Talk To Your House

Divination 101: Pendulums

     Pendulums, pendulums, pendulums! They come in so many different styles, shapes, and personalities. From the simple necklace charms to the fancy gem-encrusted points, there’s a lot to be said for this casual divination tool.

     A while back, we had received a notice regarding our Infinite Threads Pendulum Board that some of you didn’t know how to use a pendulum yet- so I took it upon myself to write up this post for your knowledge and leisure!

     So, without any further ado, let’s get started!

⭐ The Tool Itself ⭐

     By definition, pendulums are “a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely.” [x] In many cases concerning the use of divination, witchcraft, and spirit work, this tool is more famously known for being comprised of a tapered crystal and/or metal pendant and chain, such as as these:

Image Description: Nine hanging crystal pendulums of varying colors and sizes, all suspended from a metal chain and tapering to a point. Image Source: [x]

     …But the truth of the matter is that there are many varying types and styles of pendulums that can be used for communication and divination! Some can be a bit unorthodox, some can be incredibly fancy, and some can be forged from materials that you may have laying around your room. In many cases, people (such as myself) also use the charms or pendants that they wear as necklaces, as well.

     Additionally, there is also a superstition that if one ties their wedding ring to a string, they can discover the gender of the baby that they are carrying!      I have personally tried the string-and-ring method with my own hematite band to much success, but it will also work with any kind ring that you own, regardless of material (though I find metals and minerals do work best).

     I encourage those, especially those who might have little to no budget to spare for a crystal pendulum, to experiment and find one that works for them! You may be surprised by what you find. ;>

⭐ What is it used for? ⭐

     Pendulums can be used for a variety of things, including divination and spirit communication. Here are just a few ways to use your pendulum:

Finding Lost Objects

Finding Energy Points on the Body

Experimenting with Energy in Your Hand(s) to Make It Move

Communicating with Spirits and The Unseen

Simple Answers to Questions

     I have even done things just for fun, such as using my pendulum to play games with my spirit fam to let them influence choices such as what Pokemon starter we play with, or dialogue choices in RPGs. There’s a lot you can do with it, so try out different things to see what is good for you!

⭐ How does it work? ⭐

     The question of how exactly pendulums work has been up for debate among those that use this tool for some time now, with postulations such as moving the arm or the flow of energy; however, through personal experience, I believe that there is a mixture of occurrences that allow a pendulum to move.

     Rather than “energy vs physical movement,” I believe that it is an amalgam of the two.

     Of course, it is very pivotal that one keeps their hand as still as possible while using the pendulum, that doesn’t change- but much like the movement of hands when using a Ouija Board or Psychic Circle, I do think that microscopic and subconscious movements play a part in how they perform. Not a huge part, but a part- especially when dealing with spirits and other entities.

Image Description: A gif of a Hypno from Pokemon swinging its trademark circular pendulum back and forth. Image Source: [x]

     From what I have gathered from my past experiences as well as others’, this is especially applicable in the cases of any bias (conscious or subconscious) from the reader. Pendulums are one of the most easily influenced forms of divination due to this (especially when first learning to use it, or in the case of needing important information), and should be partnered with both journaling to keep track of its accuracy, and other accompanying forms of divination like tarot.

     Other than subconscious movement, I remain in the mindset that energy is what will move the pendulum the most, especially after much practice and development. Psychic energy is like a muscle- you gotta work it out to get stronger!

     Notably, Mod Tara and I agree that in a lot of cases, the pendulum has a better response rate if one holds their opposite hand under the end of the pendulum as they use it (if possible), compared to not having it there at all. In a very loose form, it can be akin to completing a circuit for energy to flow through more easily.

     Of course, there are exceptions such as differences in diviners and pendulums being used, but it will most likely work regardless.

⭐ How To Use the Pendulum ⭐

     The pendulum is a simple tool in its make and execution, but there are a few things to know before proceeding in using one.

     As mentioned above, bias can become present during pendulum readings, so one of the best ways to counteract this is to release the ego during the duration of the reading. To do this, I recommend settling in a room with little to no distractions, and doing a short meditation to center yourself, quiet down any brain weasels that happen to be chattering away up there, and inviting the forces that you may be working with to provide you with genuine and accurate information. It may take a while to learn how to do this properly, especially if you are new to meditation, but you will achieve this state in time with practice.

     The second thing that you should do before using a pendulum, preferably before every session, is to calibrate it. What this means is taking time to see how it responds to questions and taking note of the responses.      This is also very good to do when communicating with entities, as their method of communicating might be different from your personal associations or others’.

