Here is a short and amusing report published in 1898, from the directors of a gold mining company to their investors, in which they report on the use of a diviner to boost their fortunes.
“Mining directors as humourists”
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No265_1999_p306.pdf
“Spooky action: examples of PK in dowsing” by Nick Haywood
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No337_2020_p22.pdf
This article includes examples of what appears to be a kind of mental action acting on dowsing devices, similar to psychokinesis (PK). There are many more examples in the BSD journals. It draws on articles published in the BSD journal over the years. Some of these examples are indeed extraordinary, illustrating that the BSD membership has included some very psychically gifted individuals. It is often assumed amongst dowsers that the dowsing instrument is activated by unconscious muscular action. This may be true, but clearly not for all dowsers. One is left wondering however, what ability to remote influence objects do people have in general?
“A beginner in electronic dowsing”, by Daniel Wilson.
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No188_1980_p232.pdf
The late Dan Wilson was one of the more gifted of dowsers of his day, and for a long time, he was an active member of the BSD. His main interest was applying dowsing to the field of healing. But his day job was working as an electronics engineer, testing electronic circuits. It was perhaps natural therefore, that he used dowsing to aid his work (though perhaps not in on vert way). In this article, he describes what he learned about dowsing from this particular application of the art.
I have summarized his main observations:
To assist dowsing to work well, it is best to “turn off” one’s logical thinking, that is approach it as if one knows very little. But this can in itself hinder the process, because one can then look in the wrong place if knowledge is not used to guide the search.
When dowsing, there is always time to take into consideration. Basically, the answer to a question about a particular system, will simultaneously include the system’s past, present and future states. Therefore, when dowsing through time, one must choose the starting time carefully, depending on the problem. He also adds the option of what is often caled the “idiot response”, when the dowsing response is unable to establish itself, becuase the answer lies outside of the range of answers considered possible. Also, he says that one can dowse to get a future prediction, but he seems to suggest that such a prediction is probabilistic, since it is based on current knowledge.
When searching, sometimes one has to be very precise with the terms used. Perhaps this is one reason why he considered dowsing to work best for really simple problems.
Map dowsing can be applied to schematic diagrams (we have seen this in earlier posts).
One of his more extraordinary uses of dowsing is as private computer. For exmple he calculates logarithms and values for components in circuits.
He considered the dowsing response to be affected by, or reflect, how one perceives reality. This made him sceptical about all dowsing theories, since preconceived ideas could affect the dowsing results.
The considered there to be a connection between healing and dowsing. I think he is referring to effect of one’s mental states and their effect on dowsing.
He simply accepts that dowsing never gives all the answers and that there is no need to form theories about its limitations.
I suspect, although they may not be aware of it, that many talented dowsers exhibit profound psychokinesis (PK) like abilities (perhaps these are present to some extent in all people). He recounts a personal experience.. Perhaps his ability, as well as healing people, could also heal circuits.
“The Lost Library of Iona”, by Reverand P. B. Willmot.
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No221_1988_p311.pdf
This is a dowsing detective story. The author was interested in finding out what became of the library originally beonging to the monastery on the Scottish island of Iona, following the monastry’s dissolution in 1561. The legend was that it had been buried on a nearby but remote island. With a vague idea that dowsing might be helpful, he enlisted the help of BSD members, and had offers of help from amongst the best dowsers of the day. Along the way, he was also introduced to people with extraordinarily psychic sensitivities.
Unfortunately, no great discovery was made, but it is interesting to read how, bit by bit, the adventure unfolds, guided by the dowsing results, which were all obtained remotely by map dowsing. However, the story at least demonstrates what is possible through dowsing.
Letter from a Mrs Edna Connolly, who had read the book “Dowsing: One Man’s Way” by the former president of the BSD, Major-General Jim Scott Elliot. A very readable book concentrating on the applications of dowsing, including many descriptions of his own experiences.
In the book, Scott Elliot relates how he located missing jewellery, by dowsing a sketched map. This seems to have inspired the Mrs Connolly’s husband to do something similar to locate his wife’s lost wedding ring, with remarkable results. This seems to have encouraged the writer to trust more here intuitive feelings.
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No207_1985_p42.pdf
In the early years of the BSD Journal, there were reviews of several European journals on the subject of dowsing, which were published at that time, but sadly no more. One of these was “Cespara”. In BSD Journal, No85, 1954, p45, the following brief review appeared of an article in Vol. 9, No. 2, March-April, 1954, of the Italian journal.
“The Magic Pendulum” is an extract from a review of a book by an Italian police officer who began to use the pendulum in 1938 and to use it afterwards in his work. A Danish professor called on him one day to report that he had been robbed at his hotel of 100,000 lire und valuable documents. They both went to the hotel and made enquiries which were fruitless. The professor was annoyed and asked if Radiesthesia had been used. The officer said no; that his department did not favour recourse to such means. “Then you are many years behind the times,” said the professor. With its aid, in my country, no crime goes unpunished. Now the thief stole the portfolios from the back pocket of my pants and left my pendulum below. Please get me a plan of the hotel quarters, and give me a piece of lead pencil.” From this he took a piece of the graphite and glued it on to the base of the pendulum. Slowly, in his hand, the pendulum traced out on a white paper the design of a human face. The hotel chief was summoned and he at once recognised and named the thief, who was caught with the goods.
