I use the same approach to find wells, water lines, and power lines. She specializes in home, garden, environmental, and green living topics. Sounds simple, but does it work? Usually, this is accomplished with the aid of a dowsing stick, rods or a pendulum. He'd had a new well drilled for the house but wanted to reactivate the old one for watering his garden. Publications. 62 years later I still recall the weird experience of the willow branch twisting the bark as it pulled down. However I will admit. Definitely right of center. Should have been James Randi. Later I told a highly skeptic friend who insisted I show him. I believed I could do it because I believed in him. After locating the underground water with a forked willow, he figured out how deep it was by using a willow stick about 3 feet long. I have never tried the Y stick. Then he showed me how to determine depth to drill. Accuracy? I am a Practicing Water-witch with over 30 years of Hands on Experience in NE Pa. 3) have kids walk with rod in each hand over hose/cord starting about 6 feet back from it. Subsequently Ive located running water multiple times. This generation may be losing this old art unless some of you take up "water witching." Bill Brandon, an oldtimer touching his seventies, who lived in the Decatur area, but is now deceased . Where do you live? Would be curious if life expectancy or health issues differ from those who can and can't. Whoops, I misspelled his name. my dad did this for years using a fork from a chokecherry tree , nothing else worked for him . To tie into a tile line we had put in 1970 I remembered close to where it was so I witched it and pointed out where it should be. When dowsing for water, Lynn uses two steel welding rods, bent in L shape. Although she passed away in 1989..Ive grown up on this well as Ive lived here since and its where I grew upknock on wood, I hope it holds up for the rest of my life! I was telling my buddy this and he disagreed, He told me 30 some years ago they were trying to find enough water for irrigation He ended having a well known well witcher from the area give it a try. "Experts in the old days held a forked willow branch in both hands, and the single part of the stick would turn as they crossed over water. That's what he told me. It may have to do with the height at which Im holding stick from the ground and Im still trying to work that out but it will blow you away when you experience that stick moving as I have described. Being a plumber by trade and having a father that was also a plumber; I can tell you it's a crap shoot. Hazel twigs in Europe and witch-hazel in the United States are traditionally commonly chosen, as are branches from willow or peach trees. Not sure whether either of our sons or any of the grandkids can witch. People that have never seen it or watched closely think the dowser is turning the stick down intentionally. Ive also used a pair of aluminum welding rods bent into a right angle. A forked branch, or iron rod is a common tool that is used in water witching, also known as dowsing. Unless they used shovels. Facebook; While the majority of dowsers search for water, some practitioners use this technique to find all sorts of things: gold, bombs, or even the missing remote control to theTV. The fence guy got out a pair of marker flags and walked around and found it and built the fence. Any advise? Warning be careful if you try that with opposite sex. We then dug it up to tie in a new cattle waterer, and it was dead on. "Dowsing," "water witching," "divining," and "doodlebugging" are all names for the practice of locating groundwater by walking the surface of a property while holding a forked stick, a pair of L-shaped rods, a pendulum, or another tool that responds when the person moves above a location that will yield an adequate flow of water to a drilled well (see Figure 1). The one guy just carries a crow bar or other iron bar at his side as he walks and when it starts to move that indicates water. You need lots of experience to no how far below surface but simple training exercise makes believers out of doubters. A wire surveying flag will work but the flag needs to be removed from the wire so the wind doesn't affect the movement of the wire. I walked around and was flabbergasted when those stupid wires started moving on their own! They are simply uneducated on the matter. But the tip of the stick bends first. When I locate water for someone, I show them how to hold the rods and try it, he says. Why does the weeping willow root system expand so widely? Branch, pendulum or "L" shaped piece of coat hanger wire in ballpoint pen (halved) all receive information from the same source but expressed through different chakra (Hara, heart, third eye). Had one fellow come to me in desperation because his wife wanted new house and needed swimming pool. