The Mechanics of Dowsing
It is accepted that dowsing is a neuromuscular response. The pendulum or rod has no ‘life' of its own but acts as a mechanical amplifier of the unnoticeably small muscular movements in the arms and hands. Rods and forked sticks are held in a position of unstable equilibrium so that the slightest neuromuscular response causes instability and movement. Focused attention upon the rods or pendulum also seems to increase sensitivity as does a calm and relaxed meditative state of mind. We learn to ‘play' the body like a musical instrument, interpreting these subtle signals and turning them into familiar responses which will improve with practice and experience.
The mental state of the dowser is most important. To some extent we must block out the outside world and direct the attention towards the dowsing. It is like a conscious dream state where the brain wave rhythms slow down to Alpha (7 to 14 hz) and Theta dominated patterns. I find that deep breathing, which flushes the body with Chi and oxygen will achieve this while at the same time letting go of all thoughts and emotions. Also drinking water before dowsing seems to balance the body's electrolytes, increases electrical conductivity and hence sensitivity to stimuli. I never eat directly before or during field mapping or dowsing because too much energy is absorbed in the digestive process. For this reason the best results are achieved in the morning. It is better to feel hungry and alert with better sensitivity than sluggish with a full stomach. Better results are also obtained if you are not tired or ill.
After prolonged dowsing the dowser can also become ‘saturated'. This state is recognized when results and responses become erratic and dubious and the dowser feels that he or she has lost their ability to some extent. At times such as these drink more water to restore electrolyte balance, focus on breathing and redefine my intent and purpose within my mind or simply take a rest and continue the work another day.
Although dowsers can detect minute electromagnetic signals such as those produce by electronis devices, radioactivity and magnetic fields generally, there still remains the psi factor. For instance the emotional energy that has been absorbed into the landscape at the battlefield is not electromagnetic in nature but is still easily recognized by the dowser. This indicates that psi information or clairvoyance is also used to obtain results. It particularly applies to map and remote dowsing and it is this aspect which most confounds conventional science. This combined with the fact that dowsers expectations can influence the results also erodes the dowsers credibility in the scientific community. This can be overcome through practice, self confidence and always double checking results so as to not fool oneself but with all things experience is the greatest teacher.
Forked sticks and wire loops are held in such a manor so as to create a point of unstable equilibrium. The slightest instability causes the instrument to flip either up or down from the ‘at rest' position. The rather awkward grip on the stick or wire loop with the wrists rotated outward puts the dowsers body into a state of tension to begin with so when you walk into a stress zone the extra stress unbalances the already ‘nearly unstable' point of equilibrium. This method of dowsing causes excessive fatigue in the muscle groups associated with the wrists and arms so exhaustion for the dowser becomes an issue.
Rods on the other hand are held loosely under no tension except for the need to keep the wrists in a position where the rods remain horizontal and parallel to one another. From this neutral position the un- noticeable small muscle movements cause the wrists to roll outward causing the rods to swing away from each other when encountering a charging field or when above subterranean water the wrists roll inwards causing the rods to cross each other. Either way it is a subtle neurophysiological response mechanically amplified through the rods, wire loops or sticks.
When using a pendulum, minute muscular tension unperceivable to the eye will cause the wrists to rotate sufficiently so the pendulum departs from its neutral position swing and rotates to the left or right depending on the stress field the dowser has encountered.
Because the whole technique responds to such subtle force it is very easy for the dowsers expectations to influence the outcome. Hence for the need to be ‘out of your mind', a walking meditation, being unattached to any probable outcomes, so avoiding the effect of fooling ones self. This is why doing demonstrations can be tricky because we usually have a vested interest in the outcome.
Another observation is that sometimes there is a time delay between entering the dowsing zone or stress field and the movement of the pendulum or rods. Because of this effect I will often walk back and forth across a particular spot in order to minimize being off centre. This is most noticeable when walking briskly so I will turn around to find that the small stream of say 300mm width is actually one pace behind me and not where my first pendulum response occurred. Occasions may also arise when you get a dowsing reaction before arriving at the boundary of the energy field. These anomalies are easily compensated for with a little experience.
