Dowsing, Divining, Water-witching, or Doodlebugging
by It is an old-timer’s method of locating water using a green forked stick, a bent piece of wire or long, round blades of grass. A mystery for many and a certifiable bane to the skeptic, seeking water using a pendulum or other mystic techniques have been called everything from miraculous to mirth.
What is Water-Witching?
Divination is a practice of folklore and traditional old-time wisdom to use natural objects like a forked green twig to locate buried material, specifically water. But this method is said to also be used to find metals and ore deposits, minerals/gems, etc, caverns, caves and buried pipes and so forth. In the late 1960s during the Vietnam War, it is known that some U.S. Marines used divining techniques in an effort to locate buried weapons and enemy tunnels. The success or failure of these attempts is not reported. One success meant a minor victory. Just one failure probably meant immediate disillusionment of the effort, especially if casualties and deaths were the result.
Using a “Y”-shaped green twig about the diameter of a pencil, the dowser holds the twin handle under a tortuous load, and ‘scans’ the ground. Questions can be asked of the twig for a purported response in the form of movement, up or down, left or right. Some people can dowse without the use of artificial aids such as twig or wire, but generally an object is used. Not everyone can do this successfully even with the tool and the training. It makes a difference in whether or not you believe the results to be possible and that makes or breaks any success of this divination. I tried it many times on my own unsuccessfully until an adept showed me the proper way to do this. And quite surprisingly, as soon as I used the specific methods he instructed, I felt the immediate, replicable results.
Divination or Dowsing Is An Ancient Art
In the above woodcut image, it appears that divining was being used here to locate metal ore. The number of diviners and the number of holes would suggest widespread acceptance of this practice, or perseverance in the face of repeated failures. The seeming lack of target material in the woodcut seems to suggest less-than-optimal results. Sometimes, these old woodcut images reveal things that aren’t reported in the texts describing them. I recall seeing a similar woodcut image of an alchemist’s shop. Alchemy, -whose main purpose was to turn base-metals into gold. In that particular woodcut image of the Alchemist’s shop, in the back of the room in a glass case was a set of delicate mass scales. This is unusual in Alchemy, the use of scales for determining mass, as changes in mass in Alchemy were deemed unimportant. So, there was a ‘hint of truth’ being sought in that particular image. At least, one of the tools for finding the REAL truth was present, hopefully, being used and appreciated. The use of a pendulum or other such bobber in finding a water well has been around for centuries.
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Post CommentKatien
On January 25, 2009 at 8:05 am
Loved it. An unbiased and well-written article. I am biased, as I have used copper rods to find underground pipes etc., so I know that it works.
C Jordan
On January 25, 2009 at 8:08 am
I read this with great interest. I dont believe that this is anything to do with the person or the mind. Like your dad I have on occassions located (in my case leaking plastic water) pipes in the ground with two pieces of copper wire, bent into the shape illustrted above. I believe it is caused by energy from the source – possibly static electriciy. As to finding minerals etc.,I have no experience of trying that.
Thanks for another good article.
thestickman
On January 25, 2009 at 8:17 am
thanks! -I’ve been nervously awaiting comments… not sure what kind of reception this would bring.
Majic
On January 25, 2009 at 9:38 am
Since the method had existed for centuries and science had always dismissed it then perhaps the method is unreliable or that science still have to advance further. Or perhaps the method could have some advancements that would merit scientific acceptance.
I really wonder about the bent wire method though because we did use it to find some spring water veins and we did find some at 70% success rate!
I really like your writing sir.
Lauren Axelrod
On January 25, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I have never had to do this, but I know what to use If I have to in the future. Great piece!
lindalulu
On January 25, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Wonderful article Stickman. I truly believe in divining and I have seen it work.
Betty Carew
On January 25, 2009 at 2:05 pm
This subject is still as debatable today as it was in years gone by. I really enjoyed your article lots of tidbits I didn’t know. I have never used this craft but wouldn’t hesitate if I needed to.Well done!
