After finding a spot, I use a forked willow to see if thered be enough water for a good well. I acquired the skill and it workssometimes. "Dowsing," "water witching," "divining," and "doodlebugging" are all names for the practice of locating groundwater by walking the surface of a property while holding a forked stick, a pair of L-shaped rods, a pendulum, or another tool that responds when the person moves above a location that will yield an adequate flow of water to a drilled well (see Figure 1). One rancher was so grateful he paid Lynn $100. Yes, water witching has been in existence for a long time. Allow to steep overnight, strain the next day. When one has witnessed someone with a proven track record do it right in front of you with spectacular results then one tends to lean toward KNOWING it works, at least for certain gifted individuals. He found one at Dad's house and was within 2ft of the depth of the vein. Ha Ha. Hello Brian, Do you know how I would go about finding a Dowser in my area? He said he wished he would have quizzed this guy more to learn as this witcher has been gone for some time already. I'm not sure how to take your opinion on these abilities described above. Farmers have used water-witching for generations, to determine the best place to dig their wells, and to find a source of drinking water for their cattle in a pasture. I tried again when my sister had a piece of farm ground. "The small end, where you are holding it, is less than 1/4 inch in diameter," he says. Using a green willow branch Babs Ballard looks for the flow of water near a well she previously discovered on Swauk Prairie Wednesday . It was life changing for me . You dont always know whats under the ground. Somewhat superstitious of him, huh? My father was really good at finding water for people he used wires i prefer a forked stick dowsing doesnt have to be proven to me i know without a shadow of a doubt it works i havent figured out how to scientifically prove it but i can make anyone feel what i feel as long as im touching the stick you will feel it to there has to be a way you could measure the force being put on my stick its so strong if i try to hold the stick and keep walking the stick will break. . Willow is "water loving," and helps point the way to the water. Even found well water for our church in the last year. Some call it the gift. Others refer to it as dowsing, doodlebugging, or water witchingthe practice of locating water underground using a forked stick. The man acting as "witch" held the branch by the fork ends with the point sticking straight out in front of him. Would you know of any dowsers in the middle TN area? Old style dowsers and water witches in the United States prefer branches from the witch-hazel, willow, or peach tree and often favor rods of freshly cut or green wood because "wet wood recognizes water." The dowser holds the Y-shaped dowsing rod with one short end of the Y in each hand and the long end of the Y pointing forward. When we bought our farm in Ohio, in 1966,it only had a hand dug cistern. Repeat for the second rod, and you have yourself some homemade copper dowsing rods! I drove up later and they told me what had happened, and made me try it. When I see a dowser clearing minefields, I might start giving it some credibility. Try it yourself ,grab couple pieces of thin wire or other metal, bend it to fit your hands at approximately 90 degrees and walk across your lawn ,find the water meter in the street and that runs in a straight line to your first hose bib. Location. My grandpa could witch wells. Perfect for watering our gardens. You can use virtually any kind of tree, but Y-shaped sticks from willows, witch hazel, and various fruit and nut trees seem to be the most popular. Each has their own benefits and downfalls. senior writer. Not sure whether either of our sons or any of the grandkids can witch. I have been dowsing for 50 years with complete success. Reminds me of someone bending their finger. Lynn likes to use a green willow, but even a relatively dry one will work . The more times it bobs up and down, the deeper the water.. Does it work to find overhead power lines? Accuracy? Figure 2: A cross-section of a building site above sedimentary materials. His son & daughter can both find tile & waterlines as well. It's a very strong response. David, my wifes uncle witched for water at the place where we build our first house soon after we where married. He does it by holding a fresh wishbone-shaped branch, preferably from a willow tree, and in doing this with his hands . Usually look at blue prints to go onto the street and mark what is needed. they will simply that there is no right nor wrong place, just drill anyplace and you either hit or miss. What Is Dowsing? Lynn likes to use a green willow, but even a relatively dry one will work. The single end was sharpened to a point, exposing the wet, fresh willow wood. Dowsing for water. My grandfather was the water finder and he said use willow for finding water. Yes he dosed and found and also claimed underground rivers! Good Morning. Note ,the side to side movement helps to determine if the water is sufficient to develope. Silvery green male and female catkins appear on separate trees in April to May, but are not showy. It is a unique talent that I also have I generally use one rod in my receiving hand. An excellent article, Amber Kanuckel. He was never wrong and always found water. Publications. The Dewey Decimal classification system places dowsing in 133.323 in the neighborhood of fortune-telling, parapsychology and occultism. It can and does work. Still more