When dowsing from a moving car my dowsing response through the rotating pendulum alerts me when I have entered a stress zone. Sometimes the energy may seem like a continuous band. However when I get out of the car and study the stress field on foot I usually find it is not continuous at all but may be arranged in patterns or bands of energy crossing the road. I can walk back to the spot where the energy field begins so even from a moving car any response delays are not a problem. In fact working from a car has the great advantage of being able to pin point volcanic fault lines which may be up to 1km wide, relatively quickly. The same goes for locating the extremities of a labyrinth of mining tunnels or where lava tubes intersect and pass under the road.
Conventions in Polarity
Everything in this world exhibits a polarity which can be seen as either male and female, positive and negative, or charging and discharging. It is important when divining to establish from the beginning exactly what your response to either pole should be. I would recommend the following convention which is; the male response /yes answer/ positive / charging / are all observed by the clockwise rotation of a pendulum or the opening of wire rods and the female / negative /no answer/ discharging fields yielding a counter clockwise rotation of a pendulum and the crossing of wire rods and the dipping towards the ground of forked sticks and wire loops. To a novice this may not seem important but believe me it is when you get involved with some of the more complicated energy fields. Also it doesn't matter whether you are left-handed or right handed or in the Northern or Southern hemisphere the convention is still the same.
Rods or pendulums, which should I use. ? I prefer pendulums for the following reasons.
• The pendulum can be used in one hand leaving the other hand free for scanning and pointing and for marking with sticks or chalk the boundaries of energy fields.
• Pendulums are much more discrete when working in a crowded environment. Rods always seem to attract attention and the last thing you want is to be continually interrupted when you're on to something interesting.
• Pendulums are easily pocketed and you can have different ones for different jobs.
• A pendulum can give you an indication of the intensity or magnitude of a field simply by its wider arc and faster spin rate.
• Rods are cumbersome when in confined spaces or if you need to work close to the ground or from a moving vehicle.
• Pendulums are ideal for working within human, plant or animal fields.
Getting started with pendulums
Because the pendulum is essentially a mind tool it is good to use something that you feel you have an affinity with. You may be attracted to the quartz family but because of their psycho-active ability to store and transmit energy they require periodic maintenance. However they do have a sympathetic resonance with the Songlines and the meridians within the human body so they are particularly sensitive when you are working in healing mode and I prefer to use an amethyst crystal when Chakra balancing. My favourite pendulum at the moment is made from my birthstone which happens to be jasper. If you need to improvise just about anything will do even a rusty nail attached to a length of hair. However A stone that is only 20mm long and 15mm wide is adequate. I find that a stone that is too heavy will take too long to respond and if it is too light you need to use a lighter string which is more prone to breaking and is unstable in a breeze or when walking around. In windy weather however I use a much heavier stone while for small detailed jobs like map work I use a very small polished stone suspended on a piece of cotton. It's a good idea to use a stone with a symmetrically terminated end so that it hangs “true” on its string and is not heavier on one side making it lopsided. The maximum string length that I use is 50mm at which point I have placed a knot. This is a personal choice of course and not arbitrary however I find that a longer string makes for a longer response time especially when moving between fields of opposite polarity. In fact most of the time I hold the string only 30mm from the stone. This allows it to change its direction of rotation quite rapidly however if I wish to gauge the strength of an energy field a longer string allows the pendulum to swing in a wider arc and gives me a greater range of interpretation. If you have an affinity for wood and want to hand make a pendulum don't forget to imbue it with a prayer a mantra or a song while your making it. This makes a special bond between you and the object and as a result of that inner connection you will find that it will work better for you. Remember it's all in the mind. Wood and metal pendulums both lend themselves to be made hollow inside so they can carry a sample or a ‘witness' of the thing you wish to locate. Or maybe a miniature photograph of your Guru or a mantra or anything that makes an association in vibrational terms that will open your superconscious mind and get the answers you seek.
