Frequently asked questions
Does it work?
The pendulum moves, but it is the hand that makes it move. In blind tests, it does no better than chance. As a hobby or a quiet moment, on the other hand, many people enjoy it.
Do you have to believe in it for it to work?
The movement follows your expectations: if you hope for an answer, your micro-movements will go that way. That is precisely why belief "makes" the pendulum move, without it detecting anything.
Why do the answers change from one time to the next?
Because they depend on your state at the time: tiredness, attention, the question asked. This is not surprising with the ideomotor effect.
Is it dangerous?
The gesture itself is not dangerous. The risk is in how it is used: making a decision about health, money or your relationship on the strength of a pendulum, or being swayed by someone who takes advantage of it.
Can you use it for your health?
No. No diagnosis or treatment should ever be decided by pendulum. If you have any doubt about your health, see a doctor.
Can you find a lost object or a missing person?
No test has shown that this is possible. For a missing person, contact the police without delay.
And finding water with dowsing rods?
Before any drilling, turn to a hydrogeologist or to the official data on groundwater. Drilling is expensive, and a result obtained with rods is no better than chance.
Which pendulum should you choose?
The one that is comfortable for you. A nut on a thread works very well. See the tools.
Does the direction of rotation have a universal meaning?
No. Everyone sets their own reference points for "yes" and "no". There is no scientific convention.
Can you do it with children?
Yes, as a game, explaining that it is their hand that makes the pendulum move. It is even a good way to discover the ideomotor effect.
How can you spot a practitioner who is not honest?
- They promise a cure, a result or a guaranteed answer.
- They ask for payment in advance or sell a device or "protections".
- They talk about "negative waves" to frighten you.
- They make a "diagnosis" at a distance, from a photo or a map.
- They refuse a written quote or a blind test.
Where does the word "radiesthesia" come from?
It was coined around 1927 by Abbé Bouly. See the history and the glossary.