Karen Gross
On January 25, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Good research, interesting article. We had a friend come to “water-witch” (I hate that term) he said that there seemed to be water everywhere on our property. Turns out he was right, we were above an underground river. The well water at that site was the best – way better than the city water we have now.
Maria Blazz
On January 25, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Lots of research here about a subject unknown to me before. Thanks!
trishia
On January 25, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Well,you live and you learn. As kids,my brothers and I had no idea what we were doing-bit practice this anyway. Now I know this practice has been around for many years. Thanks for sharing.
nutuba
On January 25, 2009 at 9:44 pm
This is a really interesting article, well researched and well presented! You did a nice job presenting it in an unbiased way. We could have used this article when our well ran dry a couple summers ago!
Nice job!
Angie0000023
On January 25, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Great article!
James DeVere
On January 26, 2009 at 5:17 pm
I’m a dowser. I compiled the first water map of our area during the drought. I live in the city and still find the need for it here; especially as water is so scarce. I will definitely bookmark this!
Thanks a million . j
thestickman
On January 26, 2009 at 7:00 pm
thanks James!
John Zupa
On March 12, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I don’t know about how much will it takes, but I have seen my father in law find water pipes plus go by a drainage ditch and the end of that stick ,,moved to direction ,,,my father in laws hands where without motion,,I tried it and It did not work. that was 20 years ago. this week I was going to buy a metal detector to finf the location of my well. My architect told n me to try the bent welding rods … I gave it a test and tried it out on known items ,,septic line and water pipe to garage the rods came together ,,went to the location where I thought the well was and the rods came together every time I passed over the location ,,dug a hole and found it first shot,,,now I am a believer
sceptic
On November 21, 2009 at 9:53 am
I am probably the most sceptical bastard on earth. I am a science man, don’t believe in God, life after death or Santa Claus. Last night I visitted a friend (70) of my brother and we had a great night talking. We talked about science, the origin of the universe, the particle collider in Europe that they are switching on again these days, pure science talk as we both love science.
Then he started telling me about water-witching. I told him I did not believe in it. He told me how a friend was getting this company to find water on his land to digg a well and he said he went in the day before to try and locate the water using the witching method. He said he found it, estimated the depth, and the pressure. The next day the company confirmed what he said. I was still sceptical.
He said he was going to show me. We went outside and he got a twigg from an olive tree (we live in spain). I was dissapointed when he showed me the method. You have to hold the twigg in such a way it is put under tension and has a tendency to shoot up or down. I thought so that is what makes it go up and down. I tried it crossing a street that he knew had a water pipe underneath and he told me to locate it. I walked up and down and nothing happened. I handed him the twigg and said “I told you it wasn’t going to work for me”. I figured maybe the subconsious makes this nerveous twigg go up and down, and I knew that with my brain this wasn’t going to happen. But he insisted I wasn’t holding it right. I tried again holding it exactly as he said, and got mind-blown. The bloody twigg did indeed start moving up quite strongly. He said it was exactly where the water pipe was. I tried again and again and again. Each time I could feel the twigg move by itself on the same spot! After a while it stopped working, but I could feel the twigg was a bit worn out from putting it under tension. He got me another one, and again it worked as before.
Now I still don’t know for sure there was water there, I had to take his word, but I am telling you people the twigg moved itself, and quite strongly too. I for the first time in 15 years believed something that established science does not believe in.
I will be experimenting further with this but I wanted to share this (for me) amazing story.
thestickman
On November 21, 2009 at 11:47 am
Ah! -A kindred spirit! -You not only don’t believe’ but you reply in length paragraphs!
Yes, -first time I learned how to do this I could not believe what I was feeling, it was as if someone had the twig by a string and was teasing it, like fishing upside-down!!
This works. While I am still skeptical about ‘depth’ and ‘water pressure’ predictions, it is entirely possible that an adept might through experience know this. It could be ‘remote viewing’ once the ‘water-witching’ confirms the presence of water… anyway, I believe this now.
Thanks for the feedback!