That well was 50 gpm at 100 foot depth. just bought some rods for dousing. When I was 7 we had a neighbor locate the buried water lines on a new farm. The pull is very obvious. Why? Welding rods have more mass and are even slimmer. Falls apart under controlled testingbut some people are unfazed by that. The dowsing that most people are familiar with is water dowsing, or water witching or rhabdomancy, in which a person holds a Y-shaped branch (or two L-shaped wire rods) and walks around until they . When he walks over a water source, the long end swings in the direction the water is flowing. Has to be a forked limb from a willow or fruit tree. This process hasnt failed me yet. Would move left or right and continue same process until I would regonize a vein or underground stream. Using a Y branch from a peach or willow tree, he "witched" over 100 wells over the years with a 95% success rate. Could find water. Cindy, just reading this looking for a witcher or dowser. Water well witching with wood fits into this 95%, just like angels, demons, or the rest of reality that you cant see. When they move, they arent attracted to one another. General logic is that youd find water more often in the valley floor than on a high mountain. "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). Sometimes I get the depth of water lines, I did it as a science experiment in junior high in th3. When the grateful rancher paid him, Lynn realized his services were valuable. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023. As he approached the spot, he registered a look of total shock and surprise as the stick led his hand straight down. No one knows why dowsing worksor if, indeed, it does work. The well water was so hard that most people had trouble with it especially with washing clothes. Hit and miss with tile lines, but if im trying the rods will swing around abruptly when im over something making it obvious. 23 years ago I had a bunch of tiling done. I was probably 5 when he witched it with a peach branch. Tried it again alone and it wouldnt work. Riana Mondavi explains the mysterious art of water witching, a craft her father Marc Mondavi uses to locate water for vineyards for The Divining Rod wines. These rocks do not contain pore spaces through which water can flow. My neighbor can, good at it. When professional consultations are required or preferred, the landowner must make a decision. I seem to find them occasionally with the backhoe ?? I honestly didnt believe until that rod practically jumped out of my hand to point downward. He smokes a lot of dope, that maybe helps. Being a plumber by trade and having a father that was also a plumber; I can tell you it's a crap shoot. kzks: Posted 1/27/2023 08:26 (#10062732 - in reply to #10062317) . It scared my hubby, though, and he asked me not to do it again.apparently didnt want to be married to someone spooky. After locating water with the coat hangers I used a willow branch about 3 foot long and about a quarter inch dia. Walking with the long ends pointed forward, when he came to a certain spot, the rods swung around and pointed back toward him. It is a unique talent that I also have I generally use one rod in my receiving hand. It will go left and right when I get over a line. Thank you. An excellent article, Amber Kanuckel. A federal publication entitled The Divining Rod : a . Not a drop of wqter. I believed I could do it because I believed in him. We are very hit and miss. Gave me chills. If I can teach 9 yr old to do it anyone can do it following this simple technique. Rods will turn in their hands. Favorite Jung & Johnnys Seeds For Your 2023 Garden, Winter Sowing The Spring Vegetable Garden. I use a wire bent at a 90 degree angle. Grab both ends of the Y in an underhanded . He was correct. The driller often has a lot of experience in the area being drilled and knows if the rocks in that area typically yield useful quantities of water. In other areas, underground water sources are few and far betweenjust streams, some large, some smallcoursing through the layers of rocks. And, if you are looking for oil, it's . #4. Although some dowsers have a record of regularly producing good results, the United States Geological Survey reports that most geologists and hydrogeologists do not endorse the practice of dowsing [1]. Your dowsing rod should also be relatively flatno branches sticking out in odd directions. Water Witches book. Both wells support a small community. All the sticks he has are the "Y" of the branches, and he shows me how to hold them. Water for this old house was provided by a hand-dug well that was short of water. Go mellow out and when you are at peace go try it again. But on occasion there might be more.. After about 15 seconds or so the stuck will begin to Bob up and down. 3) have kids walk with rod in each hand over hose/cord starting about 6 feet back from it. Water dowsing, or water witching, runs in the family. He was never wrong and always found water. I'm not sure about electrical but probably so. He lived in Star Valley Wyoming, and when he was younger was