3: Finding Something That’s Lost or Hidden
We’ve all had the experience of losing something, such as car keys or a library book, and feeling panic when we couldn’t find it. In cases of this sort, there’s a genuine need to find the missing object. Often, you’ll know the missing item is in your home, but because you put it down absentmindedly, you have no idea where it is. Usually, you’ll notice that it’s missing when you’re in a hurry and need the item urgently. Most people have had this experience with their car keys.
The first step is to calm down and relax. It’s almost impossible to use a pendulum when you’re feeling stressed. Drink a glass of water and take several slow, deep breaths before starting to dowse.
Method One
Ask the pendulum a question that you think you know the answer to. If you’ve lost your car keys and think they’re somewhere in your home, you might ask, “Are the car keys in the house?” If they are, your pendulum will give a positive response. This is a good start, as it allows you to now narrow the search down. It’s also good news to get a negative response, as you’ll know your car keys are outside, and you can ask further questions, such as “Are they in the car?” until you find them.
Continue asking questions that will lead you to the lost object. You might inquire, “Are the keys in the kitchen?” Ask questions about each room in the house until you receive a positive answer. Sometimes this is all that’s necessary. Once you know what room it’s in, you may recall exactly where you left it, and then be able to go to the room and pick it up. There’s a phenomenon known as remanence, which says that everything leaves a trace memory that remains for a while after the object has been moved. This means that the missing item will at some point have been in the room the pendulum indicated, but may no longer be there. Consequently, you should also ask, “Are the keys in (the room) now?”
You have a number of choices once you know the lost object is in a particular room. You might go to the room and search it until you find the item. Alternatively, you could ask questions, such as “Is it under the bed?” or “Is it in the closet?” You could even ask about each particular drawer in a chest of drawers.
The other method is to stand in the entrance of the room with the pendulum in your hand and ask it to locate the missing object. Your pendulum will swing to indicate the direction the object is in. Move to another part of the room, and again ask your pendulum to locate the object. As before, it will swing to indicate the correct direction. You’ll find the missing item where the two invisible lines intersect.
You can experiment with these methods before anything is lost. Ask a friend to hide a small object somewhere in your home. With practice, you’ll be able to ask your pendulum questions that will enable you to successfully find it.
You can also stand at the entrance to a room and ask your pendulum to locate an object that you can see. The pendulum will swing to indicate the object. Once you’ve done that, move to another part of the room and ask the pendulum the same question. Again, the pendulum will swing in the right direction.
Another way to practice is to ask a friend to hide a coin, such as a quarter, under a rug. Slowly pass your pendulum over the rug until it responds to indicate where the coin is hidden. Many years ago, I saw Docc Hilford, a good friend of mine and an expert dowser from Arizona, perform this experiment in a hotel lobby. Five quarters were hidden under a large rug. Several people watched the experiment, and we were all surprised when Docc’s pendulum successfully located seven quarters (Webster 1996, 163)!
Method Two
You can use this method if you have some idea where the missing object is. If, for instance, you know your car keys are somewhere inside your house, you can walk slowly from room to room with the pendulum suspended from your hand. Focus on your need to find the missing item. The pendulum will start to swing as you get close to the item, and will swing more and more vigorously as you get closer to it. This method is more difficult than the first method, as you need to be finely attuned to the movements of your pendulum.
Method Three
If you know the missing object is somewhere in your home, you can stand at your front door with your pendulum in your hand. Visualize the missing object. Your pendulum will start to swing in the direction you can move to find the lost object. Walk slowly in that direction, pausing every now and again to make sure the pendulum hasn’t changed its movement. Follow the indications of the pendulum until it stops moving or starts revolving in a circle. Your missing item should be at this point.
Methods two and three are useful when you’re trying to find something that’s been mislaid. However, there will be times when you’re trying to find something that has been completely lost, and no one has any idea where it might be. If you have mislaid something, your subconscious mind will provide you with the necessary information to find it. If the item is totally lost, your pendulum will obtain the necessary information from the Universal Mind.
I once observed a farmer find a lost lamb. He stood on the highest point of his farm with his pendulum in his right hand. He extended his left arm and hand and slowly turned 360 degrees. At one point, his pendulum started gyrating. He started walking in the direction the pendulum had indicated, stopping every two or three minutes to check that he was still going in the right direction. After walking for about twenty minutes, he found the lamb, apparently perfectly happy, beside a small stream.
After Abbé Mermet had given a lecture on the pendulum, a doctor asked Mermet if he would try an experiment in his presence. The doctor was accompanied by a small girl and her mother. The girl had swallowed a button and the doctor and mother wanted to know if it was still in her body. The priest used his pendulum and told the doctor exactly where the button was located in her body. A few days later, Mermet received a message from the doctor saying, “The little girl has been X-rayed and the place you indicated was quite correct” (Mermet 1959, 99). In this instance, no one knew where the button was, but Mermet was able to find it using his pendulum.