Here are two tried-and-true methods for calibrating your pendulum:

Asking Yes or No Questions You Know the Answer To Asking simple yes or no questions to which you know the answer is a quick and easy way to learn how your pendulum will respond. For example, you can ask things such as “do I have blonde hair” or “am I wearing a red shirt”, and observe how the pendulum moves to see its manner of responding. Remember to ask at least one question that will be “yes”, and one that will be “no”.

“Show Me X” Otherwise, you can simply ask your pendulum (or potential spirit) “Show me yes/no/maybe/etc.” In this way, they can just provide in what ways to respond to your questions. With this method, I would also recommend backing these responses up by using the previously listed method, to assure accuracy- and as before, mentally log the ways the pendulum moves for certain answers!

Pendulum Movements:

     Now that you know how to calibrate your pendulum, you need to know all the different ways that a pendulum can move in order to provide an answer. There is a variety of ways that a pendulum can give different responses other than “yes” or “no”.      Here are all the ways that pendulums can move:

Vertically (Up and Down)

Horizontally (Left and Right)

Diagonally

Rotations (Left or Right)

Shaking or Vibrating (Though this is more associated with needing to cleanse this tool, but it may differ for you!)

     As stated previously, you may find that what you associate with a certain answer may differ from pendulum to pendulum or session to session- so be sure to become familiar with these movements to best understand the message being communicated to you!

Steps to Using the Pendulum:

     Okay. Now that you have become familiar with  your pendulum and how it will respond to your inquiries, it’s time to get to asking some questions! For ease of understanding, I have compiled- in short- all the steps that you need to know in order to divine with this tool:

Quiet your thoughts, and release the ego.

Rest the arm that will hold the pendulum on a steady, preferably flat and even, surface.

Hold your pendulum outward and let it settle until it is motionless.

Invite any spirits or forces that you would like to aid you in your divination session.

Calibrate your pendulum.

Ask your question(s).

Write down your responses.

That’s it, you’re done.

     It seems pretty simple now, doesn’t it? To be honest, it is- you just need a little context and knowledge on how to understand it. Otherwise, pendulums are fairly easy to become accustomed to using!

     In the cases of using additional tools such as pendulum boards, there is only a slight difference in how you would proceed in the reading. It is fairly self-explanatory, but the only difference is that you would still your pendulum over the center to get the responses listed on the board itself.

     Calibration is still recommended through the “Yes or No” method to ensure that communication isn’t skewed (not all spirits can read, or read in our language, for example!), but otherwise, will have the potential to give a wider breadth of responses, and can be a great resource to take advantage of!

…And that’s it! You’re on your way to becoming a surefire pendulum expert!

     As you have learned, pendulums can be a quick (and fun) way to do divination for a myriad of reasons. It’s one of the more basic and easily accessible tools for divination, and one I’d recommend everyone to learn!

Image Description: Two girls from the anime Love Lab doing a double high-five, with a small pink heart coming from their hands when they clap together. Image Source: [x]

    Be sure to remember to journal and log the answers that you receive to track your accuracy, and don’t forget that which you’ve learned! ♥

     Remember- you’ve got this! Have fun, and happy divining!

☀ Mod Sol ☀

About The Infinite Threads | Before You Ask | FAQ

Hello again!! Thank you so much for the treat! I can't properly explain just how deeply this speaks to me. Life has been chaotic lately (I blame the eclipse 😂) and I've been having second thoughts about many aspects of my life, especially about my job and relationships. This postcard is just what I needed. Thank you.

I'll take a compliment about my energy anytime lol but this actually isn't the first time we've met! 😊 I've dropped by your askbox twice I believe, many years ago: once to ask Baxter if my career path was the right one - it was Literature - and again to ask if I was going to find love that year. I wrote to you a third time to give feedback (here), but I never came out of the anonymous cover because my main blog at the time wasn't related to witchcraft and I was embarrased lol

Just a FYI: I am still dating this wonderful man, we are going onto our fourth year together already, and my studies keep filling me with a lot of joy every day. You and Baxter are an excellent team! And you are an amazing witch, Dannie. I have no doubt that you subconsciously recognised my energy from our previous exchanges and that's why you complimented it, even though you thought we hadn't spoken before. It's so nice to write to you again. Thank you for the postcard 💖

Hello, Stitchy!! I would like a trick or treat, please. What does Baxter have for me? My name's Erica 🥰🎃

Erica, we just met, but I have to say I love your energy lol

Treat! 🍬

Postcard from Spirit

Please let me know if it resonates for you 😊

🧵Stitchy

Support your witch 👀🔮

Make sure to rest after you’ve done a bigger spell or after you’ve done a group of smaller spells. Witch craft can be emotionally and physically draining so it’s important to take care of yourself. Go eat a snack and watch some Netflix after you’ve worked hard!