often sought out by others in the community to help then locate a good location to drill a well. Son scoffs, he can't do it but I tell him it's because he doesn't believe it works. Daylight Saving: When Does the Time Change? Figure 3: A drawing from De Re Metallica, by Georgius Agricola, published in 1556. Date: October 17, 2021 Author: Bishop Bill 22 Comments. One practicing water witching holds the two branches of the stick in his hands, while pointing the rod upward and outward. Hold the rods steady in your hands. My current well, which is collapsing, is 400 feet down. Witched my first well in my teens. Willow twigs are long and slim. I would not drill a well without the advice of a witcher. "The small end, where you are holding it, is less than 1/4 inch in diameter," he says. Where are you located DryCreek? Need to check it out this spring and see how many witches we have in the family. Second well a mille away on a different piece of strata was less stron and pulled 30 gpm at 150 foot depth. My grandpa could witch wells. Water is not always where youd expect. Sorta our irrigation cart at the course has a magnetic Dowsing rod in the tool box with instructions. When I found out witching would work for me an old well witcher told me that if you cant find water on the top of the hill go to the bottom or vise versa. Although most would say that dowsing is nothing more than a myth, there are quite a few people today whobelieve in this practice. George's water well thread got me thinking about it..I too am planning to drill a well in the near future. I am going to talk to a doctor and see if there is some way to monitor my blood pressure and pulse rate when I do this the next time. Some water witchers use a forked willow branch and by gripping the two forks firmly, the willow rod will move up and down when placed over and underground current of water. I can find stuff in the open, but the the overhead messes me up. As walking back and stick started going down placed a second flag. You may have to ask around to find out methods that work for you. Subject Headings. Water dowsing involves the claim that a person can locate underground sources of water without using any scientific instruments. Or at least the volume and depth of a vein. There was a local man who used an old pair of slip joint pliers to find water. Instructions. She has used witching sticks with very good results. My email is djcwhite@comcast.net I would GREATLY appreciate any help in locating one around here. 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. All anyone has to do to find their own answer is to contact their local water welldriller and ask them if dowsing for underground water really works. Although Agricola used this illustration in his book and reported that the dowsing rod was being used to locate minerals, he rejected the practice and instead recommended trenching [5]. Watched a bunch of how to videos. Hasnt failed me yet. I believe those were well drillers,not well diggers. He is pretty skeptical that I can find them with wires, and I was curious what Agtalk thought about it. Each bob is supposed to indicate the depth to the water. My grandfather was the water finder and he said use willow for finding water. Farmers will soon have a new tool for getting the most out of their fields. He has located numerous water lines on my farm since I bought it when I wanted to install hydrants or cattle drinks. Drooping branchlets are typically green or brown. He carried a 1" pipe about 4-5' long. Went over and I said lets hop in your pickup. Forked sticks held in front of a dowser will be deflected toward the ground, a pair of L-shaped rods held lightly in the dowser's hands will cross one another, and a pendulum suspended on a string will deflect from vertical as the dowser moves over a good location. It has drastically reduced the number of landscape losses. A single rod spinning in a circle is usually a great spot, but Im not sure what it means. Unless they used shovels. Alternately, glue several cotton reels together into a cylinder. Two of us on the board could locate graves, the others could not. Just had a new well drilled today. Not sure if I do agree as a Master Naturalist and geologist helper but Granpa did use Dowsing to dig a well in Jefferson County Illinois to supplement the family cisterns. They just KNOW it works. My husband cannot. 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. We can determine male or female, how deep the grave is and by determining the length of the grave figure if its a child or adult. Some dowsers prefer branches from particular trees, and some prefer the branches to be freshly cut. His son & daughter can both find tile & waterlines as well. Some regions have underground aquifers. But the tip of the stick bends first. My religion says that if we are doing something for a good purpose then its alright. But would take a beer sometime in the bar. There is amazing power there but Im a bit reluctant to do it because I dont know where the power or ability comes from. It was about 18 long in a "Y" shape. This information is very useful in determining the probability of drilling success on a nearby property. No scientist or anyone else is telling me its nonsense! Worked every time. You dont always know whats under the ground. Each has their own benefits and downfalls. i went with him many time when he was witching ,i would mark where with a stone . When my friend double checked her cousins info, it was a TWINS grave we found ! The tip drops when she is over water. I told them to throw their dowsing rods away. There is something to that. Traditionally, the most common dowsing rod is a forked (Y-shaped) branch from a tree or bush. 