The pendulum is probably the principle tool of the modern dowser. Therefore, it might be of some interest to provide a sketch of the history of this device. Here I provide several extracts covering its early history up until the early part of the 20th century. This early period sees dowsers using mostly the dowsing “rod”, which was typically the Y-rod, but could also take other forms (even a German sausage). There appears to be little written about the use of the pendulum by run of the mill dowsers. However, we do have accounts by several intellectuals of their day, who took an interest in the working of the pendulum. This was possibly related to the recent discovery of electricity and magnetism.
One of the greatest reviews of dowsing was undertaken by Sir William Barrett, founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and published together with Theodore Besterman, in the early part of the 20th Century, in their book “The Divining Rod”. In his review of the history of dowsing, he mentions the first written account of dowsing practice by Agricola in his treatise “De Re Metallica”, published in 1556. In this, Agricola “…points out that very cogently that as the [dowsing] rod does not move in the hands of all men there cannot be any specific affinity between the object of the search and the rod : the phenomenon (which Agricola himself observed) must be due to some quality of the dowser himself.”
However, it was another who discovered what might actually activate the dowsing rod, or pendulum. A Jesuit, Athanasius Kircher, working in the middle of the 17th Century, performed many dowsing experiments. He connected the movement of the dowsing rod with that of the pendulum. Furthermore, he concluded that the action of any dowsing device was due to unconscious muscular actions on the art of the dowser.
In “Divining” by Christopher Bird, an encyclopaedic account of dowsing, by a former Vice-President of the American Association of Dowsers, he covers the early history of pendulum use, which he suggests may extend back to Roman times. You can read an excerpt here:
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/Bird_Divining_p123.pdf
During his historical sweep, he focusses on Johann Ritter, who appears to be the first true scientist to study the dowsing pendulum, around the end of the 18th Century. By careful study of the motion of the pendulum when used by an experienced dowser, Ritter noted that different substances produced different signature movements in the pendulum. He became convinced that the pendulum was acted on by some yet unknown force, derived from living organisms, including the dowser, and from inanimate objects. The action arose as a result of the dowser’s intention. This intention could be in the form of a question, and the pendulum would provide the answer by an interpretation of is movement. It seems that Ritter made good use of this in his research.
It seems that at this time, in France, a certain Professor Gerboin, had also been making a long and in depth study concerning the action of the pendulum, the results of which suggested that the user could illicit or handicap the pendulum’s movements, substantiating Ritter’s work. The French scientist Michel-Eugene Chevreul, followed up on Gerboin’s conclusions, working from the early to mid-19th Century, was considered at the time, the standard treatise on dowsing, “De la baguette divinatoire” (1854). Bird states that Chevreul had effectively discovered what we now refer to as psychokinesis (PK), the effect of mental intention over matter, but stopped short of concluding such. It seems instead, he attributed all of the movements of the pendulum to auto-suggestion, and ruled out any supernatural, spiritistic, electrical or magnetic force explanation for the phenomena. Rather than advancing dowsing, he had hindered its understanding.
However, also working in the mid-19th Century, was an English scientist, J. Rutter. He did conduct some interesting research on the PK effect on pendulums. Using an experimental rig named the “magnetoscope,” Rutter seems to have demonstrated PK effects, and also demonstrated ways in which the pendulum could be used as a dowsing instrument, for example with the use of samples. This is briefly covered in the Bird article, but a fuller account is given in the BSD journal:
“Early experiments with the pendulum”,
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No88_1955_p195.pdf
Throughout the 19th Century the idea of “Animal magnetism”, proposed by Franz Mesmer in the 18th century, was an influential belief; the idea of an invisible force arising from all living things, which could have physical effects. It inspired much research, such as that of Rutter’s. Another example that Bird mentions is Baron Karl von Reichenbach, who built on Rutter’s work. Reichenbach was an impressive researcher, working with many psi-gifted subjects. He was convinced of the existence of a PK like force, which he named “od”, or “odic” force. His work was sometimes referred to by members of the BSD, but now he is largely forgotten.
See: “Reichenbach”, in :
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No48_1945_p173.pdf
Finally, Bird describes the work of Johann Karl Bahr, who he says essentially laid down the basis for all dowsing practice that followed. Bahr contended that things had “inner values”, which were only recognised by the particular effect they have on the movement of the dowser’s pendulum.
In the latter half of the 19th Century, there seems to be less scientific interest in the pendulum, but in France, there began in interest in dowsing by a series of priest (Abbe) dowsers, whose work influenced much of the dowsing practice of the 20th Century. More in part 2.