J.R. Fisher takes two bent welding rods and locates a buried water line, below the surface of
the ground, on his Reilly Springs farm.

Witching For Water.....
Profound Science or
Cultish Phenomenon?

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Dowsing or "Water Witching," as it is more commonly called in the United States, has existed in various forms for thousands of years. Some even site the Bible, in Numbers, Chapter 20, when Moses struck the rock and water sprang forth for the Israelites in the desert. The practice involves using twigs, limbs, or rods to detect hidden or buried water, metals, gemstones, or other buried objects, below the surface of the ground.

Most folks credit the Germans, during the 15th century, of using the technique generally used in theU.S. today, and that early settlers coming to this country brought the application with them, as they settled the "New World."

 

Bryant Fisher, top, shows how the rods will cross when the line is detected.
And, below, shows how to hold the two rods in your hand.

 

Most "water witchers" use a pair of metal rods, or a Y-shaped branch from a tree or bush, in applying what is known in Europe as "radiesthesia." When using a branch, most "witchers" prefer a peach tree limb, while others use willow limbs, witch hazel limbs, or possibly a cherry tree limb. Others add the use of a pendulum with their list of equipment and say that it can aid in detecting the depth of the object located.

 

 

"I first started the practice, years ago, when we were traveling to farms and conducting farm auctions," advises Reilly Springs resident, Bryant Fisher. "We were always driving stakes in the ground to put up the sale tent and digging post holes to establish our working chutes and time after time, we would hit someone's water line and have to fix leaks. I began using the methods to keep from hitting the lines with our equipment."

 

J.R. Fisher approaches the area where the line is located and the two
rods move closer together.

 

"I prefer to use two welding rods and bend each one in an L-shaped format, one for each hand," explains Fisher. "I hold them straight out, loosely in my fists, and walk slowly over the area, when you detect something below the surface, the two rods will come together and cross. You know there is something below the surface!"

Fisher's two sons, J.R. and Blake Fisher, can also apply the principles to detecting water and sewer lines on their farm. "Dad showed us how to do it and we use it all the time, when we are looking for buried water lines, sewer lines, etc.," explains J.R. Fisher. "I think it has something to do with a hollow cavity below the surface of the ground and that draws the two rods together."

 

 

"It also works when you walk under an electrical line," advises Blake Fisher. "That would lend you to think that it has something to do with a magnetic field. Regardless, it sure saves a lot of digging, when you are trying to locate a buried line, on the farm."

 

 

Blake Fisher starts slowly walking with the rods pointed straight and once the object is located, the two rods
cross.

 

Dowsing is also used for locating old graves. Several people in Hopkins County use the same principles and take their divining rods to grave locations and can "pin-point" where the grave is located. They have also applied the pendulum device and can detect a male or female buried in the grave, based on the number of rotations of the pendulum.

Take two rods and try the experiment for yourself. Who knows, you may be a "water witcher?"

Editors Note: Being the skeptic that I can sometimes be, I had to see it with my own eyes. And, you guessed it, I took the two rods in my hand and once I crossed a water line, the two rods crossed. I also witnessed the divining in the cemetery and am a true believer of that. I don't know what causes it, but it works and is accurate in locating things below the surface of the ground!

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