Reading the BSD journals it is possible to find some authors who share their opinion on how many people can actually dowse. I thought it might be interesring to collect these entries together. Here are some numbers appearing in the journals from 1933 to 2000.
No4, 1934 – “The theory and practice of water finding” by B. Tompkins
B. Tompkins was one of the most famous dowsers of his day.
“I have tested hundreds of persons of various ages and positions on life, but only in two instances have I found any one outside my own family who possessed the gift with sufficient confidence to be able to utilize it with any degree of success. “ “One of my sons was equally as successful as myself” the other could, but had “too strong a nature” and got fatigued too easily.
“Water finders are born, not made. It is a gift that cannot be acquired, or a profession that cannot be taught, although it may be developed by a person conscious of having the gift by practice and coaching through expert tuition.”
No68, 1950, p66 – “notes for beginners” by Colonel K. W. Merrylees (former BSD President)
“It is my experience that while perhaps one in twenty persons is sufficiently sensitive naturally to get a recognisable reaction over a good, well-defined indication, not more than one per cent. of these are naturally so sensitive that they can expect to receive and distinguish all the important indications without a long and laborious development of sensitivity. This does not mean that this ‘supersensitive’ one per cent. are already capable dowsers. They are as far from it as the schoolboy finding himself gifted with a good ‘eye’ for games is from becoming a Wimbledon class tennis player. I believe it is possible for almost anyone with a small initial sensitivity to develop this gift, but there seems to be a minimum receptivity without which certain essential indications are not received, and therefore full and reliable, results cannot be obtained.”
No150, 1977, p97 – letter from Colonel K. W. Merrylees
Describes a 2 year study conducted at the Royal School of Military Engineering, Chattenden, to find out what percentage of young officers and N.C.O.s were sensitive to dowsing. “Of 344 candidates tested 10% were ‘naturals,’ 36% able to develop their basic sensitivity to a useful degree, and the remainder had little or no ability.”
No232, 1991, p249 – “dowsing for beginners” by Maj-Gen. J. Scott Elliot. (former BSD President)
“From experience in testing and trying to help people, I think about 10%. could be good dowsers 10%. Haven’t a hope, because their sensitivity is too much atrophied. Of the remaining 80% I am sure that many could be reasonably good dowsers if they wanted to be, and if they found a use they could practice and train upon. These two factors are essential.”
no259, 1998, p22 “The patterns under our feet” by Patrick D. O’Sullivan
The article describes a museum in south Devon devoted to Brunel’s Atmospheric Railway. Water for the boilers was provided by good underground streams, of which only one was left, at place named Starcross. It was now a capped over well. The Man running the museum kept a stock of dowsing angle rods and tested the visitors he found that – 40% women, 60% men dowsed the well, first time.
No265, 1999, p308 – “discovering dowsing” by John Ralphs
He estimated 20-30% who had a go to detect a water supply under a tarmac road, produced some kind of reaction at their first attempt.
No266, 1999, p367 – (reprint of newspaper article) – “Dowsing could divine more Cressing secrets”
Archaeologist Barry Crouch doing an experiment for his thesis for a post grad diploma in field archaeology, employed local volunteers to assist him dowse a site. Of 62 people only 3 could not dowse.
No30, 1940, p212 -“Experiments at Eastbourne College” By A. Y. Cole
Experiments with 10 or 12 boys. “There were, however, two or three who were unable to feel anything. These were from both the sceptics and the ones interested.” Two did not need any instruments, just used their hands.
“.. in the case of those who were quite unable to detect any influences, that contact with one much practised in dowsing made the rod turn in the other’s hands.”
No22, 1938, p263 – “Notes by a dowser” – author’s name not given.
Test of young R.E. officers using rods over “a little stream in the chalk”. “Of the 24 only six could feel nothing, 12 could feel quote well, and two promised to be good”
It is quite a range of results and the numbers are too small to draw definite conclusions. The consensus amongst these authors is that not everyone can dowse, or at least obtain a reaction in the chosen test scenario, and a minority have good sensitivity. ….
Prob 1% are v sensitive.
<10% are good
<20% find it difficult, or impossible.
And the “in-betweeners” can improve with practice, an encouraging environment, and perhaps even the presence of a 1 percenter!
Perhaps this shows that dowsing ability may be at least approximately normally distributed, like many traits. There may of course be other factors at work here, and these have been explored in the parapsychology literature.