Using the pendulum
The best way to begin using a pendulum and to establish the correct convention regarding rotation is as follows; [assuming you are right handed ] ……Begin by holding the pendulum's string between your thumb and first finger of your right hand about 5cm from the pendulum and let it swing to and fro [towards you and away from you]. This is the neutral position. It gives the pendulum momentum so it can easily rotate to the left or right when in the presence of an energy field. To start the pendulum swinging from a stationary position takes a lot more energy to overcome its inertia than if its already moving. Now with your left hand pick up a singly terminated crystal with the terminated end [pointed end] facing upwards and move it beneath the already swinging pendulum. The pendulum should now rotate clockwise indicating the presence of a charging field. If it doesn't, make it, by willing the mind or minutely rotating the fingers. You must at this stage tell your mind that you want a clockwise response when in the presence of a charging field. Don't allow the mind to play games with you by rotating in the opposite direction. The mind will be of no use to you if it becomes undisciplined and gives you erroneous and misleading answers. Now take the crystal away and the pendulum will return to neutral swinging to and fro. Turn the crystal in your left hand upside down so that the blunt end is pointing upwards and move it beneath the pendulum. The discharging field emanating from the crystal will now cause the pendulum to rotate counter clockwise . If it doesn't rotate counterclockwise make it do so and tell your mind that this is the response you want when in the presence of a discharging field. This is also known as programming the mind. Do this procedure a few times until you have solidly established this convention without any mind games.
Now if you can find a magnet with identifiable poles, place the north pole below the pendulum. It will now rotate clockwise as the north pole of a magnet is also a charging field. Try the same thing with the south pole of the magnet observing the counterclockwise rotation due to the presence of a discharging field. Once again if you don't get these results keep working on it until you do because it sets the foundation for working in more complicated applications.
To establish the yes \ no response tell your mind that you want a YES answer to give you a clockwise response and a NO answer to give a counterclockwise rotation. Start the pendulum swinging to and fro in neutral and each time you say or think YES it will rotate clockwise and NO it will rotate counterclockwise. Work on achieving these results until it responds without hesitation. Once again this is programming the mind so it becomes an automatic response. When your out there doing field work with a blank mind, because you don't want to bias any results, you will find that your mind can lead you into chaos with misleading results if it is not disciplined enough to give you a charging field clockwise response when its called for.
To establish the male \ female response simply swing the pendulum over the head of a male person for a clockwise rotation and a female person for a counterclockwise response. Establish this one too, firmly in your mind. Most people these days seem to feel pretty comfortable about divining the sex of the unborn child probably because it is an ‘old wives' tale which has its roots in truth. Because of this acceptance, virtually anybody can do it even those who have never used a pendulum before. Traditionally they used a wedding ring suspended on a strand of hair or a piece of cotton thread as a pendulum which was then swung over the mothers belly. Clockwise for boys, counterclockwise for girls.
Determining the sex of plants is the same procedure except you can come up with hermaphrodites occasionally. Just swing the pendulum over the plant and you will get the same male \ clockwise, female \ counterclockwise response. Seeds such as those of the pawpaw can be separated into male and female before they are sprouted which avoids having to pull out the excess of males at flowering time as only one male is necessary to pollinate up to ten females and fruit only forms on the females. Some seeds such as the common green bean have both male and female or north and south poles present. You will find that one end of the seed will give you a clockwise response while the other end is counterclockwise.
If you still find difficulty in getting a clear response from the pendulum then go and find someone who is confident and self- assured in the use of pendulums and get them to hold your free hand while you give it another try. Don't laugh, this works every time. Their vibrations will be strong enough to give you the energy required to overcome any obstacle your mind may have put forward. It is known as sympathetic resonance. You may only need to stand within close proximity to another diviner to pick up on his or her vibrations. It is similar to the acoustic resonance between musical instruments. If you pluck a string on a guitar and listen closely to the soundboard of any other guitar in the room you will hear the note resonating and its even more noticeable with drums. A similar thing happens with the old fashioned pendulum clocks. If you start swinging all the pendulums on the clocks at random, after a while they will all synchronise with one another and oscillate at the same rate. This is also sympathetic resonance.
