A Pendulum Is Just A Tool
Pendulum dowsing is the use of a weighted object on a string or chain to get an answer, usually in a yes/no format, to questions you cannot answer rationally. You need to understand from the start that pendulums are used in many different practices, from hypnosis to healing. None of those are dowsing. It is a mistake to think that every time you see someone with a pendulum, they are dowsing.
The pendulum is merely a tool. It amplifies the answer so that you may see it more easily. There is no magic in your dowsing tool. It does not give you the answer. It is just a gauge. A tool is not needed for dowsing, as we explain in a later chapter. In fact, we like to teach dowsing by starting without a tool. Too often, teachers unintentionally lead students to think that the tool is somehow powerful and giving the answers, and then the students believe they cannot dowse if they do not have their pendulums. That is a faulty belief.
A pendulum can be made with any weighty object on a string or chain. It doesn't matter what materials you use. You just need to be able for it to swing and indicate “yes” and “no”.
While you can dowse without a tool, the pendulum is the most popular dowsing tool at this time, and it does excel in certain situations as opposed to using other tools or no tool at all.