He ended up finding a spot and told them definitely enough water in this spot for an irrigation well. 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. Aerial photos often reveal linear features that might indicate the presence of fracture zones in the bedrock. Welding rods have more mass and are even slimmer. I go out with my #9 piece of wire and hop in their pickup. If theyd stopped at the first level, it would not be a viable well. Jun 25, 2007. The tip drops when she is over water. Water-Witching From Space. Your dowsing rod should also be relatively flatno branches sticking out in odd directions. Water Witching, Magic Wands & Telekinesis. 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. One of the most popular dowsing activities is dowsing for water. 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. 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. This way you can hold tightly and feel the willow pull on your hands and wrists. It works. He'd had a new well drilled for the house but wanted to reactivate the old one for watering his garden. My wife has worked as a sewer line locator as part of her job. . Notes. We had two witchers as neighbors, saw them many times work their magic and never saw them miss they did it free for farmers drilling wells for livestock. He also told me how to measure depth & gal per min. Nothing to be ashamed of, but its better to ask around and find credible folks if possible. Has been within a foot every time. He said it was the dangest thing he's ever seen. You should also make sure the rods are 9 inches (22.9 cm) from each other. Because the same types of rocks are usually present beneath that small area. The well company said they just pick a spot and eventually find water. 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. I did all of a sudden they went down. I was a strong farm boy, and I held that stick tight. No scientist or anyone else is telling me its nonsense! He said he knew of those locations and there were others on my land. With the copper piece at the end, I did it as a child and it absolutely works. Could find water. Better to pay a dowser so you at least haves reasonably decent place to try. I can get you in touch with dowsers. My father in law, Lowell, was held in high esteem within our county as a master dowser. Hit and miss with tile lines, but if im trying the rods will swing around abruptly when im over something making it obvious. He just counts until it stops bobbing up and down and starts moving side to sidewhich indicates where the water is. Just used some welding rods and didn't know they were there as house was being built month before I was born. I use a steel wire as my tool. IT IS NOT MAGNETIC! You could turn on all spigots and run all night without running dry. We use this same technique to locate graves except we use brass rods. Twisted the willow branch until it snapped. The way I became interested in water witching and understanding how it works was a TV show called Off the Grid. I cant find septic to save my life. Using the information described in the studies above, hydrogeologists base their recommendations on 1) the characteristics of the land; 2) characteristics of rocks beneath the site; 3) results from previous drilling; and, 4) known principles of groundwater movement. Water witching saved me days of work with shovel. Hes into genealogy. People that have never seen it or watched closely think the dowser is turning the stick down intentionally. Yes I do it a lot. 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. When locating water sources for wells, he says hes been able to predict the depth about 95 percent of the time. 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). Trying to locate buried utilities under an overhead line doesn't work for me. Its possible to find water sometimes at high elevations, while some attempts to drill wells near rivers have failed. Search Dowsing rods and I'd say it must have some merit. 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. He smokes a lot of dope, that maybe helps. Some of my kids can do it some cant. It led me right to them! Figure 1: A person using a forked-stick dowsing rod in a field. Do you think any one of them could agree on a location???? 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]. Start by holding the dowsing or divining rods steady and straight in your hands, at an arm's length from your body. I can walk across a field using the wire. He always witched or dowsed before drilling. I have been Successful finding water lines and electric I even witched for a Irrigation well narrowed it down to a 4 ft circle I told the well driller this is the spot and we drilled a 12 inch well and I get a strong 1000GPM IDK probably had nothing to do with the witching. And don't fall for the people using welding rods, they work for water lines but not aquifers. Dowsing or water-witching is a form of divination used to locate ground water, oil, sites, and information. When professional consultations are required or preferred, the landowner must make a decision. I guess thats good enough. It was life changing for me . It was not as strong but felt good for a home supply. "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. As you approach a water source, you should feel your dowsing rod start to bend towards the ground. The hydrogeologist will also seek information about previous wells drilled in the local area. Dowsing for water. Some people use hazel wood, but it doesnt grow where we live. I had the opportunity to test them at our 40 acre farm when the pipe between the 2 ponds stopped flowing. But on occasion