In summary let the pendulum swing to and fro in the neutral position. Minute muscular tension, in perceivable to the eye will cause the wrists to rotate sufficiently so the pendulum departs from its neutral to and fro swing and rotates to the left or right depending on the polarity of the stress field the dowser has encountered. Because the whole technique responds to such subtle forces it is very easy for the dowsers expectations to influence the outcome. Hence for the need to be ‘out of your mind', like a walking meditation, being unattached to any probable outcomes thus avoiding the effect of fooling ones self. This is why demonstrations can be tricky because we usually have a vested interest in the outcome.
Another observation is that sometimes there is a time delay between entering the dowsing zone or stress field and the movement of the pendulum or rods. Because of this effect I will often walk back and forth across a particular spot in order to minimize being off centre. This is most noticeable when walking briskly so I will turn around to find that the small underground stream of 30 cm width is actually one pace behind me and not where my first pendulum response occurred. Sometimes you can get a response before you are actually over the stream in anticipation you could say. These anomalies are easily compensated for with a little experience.
When dowsing from a moving car my dowsing response through the rotating pendulum alerts me to a stress zone which may seem continuous due to the speed I am traveling. However when I get out of the car and study the stress field on foot I usually find that it is not continuous at all but may be arranged in patterns or bands of energy that are intersecting the road.
Because every living thing produces a dowsable energy field as well as non incarnate beings too and toxins and human activities also create desirable and undesirable energy signatures there is a vast landscape of invisible forces to contend with. If we were to try and explore it all at once we would soon be overwhelmed and confused. It is best to be clear in your mind what your intensions are so you can be clear and unconfused about the outcomes.
Information is encoded in all vibrations so you don't need to know everything there is to know all at once just download the relevant information to suit your particular circumstances or needs from moment to moment. This can be done just by looking at the object of your enquiry as this will create an energy bridge between you and the object. For example I am looking at a punnet of strawberries but I am unsure as to whether they contain unacceptable levels of chemical residue. Using your body as an indicator examine yourself to see if you feel you are being pulled or swaying towards the strawberries. This is a yes response indicating that they are OK to eat. If while looking and focusing on the strawberries I was feeling I was being subtly pushed backwards this would be a no response. It is a very subtle response that needs a bit of practice to master but avoids the need to get out your pendulum in the middle of the crowded supermarket. You have to be clear in your mind about the question you are asking as you only want a yes or no answer as anything too complicated can easily lead to an erroneous response.
Locating Lost objects
To locate lost objects first picture the object in your mind while letting the pendulum swing to and fro. Then with your left hand acting as a pointer and receiving antenna and a direction finder slowly turn around on the spot until the pendulum responds with a clockwise YES response. Walk in the direction indicated until you get another pendulum reaction. If not, turn around again on the spot using your direction finding radar until another reaction is obtained then head off in the new direction. Keep repeating this process making it as playful as possible until you have zeroed in on the lost object. I have found that being too serious while divining creates too much stress for the poor old mind and opens the door for anxieties to creep in and you could end up not achieving your goal. Dont be too discouraged as it is a very tricky thing to do if you are inexperienced.
Quartz Crystals
A quartz crystal exhibits a well defined charging field which is spinning clockwise around its pointed or terminated end, drawing energy from its surroundings and focusing it at the point. The middle of the crystal is neutral and the blunt end exhibits a discharging field which is spinning counterclockwise and is pulling energy away from the crystal. A crystal that is saturated with energy, has absorbed too much psychic information to the point where it ceases to exhibit its polarity and is like a computer's hard drive that is so full of data that it freezes up and becomes unusable. When this happens we have to erase the data that has caused the freeze up by putting the crystal in running water as in a creek or in salty water so the salt crystals absorb the energy like a download. Double terminated crystals have a charging field around each end. Magnets have a charging field around their North poles and a discharging field around their South poles.
Practice with a quart crystal at getting this convention relating to polarity programmed in your mind before doing any field work to eliminate any confusion when you are confronted with vortexes that produce energy fields of alternating polarities.
A double terminated crystal is one that is pointed at both ends and you will notice that it exhibits two north poles in that both ends will give a clockwise response to the pendulum. The south pole is located in the middle of the crystal. This is typical of crystals that have been cut and polished into two terminated ends as well as naturally occurring ones.
