I recall the long afternoons in the 60’s, where I would visit my grandmother’s attic which was a store of various unique items and neglected things. One of them was a glass pendulum of a very tender look; it seemed as if it was made of cobalt blue glass and swung softly on the gold chain. This piece was beautiful and appeared to be almost otherworldly; it was as if it represented a link to an age where such objects were not simply items, but rather integral parts of people’s lives and their religious practices.

Pendulums of the type that my grandmother owned are an interesting piece of history that has been around for centuries. These were not only pieces of art that were created to be beautiful; they were largely used in dowsing and divining. These made of wood, metal or even glass were thought to work on the subconscious part of the mind, thus helping one get answers to a particular question or direction in case of dilemma. Many people used a pendulum as a part of their daily routine, a combination of the practical and the spiritual in their everyday lives.

The period of the 1960s and 1970s was also a period of interest in the metaphysical and the spiritual where people sought answers in old tradition. The pendulum was a symbol of this cultural change because it represented the attempts that were made in order to regain the past and to open the doors to the new horizons. This was a period of transition and exploration and the oscillations of the pendulum were in harmony with the society’s search for equilibrium. These pendulums were not just items; they were symbols of an era in which the people wanted to merge the modern with the traditional, searching for answers in the cosmos.

Let’s go back to the days of aromas of burning incense and the music playing in the background was from rock and roll and the tinkling of the wind bells. Imagine Yourself standing with a pendulum in your hand, the weight of it comfortable in your palm, and asking it a question and waiting for its response. This wasn’t simply about finding answers; it was, in some ways, about finding yourself in the process, a process that felt as if it could have been taking place at any time in history.

The reason, presumably, is that the pendulum is intrinsically simple and holds out the prospect of the discovery. Thus, in the world that was often filled with disorder, the pendulum provided a quiet, and a reflective break. It was a reminder that there is always some spare time in the midst of the activities to at least look around. The pleasure of swinging a pendulum was in the link it provided – with the past, with one’s self, with the unknown dimensions of existence.

Envision a bright attic room with the smell of old books and lavender; and there, in the middle of the clutter, a shining glass pendulum. It is open for you to not only wander around physically but also wander into the world of possibilities. This pendulum – gorgeous in its detail and expansive in its rocking – is the entrance to an age that has long since passed; the age of the thinkers and the seekers, of science and equilibrium, expressed in the elegant swing of the glass weight on the chain.

Thus, appreciating these old-fashioned pendulums we celebrate the fact that in the world which was much simpler and easier to comprehend, one could find the solutions to their problems hanging from a rope. No matter if they are used for dowsing, divination or just as a decoration a pendulum is still a fascinating object that reminds us of how magical the world was in the past.