What is the science behind water dowsing?
The scientific explanation for what happens when people dowse is that “ideomotor movements” – muscle movements caused by subconscious mental activity – make anything held in the hands move. It looks and feels as if the movements are involuntary.
Can a divining rod find water?
Also known as water witches, dowsers believe they can use use so-called divining rods made of copper or wood to find water deep underground. In water divining, dowsers use two rods or a single forked stick to detect underground water sources.
Who discovered water divining?
Robert Boyle (1627-91), called the “father of chemistry,” was one of the first to mention the divining rod in England, in an essay published in 1663.
How does a water witching stick work?
The bottom or butt end of the “Y” is pointed skyward at an angle of about 45 degrees. The dowser then walks back and forth over the area to be tested. When she/he passes over a source of water, the butt end of the stick is supposed to rotate or be attracted downward.
What is a witching stick?
It’s a simple tool – nothing more than a forked branch cut from a live tree. You can use virtually any kind of tree, but Y-shaped sticks from willows, witch hazel, and various fruit and nut trees seem to be the most popular.
How do well drillers find water?
If there are no wells in the area, or not enough information is available on existing ones, the hydrologist may contract with a well driller to put down some test holes. At these holes a pumping or aquifer test will be conducted. These tests indicate the water-bearing properties of the aquifer tapped by the well.
What wood is used for water divining?
Although tools and methods vary widely, most dowsers (also called diviners or water witches) probably still use the traditional forked stick, which may come from a variety of trees, including the willow, peach, and witchhazel.
What is water witch?
water witch. noun. a person who claims the ability to detect water underground by means of a divining rod.
How can you tell if there is water underground?
The ground penetrating radar (GPR) system is used for underground water detection. GPR is a promising technology to detect and identify aquifer water or nonmetallic mines. One of the most serious components for the performance of GPR is the antenna system.