Dowsing is the divining of answers, usually using a device to externalize one's extra-sensory capacities.

The American Society of Dowsers defines dowsing as "the name given to a quest for information, with or without the assistance of a device, such as an L-rod (Divining rod) or Pendulum".

Dowsing is a practical method of obtaining a clear and reliable intuitive response in the search for information or answers.

Dowsing is searching for anything by projecting an intent of what is desired and receiving confirmation or non-confirmation feedback through the body, usually by the movements of a dowsing instrument, most notably an L-rod or pendulum.

Dowsing is a form of clairvoyance - the ability to see at any given moment what is happening elsewhere.

Divining is a close synonym of dowsing and clarifies what dowsing is about.

Divining comes from the word divinus meaning "of, or by, or for a god, the gods, also inspired by them." Hence, divining and dowsing is a spiritual practice - the success of which rests on a divining state of mind.

Dowsing is an ancient skill, mentioned in very early writings, and depicted in early paintings.

The first recorded use of divining is thought to be a cave painting at Tassili nAjjer in the Sahara, dated to approximately 6000 B.C. depicting an eager crowd watching a dowsers search for water.

Use of the technique is recorded by the Egyptians (c. 3000 B.C.), and after their escape from the Egyptians the Hebrews are thought to have used it (c. 2000 B.C.).

The activities of their leader Moses are recorded in the Bible: "Thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink (Exodus 17:5 6)." "Take the rod...and speak ye unto the rock...and it shall give forth water (Numbers 20:9 11)" indicates that Moses was dowsing using his staff.

A well-known publication by Georgius Agricola, De re metallica (1556) has illustrations and comments on the common use of the technique by miners for the finding of metallic ores.

Kaspar Schott, a Jesuit priest and mathematician, was the first to suggest, in the seventeenth century, that the movement of the dowsing rod was due to unconscious muscular action.

However, despite these well-documented activities for eight millennia, dowsing has remained a folk method, and scientific study of the technique only began in 1890.

At first, although there were positive indications of correlation between scientific observations and dowsing results, the designs of the experiments were insufficiently rigorous to convince the skeptical scientific community.

Proof of dowsing in the academic world is slow in coming because dowsing is not a physics problem, where the people performing the experiment can be virtually excluded from affecting the results.

Dowsing does not work without a person. The circumstances and people that the dowser is operating with have a definite influence on the results.

Dowsing is based on the theory that a person can perceive in ways traditionally considered beyond the five senses. Because our physical and psychological apparatus is designed to satisfy our desires, they realize their potential only to the extent we utilize them.

The human body is the best "receiver" on Earth. We can detect many things that machines and technologies cannot, especially in the areas of emotion, feelings and consciousness.

Dowsers say that when they dowse they use their subconscious mind, not the conscious mind.

Dowsing is simply a natural tool that enables you to amplify what you are already perceiving, but simply have not noticed before.

There are several types or methods of dowsing:

* Forked stick. The most traditional method uses a small Y-shaped tree branch (most often from a willow). The dowser holds the branch parallel to the ground by the top of the Y shape, then walks over the area to be probed. When the dowser passes over the sought object, the end of the branch is drawn down, pointing to the spot at which the object can be found.

* Rods. An alternate method uses two L-shaped metal rods, one held in each hand parallel to the ground and parallel to each other. In this case, when the dowser passes over the sought object, the rods either swing apart or cross each other. You can easily make dowsing rods from wire coat hangers.

* Map Dowsing. Some dowsers don't even have to visit the location to be dowsed. For them, a map of the area is sufficient over which they hold pendulum. They know they have located the target area when the pendulum begins to move in a circle or back and forth.

Dowsing is a handle on the abstract world of feeling, intuition and the sacred.

Dowsing has been used to find water, locate lost articles or people, locate the source of physical or mental ailments, locate ley lines, their direction of flow and effect on human health, find power centers (places where the Earth's field alters human consciousness), communicate with and receive guidance from Devas and Angels, map earth energies (to design and build sacred spaces), discover radiation or energy fields, and detect auras and other non-visible phenomena.

"Water dowsing" refers in general to the practice of using a forked stick, rod, pendulum, or similar device to locate underground water, minerals, or other hidden or lost substances,and hasbeena subject of discussion and controversy for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Drawing of a set of keys used for water dowsing. Although tools and methods vary widely, most dowsers (also called diviners or water witches) probably still use the traditional forked stick, which may come from a variety of trees, including the willow, peach, and witchhazel.Other dowsers may use keys, wire coathangers, pliers, wire rods, pendulums, or various kinds of elaborate boxes and electrical instruments.

In the classic method of using a forked stick, one fork is held in each hand with the palms upward . The bottom or butt end of the "Y" is pointed skyward at an angle of about 45 degrees.The dowser than walks back and forth over the area to be tested . When he passes over a source of water, the butt end of the stick is supposed to rotate or be attracted downward.

Water dowsers practice mainly in rural or suburban communities where residents are uncertain as to how to locate the best and cheapest supply of ground water. Because the drilling and development of a well often costs more than a thousand dollars, homeowners are understandably reluctant to gamble on a dry hole and turn to the water dowser for advice.

How Does Dowsing Work?

The quick answer is that no one really knows - not even experienced dowsers. Some theorize there is a psychic connection established between the dowser and the sought object. All things, living and inanimate, the theory suggests, possess an energy force. The dowser, by concentrating on the hidden object, is somehow able to tune in to the energy force or "vibration" of the object which, in turn, forces the dowsing rod or stick to move. The dowsing tool may act as a kind of amplifier or antenna for tuning into the energy.

Skeptics, of course, say that dowsing doesn't work at all. Dowsers who seem to have a track record for success, they contend, are either lucky or they have good instincts or trained knowledge for where water, minerals and the like can be found. For believer or skeptic, there's no definitive proof either way.

Albert Einstein, however, was convinced of the authenticity of dowsing. He said, "I know very well that many scientists consider dowsing as they do astrology, as a type of ancient superstition. According to my conviction this is, however, unjustified. The dowsing rod is a simple instrument which shows the reaction of the human nervous system to certain factors which are unknown to us at this time."

Some well-known names from history practiced dowsing, including Leonardo De Vinci, Robert Boyle (considered the father of modern chemistry), Charles Richet (a Nobel Prize winner), General Rommel of the German Army, and General George S. Patton. "General Patton," writes Don Nolan in his article A Brief History of Dowsing, "had a complete willow tree flown to Morocco so that a dowser could use branches from it to find water to replace the wells the German Army had blown up. The British army used dowsers on the Falkland Islands to remove mines."

Anyone who wants to put forth some time and effort can learn to dowse.