Dowser with L-shaped metal dowsing rods practising at Rollright Stones, Warwickshire, England. Closeup hands, Vertical
Dowsing, sometimes called divining, doodlebugging (in the US), or (when searching specifically for water) water finding or water witching, is a practice that attempts to locate underground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, or other objects as well as so-called "currents of earth radiation" without the use of scientific apparatus. A Y- or L-shaped twig or rod is sometimes used during dowsing, although some dowsers use other equipment or no equipment at all. Dowsing appears to arise in the context of Renaissance magic in Germany, and it remains popular among believers in Forteana or radiesthesia although there is no accepted scientific rationale behind the concept and no scientific evidence that it is effective. Traditionally, the most common divining rod was a Y-shaped branch from a tree or bush. Some dowsers prefer branches from particular trees; hazel twigs in Europe and witch-hazel in the United States were commonly chosen, as were branches from willow or peach trees. Some dowsers prefer the branches to be freshly cut. Many dowsers today use a pair of simple L-shaped metal rods, and some use bent wire coat hangers. One rod is held in each hand, with the short part of the L held upright, and the long part pointing forward. Some dowsers claim best success with rods made of particular metals, such as brass, although others think that the material is irrelevant if it is the human body itself that does the detecting. In all cases the device is in a state of unstable equilibrium from which slight movements may be amplified
Size: 3744px × 5616px
Location: The Rollright Stones, Warwickshire, England uk
Photo credit: © Hire Image Picture Library / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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