Why your spells don’t work

You set your intention. You had all the correct correspondences. You even timed your spell with the appropriate moon phase. And yet – no results. What gives?

Failed spells happen to the best of us, and for a variety of reasons. But a spell gone wrong doesn’t necessarily mean that magic isn’t real or that you’re bad at witchcraft. Magic is complicated, and there are a lot of reasons it might not behave the way you want it to. Here are some of the most common causes of ineffective spells:

1. Lack of real-world follow through

Magic is meant to be used as a tool to supplement your mundane efforts – not as a substitute for them. How can you expect your job hunting spell to bring in results if you aren’t applying for jobs?

Magic does not exist in a vacuum, and it can’t make something out of nothing. If a spell doesn’t bring you the desired result, make sure that your non-magical actions are aligned with what you are trying to manifest.

2. What you’re trying to manifest isn’t a realistic possibility

Wait, what? Isn’t magic supposed to be, well… magic? Shouldn’t you be able to ask for whatever you want and get it? Yes and no.

Magic is simply a way of directing energy. Magic can’t defy the natural laws of the universe. It can’t make something happen unless it was already a potential possibility.

If your intention is unrealistic for where you are right now, try splitting it up into a multi-step process. No spell is going to make you a billionaire overnight, but magic could help you get hired at a better paying job… and then get promoted… and then get offered a profitable side gig… etc. Starting small and working your way up is always going to produce stronger results, because you laid the foundation first.

3. Your intention was either too vague or too specific

Whether you use written petitions or spoken incantations, clearly stating your intention is an important part (maybe THE most important part) of any spell or ritual. A good intention is specific enough to get you the results you want, but open enough to let those results manifest naturally.

Let’s say you do a money spell, and your intention for the spell is simply, “I have more money.” If you find a penny on the ground the next day and pick it up, technically that is more money than you had before. A better alternative would be to use an intention like, “I have enough money to buy ___,” or “I have enough money for everything I need and want.”

Using an intention that is too specific creates the opposite problem. Let’s say you want to manifest a scholarship to a specific school. You do a candle spell with the intention, “I have been chosen for the John Smith Scholarship at Jane Doe University.” But maybe the John Smith scholarship had already been awarded by the time you did your spell. Maybe there’s another scholarship at the same school that would be a better fit for you, or maybe you’re eligible for a grant that would make tuition more affordable. A better intention for your spell would be “I have enough financial aid to easily and affordably attend Jane Doe University.”

Magic always follows the path of least resistance, so you want to make sure that your intention is specific enough to give your magic a clear direction, but open enough to allow it some flexibility.

4. Lack of focus/concentration

We all know the struggle. You’ve been planning this ritual forever, and it’s finally the full moon, but you’ve got a really full schedule today. If you hurry, you can probably squeeze it into the thirty minute window between school and work, right?

If you say a few quick words and burn some incense before you head out the door in the morning, that totally counts as a spell, right?

Not so much. Rushed, lazy, and/or half-assed spells rarely, if ever, work. Spells revolve around the raising and direction of energy, and that requires two things: a clear intention (see above) and intense focus on that intention. If you don’t have the time/energy/mental capacity to focus, it’s best to take a break, have a self care day, and come back to your spell some other time.

5. You’re subconsciously blocking your own results OR you did a spell for someone else who isn’t open to it

I decided to lump these two together, because they’re different variations of the same issue.

Whenever you are doing magic on yourself, it’s important that your mindset is aligned with your intentions. You can do love spells all day long, but if deep down you don’t believe that you’re worthy of love, that belief is going to block your spells from working. This is why mindfulness, psychology, and self care are all such important parts of a successful witchcraft practice. It’s also why I recommend doing the mental work before you sit down to ritual.

If you did a spell on yourself, or are trying to manifest something for yourself, and it just isn’t working, I highly recommend setting some time aside for journaling and meditation and asking yourself 1.) if this is really what you want, and 2.) if you truly believe that you can have it.

The whole mindset thing gets even more tricky when you’re doing magic on behalf of another person, because their energy is also at work in the situation and could be at odds with yours. For example, if you do a spell to help a friend land a job, but that friend believes that they’re totally underqualified and could never get it, they probably won’t get the job even if you did everything “right” in your spell.

