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Dowsing is a technique for
locating underground water, minerals and metals,
generally for sensing information about geological
substances or conditions. Although it's quite debatable
whether it is a psychic ability, or rather a bodily
sensitivity to weak electromagnetic fields there's
little doubt as to its potential value. As Stephan
Schwartz emphasizes, a well-planned collaboration
between engineers, using state- of-the-art technology,
and dowsers could lead to some rich payoffs. By
predicting the position, depth, etc., of the desired
deposit strata, dowsers can save millions of dollars for
large companies. For example, Ontario Hydro, the world's
third largest water company, disclosed that they
regularly employ dowsers in con- junction with their
engineering techniques. Often huge problems arise from
uncharted cables or pipelines, as during the
construction of the Pickering nuclear power plant in
Ontario, when Caterpillar operators were almost
electrocuted by striking 4,000-volt power lines which
they were unable to locate precisely. After delays
entailing considerable costs, the chief engineer at
Hydro called in a dowser who traced out the cable path
with a rod, enabling them to excavate it.
Dowsing also can be an effective and low-cost solution
for finding water. The waterless city of Elsinore had
been paying Los Angeles large sums to bring water from
there. All the federal and state experts had concurred
that there was simply no water in that sector. A
well-known dowser named Verne Cameron who lived in the
city, insisted that he had located an aquifer under the
dried-up lake bed. After being refused a more ample
supply of water, the city finally decided to test
Cameron's claim, and struck one of the largest wells in
Southern California, exactly where he had predicted.
Some dowsing, at least, seems indisputably "paranormal"
- for some people are able to locate water or minerals
at a distance, using simply a map and a pendulum. Henry
Gross, one of the best-known American dowsers, was at a
reception in the state of Maine, when a dinner
conversation about drought-stricken Bermuda led him to
try to locate water there with his map. Three out of the
four locations he proposed were revealed to be exact --
wells were found in that area for the first time in over
300 years.
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Selected Publications in Dowsing:
Applegate, George. (1998). The Complete Book of Dowsing:
The Definitive Guide to Finding Underground Water.
Element.
Betz, Hans-Dieter. (1993). Unconventional Water
Detection: Field test of the dowsing technique in dry
zones. Deutsche-Gesellschaft fur Technische
Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH.
Bird, Christopher. (1993). The Divining Hand: The
500-year-old Story of Dowsing. Whitford Press: Atglen,
PA.
Graves, Tom. (1990). The Diviner's Handbook: A Guide to
the Timeless Art of Dowsing.
Hyman, Ray & Vogt, Evon Z. (1960). Water-witching: An
Anerican Paradox. Scientific American
Maby, J.C., & Franklin, T. B. (1939). The Physics of the
Divining Rod. London: G. Bell and sons.
Naylor, Peter. (1999). Discovering Dowsing and Divining.
Shire.
Webster, Richard (1996). Dowsing for Beginners: The Art
of Discovering: Water, treasure, Gold, Oil, Artifacts,
Llewellyn.
Vogt, Evon Z. (1956). Interviewing Water Dowsers.
American Journal of Sociology, 62(2), Sep, 198.
Vogt, E. Z., & Hyman, Ray. (2000). Water Witching USA.
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.
Webster, Richard (1996). Dowsing for Beginners: The Art
of Discovering: Water, Treasure, Gold, Oil, Artifacts.
Llewellyn.
Wheatley, Dennis. (2000). Principles of Dowsing.
Thorsons Pub.
Williamson, Tom. (1993). New Light on an Ancient Art.
Robert Hale: London.
Wyman, Walker D. (1977). Witching for Water, Oil, Pipes,
& Precious Metals. University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Press. |
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