Answers
This or That Pendulum: Choose Between Two Options
When two roads lie ahead, give them names. The pendulum points to one, and your reaction tells you whether it was yours.
Draft: text under review
Ask this pendulum
Press and hold the button or the knob on the thread. The pendulum will start to move and come to rest on its answer by itself.
For example: What's better for me this summer: A, the photography course, or B, volunteering? · Open in the full pendulum
How to use this board
Use it when you're torn between two real, comparable choices: two classes, two travel routes, two ways to spend Sunday. Name each one in your question, with its letter first: "A, the downtown apartment; B, the house with the yard." That way, when the answer appears, you'll know right away what the pendulum picked.
Before you ask, make sure both options are possible and that you'd accept either one. If one of them feels unthinkable, you already have your answer. Don't pack two different things into one letter ("A, quit my job and move"); split the decision instead.
There's a simple move that works beautifully here, the same one many people use when they flip a coin: the instant the answer shows up, notice whether you were hoping for the other one. That small letdown, or that relief, often shows your preference better than any list of pros and cons.
The options
What each answer invites you to consider.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use a pendulum to choose between two options?
Name both options in your question, A and B, and make sure you'd accept either. Let the pendulum swing and, when it points to one, watch your first reaction. If you felt relief, that's a clue; if you wanted the other one, that's a clue too.
What if both options seem equally good?
Then either one can work, which is already good news. Let the pendulum choose and see whether the answer brings you peace or pushback. If you're still unsure, write down what each offers in the long run, not just this week.
Can I compare more than two options?
Not on this board. For three or more choices, build your own board in My pendulums with one option per path, or compare them in pairs: A against B, then the winner against C.
Go deeper
- Using a Pendulum for Decision Making · How to use a pendulum for decision making without letting it decide for you: pros and cons, your body's reaction, sleeping on it, and what not to ask.
- How to make a pendulum chart, on paper or on Paths · How to make a pendulum chart: pick a purpose, choose and order your options, add a rephrase section, then draw it on paper or build it in My pendulums to share.
- Questions to ask a pendulum: how to word them, plus 40+ examples · What to ask a pendulum and how to phrase it: one thing, present tense, no double negatives. Over 40 example questions by topic, plus what not to ask.