say that this art is nothing more than a clever hoax. The divining rod: A history of water witching, with a bibliography Water Supply Paper 416 (1917) There is amazing power there but Im a bit reluctant to do it because I dont know where the power or ability comes from. Chinese New Year: Traditions and Superstitions, Spring Equinox and the First Day of Spring, Summer Solstice and the First Day of Summer, Sell the Farmers Almanac In Your Retail Store, Grow Your Business Advertise with the Farmers Almanac, Be The Business Your Customers Will remember. The dowser walks through the field with the dowsing rod. Water witching, also known as dowsing, has been around for a long time but has never been fully accepted as a legitimate tool by the scientific community. Elderly, cantankerous friend of mine said no problem, Ill bring my own coat hangers. Hit and miss with tile lines, but if im trying the rods will swing around abruptly when im over something making it obvious. It works. It worked for me using a peach tree fork. I can do it but in her younger days mom was a lot more accurate than I. I can't make it work, but know many who do. Spreading sticks can be a no answer, sometimes point the direction of a stream of water thats not moving. Not sure how to determine the quality of the water and its flow rate but apparently some people can determine that too. So, the claim here is all the studies that show dowsing DOESNT work are somehow disproved by one study that implied it may (an implication that has other explanations, such as the ability to interpret the terrain). If I can teach 9 yr old to do it anyone can do it following this simple technique. For some it works and others not. A neighbor was accomplished in this and thought I might be able to do it as well. The well driller determined where to drill and showed me his techniques, Lynn says. No scientist or anyone else is telling me its nonsense! This generation may be losing this old art unless some of you take up "water witching." Bill Brandon, an oldtimer touching his seventies, who lived in the Decatur area, but is now deceased . AFC 1999/008: CRF-MH-A071. Some water witchers use a forked willow branch and by gripping the two forks firmly, the willow rod will move up and down when placed over and underground current of water. They also provide information about the different types of rock units that exist in the area. I water-witch with my job 3 to 4 days a week. He has been consistent enough over the years that it does work and it is not witchcraft or anything of the sort. I am going to talk to a doctor and see if there is some way to monitor my blood pressure and pulse rate when I do this the next time. Gave me chills. Dowsing is a type of divination specifically for the location of objects, most notably water or treasure of some sort, but any item can be the subject of dowsing. As a young teen,my neighbor friend showed me how to do it with a forked apple branch.I was a doubter.We would hide a cup of water behind or under objects in his house.Then we would do a contest on who could find the water.One particular couch we could hide it beneath on ends or middle.I was astounded and we trained ourselves and we were nearly I would say 95 % accurate.Once we had an issue with the branch dragging the tip down in the middle of the living room floor.WTF was wrong? Water witching, practiced all over the world, involves using a Y-shaped stick, a "divining rod," to find underground water. Its the disruption in the earth that does it. Going to try another well drill very soon. Outward again I hollered. It works. I have never tried the Y stick. Traditionally, the most common dowsing rod is a forked (Y-shaped) branch from a tree or bush. If it starts again count the number of bobs. When he walks over a location that has the potential of yielding water, the dowsing rod will rotate in his hands and point toward the ground. Figure 3: A drawing from De Re Metallica, by Georgius Agricola, published in 1556. For the bobber stick (to determine depth of water), Lynn uses a dowsing willow about 3 feet long but small and light. The forked ends of the dowsing rods are clutched palms-down, and dowser slowly walks over . In fact, when California was in the middle of their worst drought, they turned to local dowsers to uncover hidden sources of water. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Water-Witchin' was at one time a part of regular country life when other means of finding water underground in order to dig a well wasn't available. I believe those were well drillers,not well diggers. We can determine male or female, how deep the grave is and by determining the length of the grave figure if its a child or adult. The welding rods locate water but dont tell you how much. He was floored, and I had no idea what was going on. I walked around and was flabbergasted when those stupid wires started moving on their own! I am a 4th Generation Water-witch. Geologists may have an idea, but this still doesnt tell you where the seams of water might be, he says. I did all of a sudden they went down. Why does the weeping willow root system expand so widely? Wasted $14,000 on these dry holes. My mom could do this..we called them water witches. Driller came within 2 in of my spot he dowsed also. I would not drill a well without the advice of a witcher. Our new well supplied good water for our house (no more surface water that could be contaminated) and plenty of water for filling water troughs for our cattle. My Gramma, who passed earlier this year, witched the well for her and Grampas house when it was built. My mom uses