One application that seems particular to dowsing, is that of removing Earth energies, which are perceived to be detrimental to health. We have met these in earlier posts for example post: 06-05-2020 – Earth energies view from Europe. They are variously referred to as ‘black streams’, or “geopathic stress”, or some time even “ley lines”. They are considered to be responsible for a range of health conditions. A description is provided by the author of this BSD article, “Dowsing for the cause of certain illnesses”, by Herbert Douglas

http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No204_1984_p256.pdf

Douglas has dowsed the bed rooms of a significant number of people, who had either cancer or arthritis. In all cases he finds underground streams crossing under the beds of the sufferers. The article has several photos of beds showing this phenomenon.

Many dowsers spend a lot of their time and effort making suitable interventions to block, divert or remove these energies. In the past, such an intervention was often referred to as de-raying, reflecting the idea that these energies were indeed energetic rays.  

In this article, published in 1985, in the Journal of the British Society of Dowsers, the author Michael Guest, who became an honorary life-president of the society, reviews the field at that time, in “Through Dowser’s eyes. A survey of deraying techniques”

http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No209_1985_p111.pdf

In his article, Guest points out that for a long time, he was puzzled about the apparent dual natures of dowsing – physical and psychic. He finally rationalised the situation by viewing these explanations as being “twin aspects of an underlying unity”. He then proceeds through the various methods dowsers use across the spectrum, from physical to purely mental. At the physical end, dowsers use “devices” of various kinds, then there are physical actions, through to a simple action of intent to intervene, (even just using a map). It would appear that all these interventions are indeed unified through the act of intention. This is the simplest explanation; the use of devices is simply part of a ritual, a physical representation of the intent. The dowser believes that it is the device that is making an active intervention, or possibly it helps overcome any unconscious inhibitions. 

But what of the noxious energy lines themselves? There is a frequent attribution to underground water. Other dowsers mention geological rock faults, “ley lines” and Herbert Douglas even mentions lightning strikes.

The most common assertion though is an association with water, and this must be because the dowser is obtaining a reaction for water. However, there is very little written that shows any independent confirmation of this link, for example, no drilling to confirm the existence of the streams. There is perhaps a possibility that the cause of the reaction is somehow mis-identified. However, some accounts do exist that collaborate the link indecently of the dowser’s reaction. A particularly interesting one, is referred to (not in the article)

“Dowsing on a Scottish farm”, by David Steven :

http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No178_1977_p86.pdf

In this he refers to an exceptional dowse, Mrs Smithett, who through map dowsing discovered black streams and good streams. An intriguing point was that there existed wells on both these stream types, seemingly conforming the link between actual water and black streams. “[T]here were wells along the black lines, but according to local tradition these were bad wells, and nobody drank water from them. One well was fenced off as being harmful to animals”. But the wells on the good lines were OK, “people go to them in preference to using water from the main.”

In his article, Guest refers to instances where streams have been diverted. And there are many accounts in the BSD journal of similar results, lending credibility to the idea. But as we have seen, some dowsers show considerable PK ability, so it is not beyond possibility that they could possibly influence the course of underground streams.

However, there may be other explanations than purely physical ones. Based on observations such as those of Douglas above, that lines so often pass under a “victim’s” chair or bed, Guest speculates as to “whether the lines create the illness, or the illness creates the lines”. It’s a good question.