there might be more.. Why does the weeping willow root system expand so widely? It will save a lot of backhoe time. The fence guy got out a pair of marker flags and walked around and found it and built the fence. Good Morning. My father took a shovel, and dug straight down at the point where the rods pointed at each other, hit the pipe, busted it open and fixed the issue with our main. This tree, and its root system, seeks water. I can't find a water vein underground, but I can find underground wires and pipes. Dowsing is a type of divination specifically for the location of objects, most notably water or treasure of some sort, but any item can be the subject of dowsing. Finding Bodies of Water. I seem to find them occasionally with the backhoe ?? It is not easy for adults to do, apparently, because they tense up. Next time I try for water I am using science, geology, not BS. He had one customer convince him to dig without doing so. My husband and I moved upstate n.y. 14 years ago. There was a local man who used an old pair of slip joint pliers to find water. This is absolutely 100% real and true. It works! A good amount of the time, city records are not updated to show where lines are. The idea is that, as the diviner walks, the rod held in this position will suddenly jerk . 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. He got out of the car, held a Y-shaped willow branch in his hands, walked in an expanding circle around the yard and, "At one point the end of the dowsing rod dipped toward the ground as though . He made a career with his magic tricks but also devoted many of his later years to debunking spiritualists, magic phenomena, and water witching. Systems. Lynn doesnt know how water dowsing works, but he says it does work. He called me a one-armed water Witcher. I wanted to do some work and didn't want to hit it, so I got in touch and they sent out their pipe-finder technician guy. When I backed up, they crossed in reverse. It's hit and miss for me with wires and water lines. When we bought our farm in Ohio, in 1966,it only had a hand dug cistern. My current well, which is collapsing, is 400 feet down. He was never wrong and always found water. 23 years ago I had a bunch of tiling done. He made a career with his magic tricks but also devoted many of his later years to debunking spiritualists, magic phenomena, and water witching. Second well a mille away on a different piece of strata was less stron and pulled 30 gpm at 150 foot depth. Been doing it since 1978. 1. Water for this old house was provided by a hand-dug well that was short of water. Water well witching with wood fits into this 95%, just like angels, demons, or the rest of reality that you cant see. And sometimes people who are interested in a certain property ask him to find water before they decide to buy it. She showed me how at an early age. Our back yard was our an acre and our front was probably around a quarter. First, Lynn locates water using welding rods to determine if there is any water in a certain area. Never tried any grave work. According to the American Society of Dowsers, divining the location of water dates back many millennia. Coal River Folklife Collection (AFC 1999/008) Repository. Some of the neighbors have been told that. After they dug several dry holes. They showed me how to do it with a willow branch when they were getting ready to drill a well. It's all in how tightly you hold onto the wire. Long story short Dad drilled a bunch of test holes anyway that turned up little to nothing at best. Had one fellow come to me in desperation because his wife wanted new house and needed swimming pool. Some researchers believe that humans can detect the presence of water by some trace amount of energy that it releases. Even willows cut in the winter work fine. Place flags apart from each other to see how wide the vain is. Walk across slowly a couple times snd you too will be a believer, I had a friend show me how to douse for water. 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. I did this at a neighbors well site and got 56 strong side to sides and only then asked him his gallons per minute. 62 years later I still recall the weird experience of the willow branch twisting the bark as it pulled down. Decades ago some of my Dad's friends called BS on his abilities to witch. It's yet another example of magical thinking. Ive also used a pair of aluminum welding rods bent into a right angle. Hasnt failed me yet. He passed in 2020 or maybe you too could have become a millionaire. Some wells have been less than 100 feet. Not sure how finding clean drinking water for a well or an old tile line is evil work, but I'm sure mankind can find a way to corrupt this too. I believe it has something to do with the body also. 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. 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. A friend used it to find a mortar damaged buried cable under a runway in Vietnam. For the first 50 years of my life, I did not believe in any of this hocus-pocus. Two of us on the board could locate graves, the others could not. I had two local gurus, both claimed they were great dowsers, come out and dowse the same area. I moved to a rural community from Chicago in the early 70s. Enough with the energies and superstitions and but it worked for me anecdotes. Perfect for watering our gardens. 