This should go without saying, but it is extremely unethical to use magic to mess around in someone else’s head. Even if you think you know what’s best for them, they need to be open to it. If someone is blocking the spells you do on their behalf, all you can do is try to be supportive and find other ways to help them out.

Other (Rare) Reasons for Failed Spells

If a spell goes wrong, it will almost always be for one of the above reasons. But maybe you did everything “right” – you did the mental work first, had a strong, realistic intention, put lots of focus into your spell, and followed through in real life – and you still aren’t seeing results. There are a couple of other things that could be blocking your spells, but they’re very uncommon so I’m not going to talk about them in as much detail. These may be things you want to look into if you really, genuinely can’t think of any other cause.

It’s possible that another witch has done magic that cancels out or blocks yours. This is not common, and it does NOT mean that someone has cursed you. It could be as simple as two witches unknowingly casting spells with opposite intentions, which end up cancelling each other out. (For example, maybe two different people both cast a spell to get the same job. Obviously, they can’t both get that job.) This is why it’s never a bad idea to incorporate a protective element into your spells to block outside interference.

There is a very, very remote possibility that someone has placed a curse on you specifically to block your magic. However – and I cannot stress this enough – this is VERY uncommon. If you were cursed you would know it, or at least know that something was very wrong in your life. If you feel like you have been cursed or hexed, I recommend looking into uncrossing spells, which are specifically designed to undo negative magic.

It’s also possible that a higher power is intervening. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a deity, although it certainly could be. Most witches believe in some form of fate or destiny, and it’s possible that your spell didn’t work because what you asked for is not in alignment with your destiny. In these situations, really the only thing you can do is surrender to the bigger picture.

✴️️ To Nullify a Spell ✴️️

sometimes spells just flop, and you want to redo them. but before you do that, you should nullify the first attempt, to prevent the first attempt creates conflicts with the second attempt of the spell. 

⚫ TO NULLIFY ONE OF YOUR OWN SPELLS ⚫

WITH SPELL INGREDIENTS:

✴️️ gather the contents/ingredients of the spell you first cast it with

✴️️ separate the burnable and non-burning contents of the spell

✴️️ salt the burnable ingredients lightly (such as paper, herbs, etc)

✴️️ burn the ingredients, and cover the non-burning pieces with the ash.

✴️️ rinse the non-burning pieces clean and cleanse them. 

WITHOUT THE ORIGINAL INGREDIENTS:

✴️️ gather as many of the same spell components as you used to cast it

✴️️ perform the spell backwards, speak any chants used backwards. 

however, sometimes it isn’t a spell you cast, and things can get a little trickier. how do you nullify a spell you didn’t cast?

⚫ A SPELL YOU BELIEVE HAS BEEN CAST ON YOU ⚫

✴️️ gather a bowl of salt water and a black candle

✴️️ place the candle in the center of the bowl

✴️️ burn a hair of fingernail clipping of yours on the flame

✴️️ let the flame burn down until it is extinguished by the water

⚫ A CURSE YOU BELIEVE HAS BEEN CAST ON YOU ⚫

✴️️ make black salt but combining ash and salt

✴️️ burn it safely. ward and cleanse your area. 

When am I really a witch?

When you stop looking up spells on tumblr when you need one and make your own. When you know how to convene with what you need to talk to. When you can divine answers to questions you have instead of asking a blogger if "this is an omen". You're a witch when you're self sufficient, when you know how to use the information you find, when you can get your own materials and make something out of nothing.

When are you a real witch? When you stop asking that question.

I don’t really know what people generally call this method of sigil making, so I’m just calling it “Letter Shaping” because you’re using the basic shapes from certain letters. EDIT: It’s one of many variations of the ‘Spare Method’ created by Austin Oswald Spare in the early 1900s This is the most common form of sigil making, and it allows the most creative influence. As you see above the sigils are for nearly the same thing, yet the sigils came out completely different. Not because the purpose was different, but because I approached them both a different creative way, and that’s what I like so much about this method. There’s a lot of freedom and personalization involved.

(UPDATE: Here’s a link to a guide on how to deconstruct letters down to basic shapes)

Welcome to my blog 🔮🎶

My name is Erica, I’m a Latina of native ancestry and bisexual. My witchcraft journey started on 2018 and I’ve grown so much since then. I call myself an eclectic witch because I can’t bring myself to choose only one path of the wide range of types of witchcraft there are, so I try anything I dim interesting.

