LLEWELLYN’S Little Book of PENDULUMS
Richard Webster (New Zealand) is the bestselling author of more than one hundred books. Richard has appeared on several radio and television programs in the US and abroad, including guest spots on WMAQ-TV (Chicago), KTLA-TV (Los Angeles), and KSTW-TV (Seattle). He travels regularly, lecturing and conducting workshops on a variety of metaphysical subjects. His bestselling titles include Spirit Guides & Angel Guardians and Creative Visualization for Beginners. Learn more at Psychic.co.nz.
© Jason Fell Photography
LLEWELLYN’S
Little Book of
PENDULUMS
RICHARD WEBSTER
Llewellyn’s Little Book of Pendulums Copyright © 2026 Richard Webster. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd., except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.
first edition
First Printing, 2026
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For my lifelong friend, Robyn Berry Luke, who loves pendulums as much as I do
Contents Introduction 1
1: The Basics of Pendulum Dowsing 5
2: How to Ask Questions 29
3: Simple Experiments 41
4: Map Dowsing 55
5: How to Find Lost Objects 65
6: How to Dowse for Water 73
7: Dowsing for Good Health 81
8: Dowsing for the Home and Garden 125
9: The Pendulum and Self-Improvement 135
10: The Pendulum and Relationships 163
11: The Pendulum and Your Career 173
12: Dowsing Your Past Lives 181
13: Energy and Spiritual Dowsing 201
14: Manifestation with Your Pendulum 221 Conclusion 239 Bibliography 243
Exercises
1. The Battery Test 23
2. The Coué Pendulum Test 43
3. How to Dowse Photographs 62
4. How to Find Water 76
5. Lower Your Stress Levels 91
6. How to Dowse for an Aura 94
7. How to Influence Your Auric Field 98
8. How to Balance Your Own Chakras 109
9. How to Balance Other People’s Chakras 111
10. Emotional Healing with Your Pet 120
11. How to Establish a Psychic Connection with Your Pet 122
12. Self-Assessment 138
13. How to Develop Confidence 143
14. How to Choose the Right Affirmations 153
15. How to Remove Negative Beliefs 157
16. How to Send Love to Others 166
17. How to Bless Others with Your Pendulum 171
18. How to Learn About Your Past Lives 182
19. How to Create the Future You Desire 194
20. How to Clear Negative Energies in a House 214
21. How to Manifest with Your Pendulum 230
22. How to Manifest Love with Your Pendulum 237
Introduction
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a device that can provide answers to your questions, find lost objects, help you make good decisions, develop your intuition, and assist you in many other ways? Amazingly, the small dowsing tool called a pendulum can enable you to do these things and more.
“Dowsing” is the term used to describe the act of divining (searching) for anything the person desires using their body or by holding a forked stick, L-shaped metal rods, or a pendulum. When the person is close to whatever
they are searching for, the instrument reacts. Most people have heard of dowsers locating underground water (usually with a forked stick), but in addition to finding water, dowsing is regularly used to find lost objects, animals, and people, as well as precious objects such as gold, silver, diamonds, and other minerals. Dowsing can also be used to detect impurities in food, answer questions, divine the future, eliminate negativity, enhance spiritual growth, and aid spiritual healing.
This book focuses on dowsing with a pendulum and consequently doesn’t discuss other dowsing devices such as rods or sticks. This is because the pendulum is arguably the easiest dowsing device to use, as it is simply a small weight known as a “bob,” suspended on a length of string or chain. Ideally, the bob should weigh at least a few ounces, though when nothing else was available, I’ve had to use paper clips and other light weights, including a Christmas tree decoration. They all worked well. My mother used her wedding ring attached to a length of thread and it always worked well for her. Consequently, the bob can be almost anything but should not be so heavy that your hand and arm get tired when using it.
As for the bob, almost anything that can be suspended on a length of thread, string, or chain works. Because of my
interest in pendulums, friends and family members have given me a wide variety of items over the years ranging from a small plastic skull to a miniature New Testament. I enjoy experimenting with every unusual pendulum I’ve been given but have yet to find one I’d consider using for serious dowsing experiments.