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! When I was young I helped an old neighbor track a tile line all the way across his farm. It doesnt seem to correlate with soil type or rock formations on the surface. You hold welding rods loosely, so they can swing freely and not drag on your index finger when they move (the rod free-floats). Hello Brian, Do you know how I would go about finding a Dowser in my area? The guy told him the water is 160ft below us. Many took him up on his challenges but none were ever able to prove their mystical claims. Problem was there were so many minerals in it that it would kill vegetation and even livestock couldn't drink it. It depends on the location and the severity of the drought, but usually it's between $75 and $200. So I am completely baffled as to why I can witch water. I can't find a water vein underground, but I can find underground wires and pipes. Used a forked peach tree sprout. My wife has worked as a sewer line locator as part of her job. 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. Ive seen guys use that method to drive around on a place and find a good general area for I hunt in. 100% of wolf cubs could do it after 30minutes training. Remove and compost all of the leaves and cut the branches into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. I use wires but only one will move. Friend said try witching the pipes. Some wells have been less than 100 feet. He hung a small weight on a string from the middle of the lid. 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. I know that not everyone can. Mother's Day: Facts, Folklore, Recipes, and Ideas, Father's Day: History and Celebration Ideas. In 1970, we decided to put in a deeper well. I hollered. Where do you live? When I backed up, they crossed in reverse. Even willows cut in the winter work fine. They are attracted to his body and point back toward him. I located a spot 20 feet farther away from the river, and the driller hit 40 gallons per min, ute when he went down 30 feet. ****. Hmmmm, imagine that. Later, my husband, Lynn, became really good at this He first witnessed water witching, commonly called water dowsing, in 1955 on the ranch where he grew up. This article originally appeared in the July/August 2020 issue of Hobby Farms magazine. Drilling a water well can cost thousands of dollars. The well company said they just pick a spot and eventually find water. Why does the weeping willow root system expand so widely? Dowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil, claimed radiations (radiesthesia), gravesites, malign "earth vibrations" and many other objects and materials without the use of a scientific apparatus.It is also known as divining (especially in water divining), doodlebugging (particularly in the United States, in searching for . I had the opportunity to test them at our 40 acre farm when the pipe between the 2 ponds stopped flowing. Most frustrating thing Ive ever tried to locate with brass rods. No problem. In Europe and northeastern US, it is known as dowsing. Try it yourself ,grab couple pieces of thin wire or other metal, bend it to fit your hands at approximately 90 degrees and walk across your lawn ,find the water meter in the street and that runs in a straight line to your first hose bib. Water. You can also use apple or peach branches for water dowsing. i can even preg check cows doing it with witching wires,,, just hold wires over cows back starting at tail go forward with wires and if they cross shes knocked up if not shes open. They started digging 10' farther to make sure they would find it. A nearby town has an old waterline running through some land I own. Trying to locate buried utilities under an overhead line doesn't work for me. You could turn on all spigots and run all night without running dry. 