you will be cleaning it often.
Keep it in a pouch or invest in a tarnish-resistant plastic bag (sold
at jewelry supply stores) or there is even a type of cloth made for
wrapping sterling silver so it doesn’t tarnish that could be made
into a pouch for it.
This brings up a very important point.....when you purchase
your pendulum, find out what it is made of. What is the point:
stone, crystal, glass, metal, wood? What exactly is the stone, metal,
or type of wood? What kind of metal is the chain? What is the other
end made of? Many stores and vendors purchase pendulums to resell
in bulk that are mass produced with no labeling. Many of these use
base metal chains with a bead at one end and can be cleaned with water
(depending on the point). If you have one of these and want to know
what the stone is, bring it with you to a rock show or a holistic
show and look for similar stones for sale or ask around. I have ID-ed
many stones at shows and are happy to do so if you bring one to me.
Of course, I have to mention that if you purchase one of my
pendulums, I include a card telling you what stone or crystal was
used, what metal the chain is, and what material the item at the other
end is. If you purchase any hand-made pendulum, the person selling it
should be able to tell you what materials were used to make it. Should....I
have spoken with many who sell hand-made items that have no idea what
material was used so you may not be able to find out from the seller.
Now that your pendulum is cleaned, it is time to cleanse.
After I create a pendulum, I clean it up to make it shine and then I
cleanse not only my energy but any energy the items may have picked
up. I do it with incense or a sage bundle. Of the four
element materials used in cleansing (salt, water, fire, smoke
), smoke is the one that will not react with any
materials used in creating a pendulum. I light the incense and then
hold the pendulum in the smoke, either speaking or thinking something
like "I cleanse this pendulum of all energies from those who
have had contact with it and bring it back to its natural state ."
I also hold the bag I will put the pendulum in over the smoke and allow
the smoke to go inside too. Once both the bag and the pendulum are cleansed,
I put it in the bag and it stays like that until displayed at a show.
I re-cleanse the pendulums after a few shows depending on how often
they were handled. I still recommend the purchaser cleanse the pendulum
before working with it to remove any other energies.
When you cleanse your personal pendulum is up to you. Some never cleanse
it as they keep it in it pouch when not in use and do not allow anyone
else to touch it. Some cleanse it after every use. The best indicator
that a pendulum, or any magickal tool, needs to be cleansed is how it’s
energy feels. You know your tools and you know their energy when you
touch them. If something feels off or less strong, especially if it
stops working as well or stops working at all, then it is time to cleanse
it.
You can charge you pendulum with moonlight or sunlight
too. Many people leave their pendulums and other tools in the light
of the full moon overnight. This adds wonderful energy to your divinary
tools. I mentioned sunlight as if your pendulum has a sunstone, citrine,
carnelian, or any other stone associated with sun, you can put it in
the noon hour sun to recharge those stones. This is especially powerful
on the Summer Solstice. I wouldn’t leave it in the sunlight all
day as your pendulum will get very hot, not good for some materials.
For the record, I have three pendulums. The first one I mentioned
above that I purchased. The second was one that I had made to sell
and after two years when it didn’t sell I decided to keep it
as I really liked it. It has an ocean jasper sphere with metal as
the point and a labradorite sun pendant with a pentacle on the back.
The third I created with a hematite bird I got from Roxane at Mystical
Resources (I really miss that store). I was so inspired by
this bird that as soon as I got home, I pulled out my pendulum making
supplies and found a hematite point to go with it. After trying several
chains, I found a piece of leather cord and put that on it. My intention
was to sell it but it responded so well to me that I kept it. (
I have a hematite bat that I intend to make another leather pendulum
with to sell. I did and it sold)Yes, I have three pendulums and
guess what.....I rarely use them! After writing this, I am wondering
why. I have a wonderful tool that I am not putting to use. I am one
of those people who have a hard time making decisions so really I
should have one on me at all times! My boyfriend has said maybe I
should bring one when we go to a restaurant to speed things up when
ordering. I am going to put the first one I bought in my purse with
the intent of using it more, that pendulum is small and travel size.
Hematite & leather pendulum
So no herb or oil this time. There was a lot to cover about pendulums
and this newsletter is long enough. I’ll add pics of my pendulums
when I put this online in the archives. So until next time......
~~~~Rhiannon Rose @--^--