A friend of mine suffers from a variety of allergies and uses her pendulum to test the meals she orders in restaurants to determine if they are safe for her to eat. I know people who use their pendulums to communicate with animals and have even met someone who wrote a book using a pendulum. It’s amazing how useful this simple device can be.
By the time you’ve finished reading this book, you’ll know how to use a pendulum to find almost anything hidden, such as underground water. You’ll have learned how to dowse for anything that’s lost, improve your health, learn about your past lives and future trends, and even how to develop spiritually.
All successful dowsers know that the pendulum provides them with answers, and that’s all they care about. The purpose of this book is to help you become a successful dowser.
Chapter One
The Basics of Pendulum Dowsing
In his history of the Roman Empire, Ammianus Marcellinus (ca. 325–391 CE) recorded what may have been the first written mention of a pendulum. He wrote that in the first century CE, a group of people were arrested for plotting to kill the emperor. In his confession, one of the conspirators told of a priest who held a ring suspended on a thread over a circular platter that had the letters of the alphabet engraved around the rim. The ring moved
In 1830, Michel-Eugène Chevreul, the director of the Natural History Museum in Paris, became interested in the pendulum and concluded that the unconscious will of the person holding it created the pendulum’s movements. These involuntary movements are described as the ideomotor response. However, it is not yet known what causes the hand to move when the pendulum has located the object it is searching for.
It’s possible to influence the movements of a pendulum with your thoughts. If you hold a pendulum and will it to move in a clockwise circle, it will do exactly that. You can then ask it to move in a different direction, such as from side to side, and it will change to reflect whatever direction your mind is concentrating on.
Because your mind is able to make this happen, it’s probably not surprising that your pendulum can also answer questions by tapping into the universal mind.Your conscious mind enables you to function in the everyday world of facts and anything that can be proven. Your subconscious mind ensures that you breathe and your heart keeps beating. You don’t have to consciously think about doing these things. Your subconscious mind also acts as
one and indicated the letters T, H, E, and O. This told the conspirators that the next emperor would be Theodorus.
a storehouse containing memories of everything you’ve ever experienced. Your subconscious mind is able to access the universal mind that has knowledge of everything. That is why you can go to bed at night with an apparently unsolvable problem and wake up in the morning with the solution. Your mind has incredible power that is able to give you any information you may require.
When you’re using a pendulum to find something, you obviously have no idea where it is, but the universal mind that knows everything does. Consequently, if you dowse with a sense of confident expectation, your subconscious mind will receive the information from the universal mind, and your pendulum will respond and give you the answer.
Many dowsers believe that everything vibrates in a particular, individual way, and it is these vibrations that are being picked up subconsciously by the dowser and revealed by the pendulum.
Another possibility is that dowsers are using their clairvoyant skills to find whatever is hidden and cause the pendulum to react. The word “clairvoyance” means knowing what is not known, and that is exactly what a pendulum does.
People do better at dowsing when they’re willing to suspend disbelief. If you’re prepared to be open-minded
Dr. Zaboj V. Harvalik, a Czechoslovakian physicist who taught at the University of Missouri, conducted an extensive series of tests on dowsing in the 1960s. One of his findings was that people who appeared to have no dowsing ability would discover they actually could dowse successfully after drinking half a glass of whiskey. The alcohol relaxed them enough to suspend their disbelief and enabled them to become efficient dowsers (Wilson 1988, 116).
How to Choose a Pendulum
You can buy pendulums at metaphysical stores, psychic fairs, crystal stores, at many gift stores, and online. Many people like the convenience of buying a pendulum online. Of course, depending on where you live, this might be the only way you can obtain a pendulum. Whenever possible, though, I like to hold and test a pendulum before purchasing it to find out how it responds to me.
When choosing a pendulum, you may find a pendulum that seems to talk to you when you’re holding it. Silently ask it if it wants you to look after it.You’ll receive a response in your body. It’s likely to be subtle, such as a tingling feeling. It may be a sense that the pendulum
one and let the pendulum do the work your dowsing skills will grow rapidly.
