How To Use Dowsing Rods

Dowsing, which originated in 15th century Germany, was predominantly used to divine the presence of ground water, thereby, giving it the nickname of water witching. In the modern era, diviners make use of dowsing rods to find, besides water, mineral deposits, buried treasure and artifacts, oil wells and even missing people!

According to one theory, all things, animate or inanimate, possess an energy field that emanates vibrations of varied frequencies. It is believed that the dowsing rod or pendulum is used as an antenna to catch these "vibrations" of the sought-after object.

Another theory suggests that a psychic connection is established between the seeker or dowser and the sought. All said and done, dowsing rods, how to use them and their types make for some interesting information indeed. As is the case with other esoteric sciences like astrology, dowsing is treated with skepticism and suspicion by many.

All said and done, dowsing rods, how to use them and their types make for some interesting information indeed. As is the case with other esoteric sciences like astrology, dowsing is treated with skepticism and suspicion by many.

Albert Einstein was, however, a believer of dowsing. He has opined, "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."

As mentioned above, there are mainly two types of dowsing rods: the Y-shaped ones and the L shaped one. Both these are used for different purposes, and the way to use them differs slightly.

When a possible location is approached, the dowsing rod gets attracted and pulls the dowser towards that location. Once the rod is just above the source ground, it starts vibrating.

Dowsing sticks for ghost hunting are predominantly made of copper to ease the location of electric charge and magnetic field. These rods are held lightly, one in each hand, and experience a pull towards paranormal-activity-prone regions.

Rods used for ghost hunting cross each other at the exact spot of the activity or supernatural presence. This happens in conformity with the theory that spirits possess electromagnetic fields which attract the metal rods.

Dowsing rods are also used:

• In Detecting Geopathic Stress
• In Gaming
• In Medicine

Geopathic stress refers to the earth energies or rays, whether natural or man-made, that adversely affect living organisms. Geopathic stress does not induce illnesses but might lower the immunity level of living organisms, thereby causing physiological discomforts.

Dowsing can be used to detect such stress lines so as to be able to avoid them. For this reason, use of dowsing in feng shui and vastu purposes is very popular.

Dowsing sticks have been used in gaming as well. Psychonauts is a multilevel platform video game which can be played on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Windows platforms.

There is an aspect of the game where arrowheads, made of a psychic-enabled meteorite called psitanium, need to be gathered by use of dowsing rods by psychonauts. These arrowheads are used to bust through various levels and advance towards the end of the game.

Dowsing is often used in alternative medicine, to locate a displaced vertebra or pinpoint a diseased organ, to decide the exact dosage of a medicine and to discover allergic substances.

The idea of 'dowsing out' explosives sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? Well, a couple of handheld devices (ADE 651 and Sniffex), claiming to work as dowsing rods for detecting explosives, were developed recently for purpose of being used by the military and police forces.

However, both have proved to be little more than 'gizmo-ed' versions of traditional dowsing sticks whose efficacy relies more on chance than any actual cosmic or paranormal system.

Though an obscure science or practice, there are many who believe in dowsing. It is believed that everyone can dowse but with varied capability or intensity. Young individuals up to the age of 14-16 are supposed to be more sensitive than adults and hence make for the best dowsers.

Some people may obtain dowsing reaction immediately while others may need some practice and patience. Dowsing, dowsing rods, how to use them, etc., all come under the purview of obscure sciences. Similar to the cases of all other obscure sciences, this is an area that has attracted much debate and controversy.

There are believers who claim to have proven its efficacy for themselves and there are skeptics. The best way to come to a conclusion is to try it for yourself. It's easy and fun!