So when you communicate using a pendulum one problem could be this. Obviously we all have reactions most of the time or feelings during communications with anybody. How would you know if your own feelings/emotions are influencing the response on a pendulum vs their genuine response?

That is the biggest problem with using a pendulum or Ouija board. They can be influenced. Hence why it is recommended to focus on developing telepathy and the clair-senses vs. depending on physical "vias" to communicate.

However, while using it, the best thing you can do is figure out how to keep your hand steady to minimize interference, and always remember that it is possible you are influencing it. Do not depend on that as your only means of getting answers, and take whatever answers you do get from it with a grain of salt.

Short answer: "Tons of practice".

Longer answer: While engaging in these tons of practice, do not start your psionic career off with emotionally loaded questions, especially if the answers would be life-changing. For example, if you want to know if your b/f or g/f REALLY loves you or is cheating, making THAT the very first thing you ever ask the pendulum or Tarot is a recipe for disaster.

Stick to non-emotionally-loaded questions that can be physically verified, like "What color will X be wearing when I see them tomorrow?" Write down your answer and compare it to the actual reality later. In the "Start communicating NOW" thread in the Spirit Tasking forum, there are other suggestions for non-emotionally-loaded experiments to try. Always log answers and results, and you will get familiar with what it feels like for you when you're "on", as opposed to when you're not connecting.

Yes, there is a certain amount of emotionally-loadedness that crops up when practicing, because we all want to be correct. That comes with the territory. Practice is the solution. So is developing the emotional detachment that many Eastern schools of thought recommend. And even THAT takes practice, so roll up your sleeves and buckle down to business.

I think we always run into emotionally charged questions and ways for them to be influenced one way or another. It's the nature of being human.

I always verify what I'm getting with a back up source if I feel at all unsure. If it's a mundane question then I might default with my gut instinct but something more serious, knowledge is power so I gather as much as I can.

Sometimes, when a question is REALLY emotionally charged and we aren't sure we can detach ourselves enough from it to get a clear reading, it's OK to ask someone else for a reading. (But not a spirit reading, at least not on these forums. Due to past problems, which happened before I found CH so I can't offer specifics, asking someone else to communicate with your spirits for you is verboten here.)

When my friends and I were kids -- and we did start Tarot during our freshman year of high school -- we somehow got the impression that a Tarot reader should never read for themselves, but should get another reader to do the job. Now, of course, I know better, and frankly I don't even remember where the heck we got that idea from.

Having said that, maybe at the age of 14 and as absolute beginners, we were better off not reading cards for ourselves. Beginners in ANY field of endeavor make errors, and 14-year-olds are young enough that they might not handle a negative reading in the most level-headed fashion. I wouldn't call that a great combination.

So, yes, we can read for ourselves and get constructive answers, PROVIDED we are able to self-assess accurately and know when the subject gets us too worked-up to think clearly. Then it's probably time to get another reader on board.