FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the best way to reach AYP (Ask Your Pendulum)?
- Where is AYP based?
- How long does it take AYP to process my order?
- Did you ship outside of the US?
- What is your return policy?
- What is a Reiki Blessing?
- Where do pendulums get their answers?
- Should I let other people handle or use my pendulum?
- Is it okay to use a pendulum with a broken point?
- Do you need to have different pendulums for different tasks?
- How do I choose a pendulum that's right for me?
- Does my first pendulum have to be given to me?
- I was told that my pendulum has to pick me (instead of me picking it). Is this a good idea?
1. What's the best way to reach AYP (Ask Your Pendulum)?
The best way to reach us is by email: eva@askyourpendulum.com. AYP is web-based only, so there is no physical store that you can actually walk through. There's no staff to answer the phone, so if you call you will get voice mail during business hours. If you leave a message I will do my best to return the call as soon as possible - but to avoid phone tag, email works best. Having said that - here's the phone number: 1-888-723-0777 (toll-free). Business hours are Mon-Fri 9:30 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. Though AYP is "closed" on weekends and holidays, though you can order online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
2. Where is AYP based?
AYP is in Washington State, USA. Washington, known as the "Evergreen State" is the upper left corner of the lower 48 states. We are located in Everett, which is about 20 miles north of Seattle, Washington.
3. How long does it take AYP to process my order?
Orders are filled in the order they come in - first in, first out. Typically, it takes one day to package and ship an order. I make every effort to ship within 3 business days of order placement and, in many cases, I'm able to process and ship your order in one day. For more information about shipping, please visit the Shipping page.
4. Does AYP ship outside of the US?
At this time, we also ship to Canada and Australia (in addition to the USA). If you live outside of these countries and want to place an order with us, you can use a mail-forwarding or re-shipping service. You can then provide the service's shipping address to us when placing the order (so that they can forward directly to you).
5. What is your return policy?
We offer a 14-day money back guarantee on all products. Please see the return policy page for details.
6. What is a Reiki Blessing?
All of the pendulums and many of the crystals, rocks and gemstone items here at AYP receive a special Reiki blessing before being shipped to you. Reiki is an ancient form of energy healing that has undergone a huge revival in the last 50 years. Today, Reiki is a very popular healing modality used throughout the world to bring healing energy to not just people, but also to animals, places and objects. Crystals, rocks and gems are like batteries - in that they store both positive and negative energy in them. I am a Reiki Master. In preparing orders for shipment, I use my Reiki attunements to "bless" items with Reiki energy to reset, balance, and brighten their naturally energetic attributes so that they vibrate at their truest when they come to you. In my experience, this makes a pendulum more nimble and responsive from the start.
7. Where do pendulums get their answers (and how does that work)?
This is a big topic, so I've got a whole page devoted to this question here.
8. Should I let other people handle or use my pendulum?
Pendulums, especially those made with crystals, stones, and natural gemstones, absorb the energy around them and can hold on to it for a long time. You'll get the best results from your pendulum if it has only your energy attached to it. I recommend that you don't offer to let other people handle or use your pendulum for this reason. But if you do, just be aware that the other person's energy field leaves an imprint on your pendulum. It's a good idea to cleanse your pendulum's energy and recharge it with your own before using. Click here for energy cleansing instructions.
9. Is it okay to use a pendulum with a broken point?
Probably yes, though it depends. If the pendulum still swings in a balanced fashion and is not listing to one side like a sinking ship, then there's no harm in using a stone with a broken point. If it's a small break, you can try using a nail file to smooth and reshape the broken tip. However, most people don't feel good about something that's broken, so that can psychologically impact your faith in whether a pendulum with a broken point is a viable tool. If that's the case, then definitely you should to replace it. FYI - sharply faceted pendulums that taper into a point are more vulnerable to tip breaks. If you want to avoid broken points, you may want to consider other shapes, such as orbs, teardrops, cylinders, and even pencil points, which are less likely to break.
10. Do you need to have different pendulums for different tasks?
You can use the same pendulum for multiple purposes. How you use it will depend on the task at hand. Having said that, many people like to specialize their tools and may have multiple pendulums that they call upon for different needs. One pendulum might be used strictly for personal or spiritual matters and a separate pendulum is pulled out for healing work. My motto is that a person can never have too many pendulums (go figure a pendulum maker would have such a motto!). I ask you, do surgeons limit themselves to one scalpel? Do portrait painters use only one brush? Do chef's create a delicious meal with a single pot? You see my point - no pun intended.
11. How do I choose a pendulum that's right for me?
Pendulums are really personal. Having a special fondness for your pendulum makes you want to hold it, use it, and keep track of it. So I suggest that you look first with your eyes. Love at first sight can be a powerful thing, though it's not the only thing to consider. What grabs your attention is often a great choice, so don't dismiss it just because it's pretty. Once your eyes have weighed in, look with your heart. Read the stone energy information to see if it speaks to you on a level that hits home. (Each AYP pendulum description includes links to the pendulum's gemstone energies so you can see if this aspect resonates.) Often, once you read about the properties of the stones and/or the symbols in a pendulum, you will just "know" whether this is the one for you because it practically leaps off the page.
12. Does my first pendulum have to be given to me?
Short answer - No. There are a couple of old customs regarding pendulum selection methods that I don't recommend because they're either impracticable or counter-productive, or both, and this is one of them. The custom that decrees that a person can only own a pendulum if he or she is given it as a gift (or has received his or her first pendulum as a gift) is from days long gone. Don't get me wrong - I think pendulums make truly awesome gifts! People who use pendulums and value them often give pendulums as special gifts to their friends and family and I'm one hundred percent in favor of the practice. The problem with the "first-pendulum-must-be-a-gift" custom is that it presumes there will be a wise mentor or family elder in your life who's able to decide what's best for you and that they will show you how to use it. I think we can all agree that the world has changed a whole lot since this tradition began, but if you are a traditionalist, you can adapt it to modern times. You can be your own mentor! You can bestow upon yourself the gift of a pendulum - and you can teach yourself how to use it!
13. I was told that my pendulum has to pick me (instead of me picking it). Is this a good idea?
Short answer - No. Even though this method is outdated and, in my opinion, the opposite of helpful, I still hear people coaching others that this is the only way to go. I beg to differ. This is an outdated pendulum selection method that came along way, way before the Internet. The custom says that you must allow your potential pendulum to physically "pick" you (instead of you picking it). This is the first problem with it. The custom doesn't take into account that you might not be lucky enough to live in a community that has a store that sells pendulums. And even if you are so lucky, do they carry a wide selection? The tradition holds that the pendulum destined to be yours will leap into your hands or act unusually animated when you touch it, kind of like picking out a puppy. Sounds like fun, right?
This brings me to the second part of what's wrong with this custom. It's the energy. The fact is that all pendulums made with crystals and/or natural stones store energy - sometimes gobs of it. They're like batteries, charging and discharging energy depending on the available supply. Pendulums that hang out in public places (like racks at new age book stores or metaphysical shops), can be fondled by scores of people and all the while racking up energy (both positive and negative) like nobody's business. So it should be no surprise when one or more put on a show for you. Bursting with borrowed, unfocused energy, these pendulums will do or say anything to get you to take them home - but once there, cleansed and calmed, you may find a decidedly different creature than the one you met at the store. I've heard over and over again from people who have followed this old method only to be disappointed later.
If you can let go of the romantic ideal of being "chosen" by a pendulum - one that's potentially drunk on stranger energy - and recognize that you really don't need to be wooed, I believe you will find a truer pendulum for the long run. Take charge of the relationship. Pick the pendulum you love and it will love you back.