Unfortunately, it really never is quite as easy as following an ancient treasure map to a place where the proverbial “X” marks the location of untold riches. Dowsers believe that they have a close second though. Dowsing is a generic term that is applied to the practices, in their most basically defined state, of a person (called a dowser) who uses a rod, stick, or other device to locate underground features such as streams, water domes, Ley lines, ore, coal, oil, mineral deposits, caverns, buried treasures, energy vortices etc. Figure 5.3 is a photo of a set of modern brass dowsing rods.   

Figure 5.3

           I will be the first to admit that I am not a truly proficient dowser, but obviously enough; I did feel that dowsing is practiced by enough paranormal investigators for it to be included in this section. Dowsing, like all other things, takes time and practice to master and since I do not feel that I have enough “field time” in the art of dowsing I gathered a great deal of the information here from friends and colleagues who have considerably more experience in the art of dowsing than I do.

            In paranormal applications dowsers utilize their techniques to locate energy fields which they believe to be of a paranormal origin. Depending on the technique and the interpretation of the dowser the behavior of the rods can purportedly aid investigators in finding paranormal energies and other objects of interest. If a dowser is proficient enough it is even said that they can locate unmarked graves, find the orientation (head and foot) of the grave and even find out the gender of the person who is buried there. It is these two applications that paranormal researchers are most interested in: locating and measuring purported paranormal energy fields and the possible location of unmarked graves. Why? Although the information on energy fields may be more difficult to verify the grave dowsing information, if found to be accurate, reinforces the idea that dowsers can indeed locate and identify unknown underground objects with a certain specific detail that probably would not have had beforehand.

            The success rate of a good dowser goes beyond the limitations of statistics and probability and it is this verification of the dowser’s abilities that now throws certain avenues of scientific thinking into a tailspin. Conventional science can not explain how or why dowsing works and scientists generally discredit dowsing as a whole since it is not based on any known or empirical scientific methods, thusly dowsing is considered to be a type of esoteric divination. Even so, dowsers do not need scientific verification to know that their methods work. Dowsing has been practiced in many parts of the world for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, and has many practitioners of this ancient art in both Europe and North America today.

Figure 5.4 – An 18^th century French woodcut of a dowser

Grave Dowsing

            The most obvious facet of grave dowsing that I would like to point out is that in order to become proficient a dowser must first practice the art of grave dowsing in a controlled setting. Where should you start? In a cemetery of course. Your first experiments in grave dowsing should be during daylight hours when the cemetery is open to the public. Additionally good etiquette would dictate that you should be respectful by remembering where you are and to also avoid trespassing on private property or after hours in any cemetery unless you have permission to be there.

            Before you begin attempting to grave dowse there is a very basic but extremely important fact that you need to remember: most cemeteries in the United States are set up in a traditional Christian fashion, meaning that the dead are buried with the head in the west and the feet in the east. Aside from helping you determine if the remains are human – animal remains would have no discernable pattern to them – it will also aid you in determining the gender of the person interred at the site you are dowsing.

            Really, the techniques involved in grave dowsing aren’t too different from any other sort of dowsing that you may do, but there are slight nuances that can make a major difference. Practice these techniques at a cemetery that is marked with headstones so that you may verify your results, then move on to locating unmarked graves when you have become proficient with these techniques.

• Hold the dowsing rods loosely in your hands but not so loose that they swing wildly when moving.

• Do not restrict the movement of the rods by placing your thumb over the bend in the rod

• The rods should be held straight out, elbows at your waist, parallel to the ground 

• Approach the grave with a slow but steady pace

• If a body is buried in the location in question the rods will cross, when you leave the internment site the rods will uncross

To Determine an Approximate Age Parameter

            Orient yourself at the grave site and locate the head of the burial. Walk the length of the grave counting the number of steps you take from the time the rods cross until they uncross. Usually 1 or 2 steps indicates an infant, 3 or 4 would be a young child, 5 or 6 a teen or young adult and 6 to 7 an adult.

To Determine the Gender

            This can be done with either a pendulum (preferable) or a dowsing rod that has an extra bend at the handle. See figure 5.3. Find the approximate center of the grave and hold the pendulum or dowsing rod straight down over the grave. The rod or pendulum should start to rotate – clockwise for male and counterclockwise (widdershins) for a female.

            The more that you practice theses techniques, the more quickly you will adapt your own style. Additionally, you will also begin making your own interpretations of the information that you receive through your dowsing methods. Once you have become comfortable in your ability to properly and accurately dowse a marked grave you will be ready to move on to unmarked graves.

            Recalling the information from the second paragraph in this section you should remember that Christian burial grounds are laid out in an east – west manner, usually separated at intervals of 2 to 3 (.66 to 1 meter) feet apart. Choose an area to start in and begin walking in a grid pattern as illustrated in figure 5.5.

Figure 5.5

             When you walk across each burial your dowsing rods will cross, uncross and then re-cross as you move from one burial to the next. If you begin to notice a pattern emerging, chances are you have found an unmarked cemetery. If you believe that you have indeed found a cemetery you will need to determine the perimeter of the area next. You can do this by walking north – south so that you can find the width of the cemetery in reference to where the burials begin and end. After you have determined the width of the cemetery go back to your starting point and repeat the process, but this time you will be walking east – west so that you may determine the length of the area. By the time that you have completed this grid you should have a pretty good idea as to the size and scope of the cemetery you have found.

A Swing of the Pendulum

             If you have never worked with or used a pendulum before they are usually an elongated crystal, wood, stone or metal piece that is pointed on one end and suspended from a chain or string on the other so that it may move freely in response to a dowser or psychics questions or the energies in an area. For the initiated who have not used a pendulum before there are some simple steps to purchasing an using this simple but effective device.

1. Choose a pendulum. This can be done from the advice of others or off of pure intuition.

2. Program the pendulum. Hold the pendulum in a suspended manner so that it may swing freely. As you do this it should begin to swing back and forth (toward and away from your body). Tell the pendulum that this is to be considered the “neutral” position.

Ask the pendulum to show you “yes.” Most times, after a few seconds, it will begin to swing in a circular clockwise motion, however in a very few cases it will swing counter-clockwise. Whichever way it swings that is your “yes” answer. Repeat the same actions for “no.” This should program your pendulum to perform basic functions.

3. Ask the pendulum the answer to a known question such as “Is snow green?” Note the response.

             As you can see, during the employ of a pendulum the dowser will ask close-ended yes or no style questions and the pendulum will swing accordingly. There are far more uses for pendulums than the ones outlined here, however, since this is not the primary focus of this book or this section I will leave the pendulum work at this basic level. Should you want to learn more about pendulum usage there are many resources that can be found on the internet and in most books stores.

Figure 5.6