If you come across a crystal which does not give you a response from either end, it could be that it is saturated and has lost its polarity. To remedy this, place it in the salt water cleansing bowl and check it again in the morning. This can also happen to your crystal pendulum if you have been concentrating too hard. It's like an energy overload so the circuit breaker needs to be reset. This can be achieved by blowing three short but well aimed breaths across the crystal. You can also use this trick in the times when you get erroneous, hesitant or unclear responses.
A friend had a huge crystal that needed 2 hands to pick it up with and in passing by it one day I noticed that it was radiating a powerful discharging field, the opposite polarity to that which it should have been. So I asked my friend ‘where has this stone been to have absorbed such a destructive vibration?' Well I found out that for the last 6 months it had sat under the bed of someone who was in the final days of a battle with cancer. I said “ well we cant leave it here it desperately needs cleaning and restoring to its natural state.” So with that I picked it up with a towel because I didn't want it discharging into me and took it home with me and put it in a running stream in the forest. A day or two later I retrieved it from the creek because the destructive energy [ counter clockwise discharging response] had completely gone.
Because I have mentioned the use of pendulums made from quartz crystals I feel that I had better include some notes on crystal Law.
Crystals are psycho active and can absorb, hold and radiate thoughts and emotions. So any stone that you are going to take home and use must be thoroughly cleansed. Placing the quartz in a glass bowl filled with water and left in the sun for a few hours can do this. The water will absorb any thought or emotional energy held within it and the sun and the wind will disintegrate and disperse the dead or diseased energy. When you pour the water out on the ground [and not down the drain or on any living thing] ask the Earth mother to take the unwanted energy into herself to be transmuted and reused for the benefit of all life. Alternatively place the quartz in a bowl of salt water and leave indoors overnight. The salt crystals will then absorb any unhealthy energy. I prefer to leave my crystals in a running stream for a day but then I'm blessed to have a creek only 100m from my house. Only clear quartz should be left in the sun. Amethyst has a much higher vibrational rate and the direct sun will overcharge them at the wrong frequency and physically they will fade and become quite pale. Once you have dedicated a particular stone to be your pendulum you should treat it like a sacred object. Don't leave it lying around where other people can handle it as you would only have to go and cleanse it again. I prefer to keep mine in a pouch which I can wear around my neck so it sits close to my heart. At other times it lives on my altar with other sacred objects which ensures its purity of vibration and most people [even in this society] will have sufficient respect not to touch things on an altar at least without asking permission first. When a pendulum does become a sacred object it does work more sensitively and reliably because it is essentially a mind tool. Once we have trained ourselves to perceive energy directly we could discard the pendulum. It is only a tool to kelp us along the path to understanding the Dow of things.
Please be aware that carrying crystals around in pockets or as jewelry also carries with it a certain responsibility. Our acupuncture meridians which are not located in the physical body but in the Astral, Causal or Etheric body [ what ever you prefer to call it ] are easily manipulated in the presence of crystals. For instance if you are carrying a quartz crystal in your pants pocket you can affect the flow of Chi in the gallbladder and stomach meridians. A crystal earring can affect the triple heater and small intestine meridians while a crystal warn as a pendant around the neck will be lying right over the conceptual vessel. This meridian nourishes and regulates Chi in the Yin meridians and its direction of flow runs up the centre on the front of the body. So a crystal worn around the neck should have its terminated end pointing upward towards your head so a to reinforce the correct and natural flow of energy through the conceptual vessel. To wear the crystal pointing downwards will interfere with the natural upward flow of energy in this meridian. A crystal that is terminated at both ends may be OK as a charging field would radiate both upwards and downwards or with the natural flow and against it at the same time.
