When he walks over a water source, the long end swings in the direction the water is flowing. As a matter of fact I have met a witcher who proclaimed there was no water available. Local drug store stocks both. Im about half of them the wire will start going down on them when they approach the vein. After he finished he had me try it. Found many underground veins with it. He said he wished he would have quizzed this guy more to learn as this witcher has been gone for some time already. Not a drop. Theres just not that much luck to be found. My buddy spent money hiring them and even worse, he spent money drilling dry hole after dry hole that would hit the shale. The force was strong. Be present. If you are very very good at locating existing field tile, I will gladly hire you. It's a very strong response. This gives a solid base of support to hold the willow securely and firmly as you walk slowly over the area to be checked. Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove compartment of your car. Since then, I have used it multiple times to find old water lines with good results. They want to be sure that the well is drilled in a location where it will produce water of adequate quantity and quality. If this true please explain why I have had the bark peel off in my hands trying to stop the movement! Instructions. It is not easy for adults to do, apparently, because they tense up. Its very strange looking. Diana fowler we also have a farm that was owned by old man jones in ohio. I don't know how accurate it is. No one knows why dowsing worksor if, indeed, it does work. I hired 3 dowsers to witch my property. I think I can do this. 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. Almanac Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. So they sat him in the back of a pickup truck, blind folded him, and slowly drove down the main street of a small town. They came in knowing the situation but all were unsuccessful. Standing. The single end was sharpened to a point, exposing the wet, fresh willow wood. Thank you, Clarence Inman of Bonny Doon . All this information allows the hydrogeologist to develop a three-dimensional model of the property that might define locations that are promising or those that should be avoided. A forked branch, or iron rod is a common tool that is used in water witching, also known as dowsing. The wire is magnetically attracted to that point. When the willow twists, the part pointed forward and upward suddenly pulls down toward the ground. I do think you have got to have the gift, as everyone can`t do it. Our well depths in our area vary from 60 ft to 400 plus and can be from a gal/min to enough to run an irrigation well. Some real estate agents in our valley ask him to check properties before offering them for sale, to make sure there is water. Numerous witchers showed up at his place, all claiming mystical powers to find water. 90+ yr old well driller , drilled hundreds of wells, told me buttons , pliers , zippers , seams on clothing affect the results. Figure 3: A drawing from De Re Metallica, by Georgius Agricola, published in 1556. Dowsers often use a dowsing stick, pendulums, or even water dowsing rods. The term Water Witching is believed to be derived from ideas of magic, but it actually involves relaxation, focus and potentially some knowledge about trees. Read 403 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Looks like a lot of potential millionaires amongst us *****I think he has passed on now but there was a guy named James Randy, who used to appear on the Johnny Carson Show. I wont lie to them if I feel I dont recognize a water vein. In frustration, he asked Lynn to locate water. If a landowner wants a well drilled within a hundred or so feet of a building site, almost any location selected will have similar potential for yielding water to a well. It was not as strong but felt good for a home supply. Water-Witchin' was at one time a part of regular country life when other means of finding water underground in order to dig a well wasn't available. He started looking; found a spot and said, "There's water here.". I believed I could do it because I believed in him. Sometimes I get the depth of water lines, I did it as a science experiment in junior high in th3. The willow tree is naturally found around lakes or ponds because is it a water loving tree. I use any wire i can get hold of. Kioti RX6620PS. I honestly didnt believe until that rod practically jumped out of my hand to point downward. When I locate water for someone, I show them how to hold the rods and try it, he says. I dont know why this is still discussed. The wires did move/ cross. Water Witching or Water Dowsing to locate underground wateranybody ever done itboth my grandfathers could do.my dad and I have done it..it's crazy how it works..I used it to find a leaking waterline in our yard that was about 2 1/2 ft underground..tripped the wife . Even found well water for our church in the last year. Not a single budge in indicating water. Some buy me one some dont. Even tried over water bed & wands turned out. Its more for the fun of it. The well driller can keep going, and you can tell him roughly how deep it might be. Then I drilled were it was most convenient (my pick) and we hit 20 gallons a minute at 132 feet. The hydrogeologist will also seek information about previous wells drilled in the local area. A multi million