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. So he said, explain that one to find water in the middle of a field and enough for an irriigation well when they had already dug a few dry test holes. Instead, the water must move through very narrow fractures in the rock. I walk to that point and when I get to the exact point my wire will turn in the direction of the underground water vein. Lynn counts each time it bobs, and each bob represents about a foot of depth. Not sure how to determine the quality of the water and its flow rate but apparently some people can determine that too. It has to be underground. Also like vein at least 400 feet long or better. The guy told him the water is 160ft below us. Some regions have underground aquifers. In 1518, Martin Luther condemned dowsing as a sin. This information is very useful in determining the probability of drilling success on a nearby property. Water Witches book. David, my wifes uncle witched for water at the place where we build our first house soon after we where married. But I think he was good at finding anything ? 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. I have been dowsing for 50 years with complete success. My great grandmother would take a fresh twitch off of a weeping willow, shaped like a "Y". Be present. It was about 18 long in a "Y" shape. This will indicate the depth to the next vein of water if one exists. Hmmmm, imagine that. Works good for both water And tile lines. It baffles me as to how it works. Accuracy? At a friends request, we doubled up to find a lost babys grave ( quicker) and what we found was a surprise to us. You can also use apple or peach branches for water dowsing. He has been consistent enough over the years that it does work and it is not witchcraft or anything of the sort. I hired 3 dowsers to witch my property. I just recently found a misplaced pair of channel locks with a dowsing rod. It doesnt seem to correlate with soil type or rock formations on the surface. Then walk aways past the flag and walk back toward with stick in both hands. Yes, water witching has been in existence for a long time. The willow gives you a feel for how much is there. As per usual, I put little to no faith in anecdotal evidence. You dont always know whats under the ground. Witched my first well in my teens. Have never tried it much more than a few times over a known water line where I live. I have located a few places to drill a well. They found an old hand dug tile. n. the search for or discovery of underground water sources by means of a divining rod. senior writer. Any advise? 3) The combination of the flowing water as a good conductor of electricity, the + and of the clay particles form and develop Clay veins or clay conduit (pipe). He got out of the pickup with his special tool -- an L-shaped analog to the old bent wire, but telescoping like an old AF/FM radio antenna. 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. Used a green willow branch in the shape of a Y. I do not have the ability but was told my Grandmother witched a lot of wells in the early 1900's. Would be grateful if youd share. I was probably 5 when he witched it with a peach branch. Ive never charged the locals. Yes, I can find underground wire, pipes by using a wire in each hand sticking out in front of me. In these areas, wells that do not intersect a fracture or a cavern might not yield abundant water. If its a thick vein of water, the stick will swing side-to-side many times. Does it work to find overhead power lines? But the tip of the stick bends first. Chinese New Year: Traditions and Superstitions, Spring Equinox and the First Day of Spring, Summer Solstice and the First Day of Summer, Sell the Farmers Almanac In Your Retail Store, Grow Your Business Advertise with the Farmers Almanac, Be The Business Your Customers Will remember. Friend said try witching the pipes. You can use just one rod, and it works just as well as if you use two. True Story. He is pretty skeptical that I can find them with wires, and I was curious what Agtalk thought about it. If you'd like to try dowsing for yourself, it's really quite simple. The man acting as "witch" held the branch by the fork ends with the point sticking straight out in front of him. A forked branch, or iron rod is a common tool that is used in water witching, also known as dowsing. Remain still after it stops bobbing and the stick will start to move side to side. He has found many water veins and can also do graves. He counted about 160 bobs. Repeat for the second rod, and you have yourself some homemade copper dowsing rods! 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.. If you're ever near an old wagon train road try them out. I tested this on an existing well site and the numbers did not come out right and matching the well log as to the depth of water. If you have ever been to underground caverns theres places where water swirled and made these huge pools, I always picture in my mind thats whats going on and that might make sense why its a good spot. Date: October 17, 2021 Author: Bishop Bill 22 Comments. I would not drill a well without the advice of a witcher. In PA Dutch country, you might hear it called "water smelling". I have witched successfully for water lines with 2 coat hangers spot on every time. As years went by I found out to be more successful at it I needed to find a vein. Other words and phrases that refer to this process include: doodlebugging, divining and water witching, willow witching. He used a quart jar with a couple of inches of water in it. Our new well supplied good water for our house (no more surface water that could be contaminated) and plenty of water for filling water troughs for our cattle. I didnt know what I was doing and no one told me anything, I just held two bent coat hangers loosely as instructed by my father who was skeptical (and had heard the advice from a friend and thought it was a put-on), I walked across the yard and when I passed the pipe, they crossed. The dip of the rock units and the topography of the area can be studied to identify the direction of groundwater flow, potential water recharge areas, springs, and discharge points. Yesterday the young driller cut a y shaped limb from one of our fruit trees, and used that to witch the drill site. Back then as a 12-or 13-year-old kid on the farm, the search for finding water is where it begins. I do think you have got to have the gift, as everyone can`t do it. A multi million dollar grant to research it. By the way two rods are not necessary. 