Seek, Dowse and You Will Find

Some people believe the dowsing practice began in Germany in the fifteenth century.  I think people have been using twigs, rods or pendulums much longer than that to find answers for their questions.

And that’s the reason to dowse.  To help you find what you’re seeking.   In the U.S., dowsing or divining is known by other names such as water finding, water witching or water dowsing.  That causes folks to believe that dowsing is only good for one use – yep, discovering a water source.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are many reasons to dowse, including finding metals, tunnels, avalanche survivors, healing, choosing the most nutritious vegetables and fruits, working with the land and answering questions.  I know folks who use a pendulum when they eat out to decide which meal is best for their body that meal.  Another uses her pendulum in the grocery store.  And I recently learned of dowsing to heal and release negative patterns and habits. 

Dowsing tools include a forked tree branch, two L-shaped metal wire rods, pendulums and human hands without a tool.  If you ever played the baby shower game of dangling a needle over the mother’s “bump” to determine the fetus’s gender, you were dowsing!

When using a branch, the two ends on the forked side are held one in each hand with the stem of the branch pointing straight ahead.  Then the dowser walks slowly over the ground.  L-shaped rods are held one in each hand with the long arm pointing forward. When the sought object is found, the rods cross over each other, making an X.  Pendulums suspended from chains may be used to answer specific questions, and are often used in alternative healing sessions.

The most important part of a dowsing session is for the practitioner to keep an open mind.  You can use any of the tools – or your hands – and have dowsing work for you with some practice and focus on your task.  You may want to use meditation when first starting out, or when your skills are developed.  The ability to “listen” is key. 

Focus on your question or need (need being the important word), use the tool that works best for you, then listen.  Answers are always given to those who pay attention.

If you’d like more information on this ancient practice, go to the website of the American Society of Dowsers at www.dowsers.org.