How to make a pendulum chart, on paper or on Paths

What a pendulum chart is

A pendulum chart, also called a dowsing chart or pendulum board, is a layout of several options arranged around a center point. You hold the pendulum over that point, ask your question and watch which option it swings toward.

The most common shape is the fan, a half circle divided into sections like a protractor. There are also full wheels for many options, and ordered scales such as 0 to 100 percent. A chart of your own lets you go beyond yes and no without forcing your questions to fit.

Start with the purpose

The first step in making a chart is deciding what kind of question it will answer. A good chart serves one shape of question: "What do I need today?" "Where should I put my energy?" "What's my next step?" Mix answer types and the reading gets muddy.

Write your chart's model question across the top of a page, for example: "What will help me rest tonight?" Every option should be a plausible, reasonable answer to that question.

Choose your options: how many and which

The options on a pendulum chart should be clear, distinct from one another and on the same level. "Read," "walk," "journal" and "call someone" work together; "read" and "take better care of myself" don't, because one is concrete and the other covers everything.

As for how many, a paper fan reads comfortably with three to twelve options; beyond that, a wheel works better. On Paths a chart can hold 2 to 36 options. Start small: you can always add more once you see what's missing.

• One option per section, in a word or two
• All of them answer the same model question
• No overlap between them
• None of them is the "obvious" answer ahead of time

The order of the options matters

The order of options on a chart changes how you read a swing that lands between two sections. If neighboring options are similar, an in-between reading is still useful; if they're opposites, it can throw you off.

Put related options side by side and keep opposites apart. On a scale, order is required: low to high, no jumps. On an emotions chart, for instance, you might group the calmer feelings on one side and the more activated ones on the other.

Add a section for rephrasing

A "rephrase the question" or "none of these" section is one of the most useful additions to any chart. It gives you an honest way out when the question doesn't fit the options or when there's no clear answer in you yet.

Put it at one end of the fan or somewhere easy to spot, and give it a neutral color. The five-answer chart on Paths includes one, and many people who make their own charts always add it.

The shape: axis, fan, wheel or scale

A chart's shape depends on how many options it has and whether they follow an order. On Paths you can choose among four layouts, the same ones the built-in charts use.

• Axis: two or three options, such as yes, no and maybe; the pendulum swings in a different direction for each.
• Fan: a half circle with 3 to 12 options, the classic dowsing chart shape.
• Wheel: a full circle for many options, like months or zodiac signs.
• Scale: ordered values, such as 1 to 10 or 0 to 100 percent.

How to draw a pendulum chart on paper

To make a paper chart you only need a sheet of paper, a pencil and, if you have one, a protractor. A fan spans 180 degrees, so divide 180 by the number of options to get the width of each section. With six options, each section is 30 degrees.

• Mark a point at the center of the bottom edge of the page: that's where the pendulum goes.
• Draw a large half circle around that point.
• Use the protractor to mark the divisions and draw lines out from the center.
• Write one option in each section, in the order you chose.
• If you like, color the sections so you can tell them apart at a glance.
• Write the chart's model question across the top.

Building your chart in My pendulums

On Paths, you build your own charts in My pendulums. Give it a name, pick a layout, type in 2 to 36 options and assign each a color and, if you like, an icon. You can also duplicate one of the built-in charts and edit it, which is a quick way to get going.

There's an option to give options different weights, but you'll rarely need it: usually every option should have the same chance. Your charts are saved on your device, show up in your history and work with every engine, including your hand.

Sharing your chart by link or QR code

Sharing a chart on Paths takes no account and no server. When you share, you get a link or a QR code, and the whole chart travels inside the link itself, in the part that's never sent to any server.

Whoever opens it sees your chart and can save it to their own pendulums with one tap. It's a lovely way to pass a self-care chart to a friend, or to prepare one for a group or a workshop.

Test your chart before you rely on it

Before you ask anything important, try your new chart with a few simple questions. Notice whether the options make sense, whether any are missing or unnecessary, and whether the rephrase section comes up when a question is unclear.

Adjust as needed: change a word, swap two sections or drop an option you never use. A good chart gets sharper with use, just like your questions.