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); There is groundwater almost everywhere on earth, so anybody collecting money for this is a sly dog. When I was young I helped an old neighbor track a tile line all the way across his farm. Can you do it? After finding a spot, I use a forked willow to see if thered be enough water for a good well. For the bobber stick (to determine depth of water), Lynn uses a dowsing willow about 3 feet long but small and light. I specialise in water mostly , dowsing Fri maps, finding water . Seen my grandfather do it hundreds of times. L-shaped or Y-shaped Dowsing Rod Traditionally a straight or forked tree branch or twig, usually from a hazel tree, though peach and willow twigs are also acceptable. Lynn found a spot just 8 feet away from the dry hole. She found her own . my dad is gone now , but every now and then i cut a branch just to show how its done. However, according to Jim Rickords of Sonoma County, a fresh willow branch is the best tool to use due to it's natural "thirst" for water. I believe it has something to do with the body also. This would give you the number of feet you had to go down to hit water. I can do this with a dogwood stick and never asked for the ability. It was the same driller who saw my success locating water just a few feet from a dry hole. My boss blindfolded a witcher, put him in a pickup and drove him around the city he correctly predicted every water pipe under the streets as they drove over them. Septic. Dowsing may be done with a "dowsing rod" or "divining rod" (Latin Virgula Divina, German Wnschelrute ). I've an uncle that can do it. However, there is one study, conducted by the German government in the 1990s, that perplexed the scientific community. I do think you have got to have the gift, as everyone can`t do it. I can't find a water vein underground, but I can find underground wires and pipes. It works. Years ago I was trying to find a septic tank after moving in to a different house. Dowsers often use a dowsing stick, pendulums, or even water dowsing rods. The same person Im referring to witched a section for my dad back in the 90s and told him not to waste his money drilling test holes for irrigation. Lynn uses willow because its plentiful, but hes also used chokecherry branches. So the roots branch out in all directions seeking water and will grow more dense in areas where water has been found. The more times it bobs up and down, the deeper the water.. Sure enough, the second stream really has good flow. So I am completely baffled as to why I can witch water. My Grandfarther was a well digger and I saw him use a forked stick from willow trees to find the best place to dig a well. A dowser, or water witch, is a person perceived to have a skill for discovering underground water with the use of a divining rod, usually a small, forked limb cut from virtually any fruit-bearing tree or willow. Dont know anyone who ever used it for bombs, gold etc, but seen it work for water. But on occasion there might be more.. This will indicate the depth to the next vein of water if one exists. Hmmmm, imagine that. Some people use hazel wood, but it doesnt grow where we live. These areas often yield abundant water to wells. But if the stick only swings side-to-side a couple times, you know there isnt as much water there. Sometimes, the towns are really far away so you're out for eight hours and you make $200 . It will go left and right when I get over a line. Cant explain it, and I dont care if anyone believes me, but I know what Ive experienced. In the Tassili Caves of northern Africa, an 8,000-year-old cave painting depicts a man holding a forked stick, apparently using it to search for water. He is pretty skeptical that I can find them with wires, and I was curious what Agtalk thought about it. Others believe that the talent is all in the dowsing rod. I find lost Septic Tanks and Septic Drain Fields, Leaking Pond Dams, Spring Water for Cattle watering Systems and wet Spring produced wet areas in Lawns and Cropfields. Find an under ground vein. I told them to throw their dowsing rods away. Traditionally, the most common dowsing rod is a forked (Y-shaped) branch from a tree or bush. But then he put his hand on mine, told me to hold the stick as tight as I could, blindfolded me and led me around. When holding the willow branches, your arms are close to your body with elbows resting against your hips. Tried it again alone and it wouldnt work. Most successful water wells are drilled without the advice of a hydrogeologist. Figure 1: A person using a forked-stick dowsing rod in a field. Hello Brian, Do you know how I would go about finding a Dowser in my area? Farmer wipes the sweat off his head after removing a cowboy hat. I would not drill a well without the advice of a witcher. I moved to a rural community from Chicago in the early 70s. I have told them that there doesnt seem to be water on their acreage they wish to have well on. They came in knowing the situation but all were unsuccessful. What do you charge to come find a spot to drill a well? Cut a Y-shaped stick from a tree, making sure that all three sections of the Y are between 12 and 16 inches long. Lots of water there that was warm and even artesian. I was a golf course irrigation foreman for many years and whenever we couldnt find a system or branch of the main line, I would think pull out 2 metal pieces of wire and locate the missing irrigation line before the other guys even got their high tech (expensive) locators out of the box and powered on. Or you may find it next to a river rather than on the uplands far from a river, but this isnt always true. No problem. Perfect for watering our gardens. Id concentrate more on finding water or whatever youre hunting. Also taught somebbiy scouts how to do it. Remain still after it stops bobbing and the stick will