Also you should never point a crystal at anybody and think negative things about them as it can cut through an aura and embed that thought in the Etheric body. Actually I have seen crystals cause more troubles for people than they have been of help but that's only because we don't fully understand and fully respect them. For instance if someone visits your home, perhaps comes with a friend and that person may be feeling self-hate or some negative emotion, all the crystals in the house will charge up on this energy and will keep that energy in the house after the visitors have gone. When your family starts finding fault with one another and relationships start breaking down its time to gather up all the crystals and take them away for cleansing. Don't even consider bringing them back into the house until all relationships are healed. The crystals will absorb and radiate whatever emotional energy is around them whether it is loving or destructive. That is why only those of pure mind and an open heart should have anything to do with crystals. This is observed in indigenous cultures even today that those who work with crystals are specially chosen and trained in their correct use. In Aboriginal tradition the clever men [shamans] would receive three vertical incisions in their chest to house three crystals to give them the female energy for balance. This is because generally speaking females have a naturally well developed intuition or inner knowing or as the dictionary says ‘ a direct apprehension of a truth without reasoning'.
Symbols radiate and absorb energy
Symbols have been around for thousands of years. They convey energy as thought forms and subconscious triggers. Their energy can inspire creativity and feelings of peace and wonder that help us reach deep inner levels of understanding provided they create a charging field but if the symbol creates a discharging field that is destructive the aim is usually to take your power away, a sort of psycho upper hand.
This spiral is creating a charging field so its energy is spinning to the right. It will draw you in because energy is being pulled into its centre. It is creative in its vibration. Sacred mountains also create charging fields about them and pull in energy from the landscape around them. They are charging because energy moves toward them and they can build up an excess of energy or charge. So too does this symbol. If you turn this spiral upside down you will get its mirror image which then becomes this next spiral which is turning to the left.
This left hand spiral produces a discharging field and energy is moving away from it. It sheds or dissipates energy. It is destructive and is used by sorcerers. A pendulum swung over it will rotate counter clockwise.
The 5 pointed star represents all the noble and good virtues and is based upon the pentagram. It symbolizes Christmas as the star of Bethlehem but it also appears as the star of justice worn by law enforcement people but has been exploited when it appears on military equipment and aircraft. 35 nations use this star in their flag.
This 5 pointed star is a corrupted version of the one above.
It is upside 
down and is used by sorcerers. Be wary of anyone who uses this upside down star as it indicates bad intent, selfishness and domination over others. You will find that corruption will result from the misuse of this power symbol.
Both images are of the Sri Yantra which represents the timeless creative principle of the universe. Mandalas such as this are known as power diagrams as they create a charging field of clockwise spinning energy about them. This Yantra dates back to Vedic times of Hindu and Buddhist traditions
A friend of mine once mail ordered a poster size Sri Yantra. A couple of days after it arrived a letter came from the Buddhists asking him to destroy it as they were going to send him another one. Puzzled by this he decided to show it to me to see if I knew what was going on. It didn't look as though there was anything wrong with it except that my pendulum was showing me there was a strong discharging field radiating from it. When the new mandala arrived I found it was radiating a charging field as it should have so we put them side by side to find out why the first one was discharging. The printing and quality of the artwork was good but the difference was that the first one was a mirror image of the true one. Take them apart and you couldn't tell which one was the real one and which one was the imposter, except for the vibrations.
You would be surprised how many works of art, artifacts and even photographs have been deliberately given attributes by their creators that can produce a dowsable energy field of either polarity. In my experience it is usually artifacts of dubious origin having been extracted from their original owners and sold in black markets, technically legal, but may carry with them an undesirable vibration which the new owner is unaware of and probably wont make the connection between a run of bad luck and the installation of the artifact. On the other hand I have also seen beautiful, positive charging field energy coming from photographs of Gurus and spiritual leaders and I ask myself ‘How do they do that'? It may be unexplainable but this phenomena does occur. The photo or artifact can produce a kind of ‘presence' in the room where it is installed particularly if the object has been personally blessed by the Guru and a pendulum will rotate clockwise due to the charging field created by the photo.
This symbol can be seen on the gates of ancient temples in India and Asia. It is turning to the right and creates a charging field around itself. A pendulum will rotate clockwise in its presence. It indicates the pathway to peace and is used to indicate holy ground.
This one is the mirror image of the one above.
It is turning to the left and produces a discharging field so a pendulum will spin counter clockwise. It was used by the Nazis to take power away and intimidate people.
