Over the past few years, I have been working with various systems of divination, energy work and personal development.  I am a professional Tarot reader, a Reiki Master attuned to both traditional Usui and Atlantean Reiki, a psychic/medium, and a dowser.  By working with all these tools, I find that the healings and readings I do take on a multi-dimensional feeling and are powerful for not only my clients but for me as well.  Of all the items in my spiritual tool box, I have found dowsing to be one of the most amazing forms of divination and energy work.  It is the sheer simplicity of it that blows me away as it has so few steps, but has yielded such profound results.

Dowsing, as defined in the dictionary is “a technique for searching for underground water, minerals, or anything invisible, by observing the motion of a pointer (traditionally a forked stick, now often paired bent wires) or the changes in direction of a pendulum, supposedly in response to unseen influences” – source Google Dictionary

As I see the work of dowsing today, the invisible things that can be located and identified stretches far beyond what may be hidden under the soil.  Dowsing can be used to identify the location of energy sources, normal and paranormal.  It can be used for divination well beyond the simple “yes” and “no” questions.  It can also be used for adjusting the energy that surrounds and permeates everything on the planet.  With all these possibilities, one has to wonder just how dowsing works.  As with so many of the tools of the energy worker, science and spirituality are not fully cohesive yet.  There is no hard scientific method to explain why dowsing works though I have a few notions of my own.  From a spiritual aspect, the act of dowsing is a combination of setting specific intentions and asking the universe for specific outcomes.  It is not the motion of the pendulum or dowsing rods that is causing these outcomes.  We are simply asking the creative Source of universal energy to respond to our requests in a way that we can perceive on our level of consciousness.

My preferred dowsing tool is the pendulum.  Not only is it easy to carry in a pocket, it also has shown to have the most number of uses for my needs.  I have used my pendulum effectively for divination, healing, and energy work on both physical and non physical things.   On it’s own, dowsing has been effective in providing me with much needed insight and clarity.  I have used it in conjunction with the Tarot to add clarification to outcomes.  I also regularly use it during Reiki sessions to help identify areas of concern and boost chakra health.  In the continued use of my pendulum, I am consistently finding that there is little that cannot be done with the proper intentions of an open-minded dowser.

For those who have never used a pendulum, I would like to walk you the basics of dowsing for divination and energy management.  This simple process can give you guidance on difficult decisions and help you to manage the subtle energies in and around you.  The only tools you will need for this are a pendulum and an open mind.  If you do not have a pendulum, you can substitute a necklace with a heavy pendant as well.  The important aspect is to have a weighted pointer suspended by a freely moving chain or string.

Grip the pendulum approximately 2-3 inches above the pointer with your thumb and fore finger.  Allow the pendulum to hang down and swing freely in all directions.  Stabilize your arm by resting your elbow on a table so that there is as little intentional movement from your body as possible.  A key to effective dowsing is to keep your hand as still as possible and allow the pendulum to swing on it’s own volition.

In order to gain accurate answers, your pendulum needs to be programmed to your needs.  This means setting standards for how your pendulum will show you specific answers.  With your pendulum hanging freely, ask to be shown what a “yes” answer will look like.  Many times this will be shown by the pendulum swinging in a back and forth motion.  Next ask to be shown what a “no” answer will look like.  Quite often, this will be shown as a side to side swing.  Once you have your basic signals, you can test and reinforce these signals by asking questions that you already know the answer to.  Make sure you ask questions that you know are true and false so that you feel comfortable with identifying both signals quickly.  By identifying yes and no or true and false answers you can word your questions to get an enormous amount of information in a very short time.

Next, we will look at energy management signals to help you adjust the subtle energies around your body and chakras.  The two main signals that you will need to program will be that of removing or deactivating non-beneficial energies and that of adding or activating beneficial energies.  Ask to be shown the motion for removal and make a note of it.  This will often be shown as a counter-clockwise swing and may be as subtle as a little wiggle or as broad as a fast, wide angled swing depending on the level of energies that need to be removed.  Now ask to be shown the motion for activating the beneficial energies.  The pendulum may swing in a clockwise direction but note the specific direction it swings for you.  As with the removal, the swing may be very slight or extremely pronounced depending on the level of energy that is needed.

Using this technique with the yes and no swings allows you to identify if there are non-beneficial energies around you and work to remove them to be replaced with beneficial ones.  Begin by asking if there are any non-beneficial energies that are affecting your current state of health or being.  Ask as well if there are any beneficial energies supporting you.  Once you have these base answers, ask that any and all non-beneficial energies be removed form your energy space.  Watch as the pendulum swings in your removal motion until it comes to a stand still again.  This can take more than a minute or two at times so be patient until it stops.  Once it has stopped, ask for the beneficial energies of Spirit to surround and envelope you  Your pendulum will swing in the activation direction for you.  Again, allow the pendulum to swing until it comes to a stop on it’s own.  Feel the energy of Spirit fill you as the pendulum swings.

I really enjoy using my pendulum when I am working with chakras and examining their general health and strength.  For this, I use the same swing motions that we just identified for energy management.  Beginning with the root chakra, ask to see the health of that particular chakra.  A counter-clockwise swing, for me, indicates a chakra that is in poor health and very out of alignment.  A clockwise swing indicates a very healthy and open chakra.  If the pendulum does not move at all, I see this as a sign that the chakra is closed and in a dead or neutral state.  After identifying the initial health status, ask that the chakra be opened and charged to be at its highest appropriate level.  Allow the pendulum to swing freely as it shifts its swing to a strong clockwise motion.  Once this motion is achieved, move on to the sacral chakra and begin the process over.  Ask to see the current state of health, evaluate the response, then ask for the chakra to be opened and charged to its highest appropriate level.  Continue your way through the chakras repeating this same process until you have charged and opened them all to the highest appropriate level.  I recommend making a note of the health of each chakra as you go through.  This can help you to identify areas in your life that may need work to help keep your energy centers fully charged and open.

Dowsing can be very effective at identifying non-beneficial things in our lives.  However, as with anything along these lines, simply identifying them and adjusting the energy is only half the work.  Once you can pinpoint areas of concern, it is essential to take an active role in removing the triggers for this energy in your life.  It takes active change in your personal sphere of influence to truly effect lasting change for yourself.

Thank you for joining me for this introduction to dowsing.  Next week, I will be continuing  on this topic with a more advanced method focusing on adjusting the energies of land, buildings and groups.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share an opportunity with all of our fantastic Akasha Temple Live listeners.  I am seeking volunteers to help out with a top secret Tarot project that I have brewing.  This project will be bringing the Tarot to you from a new and fascinating perspective.  If you are interested, please send me an email to readings@personaltarotwithmatt.com by Wednesday, November 16 to get your name on the list.  Further details will be shared as the project gets closer to completion.  Again send me an email at readings@personaltarotwithmatt.com