What is a dowsing pendulum and do they really work?

Question

how do i use them?

Answer 1

A dowsing pendulum is an object suspended by a cord, used for obtaining information which the normal senses are unable to access on a conscious level. You could improvise with an everyday object, such as a pendant, a chain, a plumb bob or a ring. However, a purpose made pendulum is best because it has a shape and geometry, that is, a symmetry. A Dowsing pendulum is most well known for its alleged ability to aid in finding water.
Dowsing, the art of searching for water or minerals using a hand-held pendulum, may really work, according to an Australian engineer. Frank Irons of the University of New South Wales has analysed the chaotic swings of dowsing pendulums. His analysis shows that diviners might be able to detect ore deposits by the variations in the force of gravity they produce.

Dowsers rely on changes in the swings of their pendulum to tell them when they are standing above minerals or water. When the pendulum merely swings back and forth, this indicates nothing special. A circular motion, on the other hand, signals success.

According to Irons, dowsers report a characteristic sequence of changes in the behaviour of pendulums when they are held above ore deposits. First the direction of the swings starts to rotate, then the swings turn into an elliptical motion.
You will have to be the judge on whether or not this works!

Answer 2

Hi Sarah,

a pendulum is a 'finding tool' or a 'divining tool' that you hold in your hand.

Yes! they DO work.

Many people find, when they experiment, that dowsing is an effective way of finding things. The most enduring feature being those diviners who find water. But skilled diviners can find many, many varied 'things' including oil, precious metals, last items, even dead bodies and so on...

...what are they made from? Well, almost anything really, a watch on a chain, a tea bag on a string, a finger ring on a string, precious stones, pieces of wood...as I said, almost anything.

No-one, not even the most skilled users know HOW they work, but they certainly do work. The difficulty comes with the interpretation of the movements of the pendulum.

WHAT you do, generally, is this...you swing the pendulum backwards and forwards while holding it between your fingers and watch the action of the 'weight'. It may start to swing from side to side, it may start to rotate, in either direction. The difficulty, as I said, comes with deciding what the motions mean. It gets easier with practice.

An excellent book, if it is still available is, 'The elements of Pendulum Dowsing' written by Tom Graves and published by Element Books. The ISBN number of this is1-85230-066-3

I recommend you find a copy of this, or a similar, book and start divining. The book in 1989, when it was first published, cost me £4.95 (UK pounds-at the time the dollar price was $7.95...that will probably have gone up a little by now)

Good luck, and start swinging that pendulum.

Cheers,

BobSpain

Answer 3

dowsing can be done by either pendulums or sticks. In geology it can be used to find veins of deposits, usually liquified (water or oil).

Once you get the basics down (you can find the basic uses on line) you can go test it out. I believe the sticks work best for water dowsing. have 2 copper wires each bent 90 deg. put one end in a plastic tube (pen bodies work well) and hold it so the other end of the wire is coming out the top (do not stay in contact with the wires). Walk across a field. When the wires move, you've found a water source. If they move in the same direction, it is an underground river/stream, going in the direction of the wires. If they come together and cross, it is a static aquifer. How far they move tells you how large/strong the water source is. by walking over the aquifer, you can tell how large it is, because when you've reached the other side, the wires will seperate.

This process can work with other substances as well, but I think they have to be "tuned" to them and I am not sure how that happens.

Answer 4

No idea .. suggest you repost to Society & Culture > Mythology & Folklore
(or perhaps Society & Culture > Religion & Spirituality)