Dowsing, scientifically known as radioesthesia, is the interaction of the mind of the dowser and the energy of the object of interest (water, minerals, ley lines, sex of an unborn child, etc.). Dowsing does not require a skill or talent, necessarily, just the ability to clear one's mind, focus on the task at hand, and be able to read your own natural feelings and intuitive perceptions. Many feel that dowsing is a science that can be learned and is not a gift granted to a select few. Some feel dowsing is a form of magic and belongs to those who practice within the magic realm. For many years, dowsing was a utilized by “regular” everyday people whose life was not associated with magic in any way shape or form.

Of course, there are many ways to dowse. For some, a hazel branch that is forked is best used for finding water. That same hazel branch is also thought to be a form of protection against witchcraft and evil spirits as well as highly sacred according to Celtic mythology. Other woods to use are Apple, Beech, Alder, and Weeping Willow.

A pendulum is often used to communicate with the other side when looking for answers to everyday life decisions. However, it can be used to find water, missing people, and one's own fate. The most common types of pendulums are: a crystal tied with a wire and suspended from a chain or cord; a chain necklace with some kind of charm; or a chain with a metal pointer at the bottom.

In order to use a pendulum, one must be relaxed and comfortable. You may rest your elbow on a table or hold your arm out horizontally and allow the pendulum to swing. It is unknown whether the pendulum swings because of your thoughts or a spirit who works through you and is called your spirit guide. The movement of the pendulum, after you ask it a “yes or no” question determines the answer for you. You should initially ask a question with a predetermined answer in order to divulge which movement means yes or no.

It is common practice for people to use a map and allow the pendulum to suspend over it when seeking a lost person, water, or minerals; a chart when asking for fate questions; and a body of an ill person when seeking to heal. The charts are typically in a fan design with multiple options. One example is: What stands in the way of happiness in my life? The options are: Health, Sense of self value, Social adaptability, Profession, Energy and dynamism, Education, Personal philosophy, and Political convictions. I'm sure there are many more possible options but these are the most commonly selected for this particular question. After the chart is readied, the person dangles the pendulum, steadies it, asks the question, and then watches as the answer is given. One may also use an ouija board instead of a chart since the pendulum can function in the same manner as the planchette. Unfortunately, many use this method to help them make all their decisions including major life ones.

What has become a parlor game for pregnant women was used by many, years ago to determine the sex of their unborn child. All one had to do was remove their gold wedding band, tie it with a long strand of hair from the pregnant woman, and then hold it over the woman's stomach. One could determine the sex of the child simply by the manner in which the ring moved. If the ring moved clockwise, it's a boy. If the ring moves in any other direction or manner, it's a girl!

Those who did not have a watch or a clock could dangle a pendulum near a goblet or glass of water and the number of times it hit the side of the glass would be the time of day.

When seeking to heal a person, one may use a pendulum or “L” shaped rods made commonly from copper. One must have the person lie down and then you either dangle the pendulum or allow the rods to pass over the person and monitor how they move. Once you administer the treatment, you once again perform the “dowse” to observe any energy changes.

One can imagine that dowsing has frustrated the scientific world for years. Scientists have attempted to reproduce dowsing in experiments with no success. They simply can not provide scientific explanations for why dowsing does or does not work. In 1987 and 1988 more than 500 dowsers participated in 10,000 double-blinded tests set-up by physicists in a barn near Munich in Germany. This exercise was called the “Scheunen” or “Barn” experiment. It was determined that the dowsing performance was not reproducible; therefore, the results were nothing more than chance. Another German study led by German physicist Hans-Dieter Betz was inconclusive. His response on his dowsing experiment was, “I am a scientist and those are my best plausible scientific hypotheses at this point .... We have established that dowsing works but have no idea how or why.”

For thousands of years, dowsing has been a way of life. Regardless of science, it is a fact that dowsing has played a large role in history. In 1949 French explorers were searching for evidence of a lost civilization in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa when they discovered a system of caverns. Upon the walls of the caverns were numerous murals, one of which was of a dowser holding a forked branch surrounded by what is believed to be his tribesmen admiring him. When it was carbon dated it was found to be 8000 years old!

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