In front of me lie two pretty pieces of copper, bent at a 90 degree angle and decorated with little glass beads. They are my very own dowsing rods, purchased with the assistance of that faithful pal, the internet. This computer enables me to buy anything I want and to talk to anyone I want without making any effort at all. It is intoxicating to sit here and set all kinds of mischief in motion. A quick flurry on the keyboard and I have badgered paranormal buffs with irritating questions; press another key and I have become a dowser!
Not a very good one, I am afraid. The introductory CD leads the novice through several lessons. I have so far completed step one; holding them the right way up. My rods swing freely within neat little sleeves. This is to stop me cheating, I think. I have to pick them up and hold them out parallel at waist height, allowing them to move. When I do this, sometimes they swing around wildly and sometimes they settle quickly to a still parallel position. I find this fascinating. I like holding them and watching them. This is as far as I consistently get.
The next step is beyond my abilities. The dowser has to establish what position the rods habitually take when they indicate a ‘yes’ answer. I settle them in parallel position and politely ask them to show me ‘yes’, while trying to concentrate. Sometimes they cross, as the CD suggested they probably would. Sometimes they do nothing at all; sometimes they swing around so that one rod points accusingly at my chest. If I breathe deeply, or give one rod a little jiggle, they obediently cross, but I suspect it is naughty to tamper in this way. I have been trying to complete step 2 for about three days, off and on. I notice more success after an dozen or so tries, as if the rods warm up slowly each session. I do not think I am concentrating hard enough. Perhaps I would have more success if not for the attention-seeking cat, the infernal drum and base music and other by-products of home and family. It is hard to concentrate when so much is happening. It is better to wait until the house is empty, or until Youngest is called away on play station related business. That way, they don’t know what I’m up to, either.
Virginia Wolf needed a room of her own and some money in order to write. The rest of us also need a little peace and privacy if we are to engage with anything as self-centred as a hobby or an independent thought. Anyway, free time has arrived. Spouse, Youngest and cat all went out, in that order. It is just me, the rods and the chocolate now.
A few minutes later…
on first attempt, nothing happened. On the second and third attempts, the rods crossed within about 10 seconds of my asking for the yes sign. Then I decided to watch without asking for anything, and the rods crossed again. There are no wild movements this evening, just either nothing or the cross. I wonder if this is progress. I have decided to move on to the next step, and ask the rods to show me the ‘no’ position.
A few minutes later… ‘no’ seems easier. The rods moved slightly apart and the left one trembled a little. This happened three times, quite quickly and easily. The third time, I asked for a ‘yes’ after the ‘no’ and the rods did not move. I think they need to be re-set after each movement. I have eaten all the chocolate.
Pause, to let in the cat through the back door, offer him food, hang up the washing, then let out the cat through the front door. Refreshed, I tried a different grip. As well as the CD which arrived with the rods, I have a booklet, purchased the old fashioned way, by wandering in to my favourite bookshop, rummaging around for twenty minutes then giving a real human being some real, physical money. My booklet advises holding the rods in your fists. This worked for me straight away. I have also started holding the rods closer together now – only a few inches apart. Heartened, I moved up to step 4; I asked a real question. The CD suggests saying your address and asking if you currently live there, then saying another address and asking if you live there. Both these worked for me, giving appropriate ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers. It is a little spooky.
The book is mostly about how dowsers search for water or minerals underground. It is very matter-of-fact and not mystical or potty at all. It suggests that the rods move because the dowser involuntarily makes tiny reactive movements in response to the presence of whatever is being sought. If that is true, then my reactions moved the rods. The book also points out that some dowsers believe the rods are powered by a kind of earth force, which may or may not be magnetic. If that is the case, I am not sure how useful my copper rods will be. Perhaps steel ones work better with magnetic fields.
Wikipedia told me that a German experiment with dowsing produced results which were simultaneously interpreted as a concrete proof of the effectiveness of dowsing and also as a thorough de-bunking of the dowsing myth, depending on which side you listened to. Britishdowsers.org rose above this; with a shrug of its virtual shoulders, the website pointed out that nobody would waste their money employing people to dowse if it did not work, and that dowsers seem to have been in lucrative demand for an extremely long time.
Even a short time browsing dowsing uncovers several distinct, but not conflicting, aspects of the practice. I am interested in two of them.
There is a ‘hard hat’ type dowsing which involves looking for water or minerals, or other items required by engineers and such. There would be little room for conjecture about whether or not the dowsing had been successful in these cases, although, interestingly, I read that you were most likely to have success if you had an understanding of Geology and local conditions before getting out your twig. Hmm.
Then there is a ‘get out your chakras’ type dowsing, which involves mapping lines of force and energy in the earth itself. A huge potential for disagreement and confusion exists because there is no visible or tangible proof to dig up and expose; there is only the experience of the dowsers themselves.
I want a go
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