a forked willow branch. Forked stick in front, wandering arid land until, somewhat magically and often with the hint of help from some otherworldly power, the witch and the wand divine a spot in the dirt where life-giving water, at some depth underground, waits to be liberated.. The small end, where you are holding it, is less than 1/4 inch in diameter, he says. The people buried there are relatives of his. It works for some people and some people cant do it. Been doing it since 1978. Eventually got mad when Im starting to laugh some and him yelling at me to do something to help and go flush a d%#n toilet! Ive only had to sit down to laugh and catch my breath like that a couple times in my life. Some of the neighbors have been told that. Listen to this story (requires any MP3 Player) May 23, 2001 -- Back in the old days, when farmers wanted to find water in the . Much like with Christ, many things cant be explained by the community of so-called scientists. Most expertsother than dowsing experts, that isclassify this art to the realm of pseudoscience. Since then, I have used it multiple times to find old water lines with good results. This way you can hold tightly and feel the willow pull on your hands and wrists. A multi million dollar grant to research it. Both wells support a small community. He was a local legend as a water witcher who succeeded in finding water when drillers failed. Water Witches book. A dowser, or water witch, is a person perceived to have a skill for discovering underground water with the use of a divining rod, usually a small, forked limb cut from virtually any fruit-bearing tree or willow. Then he showed me how to determine depth to drill. Those that it hasnt,Ive told them to walk back to me and Ive placed my hand on their shoulder as I walk behind them. Well, after they dug at that spot, he was amazed that they found the water they needed pretty close to the projected depth. Im about half of them the wire will start going down on them when they approach the vein. Being a plumber by trade and having a father that was also a plumber; I can tell you it's a crap shoot. Hold the rods steady in your hands. It was about 18 long in a "Y" shape. Im in Dillsburg, PA 17019. Water Dowsing Works (Even If We Dont Know Why), Geologists may have an idea, but this still doesnt tell you, where the seams of water might be, he says. Dont know anyone who ever used it for bombs, gold etc, but seen it work for water. Standing. Just saying it depends on how you feel. I witched my well on my 40 place in the mountains. Aug 26, 2007 Aug 26, 2007 Updated Jan 31, 2020; 0; Facebook; Twitter; . And yet I know people that can do it. On a commercial property we learned that there is a natural spring underneath after an excavation company accidentally dug into it and it flooded the work site. He seemed to think it worked because the live limb needed the water source. Just another thing in a long list of things I have no talent for. It was dead on and worked backwards and forwards. Kind of like some people have success wearing copper bracelets and such. I already knew exactly where it was,but I still watched to see if he would locate it. I can't tell the depth though. Id concentrate more on finding water or whatever youre hunting. I told them to throw their dowsing rods away. It shows two workers using dowsing rods to locate subsurface ore minerals. When the willow twists, the part pointed forward and upward suddenly pulls down toward the ground. Hes into genealogy. It's hit and miss for me with wires and water lines. Read 403 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Im not near as good as she was. Dowsing can be done via many different tools, including but not limited to: two L-shaped copper rods, a willow branch, a pendulum or a weight tied to a string. With the copper piece at the end, I did it as a child and it absolutely works. Grab both ends of the Y in an underhanded grasp (so that the heels of your hands are facing towards the sky, as shown in the photo), and hold the dowsing rod horizontally so that it points in front of you. You can also use apple or peach branches for water dowsing. I can witch water and find water lines with forked stick or metal hangers, this begin when I was 9 or 10 years old my grandfather was the one who found where water was for everyone who lived near us or for people who ask him to. Unless they used shovels. I walk to that point and when I get to the exact point my wire will turn in the direction of the underground water vein. Lynn doesnt know how water dowsing works, but he says it does work. Drive around and when I feel downward pressure we stop and I walk some. Also like vein at least 400 feet long or better. Plant your weeping willow at least 50 feet away from main structures, pathways, or driveways. I dont have much luck finding water veins consistently. Hasnt failed me yet. #4. we told them where to drill ,they drill down so far and hit good water .one place we did did the same thing but hit bad water (only lasted a month ) we used a water drill and went done 50 and water was fine . Lynn counts each time it bobs, and each bob represents about a foot of depth. Has to be a forked limb from a willow or fruit tree. We drove to my land that weekend and I set him on the same path I had taken, then stood back and watched. I witched my well on my 40 place in the last year and mark what is needed 50... They went down to see if thered be enough water for a long list of things I used. For me with wires and water lines with good results complete success a! 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