Locating Underground Water
Water that is moving under the ground creates a discharging field that is readily discernible above the ground by the counter clockwise rotation of the pendulum. Because underground water is not the only source of discharging fields, it's a good idea to program the mind before you start by telling your mind that you desire to be alerted to the presence of underground water. It is best to be specific during early stages of development. With experience a diviner can study and interpret a number of different energy fields in a specific locality without getting confused because he or she knows and can recognise body language signals, can enter into dialogue with spirit guides or can eliminate the various possibilities using theYes / No response to relevant questions.
As far as explanations go as to why underground water creates such a specific energy field is that water is a conductor for electric charges and when it moves through rock strata or gravel beds there is a ‘friction' created by the collision of two dissimilar materials. It is not unlike the electrical current that flows between two dissimilar metals when they come into contact with one another, where the end result is corrosion.
If you live in a mountainous area with a high rainfall, you will find underground water just about every where. In some places it is difficult to avoid. It originates from precipitation, percolating its way through the ground and infiltrates the cracks and cavities in the rock strata. When large volumes of water travel thousands of kilometres through pathways of sand and gravel more easily than the rock strata the are called aquifers. For a scientific approach to understanding the movement of underground water read a book on hydrology.
Once you have located a discharging field indicated by the counterclockwise rotation of the pendulum or the crossing of the wire angle rods, put a stick in the ground to mark the spot. Now locate the other side of the discharging field. It may only be a few centimetres wide or it could be a few meters wide indicating an aquifer or an underground river. Walk across the spot a few times from opposite directions rechecking the edge of the discharging field. I use satay sticks which come in packets of 100 from the supermarket and paint the ends with fluorescent paint so they can be clearly seen. Now walk in a zig zag along the edge of the energy field placing the sticks as you go which will build up a picture of the unseen stream.
The width of the discharging field encountered is proportional to the quantity of water flowing and the rate of rotation of the pendulum can indicate the velocity of the stream. However every water diviner seems to develop his or her own personal techniques and responses so there are no rights or wrongs in this regard. Its more a matter of sifting through the plethora of books and information written about water divining to get an overview of techniques [try them all] and then use whatever you feel the most comfortable with.
If you want to know what direction the water is flowing then stand over the stream with the pendulum swinging to and fro in neutral and ask yourself ‘is it flowing this way?' and note the Yes \ No response and then check it in the opposite direction. Another method is to hold a wire angle rod in one hand as you walk into the stream field and the rod will turn and align itself with the flow of the water.
To determine the depth of the water it is a fairly common practice for water diviners to employ the Bishops Rule so named after the Bishop of Grenoble who was a water diviner of the 1780's. One simply walks away at right angles from the marked out stream with the pendulum swinging in the neutral position until a clockwise reaction is observed. Then retrace your steps, counting out the paces back to the stream. Thus the distance measured from the stream to the reaction gives an indication of the depth of the water. If the distance proves to be excessive or impractical one must rely then on the Yes/ No response to questions. Is it within 10 meters ? Yes/ No. Is it within 100meters ? Yes/No. When you narrow the range down you can begin counting off one meter at a time until you get a Yes/No response at the correct depth. Other questions then follow such as ; is the water drinkable for humans ? Yes/No What about livestock ? Yes/No is it OK for gardens ? Yes/No. If you still get a No response, question the salt content, radioactivity or pollutants.
Try using a table or scale of water depths written out on a sheet of paper and swing the pendulum over the scale until a reaction indicates the water depth.
To determine the flow rate use the same procedure, just interchanging the water depth for flow rate in litres/second, litres/minute or litres/hour.
The best place to sink a bore is at the intersection of two or more underground streams. The width of the discharging field reaction may be less than half a meter wide so accuracy is important. Sometimes when dowsing , a delayed response can occur when trying to accurately pin point an energy source. You may find that the first spot you place your marking stick may be a little off the mark. By this I mean when walking along and you receive a response from underground water but due to a delayed response the water vein may actually be behind you one pace. This is why I always recommend approaching the water vein from both directions, refining the placement of the marking sticks for maximum accuracy.
