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In 1966, the dowser Thomas Trench was asked for help by the Belgian police force. He was to use his talent to help locate the body of a young man, which he quickly succeeded in doing. The Dutch clairvoyant Gerhard Croiset also used this extraordinary talent to find missing aeroplanes and people. There are reports and statistics which offer plenty of proof that first-rate dowsers can locate things on a map.

Yet the story of dowsing goes back almost 500 years. As early as 1560, dowsers were said to have looked for metal ore. The forerunner of the dowsing rod was the magic wand of magicians and gods – like the forked mistletoe branch that opened the gates of the underworld according to Greek legend. In the Bible there is also the story of Moses, who used his staff to tap a well-spring out of a rock.

How does a dowsing rod work?
The dowsing rod is related to the pendulum. They both function according to the principle known as radiaesthesia. This can be described as an inherent receptivity for sensing the existence of rays. This receptivity is a particularly human ability. And here we have the basic point: the dowsing rod, like the pendulum, is simply an indicating instrument, it does not measure. The measuring instrument is the person who possesses this special sensitivity. The dowsing rod, by amplifying the rod’s movements, is only showing what the person is sensing. It resembles a musical instrument: a violin only produces a beautiful sound in the hands of someone who can play well.

How do you work with a dowsing rod?
Almost everyone has seen a dowsing rod at some time. The most common type is the V-shaped forked rod. Tradition has it that a dowsing rod should be made out of flexible, fresh willow to give the best results. But a rod can really be made of any elastic material (for instance plastic, sprung steel wire). The rod is held in the form of a Y, tightly in both hands in front of the chest, so that the handle of the fork is horizontal. The dowser then begins to walk backwards and forwards in a relaxed way with a loose grip on the rod and picks up what is happening inside him/her. If you have a gift for dowsing, it will be clear to you when the rod points downwards.
 
What does the scientific world say?
The James Randi Foundation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has for years been offering a million US dollar challenge to anyone who can prove paranormal phenomena, such as location using a dowsing rod, under scientifically controlled conditions. Preliminary tests have been carried out by groups such as the GWUP at the Biozentrum, Würzburg University. Although there have been many attempts, to date no dowser has managed to demonstrate the claimed “radiaesthetic“ abilities under controlled laboratory conditions – the million dollar challenge is still waiting to be paid out.

A sad result for the dowsing rod, yet one which is not entirely over and done with, because every now and then a successful dowser really does turn up. Maybe successful dowsing really is a rare - but real - talent.

Created: 05:34 PM | Author: Questico editorial staff | Category: Clairvoyance  |  Comments [0]

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• dowsing,
• rod