The best pendulum for you is one that looks attractive and responds quickly and easily. The pendulum should not be too heavy or light: A light one will make small movements that might be hard to discern, and a heavy pendulum can become tiring to hold after a while. A good weight for most people is approximately three ounces. Symmetrical, spherical, and cylindrical shapes (especially ones that have a point at the bottom) all work well.
Some pendulums contain a hollow compartment inside them. These pendulums usually have a screw top with a small compartment inside the weight. This enables the dowser to place a small sample of whatever it is the dowser is searching for inside the compartment before using it. If you’re searching for water, for instance, you could place a few drops of water into the compartment.
chapter one is responding to your question. When that happens, your search is over—you should buy that particular pendulum. You may find your intuition tells you to buy a particular pendulum sometimes even before you pick it up. There’s no need to worry if you don’t feel anything at all when examining a selection of pendulums. Everyone is different, and we all respond in different ways. Simply choose the pendulum that feels right and is most aesthetically appealing to you.
If you’re looking for gold, you’d place a small piece of gold into the compartment. You could place a hair from a missing pet inside the compartment if they are lost. You can even write a small message on a piece of paper explaining what you’re searching for and place that inside the compartment.
Pendulums that contain a compartment are usually called witness pendulums. Some people call them sample or hollow chamber pendulums. Witness pendulums are believed to have been invented by Abbé Mermet, an early twentieth-century French priest who had an international reputation for his skill with the pendulum. You can still buy Mermet pendulums today. They are made of a brass alloy and contain a compartment inside that can contain a sample of whatever the dowser is divining for.
The material the pendulum is made from is important, too. Pendulums made from wood, glass, crystal, plastic, and metal are all available in stores. Crystal pendulums are always popular. As well as looking attractive, crystals also receive, hold, and transmit energy. All crystals work well, but some crystals are more popular than others due to the attributes they possess. Rose quartz, for instance, relates to peace, love, and the heart; amethyst relates to spirituality, protection, and healing; blue
one
lace agate provides energy and stimulates the mind. Clear quartz vibrates at a high frequency and cleanses the soul. It also provides clarity and can be used for any purpose.
How to Make a Pendulum
Not long ago, it wasn’t easy to buy pendulums; most people had to make their own. Many people, my mother included, used their wedding ring and a length of thread. A major advantage of making your own pendulum is that you’ll fill it with your energy in the process of making it. Almost anything that can be attached to a length of string can be used to make a pendulum. A fishing sinker, a large button, a nut, seashell, or a small ornament can all be used as weights to make effective pendulums. At different times when nothing else was available, I’ve used my car keys, a tea bag, a curtain cord, needle and thread, a Christmas tree decoration, an apple core, and even dental floss using the container it came in as the weight as impromptu pendulums. An elderly dowser I know uses a gold fob watch and chain as his pendulum.
A simple pendulum can be made by threading one or more beads to several inches of cord. A necklace or a pendant work well as pendulums. For some years, I used a pendulum made from an old key I bought from an
one
You can make an attractive pendulum by wrapping a crystal or gemstone with string, cord, or beading thread. Two twelve-inch lengths of wire can be twisted together to contain a crystal or gemstone. Hold the pieces of wire together and make three twists in the center. Bend the pieces of wire at the bottom to create a V to serve as the base so your crystal can rest in it. Make three more twists to match the first three you made. Separate the two wires and run them around the crystal to help contain it and then continue twisting and separating the wires until you reach the top of the crystal. Make sure that the wires are kept as close to the stone as possible. Form a loop at the top of the crystal and then trim any excess wire. Thread or loop a length of thread or string to complete the pendulum.
You can also make attractive pendulums from dry, straight twigs or small branches of trees. I like to use willow twigs that have fallen from the tree. Start by sandpapering the twig to remove the bark and make the pendulum weight smooth to the touch. Using a file, create a point at one end of the twig. Attach an eye screw to the other end and finish by attaching a length of
one antique shop. I attached it to a chain and wore it around my neck so that I had a pendulum with me all the time.