3) have kids walk with rod in each hand over hose/cord starting about 6 feet back from it. They ALL use this technique everyday. Thats where Im going to drill Many took him up on his challenges but none were ever able to prove their mystical claims. On some properties, there are very few options. Some real estate agents in our valley ask him to check properties before offering them for sale, to make sure there is water. Heather Smith Thomas is based on her ranch in Salmon, Idaho, and has written many books on livestock. There is amazing power there but Im a bit reluctant to do it because I dont know where the power or ability comes from. I can do it but only with bare brazing rods for whatever reason. He said, I have just as good a chance as they do. Hydrogeologists often examine aerial photos when siting a well in a challenging area. People who practice dowsing believe that groundwater moves in subsurface seams, veins, or streams that must be intersected by the drill to produce an adequate flow of water. Its the disruption in the earth that does it. He said he wished he would have quizzed this guy more to learn as this witcher has been gone for some time already. 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! Word got around, and more people asked him to find water. In this Aug. 7, 2012 photo, Randy Grebke of Kohnen Concrete Products, demonstrates how he locates underground water by holding two copper wires while on a well drilling site in Huey, Ill. 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. He found out wher they crossed each other then he put the ends in his one hand and held it over where he said they crossed, the end of the Y started bobbing up and down, each bob was a foot. Plant your weeping willow at least 50 feet away from main structures, pathways, or driveways. Old style dowsers and water witches in the United States prefer branches from the witch-hazel, willow, or peach tree and often favor rods of freshly cut or green wood because "wet wood recognizes water." The dowser holds the Y-shaped dowsing rod with one short end of the Y in each hand and the long end of the Y pointing forward. When I was 7 we had a neighbor locate the buried water lines on a new farm. I'm in Lincoln county. One rancher was so grateful he paid Lynn $100. My grandpa could witch wells. As a young teen,my neighbor friend showed me how to do it with a forked apple branch.I was a doubter.We would hide a cup of water behind or under objects in his house.Then we would do a contest on who could find the water.One particular couch we could hide it beneath on ends or middle.I was astounded and we trained ourselves and we were nearly I would say 95 % accurate.Once we had an issue with the branch dragging the tip down in the middle of the living room floor.WTF was wrong? Its more for the fun of it. Lynn likes to use a green willow, but even a relatively dry one will work . 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 told them to throw their dowsing rods away. The bark is gray-black. After locating water with the coat hangers I used a willow branch about 3 foot long and about a quarter inch dia. Thats underground. An old logger showed me how to find water on a parcel of land I purchased from him on condition that I first locate at least two running streams under ground. A new branch of government to regulate it and then a $1500 license to do it. August 10, 2022 by allaboutdowsing. In ancient times, it used to be relatively easy to come up with rudimental water dowsing . They believe that locations where this water is present are surrounded by forces that will produce a response in their tools. Hi Richard, thanks for sharing your story! I use a wire bent at a 90 degree angle. Many of us may have fond remembrances of watching someone perform this noble and ' respectable ' form of divination when we were young, or at . Been doing a lot of reading on the subject and the only thing I can say to the non believers its not a hoax or that miniscule muscle is causing the stick to move. My mother's uncle could do it. Worked every time. My mom could do this..we called them water witches. When its local I charge nothing because I tell them from the beginning there is no guarantee. I was having a well dug before we built our house 4 years ago. He said when you first felt the willow stick move you counted from there to when it went straight down. 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. Still more say that this art is nothing more than a clever hoax. One of his relatives used a forked willow to locate the origins of a spring that provided the house with water. He was correct. Needs to be at least 25 feet wide to get a decent house well. His next hole, he did get 50 gal/min at 60ft. "The small end, where you are holding it, is less than 1/4 inch in diameter," he says. It took a while to learn how to hold them loosely while balancing them. When holding the willow branches, your arms are close to your body with elbows resting against your hips.