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   Dowsing by Sara Hall
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The ancient practice of dowsing is filled with intrigue and mystery. Dowsing is the art of using sticks or rods to find water deep underground. But dowsing can be used to find more than water. There are dowsers who seem able to find gas mains, cables and even ancient archaeological relics deep underground. Put simply, dowsing is the act of searching, with the aid of a hand-held tool or instrument, for something that is hidden from view. Because we do not fully understand how dowsing works, dowsing has its share of sceptics. Many scientists, doctors and physical geographers simply dismiss dowsing as a purely esoteric hobby where chance or luck alone determines any findings that come to light. 

However, this view ignores the long history associated with dowsing. Dowsing appears as an ancient ritual in many different cultures across the world. An 8,000-year-old cave painting found in the Sahara desert shows a person who appears to be dowsing. Other records tell us that the ancient Egyptians used split reeds for dowsing and believed dowsing to be a highly effective method for finding water. There are also records of peoples of the Middle East who used dowsing as a reliable way to find water.

Despite all this, there are those who find the sight of someone walking around with a Y-shaped stick, a pair of L-shaped rods or a pendulum in their hands as funny and farcical. However, those who do not believe in dowsing have not always been so benign. During the 13th and 14th centuries in Britain, the religious authorities associated dowsing with witchcraft, black magic and mortal danger. In this period, anyone found dowsing risked being severely punished or put to death for being a witch. However, from this undisputed low point in history, the reputation of dowsing improved in Britain over time.

In the 16th century, workers used dowsing to find seams of tin, lead and iron ore in the southwest of England. This helped develop some of the country's most successful mines - many of which remained in profitable operation for hundreds of years. Dowsing played a similar role in the history of early industrial mining in Germany. In the 17th century in France, Baron Beausoleil used dowsing as the most important search technique for his successful mining operations. However, the religious authorities in France accused Beausoleil of practising alchemy, and he ended his days as a prisoner in the Bastille - the most feared and terrible prison in Europe at the time.

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Glossary

Sceptic (adj)
someone who has doubts about things that other people believe to be true. 

Esoteric (n)
understood by only a few.

Benign (adj)
kind and gentle.
  Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 October 2009 13:37 )