dollar grant to research it. I am a very conservative person. Good Morning. General logic is that youd find water more often in the valley floor than on a high mountain. One of his relatives used a forked willow to locate the origins of a spring that provided the house with water. Just amazing to this this in action. These maps show the types of rocks that exist below the landowners property and their direction of dip. The small end, where you are holding it, is less than 1/4 inch in diameter, he says. Yes, I can witch water. Tractor. Many took him up on his challenges but none were ever able to prove their mystical claims. It was the same driller who saw my success locating water just a few feet from a dry hole. Thats a big gamble. My husband cannot. Desperate farmer using a willow branch to locate a place to drill a new well. Ever wonder why there needs to be a pump at the bottom of a deep well. After he finished he had me try it. On the spirtual side of this however Grandpa was descended from a Scotsman. Cut a Y-shaped stick from a tree, making sure that all three sections of the Y are between 12 and 16 inches long. illow will work for the forked stick and the bobbing stick. It has to be underground. Id walk and as my stick started going down I would place a flag. During this studys 10-year research period, researchers paired up experienced geologists and dowsers, sending them to dry regions like Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Yemen. Water dowsing can be performed through a wide range of water dowsing equipment. they will simply that there is no right nor wrong place, just drill anyplace and you either hit or miss. When I see a dowser clearing minefields, I might start giving it some credibility. I can find buried waterline & tile using 2 welding rods, -the flush, bent @ a 90 angle. I acquired the skill and it workssometimes. Drive around and when I feel downward pressure we stop and I walk some. Going to try another well drill very soon. Grab both ends of the Y in an underhanded . Lynn uses willow because its plentiful, but hes also used chokecherry branches. Dowsing tools include a variety of things, such as pendulums, car keys, wire rods, coat hangers and pliers. When one has witnessed someone with a proven track record do it right in front of you with spectacular results then one tends to lean toward KNOWING it works, at least for certain gifted individuals. I believe it works, but I cannot do it. This gives more chance to find adequate water, at two levels. Walk across slowly a couple times snd you too will be a believer, I had a friend show me how to douse for water. Probably any kind of willow will work for the forked stick and the bobbing stick. Lynn likes to use a green willow, but even a relatively dry one will work . Witching for wells. I would not drill a well without the advice of a witcher. So I am completely baffled as to why I can witch water. It can be very difficult to drill successful wells in some areas underlain by thick cavernous limestone. 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. 4) turn water or electricity on and repeat. I know nothing but have always suspected it has something to do with an individual's electrical charge. Ive also used a pair of aluminum welding rods bent into a right angle. Nova Scotia, Prince Edward, New Brunswick, Quebec, 2022-2023 Canadian Extended Winter Forecast, Gardening by the Moon | Planting Calendar, Groundhog Day: Forecast, Facts, and Folklore, Saint Patrick's Day: History, Folklore, and Ideas, Thanksgiving Day (Recipes, Traditions and Trivia). A nearby town has an old waterline running through some land I own. Dowse a spot and hit the numbers we need. 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. I try to stay local. The studys findings showed that the dowsers predictions concerning depth and volume were accurate to within 10% to 20%. One of the most popular dowsing activities is dowsing for water. At a friends request, we doubled up to find a lost babys grave ( quicker) and what we found was a surprise to us. Pea Ridge Graphic, 1966. I can find stuff in the open, but the the overhead messes me up. n. the search for or discovery of underground water sources by means of a divining rod. I would love to find a dowser who can find my water line location, which is essential before permit can be given on the replacement of my failing septic system. My mom could do this..we called them water witches. 1,200 feet below ground, lay a huge seam of the Judith River Sands formation. My religion says that if we are doing something for a good purpose then its alright. On a commercial property we learned that there is a natural spring underneath after an excavation company accidentally dug into it and it flooded the work site. The ends of the forked branch are held one in each hand, with your wrists and palms facing upward, and the stem of the Y pointing straight ahead and slightly upward.. That well driller didnt believe in water dowsing originally but now calls me whenever someone wants him to drill a well.. I haven't tried to find water since but I can find water and electric lines with wires. Because a water witch's method is not scientifically proven, reliance on this technique is considered a folk practice. Used a green willow branch in the shape of a Y. They swing away from you when you walk past it. It baffles me as to how it works. My sister and BIL recently moved and he asked me if I could come locate some water lines on their property. Works good for both water And tile lines. When I was a kid, my brother had a friend who showed us how to locate water using bent metal rods held loosely in his fists. He ended up finding a spot and told them definitely enough water in this spot for an irrigation well. Id concentrate more on finding water or whatever youre hunting. My Dad found the location for our well with a willow stick. It could be a tiny seep or huge underground stream. 