Before we start talking about pendulums, I wanted to touch on how to cleanse a new pendulum, and the advice here applies to all magical tools. And I want to be sure we cover kid-friendly ways to do that, so they can learn to cleanse their own tools.
Remember that for any new tool, you don’t know where it’s been, so it’s best to cleanse it before you use it.
Most cleansing methods involve one or more of the elements.
Earth: bury your tool in the Earth (real dirt, not potting soil) for a few hours or a few days – this is particularly good for stones and other things that have come “from the Earth.” Salt is another good choice – particularly if you don’t have a yard to dig in, but be aware that some people feel salt may be too harsh for some tools, and if it’s humid, salt can make metal tools rust. Place your tool under or next to a potted plant, or on top of a large quartz cluster or bag of smaller quartz pieces.
Kid friendly: get a bucket of dirt and bury tools in it; let the kids hunt for them.
Air: pass tool through the smoke of burning incense or herbs – sage, cedar, and sandalwood are all good choices. Use sound, such as chanting or drumming. Use your breath – hold the tool near your heart chakra as you breathe in, then blow out on the tool, visualizing any stray energies leaving the tool.
Kid friendly: get hand fans, and let the kids wave them around the tool, while they make up a song about blowing away anything bad.
Fire: passing a tool through a flame is the most common, though obviously that might be difficult for younger children to do safely. Another fire-related method is to leave a tool out in the sun for a full day. Visualizing golden energy flowing down into and through the tool. Remember that heat can damage many tools.
Kid friendly: have children visualize the sun’s rays streaming down into the tool, while standing in the sun.
Water: place tool in running water is a common method of cleansing. So too, are soaking it in salt water, sprinking water on the tool, or letting it rest in the rain. Soaking in the moonlight overnight, particularly on a full moon, is also a nice way to do it. Keep in mind that some gemstones (amethyst, some smoky quartz stones, and other soft stones like calcite) can be damaged by water, so make sure you know your stones. Also, wooden items and metal items that aren’t sealed may also be damaged by water if care is not used.
Kid friendly: dance with tools in the rain. Or, if it’s not raining anytime soon, have children pour water over water-safe tools while telling any bad energies to wash away.
Once your tools are clean, you can move forward with whatever else you were planning to do with them.
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Thank you. That’s just what I needed to know at this time.