June/July 2000
By Joe Novara
Does a water witch have magic powers or is she/he just
another psychic friend?
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Dowsers. Water witches. Are they human Geiger counters dabbling in the paranormal? Any city dweller with two coat hangers bent in an L shape can wander around the front yard and locate the city water pipe, overhead power lines and probably the underground sprinkler system. But is it just an out-of-doors parlor trick? 3,500 registered members of the American Society of Dowsers take the phenome non seriously and have enough to say about the subject to generate a monthly newsletter. In the state of New Mexico there is said to be a surprisingly high rate of belief in the power of dowsing. Do New Mexicans know something we don't know ?
Maybe dowsers are really throwbacks - as least in the sense that they have a fine-tuned sensitivity to nature that was shared by our ancestors but repressed in our fast-paced, asphalt-covered culture. Maybe water witches know how to relax, slip back to a preconscious state where they absorb the magnetism and force fields of rocks and water; animals and plants. Maybe they can "feel" the worlds around them in ways we cannot.
But the question still stands: Should we put our money where their rod dips? Some well-drillers won't drill unless they get a second opinion on a site that has been surveyed and recommended by a water witch. And, indeed, this is not pure serendipity. Some dowsers will spend a lifetime gathering data, developing systems, patterns, charts and tools as far removed from the low-tech forked willow branch as a string between cans is from a cell phone.
But can they find water? The answer is an unequivocal maybe. A study in England followed a group of dowsers in their search for a large underground water pipe. It was reported that something mystical was going on with divining rods, but results were pretty unreliable.
So, should you call a dowser to locate or confirm a water source before you aerate your beautiful land with dry holes? Sure. Why not? Why take a chance on sparing the rod and spoiling your wild? And if you do choose to engage a water psychic, make sure he or she is a mellow sort-likely to "zone out" in your field of dreams. You might also want to have some diuretic pills on hand just in case your "water witch" is retaining water - distorts the readings.
What have you got to lose?
- Joe Novara
