What is “Dowsing”?
“Dowsing” is the ability to find water, metals and other things by means of a tool held in the hand, or, sometimes, by use of only the hand.
The art of dowsing was first recorded in early cave drawings, it was written about in Roman times, and in Elizabeth I’s reign ‘great faith was placed in the virtues of the divining rod’.
During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries dowsing for water to mark the spot for drilling wells and boreholes was a well established practice.
During the twentieth century dowsing organisations began to be formed with the British Dowsing Society was founded by Colonel A H Bell, OBE, DSO, MRI in 1933.

Magic or reality?
Reality, but even today some people perceive it as being ’magic” or ‘trickery’ and a whole mystique has grown up around divining.  This probably stems from Saxon times. A person with strong dowsing skills would keep the knowledge to himself and would only pass the knowledge of how to dowse on to his eldest son. This kept the ‘power’ in the family and slowly a mystique sprang up about what, in reality, is an everyday skill.

How does it work?
I don’t know!
There are no scientific explanations for dowsing, but time and time again it is acknowledged that there is some correlation between the dowsing reaction and changes in magnetic flux, especially when dowsing on site.
What is really difficult to understand is that dowsing can be carried out at a distance and, no matter how far the dowser is away from the thing being sought, the actual distance does not matter. It still works. Dowsing can be carried out for something in the next room or on the other side of the world.
This means that items can be located by dowsing over a map of an area to find an item, with no need to travel to the actual site.

Can anyone become a dowser?
Yes, if they really want to and if they have an open mind. 

Having said that, a few people really have some difficulty in learning to dowse. At the other end of the spectrum there are definitely some people with a natural gift who can dowse without any lessons. It has been noted that  young children often demonstrate a natural flair for dowsing that adults can only acquire with practice.

What tools do dowsers use?

Almost anything, it depends upon you, your skill level and what you feel most comfortable with.
But whatever tools dowsers use, they are simple. Dowsers do not need the scented candles, black silk bags or special dowsing maps and charts that many shops and web sites try to sell the novice.
The main ‘tool’ is you, the human.  All the dowsing instrument does is to make visible what your body feels. The tool is only an extension of your natural response, turning microscopic movements into visible signals. Some tools are better than others, but what is a good dowsing tool for me might not be so good for you.

L shaped Dowsing Rods made from copper

“Y” shaped Rod – Traditionally this is made from a forked twig, often from a hazel or willow tree. It can also be made up from any springy material such as wood, cane, plastic or metal.

“L” shaped or angle Rods
These are L shaped rods which are usually used in pairs. The shorter arm of the L is held in the hand with the long section parallel to the ground and to each other. When the object to be found is below the dowsing rods they typically cross over each other.

My own dowsing pendulum

Wand
A single long rod held in the hand and which reacts with a circular or oscillating movement.

Pendulum
A weight of some form on a chain or string which moves in different ways to indicate the lost item. A dowsing pendulum can be used ‘in the field’ or remotely by means of a map or drawing. The movements the pendulum makes is often unique to each individual.

Hands
Some dowsers feel a slight tingling in their hands when moved in certain ways and therefore they can dowse without any tool.
Each of these tools come in all sorts of shapes and sizes but they are almost all variations of the above.

How does a dowsing pendulum tell me I have found something?
That depends upon you, your pendulum and how you react to what you are looking for.
Many books will say that the pendulum swings “anticlockwise for no” and “clockwise for yes”. But pendulums cannot read books and you do not know how it will move until you try it.

My own pendulum moves in it’s own way:
My dowsing pendulum does not behave as it says in the book.  It can ‘shimmer’ (vibrate it’s chain side to side whilst the weight stays still), it can swing left to right or it can swing in a circle. Sometimes it can come to an abrupt stop as I move away from the target. Sometimes it does nothing. It all depends upon what I am looking for and how close I am to finding it.
When I first started dowsing with a pendulum and a map I had no idea what the movements meant until I had experimented.
So, there is no reason why your pendulum should be the same or different – it will act as you and it interact with each other. The secret is to try your pendulum and see what it does. Read the short article below on my very first attempt to dowse with a pendulum to give you an idea.