How to Cleanse Your Pendulum
Before using any pendulum, it must be cleansed. Like everything else, your pendulum picks up positive, neutral, and negative energy. If you’ve bought your pendulum online or from a store, it will have picked up a great deal of energy before reaching you. Hopefully that energy is all positive, but chances are there’ll be plenty of negative energy attached to it as well—plenty of people will have handled it from the time it was made to when it reaches you, after all. Any one of those people may have been upset or in a bad mood while handling it, and that negativity will now be attached to your beautiful new pendulum. There are a number of ways to remove any negative energy before using a pendulum. Obviously, your intention with any method is to cleanse your pendulum, and to restore it to a pristine condition, so keep this thought in mind while doing the cleansing.
Smoke Cleansing
You can burn aromatic herbs such as sage, lavender, and rosemary, and then hold your pendulum over the smoke.
one thread or cord to it. If you wish, you can decorate the finished weight with a woodburning pen or colored markers.
The most convenient way to do this is to purchase burning herb bundles from New Age stores and online. Most people think of sage with these bundles, but there are many other options, all of which work well. I prefer to do this kind of cleansing outdoors and always have a large container of water with me, just in case any embers from the herb cause a fire. I also have a large glass casserole dish to drop the smudge stick into if necessary—always treat fire with great care.
Earth
If your pendulum is rustproof, you can bury it in soil for at least twenty-four hours. I use a sunny part of my garden for this.You can also bury it in the soil of a potted plant.
Salt
Salt has been used for purification and cleansing for thousands of years. All you need to do is to rest your pendulum on top of a small bowl of pure salt and leave it there overnight. Some people prefer to bury the pendulum in the salt but it’s not essential.
Quartz
If you keep your pendulum in a small bag, you can tuck in a small piece of clear quartz with it overnight to cleanse your crystal.
Breath
A quick and useful way to purify your pendulum is to rest your pendulum in your cupped hands and to blow over it while thinking of your intention. Change the position of your pendulum between breaths to make sure that every part of it receives your breath. If you use your pendulum with clients, this is a quick and effective way to cleanse it between appointments.
Moonlight
You can also cleanse your pendulum by resting it for a few hours in moonlight or sunlight. I like to place my pendulums on a windowsill overnight to enable them to be cleansed by the energy of the moon shining on them. You can also cleanse them with sunlight. Be aware that some crystals fade in sunlight, so make sure you don’t leave them exposed to the sun’s rays for extended periods of time.
Effective Crystals for Pendulums
Although you can use any crystal you wish as your pendulum bob, crystals produce a variety of types of energy that can be harnessed when you’re divining for a particular purpose. Here are some of the most popular crystals that are used for their particular energies:
• Clear quartz for healing, energy, and positive intentions
• Amethyst for spirituality and protection
• Rose quartz for love, harmony, compassion, and decision making
• Black tourmaline for grounding, protection, and guidance
• Citrine for guidance and abundance
• Labradorite for wisdom, courage, and peace of mind
• Carnelian for confidence, self-esteem, and truth
• Sodalite for communication, mindfulness, and peace
• Aventurine for positivity and good fortune
• Fluorite for thoughtfulness, clarity, and clear thinking
How to Use a Pendulum
Now that your pendulum has been cleansed, it’s time to start using it. It’s best to practice on your own until you feel comfortable with your pendulum. You don’t want anyone with you who is skeptical or tries to ridicule what you’re doing. Choose a quiet, comfortable space where you can practice in peace. You need to feel positive and confident that you’ll quickly master the art and become a good pendulum dowser.
Sit down at a table with the chain or cord of your pendulum held between the thumb and first finger of your dominant hand (your right hand if you’re right-handed, your left hand if you’re left-handed). Rest the elbow of the arm holding the pendulum on the table. Your legs should be uncrossed, feet flat on the floor. The palm of the hand holding the pendulum should be slightly curved and facing downward with the bob of the pendulum hanging approximately seven to twelve inches in front of you.
Body, Mind & Spirit / Divination / Pendulums
With his signature clear and direct style, internationally bestselling author Richard Webster presents a portable primer to confident pendulum dowsing. He teaches you what a pendulum is and how to interpret its movements to unlock answers, locate what’s lost, and sharpen your intuition. Featuring nearly two dozen exercises and many practical applications, this on-the-go companion helps you manifest love, glimpse future trends, and much more.
$14.99 US
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