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How To Get Rid Of A Pendulum: What Is The Proper Way To Dispose Of A Pendulum?

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Do you have a divination pendulum that you no longer use, but you don’t know how to get rid of a pendulum? There is a proper way to dispose of a pendulum, regardless of your reasons for doing so. Keep reading to find out how to do it right.

If you need to know how to get rid of a pendulum , you first need to cleanse it, and then you can bury it, give it to someone else, or turn it into something else. Which option you choose will depend on why you are getting rid of the pendulum in the first place.

So what is the proper way to dispose of a pendulum?

How to get rid of a pendulum: A swinging gold pendulum against a blue and black background
There are many proper ways to dispose of a pendulum. Choose the option that works best for your situation.

Why Are You Learning How To Get Rid Of A Pendulum?

So the first thing you need to think about is why you’re getting rid of the pendulum.

Do you think the pendulum is cursed, or does it just not serve your purposes anymore?

If you think the pendulum has bad energy attached to it, or is communicating with a negative entity, you will want to bury the pendulum instead of giving it away.

Though, of course, there are people out there that want to buy cursed objects. If you feel comfortable selling to those people, you can always list it on Ebay.

However, if the pendulum just doesn’t give you accurate answers or you have a new one to replace it, you can go with some of the easier options.

You can give the pendulum to someone else, or turn it into a piece of jewelry or altar decor.

A smoky quartz crystal pendulum with a wooden pendulum board from the Tamed Wild monthly witch box, plus the moonology oracle deck, the super attractor oracle deck, and tarot cards
Trickster gods like to attach themselves to pendulums and other forms of divination. Be careful about which answers you trust.

Cleanse The Pendulum Before You Get Rid Of It

No matter what you do with the pendulum, you should try to cleanse it before you get rid of it.

Cleansing and banishing will not only remove negative energy (thereby protecting anyone that may come across the pendulum later), but also any traces of your energy.

Leaving your energy on an object of such spiritual importance like a pendulum can invite negative magic towards you.

There are many ways to cleanse an object.

  • Boil it in water or oil.
  • Immerse it full in salt.
  • Toss it in fire.
  • Leave it near crystals that will cleanse it.
  • Place it in moving water like a river.
  • Ring bells near it.
  • Teach the pendulum a clearing sign. Swing it in a large circle and tell the pendulum that this swinging clears the energy around you.
  • Bathe it in the smoke of incense.
  • Urinate on it.

Once you have cleansed the item, you’re ready to get rid of it in whatever way you choose.

A woman with an amethyst pendulum wearing a preppy sweater and many crystal bracelets and rings
Pendulums are a powerful spiritual tool that will answer questions

Bury The Pendulum

If you think your pendulum has negative energy attached to it, or you just want to really be rid of it, you can bury the pendulum.

As I’ll talk about at the end of this post, this isn’t the best option for the environment. I hope you’ll consider reusing or regifting the pendulum before you decide to just bury it.

Burying the pendulum allows the earth to absorb any of the negative energy attached to it. This naturally cleanses the pendulum over time.

A quartz pendulum pyramid resting on a wooden pendulum board that came in a Tamed Wild box
You can burn and bury ritual tools and magical items to get rid of them

Burn The Pendulum

This is the option to choose if the pendulum is attached to a negative entity or a curse.

For most pendulums, you will be “talking” to your higher self rather than any outside entity. But sometimes, a pendulum can become a way for deities, demons, ghosts, and other spirits to speak to us.

And as we know, not all spirits are positive ones. Some want to harm us.

With a pendulum, the most a negative entity can do is lead us astray or encourage us to do something dangerous. If you know how to spot a trickster playing games with you, you can still work with such entities, but that’s not something that beginners should do.

I actually do have a pendulum that is used by some kind of trickster entity. It’s entertaining to interact with such a spirit, but you can’t listen to their advice!

If you want to get rid of a pendulum that is being used by a negative spirit, creating a bonfire and thoroughly burning it will cleanse and deactivate the pendulum.

Depending on what the pendulum is made from, the pendulum itself may still exist physically. In that case, you can bury it or just throw it in the garbage to get it out of your life for good.

A golden pendulum and crystals
Pendulums usually don’t become attached to negative entities, but it can happen sometimes

Give It As A Gift To Someone Else

If there is nothing negative attached to the pendulum, you can simply give it to a beginner witch.

Young witches and those that are just beginning are always grateful to receive magical tools! Especially since so many can be so expensive. Plus there are so many choices that they can get stuck in analysis paralysis.

If you don’t know any baby witches to give your pendulum to, you can also resell it. Ebay is a great choice for this.

Turn It Into Something Else

Many pendulums are made with metal chains and crystals. These materials are easy to use in a craft, for instance to make a bracelet or a wind chime.

This is an environmentally friendly way to stop using a pendulum but still put it to good use.

A pendulum on a long chain that ends with a crescent moon charm. The monology oracle card deck. The super attractor oracle card deck.
Learn how to cleanse a pendulum or other witch tools

Just Put Your Pendulum In The Garbage

Simple, right? Just throw the pendulum away.

Again, this isn’t the most environmentally sound way to deal with your pendulum, but it is valid. After you have burned that pendulum to a crisp, throw it away!

Or if it is broken, you can just throw it away too.

I know it can seem disrespectful to just throw a magical tool into the garbage, but remember that all things are holy. Yes, even your garbage can!

A silver pendulum and 7 colorful spiritual crystals for healing
Knowing how to get rid of a pendulum and other magical tools will help you avoid polluting the earth or upsetting a spirit

How Not To Get Rid Of A Pendulum

Consider the environmental impact of your actions before you get rid of a magical item like a pendulum.

You shouldn’t throw the pendulum in a lake, river, or ocean. Some animal is much more likely to be harmed by that pendulum in water than it is in the ground.

When you are truly trying to get rid of a pendulum, there are few truly environmentally sound ways to do so. Burying it, throwing it in water, and throwing it in the garbage all have some environmental impact.

You also shouldn’t tie it to a living tree, where it will chose the branch.

Dispose of your pendulum in the most ethical way you can think of. Unless the pendulum has truly evil energy that you cannot banish attached to it, it is a much better idea to regift the pendulum or turn it into something else.

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