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. If they ever failed to find water (or pipes) no one talked about it. He said, I have just as good a chance as they do. I did all of a sudden they went down. Havent been successful at it myself but Ive seen it done and it does work. AFC 1999/008: CRF-MH-A071. Mar 22, 2015 #4. I forgot to mention if a person is mentally distraught then not to bother trying to find water. I have produced a 4 Page Water witching Facts from my knowledge of the topic. So, not necessary to have a Y shaped fruit wood stick. It wasnt marked. Feel free to contact me if anyone should want to talk about the subject. One of the oldest methods for "finding" (or claiming to find) groundwater is called dowsing or water witching. "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. Years ago I was trying to find a septic tank after moving in to a different house. The heavy end points toward the ground, held about a foot off the ground, and it starts bobbing up and down. This article originally appeared in the July/August 2020 issue of Hobby Farms magazine. I moved to a rural community from Chicago in the early 70s. However, in this particular study, the dowsers were also asked to tell their drill teams at what depth theyd find the water and how much water they would find. I know it works I use it nearly everyday. I have witched successfully for water lines with 2 coat hangers spot on every time. It doesnt work for everyone, but the ones it does work for, it makes a believer of them. He was never wrong and always found water. Systems. Some researchers believe that humans can detect the presence of water by some trace amount of energy that it releases. No scientist or anyone else is telling me its nonsense! But I think he was good at finding anything ? Alternately, glue several cotton reels together into a cylinder. Branch size and thickness dont matterwhatever feels right. Warning be careful if you try that with opposite sex. Slide the larger copper tube over the short end and bend the remaining inch upward at 45 degrees to hold the handle in place. In PA Dutch country, you might hear it called "water smelling". Downeast Maine. 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. People that have never seen it or watched closely think the dowser is turning the stick down intentionally. 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. For the bobber stick (to determine depth of water), Lynn uses a dowsing willow about 3 feet long but small and light. Read more:Ever wonder why there needs to be a pump at the bottom of a deep well? my dad did this for years using a fork from a chokecherry tree , nothing else worked for him . Watched a bunch of how to videos. Where are you located DryCreek? They started digging 10' farther to make sure they would find it. My email is djcwhite@comcast.net I would GREATLY appreciate any help in locating one around here. We are very hit and miss. A well we had dug was close to two underground streams at different depths. He had a neighbor come down and check it and he found the same spot and said there would be water at about 30-40 feet and plenty of it. However I will admit. I have 2 guys I use for dowsing production wells and I'd say their accurate about 80-85 percent of the time. Dowsing for water pipes could sometimes work this way: When those pipes were buried, someone had to guess how much dirt to throw back into the trench. He hung a small weight on a string from the middle of the lid. A friend used it to find a mortar damaged buried cable under a runway in Vietnam. Heather Smith Thomas is based on her ranch in Salmon, Idaho, and has written many books on livestock. That situation was interesting because the rancher had already hired a well driller who drilled 400 feet and didnt hit water. Trying to locate buried utilities under an overhead line doesn't work for me. Am David Mundia from Kenya I have been dowsing for water from 1999.I have done it for local farmers numerous times and never missed to locate water . Well, after they dug at that spot, he was amazed that they found the water they needed pretty close to the projected depth. I went in and grabbed the copper rods and just like mentioned above the rods would cross when I walked across the area where my husband then excavated and found the line. Dowsing rods point toward you when you are directly over water. About like going by the almanac to know when to lay down gravel..But a couple of years ago, we were building a new pipe fence in an area with a suspected water line. Closer to center as possible. IT IS NOT MAGNETIC! One example: I located a well for one person on top of a hill, Lynn says. The technique requires the dowser to hold in his hands a forked green willow branch (or a pair of bent brass rods, or any number of other permutations), then walk about, waiting for the device, also called a divining rod, to dip toward . Seems odd when well driller keeps finding dry holes and up to 6-7 at times and the landowners ask me to come and I find one the first time with my trusty #9 wire. After about 15 seconds or so the stuck will begin to Bob up and down. Its possible to find water sometimes at high elevations, while some attempts to drill wells near rivers have failed. Ive had the person Ive witched for try it. He said, it's your money, what do you want to do? Spot they turned. It worked every time. Thats where Im going to drill I have located a few places to drill a well. No problem. My cousin showed me how. Locating and drilling into a good water supply can be difficult in areas underlain by igneous rocks such as granite and basalt. 