Pendulum Use

The following is a response to a post on the use of a pendulum.

I discovered the use of a penulum when I was very young, about the same time I started reading Tarot. I have often used a necklace or bracelet, preferably one that I wear regularly although I've found that a pendulum fashioned on the spot works equally as well. I have never had any difficulty getting results, in fact the pendulum responded immediately the first time I tried it. I feel anyone should have equal success.
In my own practice the movements may be side to side(no), back and forth(yes), clockwise circles(yes) and counterclockwise circles(no). The pendulum has also made motions toward the direction of objects. I've had comparible success with dowsing rods which I was introduced to as a child by my mother, but only after seeing them used and begging to be taught.
I agree that the use of such tools can enhance and verify your inner guidance IF you will actively listen to that inner voice. For myself, that voice is only louder, stronger, or more distinct when warning of an serious danger or threat. The way I have learned to distinguish the "voice of intuition" is by watching closely my own mind and becoming familiar with my own subconscious stream of thought. One learns in time that this stream has a definite character or personality. When that inner guiding voice speaks, it too has it's own distinct character quite different your own familiar subconscious stream. It feels to me as though a stream of thought is IMPOSED within my own stream. It's a bit hard to discribe but once you experience the difference it is not so hard to recognize when it happens again.
The single tool that helped me more all others to distinguish that inner guiding voice was the use of Tarot. My great grandmother's brother, my grandmother and my mother all read cards often, so it was an accepted reality for me growing up. When I reached age 14 I insisted I wanted to be taught. Occult practices were abundant in my family and never hidden but never openly explained. Our family tradition has been to pass a "gift" on to one child or grandchild but only if a serious interest is consistantly expressed and usually near the end of one's life. However, this rule is not "cut in stone". When I would read cards for someone(which I was expected to do with exhausting frequency) I noticed at times these inescapable impressions that were "imposed" in my mind regarding whoever I was reading for. At first I took them to be just my own subconscious chatter, but they came through with such power and intensity that I decided to just repeat them whether they had relevence or not. As soon as I started repeating these impressions I was met with wide eyes of amazement as folks would state that I had told them things I couldn't possibly know. That's when I realized the voice of my own intuition and was even more amazed when I found that even when I was not reading cards I still "heard" that voice imposing between my own thoughts. In truth it had been there all along, I just thought it was my imagination. I have learned to listen to that voice, act on it's advice and IT has actually kept me alive when I may otherwise have been killed.