start to move side to side. "Willow branches," he says. After about the the 5th or 6th dry test hole they come to me. I put a 1500 gallon surface tank and a pressure tank. I seem to find them occasionally with the backhoe ?? Not sure how finding clean drinking water for a well or an old tile line is evil work, but I'm sure mankind can find a way to corrupt this too. I could actually feel the pull inside me. Water Dowsing Works (Even If We Dont Know Why), Geologists may have an idea, but this still doesnt tell you, where the seams of water might be, he says. . Define water witching. An excellent article, Amber Kanuckel. Wells drilled throughout the area will penetrate the same materials and have a high probability of yielding water. The rod is usually a Y-shaped forked branch, the forks making a sort . Two attempts to drill, both dry holes. Get Instant Access! There was no way to fake this experiment. He said when you first felt the willow stick move you counted from there to when it went straight down. Could tell how deep to dig and how many gallons youd get a minute. I usually also check the state register of wells in area to get an approximate depth and well capacity in area. When the grateful rancher paid him, Lynn realized his services were valuable. When we were having some work done, the guy we hired used 2 bent pieces of coat hanger wire to locate the pipe to out septic tank. Both wells support a small community. You could turn on all spigots and run all night without running dry. There are numerous verses in the Bible about asking the rod for answers. Wasted $14,000 on these dry holes. The idea was to count how many times it would swing and that was supposed to relate to the depth. As the point went downward I tried to pull it up and the bark scratched the palms of my hands. Witching is believed to have been in use for centuries, and involves using telepathic or verbal communication with a dowsing tool to relay information regarding questions asked by a dowser. The "water witch" showed up with a willow branch that looked like a forked part of the tree. The practice continues to be used today, in some cities in Canada. Nothing to be ashamed of, but its better to ask around and find credible folks if possible. A high percentage of people can get the rods to cross on a water pipe or a bottle hiden under a floor or something. When I was on the board of trustees for our local cemetery the subject of finding graves was brought up. This is absolutely 100% real and true. You can really see it if the pointer part is about a foot long. The heavy end points toward the ground, held about a foot off the ground, and it starts bobbing up and down. In this Aug. 7, 2012 photo, Randy Grebke of Kohnen Concrete Products, demonstrates how he locates underground water by holding two copper wires while on a well drilling site in Huey, Ill. The blue line marks the subsurface location of the water table. Thats important if you wish to irrigate or if you want it for drinking water. When I was a kid, my grandfather taught me how to water witch, more commonly called dowsing. Some dowsers prefer branches from particular trees, and some prefer the branches to be freshly cut. Should the project costing thousands of dollars be based upon scientific information about the rocks beneath a site, their water-yielding properties, and known principles of groundwater flow; or, should it be based upon a forked stick and an unexplainable force. But I think he was good at finding anything ? Now, skeptics would argue that the reason for this is simple: No matter where you drill, as long as youre willing to drill deep enough, youre bound to find water eventually. Son scoffs, he can't do it but I tell him it's because he doesn't believe it works. Use a pen. Please give more detail on that method. So he recommended they call me, Lynn says. It's yet another example of magical thinking. Kelly Rogers: I know in the past too they used willow rods, like willow sticks. I'm not sure about electrical but probably so. Some call it the gift. Others refer to it as dowsing, doodlebugging, or water witchingthe practice of locating water underground using a forked stick. - Event: Tour of Dennis and Ruby Dickens' Farm. I've also had success finding graves. He was floored, and I had no idea what was going on. Fascinating comment in my experience its conservatives who are far more willing to take things on faith or believe in things with no proof than most Dems or liberals. We drove to my land that weekend and I set him on the same path I had taken, then stood back and watched. Not sure about the tree branch and wells, Ive never seen anybody do that. Lots of info out there on his tests and such if you want to research. One witcher in the Cochrane district witched over twenty wells in the area in 1976. That well driller didnt believe in water dowsing originally but now calls me whenever someone wants him to drill a well.. It was critical to get the communication cable working quickly. 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Y-Shaped forked branch, the deeper the water table be freshly cut wells are drilled without advice. Feet you had to go down to hit water in my area after removing a cowboy.! Dowsing stick, rods or a bottle hiden under a floor or something for good...
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