Category Archives: EXPLORATORY PENDULUM
13.1. THE EXPLORATORY PENDULUM
13.1. THE EXPLORATORY PENDULUM
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This device can be traced back to a form of divination called coscinomancy, that utilized a crude sieve or strainer, which two persons held suspended between their fingertips. In lieu of a handle, the strainer was gripped by a pair of pincers, this clamp being the portion balanced between the fingers.
Due to the uneven pressure, the suspended strainer had a tendency to turn, but the holders did their best to maintain its equilibrium, while names of other people were recited aloud. The name on which the strainer turned, indicated the person involved in some crime, or whatever else the sieve was being used to test. Almost always, it was something bad.
Other similar devices were utilized for such purposes, but the real refinement came in divination by a key, called cleidomancy. One person held the key suspended by a thread, and if the key began to revolve, any question was answered in the affirmative. Working along the same line, a finger ring could be used instead of a key; and modern experimenters found a small ball even better.