Another way to find the right answers is to write on a sheet of paper all the possibilities you can think of . Spread them out or encircle them and swing the pendulum over your choices and see which ones give you a Yes reaction. I prefer to turn the sheet of paper face down so you can't see the actual questions. However you need to mark on the back where the questions are located so that you are not trying to get a reaction from a blank space. This method ensures that the rational mind is not getting in the way of the correct answer. I have often used this technique when I need to make a decision when I'm not sure which path to follow or which course of action to take. It can be an alternative to consulting an Oracle such as the I Ching.
Certain types of vegetation are good indicators of underground water. In coastal areas the Casuarina likes to have its roots into fresh water as does the Melaleuca and in the forest it is common to find Bangalo palms and wild Ginger around springs. On the drier ridges Xanthorrhoea or grass trees always seem to flank underground streams.
Left In this picture there are 2 trees of the same species growing side by side. The one to the left has its roots over an underground stream and its branches are growing towards the water. Unfortunately it is nearly dead. The tree to its right is of the same species but is just far enough away from the water to be unaffected and is twice as tall with a healthy crown.
The picture to the right shows 2 Hoop Pine trees in a paddock. The one on the right has been hit by lightning. It is growing over an underground stream while the other is not. It has been my experience that lightning will always be attracted to an object that makes the best conductor and the presence ofunderground water seems to enhance the probability.
Locating Springs
In mountainous country springs can be found just about everywhere even in the most unlikely places. Hydrostatic pressure forces water up to ground level, high up on the sides of mountains where layers of bedrock form stream beds. After heavy rain the water table rises sufficiently to force the water to emerge from finger sized holes at the spring. However in most springs the water may never reach up to ground level and so remain hidden. Many springs contribute to the formation of a stream where the water can not soak back into the ground because of the underlying impermeable rock strata.
To locate the nearest spring use the lost or hidden object technique, relying on the superconscious mind to give you a Yes pendulum reaction when facing in the right direction. When you do locate a spring an extraordinary thing happens with the pendulum. First it will rotate counter clockwise indicating a discharging field and then one or two paces on it will reverse and rotate clockwise indicating the presence of a charging field. This alternating reversal in polarity goes on until you reach the other side of the spring. If you can put in marking sticks every time the pendulum changes direction you will find seven distinct bands of energy. If you are using wire rods they will close and open alternatively. Springs are typically ten to fifteen meters in diameter and you will find at least two if not several streams converging .
Water Ethics
As clean water is becoming harder to find and industry, mining and agriculture are demanding more and more there is an increasing demand for diviners to help in locating good water supplies. However I have some serious reservations and so I don't make myself available for such projects. Our society has no respect for the sacredness of underground water, it's just another consumable product to be hoarded and profits taken. In the days before high tech pumps when only the bucket went down the well there was only so much water that could be taken out before the water level receded deeper into the ground. The seasonal height of the water table self regulated the amount of water that could be taken out of the ground. Today however a bore hole 200 meters deep is not uncommon. With a submersible pump connected to a cable and dropped down the hole, water can be pumped out all year round at any level of water table.
Indigenous peoples the world over say that underground water is as sacred as the water that surrounds the unborn child in the mother's belly. To sink a bore and suck out the water is no different from sticking a syringe in a vein and drawing out the life force. They say that if we take out too much water from the body of the Earth we will bring upon ourselves certain calamity. I believe that every myth is rooted in fact and common sense even if we do not understand it at present. The Aboriginal people of Australia say that the Great Artesian Basin which is a huge body of underground water in central Australia is protecting us from a particular evil spirit and that if we take away the water that is holding this energy in check we will be inviting disaster upon ourselves. There is probably a scientific explanation but wouldn't we be stupid to ignore such a warning. It is possible that the rising salt levels that are destroying pasture land and eating the concrete foundations of buildings throughout inland Australia is the ‘evil spirit' manifesting itself. After all, the legend about the Golden Sunset Spider which refers to the hazards of asbestos and the legend about the Giant Green Ants which is about the radiation sickness caused by taking uranium out of the ground have proven to be absolutely accurate.