- ABOUT MY CONTENT

In my practice I use lots of sigils, spells and curses, and lately I’ve started making my own. What you need to know is that my spells are designed without weird or expensive items, so check my tags if you’re looking for spellcraft with accessible ingredients. I also post sigils of my design and lots of experiences about my craft. If any of these catch your attention, check my original content tags:

#My post: Collection of all the things I have ever posted.

#About the witch: Random facts about me.

#Answered check: Asks that I’ve received and answered.

#Witchin: This is where spells and curses that I’ve created go.

#Drawing sigils: And this is where the sigils I’ve designed go.

#Tales of a witch: Random experiences of my own about my craft.

#Ghost stories: My own experiences regarding paranormal encounters and spirit work.

#I’m on the Godphone: Every post about deity work I’ve written.

#Deja vu: Collection of experiences that make me think that, maybe, I have a past life related to these events.

#Dream journal: Dreams I’ve had that had an energy too strong to not write them down.

These tags are still empty since I've only started this new blog, but I will be filling them up with time as I already have content planned for each.

A Guide To Spellwriting

INTENT The intent of a spell is its end goal, what it will do, specifically. Overall, intent can be vague, with “love”, “binding”, and “luck” all good examples. When writing a spell, though, we want to get more specific. What about love? What about luck? Perhaps instead, “increasing self love” or “making dice rolls in tabletop RPG’s more favorable” instead. This is to give the spell caster something specific to focus energy on, and to make it very clear to the universe what we want to happen.

TARGET The target of a spell is who or what the spell will take effect on. Is your target one specific person? A family? A city? A country? The world? Yourself? A pet? A plant? Your favorite pair of shoes? Knowing the target helps us further focus our energy, and really pinpoints where we want to see our spell take effect.

TIMING Is there a specific time of the year, month, week, or day you want your spell to take place? Are you using a specific day of the week’s intent? A moon phase? A specific sort of weather? How will when the spell is cast effect the outcome? Will it effect the outcome at all?

LOCATION Where will you cast the spell? Do you want to be at an altar? Can it be on the go? Should it be a natural setting like the forest or the beach? Will the location of the casting impact the outcome? 

MATERIALS What will you use in the spell? Your spell can have as many or as few materials or ingredients as you wish, and you can have none if you like. Each spell item and ingredient should have a purpose, and support your overall intent. You’d not want a money-associated ingredient in a love spell without first checking why that’s there, and making that clear in your spell. If we throw it in at random, we could end up diluting and muddling the intent, or worse, end up attracting someone who only wants us for our money! 

PREPARATION Do any of the materials need to be prepared or placed in a certain way before your spell? Do you need a tarot card propped up, a candle carved, or a circle cast? Do you want to be freshly bathed before your spell? Do you want to fast for a day before your spell? Why? How do you want your space and your self prepared for your spell?

METHOD Here is the actual spell! How are you going to cast? Generally, the idea is to build up (raise) energy focused on your intent, then cast that energy away, aiming it at your target, but this is the place to get really creative, and you can throw that idea out the window should you choose. Do you want a jar spell? A knot spell? A full ritual? A single word? How will you get your intent out into the universe? How will you focus your spell on your target? Moreover, consider how you’ll end your spell; firmly make it clear where the spell-casting ends, and the spell is officially cast.

GROUNDING You may want to include a method to return to normal after a spell, and re-settle your energy, especially if things get intense with your spell, or a lot of energy moves around. Your grounding method can be as complex as a full on grounding exercise, or as simple as watching a funny video and having a snack. How are you exiting the spell-casting mindset?

DISPOSAL Now that your spell is done, you may have physical items that need to be disposed of. After all, we can’t just have ashes and herbs laying around forever. When describing how to clean up after a spell, specifically consider if anything needs to be kept for the spell to continue working. After that, focus on how to dispose of each item in an incredibly earth friendly manner. Remember that salt is awful for nature, and will prevent plants from being able to grow, that glass and metal and plastic are NOT biodegradable, and that not all that is good for humans is good for animals. Don’t be a jerk to the earth and the universe right after asking it a favor!

SAFETY!!!! No matter what you do or don’t do of the above, be sure to be safe! If summoning any entities, be sure to know how to banish them should they become problematic. If using fire, utilize fire safety, and never abandon something even if it’s only producing embers. If using something sharp, utilize the safety circle, and ensure no one is within reach of the sharp edge. There is NO EXCUSE to neglect safety when spell writing, and it should always be considered, especially in spells you’re sharing with others. One can never assume that everyone else knows all they do!