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. Cut a Y-shaped stick from a tree, making sure that all three sections of the Y are between 12 and 16 inches long. Get Instant Access! I can't do it. It works over concrete, frozen ground or even during Dry times. But many have been 300 feet deep or more. I have witched successfully for water lines with 2 coat hangers spot on every time. As a matter of fact I have met a witcher who proclaimed there was no water available. The twist started to take the bark off my willow branch but did not break it like the ones in my teens. It only work for me, this is the theory that I developed and have studied: 1) Water is a good conductor of electricity 2) The Clay in our Northern Pa. has almost equal amounts of + and charged Clay particles, this is why you can make a ball out of Clay. Have never tried it much more than a few times over a known water line where I live. Its the disruption in the earth that does it. My great grandmother would take a fresh twitch off of a weeping willow, shaped like a "Y". He had a standing challenge offering a million dollar cash prize to anyone who pass his tests on any of the above. The well driller went down more than 100 feet and didnt hit water. Whats happening. Farmer wipes the sweat off his head after removing a cowboy hat. I cant pull a rabbit out of a hat. Now, it helps to know that, minutes earlier, I had shown him a map for the line's installation. I wonder if a person's blood type plays a role. An expert told us not to stop at the first stream but put a pump on the well snd suck it out while it was dug down further. Many took him up on his . I am a very conservative person. He had one customer convince him to dig without doing so. Sure enough when the well digger came to dig for the water he only went down 25 feet before he hit a artisian well with water 30 gallons per minute. "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). For the bobber stick (to determine depth of water), Lynn uses a dowsing willow about 3 feet long but small and light. Dowsing, in general terms, is the art of finding hidden things. 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. Ive never charged the locals. jesus warned us about powers like this,,,,,,,, those powers do not come from HIM,,,,,,,,any serious christian would stay far away from those types of capabilities because they are from the evil one. Just another thing in a long list of things I have no talent for. It has the ability to flow laterally through these pore spaces and establish a "water table" that is generally horizontal or slightly sloping (see Figure 2). Ive also used a pair of aluminum welding rods bent into a right angle. I wonder how in the world that works? The well driller can keep going, and you can tell him roughly how deep it might be. George Casely uses a hazel branch to find water on his farm, 1942. They can also cross rods in groundwater. I am an engineer so did not understand how this works but grew up on farm and often had to dig 6ft down to find filed tiles. Lots of water there that was warm and even artesian. Use a pen. With the copper piece at the end, I did it as a child and it absolutely works. These maps show the types of rocks that exist below the landowners property and their direction of dip. . And this has been going on for 45 years. It could be a tiny seep or huge underground stream. Oh, and it also helps to know that traces of the waterline's route are still visible, especially if you connect the dots made by tile holes where the waterline cut them. Lynn likes to use a green willow, but even a relatively dry one will work . I believe it works, but I cannot do it. If the side to side is weak then not enough water. Rods pointing same direction is water stream thats moving the direction they point, you might use that to decide where to add wells or try and guess how other wells nearby may hurt your volume. On some properties, there are very few options. Driller came within 2 in of my spot he dowsed also. According to the American Society of Dowsers, divining the location of water dates back many millennia. He found one at Dad's house and was within 2ft of the depth of the vein. Old-time dowsers and water witches, in the United States, preferred branches from the witch-hazel, willow, or peach tree, and often favored branches cut from green, wet wood as it was believed that the rod would be drawn to a water source. Dowsers often use a dowsing stick, pendulums, or even water dowsing rods. He was floored, and I had no idea what was going on. The single end was sharpened to a point, exposing the wet, fresh willow wood. I guessed at a spot and they dug down 300ft. Ive had the person Ive witched for try it. Had well digger out there and only found 6 dry holes I knew the area was hard place to find water in. Dowsing rods point toward you when you are directly over water. 2) put garden hose or electical extension cord on ground. Some more anecdotal evidence for those who hang their hats on such:One of my old friends who lived on a farm in Montana had a very nice farmstead but had the misfortune to live atop a very deep formation of Bear Paw Shale. There is an article in our newspaper re: a man finding an ancient cemetary by dousing. Hope that helps you David. On the spirtual side of this however Grandpa was descended from a Scotsman. There are numerous verses in the Bible about asking the rod for answers. Eventually got mad when Im starting to laugh some and him yelling at me to do something to help and go flush a d%#n toilet! Ive only had to sit down to laugh and catch my breath like that a couple times in my life. Outward again I hollered. 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