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. You can use just one rod, and it works just as well as if you use two. I told them to throw their dowsing rods away. But would take a beer sometime in the bar. Farmers have used water-witching for generations, to determine the best place to dig their wells, and to find a source of drinking water for their cattle in a pasture. He does this every day he works and with 100% accuracy. Subsequently Ive located running water multiple times. I dont care if it is a plastic pipe, a 24, a stream of water or whatever I can find it, even with a dowsing rod made of wooden dowel rods. Traditionally, the most common dowsing rod is a forked (Y-shaped) branch from a tree or bush. The twist started to take the bark off my willow branch but did not break it like the ones in my teens. The welding rods locate water but dont tell you how much. Remove and compost all of the leaves and cut the branches into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. 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 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. It is a unique talent that I also have I generally use one rod in my receiving hand. Hazel twigs in Europe and witch-hazel in the United States are traditionally commonly chosen, as are branches from willow or peach trees. I do not have the ability but was told my Grandmother witched a lot of wells in the early 1900's. When I was 7 we had a neighbor locate the buried water lines on a new farm. I will try it this spring. 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. And sometimes people who are interested in a certain property ask him to find water before they decide to buy it. This way you can hold tightly and feel the willow pull on your hands and wrists. I cant pull a rabbit out of a hat. Water dowsing, or water witching, runs in the family. The well company said they just pick a spot and eventually find water. And yet I know people that can do it. This process hasnt failed me yet. Tell them to dig in center. I wonder if a person's blood type plays a role. 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. It shows two workers using dowsing rods to locate subsurface ore minerals. Of you use geology and science they will not guarantee anything either. Some people use two metal rods called divining rods or even wire. My wife has worked as a sewer line locator as part of her job. Mother's Day: Facts, Folklore, Recipes, and Ideas, Father's Day: History and Celebration Ideas. He said I laughed and counted after he dropped it into the bucket of water. Water-witching for Wanderers (and Wonderers) invited the public to engage with Calgary's community of Quarry Park, the site of a former gravel pit, through dowsing. Water-witching, 1907. "Willow branches," he says. But if the stick only swings side-to-side a couple times, you know there isnt as much water there. I also knew that the Soviet Army travelled with just 2 days fresh water supply, but several battalions of dowsers. I am John Benscoter, my phone# is 570/833/4250, my address is 345 Beech Grove Road, Laceyville, Pa. 18623, my email is johnrbenscoter@yahoo.com. Ha Ha. He kept on looking and found another one that was perpendicular to the first. Lynn found a spot just 8 feet away from the dry hole. I have a place in Pigeon Mi. I wish to have contacts of dowsers abroad. People who dont believe in it sounds just as ignorant as not believing that the fungal network plays a massive role in natural forest health. My dad wit hed for water for over 50 years. I dont know how it works, but it appears to. Water witching, also known as dowsing, has been around for a long time but has never been fully accepted as a legitimate tool by the scientific community. That's what he told me. I have only done this to a site on my property and at a well site on my property and was blown away when the bobber stick responded in the way I have described. I can't tell the depth though. We contacted him and he came with a hanger wire and took about 20 minutes to locate the water source. What materials are best used to make a diving too like the one in the picture above? ****. He passed in 2020 or maybe you too could have become a millionaire. It works! The rod is usually a Y-shaped forked branch, the forks making a sort . When trying to find one of the house skeptics. Also known as divining, water witching, doodlebugging, and other names, dowsing is an ancient practice whose origins are lost in long-forgotten history. They ALL use this technique everyday. Its the disruption in the earth that does it. 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.