True or False Pendulum

How to use this board

Here you don't ask, you state. Write a sentence your mind repeats often, like "I'm no fun to be around when I'm sad" or "I have to figure this out alone," and let the pendulum answer true or false. It works best with personal beliefs, not facts: if you need a country's capital, grab an atlas.

Write the statement in the first person and the present tense, with no double negatives and one idea per sentence. If you've calibrated your pendulum in My pendulums, true uses your yes swing and false uses your no swing.

The reading lives in your reaction. If the pendulum says False to a belief that weighs on you and you feel relief, that sentence may not describe you anymore. If it says True and you squirm, ask where the idea came from and whether you want to keep carrying it. The pendulum doesn't certify anything; it gives you a chance to look.

The options

What each answer invites you to consider.

True

The pendulum says true. Read your sentence out loud and notice whether it sounds like something you chose or something handed to you. A belief can be true today and still deserve a second look tomorrow.

False

The pendulum says false. What would change if you stopped believing that sentence for one week? Write the opposite version and notice whether it's hard to say, or whether you already felt it was close.

Frequently asked questions

What is a true or false pendulum used for?

For examining beliefs about yourself: sentences you repeat without thinking, like "I'm always late" or "I can't draw." The pendulum answers and you watch your reaction. It isn't for checking facts, data, or what another person thinks.

How do I write a good statement for the pendulum?

First person, present tense, one idea, no double negatives. "I'm afraid to ask for a raise" is clear; "It's not that I don't want to ask" is a tangle. Skip statements about health or about how someone else feels.

Is true or false the same as yes or no?

The swing is the same, but the gesture is different. With yes or no you ask about an action; with true or false you test an idea. Many people find that stating something, rather than asking it, makes it easier to notice whether it rings true for them.

Go deeper

• 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.
• The Ideomotor Effect: Why a Pendulum Moves · What the ideomotor effect is, how Chevreul, Carpenter and Faraday tested it, and why it turns a pendulum into a mirror for what you already feel.
• Keeping a Pendulum Journal: Record, Reread, Find Patterns · How to keep a pendulum journal: what to record for each reading, how to reread it to spot patterns and emotions, and how to use My readings on Paths.