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I know for a fact that dowsing works. Would you like to learn to dowse so you can test this yourself? Simple instructions and readily available tools make is a fairly easy skill to acquire!

Dowsing was taken for granted in my family. Grandfather was a "water witch", meaning he had a talent for dowsing water. He was a simple ranch foreman, but folks came from far and wide to request his services during the terrible Southwestern drought of the mid 1950's. He not only found water, but also could tell how deep it was to within a few feet in either direction and about how many gallons per minute a well drilled there would produce.

When skeptics questioned his credibility, he offered to teach them how to do it themselves. He firmly believed that Everyone has the ability to dowse reasonably accurately providing they have the proper tools and are able to suspend their disbelief. You didn't have to believe you could do it, all you had to do was not think about it long enough to prove to yourself that you could!

Because of this attitude, he taught dozens of people over the years to dowse effectively. Some never got more accurate than simply being able to locate a likely spot, most could give a pretty good estimate of depth and a rare few could actually match Grandpa's skills. He viewed this as an easily learned skill, not some mystical gift or insight.

He taught all the grandchildren willing to learn and, though I was never acceptably consistent in my results, I clearly remember his instructions. He also taught that the tradition of water dowsing, much like folk healing practices, is one that should be freely passed on to all with an interest.

His first lesson involved finding the proper dowsing rod. Seeking water is made easier by using a forked branch of what he called "thirsty wood". Any tree or large shrub that either needs a lot of water or reaches deeply in search of moisture is a good choice. His personal preference was a peach tree branch, with weeping willow or mesquite favored if peach was unavailable.

Look for a rather thin (between 1/4 to 1/2 inch maximum thickness) branch with a 6 to 12 inch span of fairly straight limb ending in nice fork. The ideal length of the forking limbs depended on their spread and flexibility. The idea is to have a well balanced "Y" shape, easy to hold with a comfortable, loose grip. The branch must have easy movement without flopping about in your hands as you walk. It will take a little practice to get a feel for the thickness and shape

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