Water Witching

Out in the country we have a term used to describe the process of finding a place to dig a well. The term is “water witching” and no doubt derives from the fact that to people who don’t understand it, it appears to be magical. Another term often used is dowsing. One does not need to be a witch to find water, however.

Witching for water involves the use of a stick or metal rods. In the stick method, it is often a forked stick that is used. One side of the fork is held in each hand and the “witcher” walks around until the stick points toward the ground indicating an ideal water spot. Non-forked sticks are used as well. To witch with metal rods, any simple rod will do from welding rods to a coat hanger. They are L-shaped and the witcher hold the short end of the rods, one rod in each hand. When the rods cross or spread apart (depending on the witcher), it signals water. Depth can also be determined by stomping the ground until the rods move (the number of stomps corresponds to the number of feet deep the water lies.)

While one does not have to be a witch to find water, it is true than not everyone can witch a well. My father cannot witch water despite the fact that he has seen it done many times and strongly believes in it. In general, I think that most people would probably have a hard time accurately witching water, which is why people who can witch water are often so valuable. Even with the technology we have today, many companies will still rely on a trusted witcher to find water. Many utility companies still use rods to find leaky pipes or underground lines.

There are no positive explanations for how water witching works. One theory is that moving water creates an electromagnetic force that pulls on the metal rods. This theory does little to explain the effect of the wooden stick method, however. Another theory is that water witchers are subconsciously picking up the vibrations of the water underground with ESP and thus, subconsciously move the rods with muscle movements to minor to notice. Nothing has confirmed this theory either, however.

The fact that so little is known about water witching may be due in large part to the fact that the people who test the method are skeptics from the start and people who can truly witch water just take it as fact and don’t feel the need to prove it works any more than they feel the need to prove the sky is blue. As with anything that is not easily understood, many skeptics have tried to make their case against water witching.