X marks the spot: Walter Elliot on his use of ancient art of divination

The Southern Reporter (Scotland, UK) ^ | 9-16-2012

[Renfield]

This stuff really works. I've dowsed for water lines for years, and on our recent trip to Britain, we used copper dowsing rods to find the Michael and Mary lines.

[Renfield]

Ping

[randog]

This stuff really works.

My wife's uncle used to help out at old cemeteries, divining for lost grave sites. Apparently it worked.

[DesertRhino]

Silliness, i can walk around half of the great plains with two sticks and say “dig here”. Guess what? They’ll hit the water table.

This is about as scientific as using a pocketwatch pendulum over a pregnant woman to guess the sex, or reading tea leaves.

[SpinnerWebb]

as scientific as using a pocketwatch pendulum over a pregnant woman to guess the sex

Really? It's that accurate, huh? I'm 100% out of 22 on sexing babies with a needle and thread.

I guess I should try the rods.

[gunner03]

My well was witched. He was off by 5’ in dept,spot on in gallons per minute. Fascinating.

[BallandPowder]

Powder..patch..ball FIRE!

I can remember my grandfather deciding where to put the new well for his house using a “Y” from a willow.

when he hit the spot where the well actually ended up the ends in his hands twisted the bark off as the “witch” bent to the ground.

he could find a water or sewer pipe anyplace.

[gunner03]

My well was witched. He was off by 5’ in dept,spot on in gallons per minute. Fascinating.

[Theoria]

Good ol' Moses. Numbers 20:11

_{And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.}

[ZX12R]

It’s hocus pocus nonsense, like a ouija board.

[freedumb2003]

I have seen scientific studies. When the “diviner” is blindfolded, the results are at best random.

[DesertRhino]

If it really works, then it should be easily proven by having the practioner walk over a few test surfaces,,including one or two control beds with nothing in them at all.
Of course, then we’ll be told it was a prepared course, and the rods can only discern natural situations, not the others or some such excuse. This is New Orleans crystal ball fortune telling for old geezers. This is ESP.

This sounds like global warming science. Absolutely no requirement to follow the scientific method. Add in a compete denial of physical science, and just say “it works”.

[Revolting cat!]

http://www2.connect.ab.ca/~tylosky/

[DesertRhino]

Needle and thread? I want to believe you are not serious. Please say you are not serious.

[EggsAckley]

It’s hocus pocus nonsense, like a ouija board.

Not at all nonsense. Almost ANYONE can do it, except, I think, you. Myself, I dowsed an entire old lost water system. Accurately. I use metal coat hangers.

[matt1234]

I have used metal witching sticks to find underground lines. It works. Have you tried it?

[qam1]

By all means bring your skills to the Amazing Randi and a check for $1 millioin dollars awaits you

[ZX12R]

I have seen scientific studies. When the “diviner” is blindfolded, the results are at best random.

Yes, because that is all that's possible. People want to believe in old wives tales, superstitions, and that there exists all manner of magical goings on, but it simply isn't true. The real world is a rather dull place, compared to what some people believe.

[21twelve]

I have seen the use of metal rods to locate metal and pvc pipes. My theory is they work the way a regular utility locator works - VLF fields in the earth are disrupted/concentrated along long metal features. And in soils with magnetic minerals, the natural alignment of the magnetic minerals is disrupted when putting in a trench - so even a pvc pipe can be detected. Or perhaps an old Roman wall. A magnetometer survey can also find old trenches when the soils have magnetic minerals.

I don't know why a wood stick would work though. And definitely talking to the stick is weird.

[Flash Bazbeaux]

“This is about as scientific as using a pocketwatch pendulum over a pregnant woman to guess the sex”

The pocket watch pendulum works. Only deniers would say otherwise. Every time it’s tried it works, with 100% accuracy. Every pregnant woman it’s been tried with has been proven to be a female.