Mineral pendulum The pendulum has been used as a diagnostic tool for thousand of years by shamans from different cultures. A pendulum consists of a small weight (made from crystal, stone or wood) suspended at the end of a string, a chain or a thread. The chain should be held lightly between the thumb and index finger, about 7 to 8cm above the pendulum weight. Depending on the code established with your pendulum, a positive, negative or neutral response will be indicated by either a clockwise rotation, an anti-clockwise rotation or a horizontal or vertical linear motion.