Here is a talk given by Sir Charles Jessel, Baronet, farmer and dowser, “At home and abroad with the pendulum”,
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No205_1984_p289.pdf
He splits his talk into two parts. The first part deals with his experiences dowsing in the UK. He mentions many practical applications of dowsing, particularly related to his work as a farmer. He also mentions his observations on Earth energies, having been influenced by the work of the classic dowser Guy Underwood. During this part of the talk, he highlights six mistakes he made while dowsing and what he learned from them. In the second part talks about his experiences dowsing while travelling in Greece and Turkey.
Amongst the applications he mentions, (many being farming related) are the following:.
Dating (archaeological) objects.
Selecting job applicants.
Locating leaking pipes.
Using a proxy to dowse for items about which the dowser has insufficient knowledge.
Making optimal settings on farming machinery.
Determining a price to sell something.
Finding lost (garden) tools.
How and where to plant trees.
Sexing shrubs and trees.
Finding mushrooms
He relates six dowsing mistakes he has made, which subsequently improved his dowsing:
1/ His dowsing question was poorly formed leading to the wrong answer. Here he refers to what is known as a ‘witness ray’, or a line connecting two objects that share some similarity, over which the dowser will obtain a reaction. This line he believes can be mis-interptrted for a physical object.
2/ This onw was specific to his interest in dating buildings. When dating a building, date the mortar rather than the stone (which would be formed in another age). It seems that this approach could be generalised to dating other composite objects.
3/ When depthing underground water. It is important to go down carefully from the ground surface though each layer.
4/ When dowsing to pick out a suitable employee. The application letter might not be written by the actual applicant, so care should be taken if using it as a witness.
5/ Dowsing answers might appear to be wrong, but this might be because one has forgotten to specify the time when the answer should apply, ie generally this is ‘now’. Otherwise the answer might be correct but applies to the past, or future.
6/ When searching for objects, be accurate in formulating clearly the object sought and where you seek it.
In addition to these mistakes, he makes an interesting comment about the need for the dowser to know something about the subject they are dowsing. But if this knowledge is not present, then it is possible to use another person’s knowledge, or gain the required know how from books etc. He gives the example of formulating a particular pottery glaze with his son, who could provide the necessary information.
The second part of the talk refers to his experiences dowsing ancient temples Greece and Turkey. This work refers back to the work of Underwood on Earth energies. The results seem highly personal and the reader must make of this what they will. However, I particularly like his concluding remark about dowsers working under Hermes, and to be aware of the latter as a trickster figure. The seventh mistake would then be to mix intellect with intuition!
“Australian Diviners” by Noel Raddatz.
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_No58_1947_p319.pdf
This is light-hearted account of dowsing in Australia back in the 1940s. It seemed that back then, Australians were particularlt keen dowsers, what with the need to find water for farming and the deisre to find the abundance of precious minerals. This article concentates on divining for water and gold.
Some diviners have spectacular results, but as the author describes, not all that take up dowsing (perhaps the majority) can provide reliable results. Whether this is due to lack of practice and experience, or lack of innate dowsing ability is not clear. But as he points out to become a good diviner, requires “patience and tenacity”. He ends with an unusual dowsing pendulum incorpotating a sample of the object sought – searching for gold using a gold nugget suspended from a string!
This article entitled “The Super-Sensor dowsing rod”, has an unknown author. But it is likely to have been written by Frank Jordan, a very experienced American dowser, who appears to have developed and until recently, sold the rod.
http://www.dowsing-research.net/blog_extracts/BSD_no255_1997_p218.pdf
The Super-Sensor rod was a rather elegant version of the traditional L rod. It was manufactured from brass, and comprised Teflon bearings giving it enhanced sensitivity, which may or may not be an advantage, depending on the environment one is dowsing in.
The article describes the author’s varied dowsing experiences, from hunting to prospecting. Then mentions uses of the divining rod. However, the main content of the article is that is outlines in some detail, how to begin dowsing.
He begins with how to form and express the search question for the object being sought. The question should be quite specific, being clear in one’s mind what is sought, avoiding ambiguity. But to get started, ask broad, general questions first, then narrow down the questions.
He also suggests before beginning to dowse, to ask whether it is OK to get the information sought, whether you are permitted to, whether you should ask the particular question, and whether you can get the information you want. This is often summed up as “Can I? May I? Am I ready?”, (see post 12-05-2020) and is a more recent development in dowsing practice. He says that asking these questions helps to clear the conscious mind, so that it does not interfere with information from the unconscious mind. The big problem is that preconception and reasoning will cause mistakes, and it is necessary to shut off the conscious mind.
He then mentions certain techniques, such as dowsing maps and using charts or diagrams to get quantitative or subjective values and use of samples He concludes with some very helpful dos and don’ts when dowsing. He stresses the need for confidence that one can dowse, and trust in the results obtained; one should accept the response obtained the first time a question is asked, and not repeat the same question. This is all done through practice and learning from mistakes. He asserts that “… the only limitations in dowsing are the ones you place on yourself. Be inventive”. When one reads the accounts of dowsers in the BSD journals, one can see this inventiveness at play, for as we have seen in previous posts, the information one seeks can be made to manifest itself in a variety of ways, all dependent on the dowser’s imagination.