My first attempt to dowse with a pendulum.
I could already dowse, quite successfully, with bent copper rods. We were at my parents’ house when my mother asked me if I could dowse with a pendulum. I replied that I had never tried.
My father, in another room, drew a sketch map of a house they used to live at on the west coast of Scotland, and some of the surrounding countryside. My mother covered this with a piece of paper so I could not see it, handed me her pendulum and asked me to dowse for water.
All I could see was a blank piece of paper, and had no idea what had been drawn underneath.
At first I could not get the pendulum to move other than sway side to side as I moved my hand over the paper. I started to shorten the chain until I the pendulum was about 6inches below my hand. The swinging seemed different. After a few slow passes over the paper I started to see different swings and movements.

In one area the pendulum was almost still, but the chain was ‘shimmering’ by moving side to side a tiny amount.
In other areas the pendulum went from hardly any movement to a strong side to side movement that abruptly stopped as I moved my hand away.

I assumed the strong movement was water. My mother removed the top paper and the results were good. The side to side shimmering of the chain had occurred when the pendulum bob was over an area of marshy land near the garden boundary. The strong side to side movements had picked up the river that ran outside their garden, their water well and the septic tank in their garden. That abrupt stop happened as the pendulum moved away from the target.

We did this test again when we arrived home. My wife covered a map of our farm and not knowing where anything was, I found our ditches and our well too.

How do I learn to use my pendulum?
Practice. For a guide, see the “Practice, practice and practice” posting in this category.

Practice, practice and practice.
Very few people can pick up a dowsing pendulum for the first time in their life (with no other dowsing experience) and get results. You have to practice, see what works for you, tune your pendulum to yourself and, finally, find your limits.
And that can only be done with lots of practice.  But that practice can be easy and fun and need only be a few minutes each day – or an hour or so a week. It is entirely up to you and what you feel happy with.

Some key requisites before you start to practice:
1. You must want to do it
2. You must have confidence in your ability to learn
3. There must be no strong negative influences around you (for example a sceptical partner laughing at you).
4. You must try to put personal worries, everyday concerns etc to the back of your mind
5. Before you start you must get everything you need prepared so you do not have to stop and break your concentration
6. Turn off your mobile phone or put it out of earshot. If it rings it will distract you.
7. Do not practice if you are tired or sleepy.

In the links to the posts below, I have put a series of exercises that you could follow in sequence. They will give you an insight into what / where / how you dowse as an individual.

• First step, your pendulum
• Second step, looking for a hidden object
• Third step, looking for water using a map
• Fourth step, yes / no questions

The First Step – Your Pendulum
The first step is to buy a pendulum. I prefer a crystal pendulum as I find them more responsive, but that is my own personal preference. Pendulums can come in wood, metal, stone or or a mixture of these materials.
What ever pendulum you buy, make sure it has a flexible chain or cord. Some ‘fashion jewelry’ pendulums have too stiff a cord and dampen down the pendulum swing.
The chain or cord should be about 12″ (30 cms) or so long. Longer is better as you can keep the excess chain in the palm of your hand.
Here is a picture of the pendulum I use:

Robin's dowsing pendulum

Holding the pendulum above a coin on a table

• Now, just start to quietly ask yourself (no need to speak out loud) “is there a coin here”?  If after a number of attempts nothing happens, do not get disillusioned. Rest, and try again with a different question. “is there metal here” or “is there a coin near here” and similar variations.
• Watch your pendulum. If it’s movement changes then you are starting to get a response.
• If you still get no response, and you are not getting tired, try shortening or lengthening the chain. For me the length is not too critical, but the length you see in the picture gives me the greatest response.
• Sometimes you might need to start a little distance (a foot or so) away from the object. The pendulum might start moving or swinging. Note how it swings in relation to the direction the object is away from you. For example, if you need to go to the right to be over the coin and the pendulum is swinging anti-clockwise, then for you, anti-clockwise means “go right”.
• Keep trying and noting the way your pendulum behaves. Do not expect consistent results at this stage.  This is a learning process, but once you start to get a feel for how you and your pendulum behave when looking for an object that can be seen, then you can progress to the next step. Looking for hidden objects.
• By now you should have an idea of how your dowsing pendulum says “go left”, “go right” and “here it is”.
• If you are happy, it is time to move on to the next step.

Second step – looking for a hidden object.
Now that you can get a reaction from your pendulum from an object that you can see it is time to try to locate a hidden object.

• As before, place a coin on a table. Now cover the table with a piece of paper, newspaper or a cloth. It does not matter at this stage if you know where the ‘hidden’ coin is. What matters is that the object is out of sight.
• Start away from where the coin is and ask yourself “where is the coin?” or “is there a coin here” or whatever question works best for you. (Remember the exercise in step one).
• Watch your pendulum and try to navigate to where the coin is located by means of how it swings or circles on the chain.
• The movements you discovered in step one will guide you.
• After you can locate the coin, then try closing your eyes, sliding the coin onto the table top and covering with a cloth without looking. Now see if you can locate it.
• Repeat and practice and your ability and confidence will grow.
• When you are ready, move on to the next step.

In the picture below I am approaching the coin under the paper. See how the pendulum is swinging to show me in which direction the coin lays.

Looking for a hidden coin under a sheet of paper

Third step, looking for water using a map.
By now you should have completed steps 1 and 2 and be able to obtain and recognise the response to your own pendulum and your own questions.
You should be able to ‘find’ a ‘hidden’ object, the coin in step 2. Now lets proceed to what is a very important step, map dowsing.
Many people can dowse using a pendulum and map and never have to go out in the field. So lets give it a try now.

• Get a map (for this first exercise I suggest an accurate map or sketch) of an area you know and which is close by you.
• Set the map on a table and decide what you are going to look for. Obviously at this stage it should be something that is shown on the map, such as a stream, river, lake or sea.
• Holding the pendulum in the way that feels most natural natural to you, start to move over the map, asking yourself the appropriate question. “Is there a stream here”, for example.
• Note the way your pendulum moves and apply the lessons you learnt in the previous steps.
• If you are successful and confident, try looking for something not on the map.
• Try looking for something not on the map, but something that you could go outside an visually see where it is, even if it means a short drive in the car.
• Why not try looking for a friend’s car (and when you think you have found it on the map, check with your friend). Or pick a place on the map you have not visited and ask a question “does this street have yellow parking lines on it?” or “does this field have a hedge around it” or “does this church have a flag flying from its tower today?”. The aim is to look for something in a remote location that you can go and check as see if you were correct.
• When you are ready, move on to the next step.

Map dowsing

Yes / No Questions.
If you have successfully tried the previous three lessons, then by now you will be able to get a response, and understand that response, from your dowsing pendulum.

Some dowsers have the ability to ask “yes / no” questions and, in order to see how far your skills can be developed, try this step.

• Sit or stand comfortably and hold the pendulum as normally.
• Ask a question to which you know the answer will be “no”. For example “Is it raining outside this house?”
• Repeat until you get a response from your dowsing pendulum. Note the response.
• Now ask another question, again to which you know the answer, but for which the response will be “yes”
• Again repeat until you get a response, and note that response.
• Do not be discouraged if you get no discernible reply, many dowsers cannot do the yes/no dowsing. Or if they can, they do not phrase their questions in a manner in which they get an unambiguous reply.

Now you have tried the basics of dowsing and will be able to expand your skills, develop your responses and have fun.

Good luck and remember to keep practising!