Dowsing

[Walter]

What? You probably mean averse...

But even assuming that the divining rods are affected by our subconscious mind...how does the subconscious mind know there the water is?

sriram

have you looked at any of the scientific experiments done on dowsing , maybe even just the ones liked to on here?

or do they not count because they don't give the results you want ?

[jeremyp]

That there are crooks who tout spiritualism and crooks who tout dowsing is true. We're talking about those who think they are channelling into something mistakenly here, and coming up with an invalid explanation.

whether people are charlatans or not is irrelevant to the point.

Spiritualists are not people who claim they can find stuff out about you and the mechanism they use is to talk to your dead relatives, they are people who claim they can talk to your dead relatives and offer finding stuff out about you as evidence that they do.

Can you see the difference?

[Maeght]

What? You probably mean averse...

Yeah, probably.

But even assuming that the divining rods are affected by our subconscious mind...how does the subconscious mind know there the water is?

You are assuming that dowsing works better than chance, when the studies show it doesn't.

[Walter]

whether people are charlatans or not is irrelevant to the point.

Spiritualists are not people who claim they can find stuff out about you and the mechanism they use is to talk to your dead relatives, they are people who claim they can talk to your dead relatives and offer finding stuff out about you as evidence that they do.

Can you see the difference?

please stick to dowsing or go and play outside .

[jeremyp]

Whether or not the movement of the rods had anything to do with water it was certainly curious that they moved for both of us at identical spots.

Not really - not if you could see each other.

[Sriram]

There are two aspects...

1. Does dowsing work?  Yes.   Most drilling for water companies around the world use dowsing even today as the preferred or only method of locating water. There are thousands of wells that are evidence of that fact. Even in certain areas in India where the water table is pretty low and we have to dig nearly 80 to 100 feet, dowsing has been the method used for locating water.

2. How does it work? No idea. Saying that our subconscious mind  somehow identifies subtle environmental conditions that indicate the presence of water...is nonsense.  Water has been located through dowsing in large parched fields where there is no indication of water anywhere.  Finding specific tiny spots for drilling bore wells of a couple of feet in diameter, cannot be through such subtle environmental observations.

I agree that we do not know how it works.  However it is possible that our sub/unconscious mind is able to detect changes in the biofield which could indicate presence of water.  After all,our mind, intuition and instincts are connected to the biofield which helps in coordinating the activities of the eco system as a whole. 

[Sriram]

Where does talking to dead people come into all this anyway??!!! 

[Sebastian Toe]

There are two aspects...

1. Does dowsing work?  Yes.   Most drilling for water companies around the world use dowsing even today as the preferred or only method of locating water. There are thousands of wells that are evidence of that fact. Even in certain areas in India where the water table is pretty low and we have to dig nearly 80 to 100 feet, dowsing has been the method used for locating water.

2. How does it work? No idea. Saying that our subconscious mind  somehow identifies subtle environmental conditions that indicate the presence of water...is nonsense.  Water has been located through dowsing in large parched fields where there is no indication of water anywhere.  Finding specific tiny spots for drilling bore wells of a couple of feet in diameter, cannot be through such subtle environmental observations.

I agree that we do not know how it works.  However it is possible that our sub/unconscious mind is able to detect changes in the biofield which could indicate presence of water.  After all,our mind, intuition and instincts are connected to the biofield which helps in coordinating the activities of the eco system as a whole.

Do you have a record of every time the dowsers failed to find water, despite it being under their feet?

Why would that be?
Was the biofield broken?

[Walter]

There are two aspects...

1. Does dowsing work?  Yes.   Most drilling for water companies around the world use dowsing even today as the preferred or only method of locating water. There are thousands of wells that are evidence of that fact. Even in certain areas in India where the water table is pretty low and we have to dig nearly 80 to 100 feet, dowsing has been the method used for locating water.

2. How does it work? No idea. Saying that our subconscious mind  somehow identifies subtle environmental conditions that indicate the presence of water...is nonsense.  Water has been located through dowsing in large parched fields where there is no indication of water anywhere.  Finding specific tiny spots for drilling bore wells of a couple of feet in diameter, cannot be through such subtle environmental observations.

I agree that we do not know how it works.  However it is possible that our sub/unconscious mind is able to detect changes in the biofield which could indicate presence of water.  After all,our mind, intuition and instincts are connected to the biofield which helps in coordinating the activities of the eco system as a whole.

does it work if no human touches/is holding the dowsing rods?

[Sebastian Toe]

There are two aspects...

1. Does dowsing work?  Yes. 

Does it work for other things other than water?

[Bramble]

Not really - not if you could see each other.

I did explain that we couldn't see each other.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Does it work for other things other than water?

Divining rods and twigs often show up at Ricky Gervais concerts where people are trying to detect humour.

[Sebastian Toe]

Divining rods and twigs often show up at Ricky Gervais concerts where people are trying to detect humour.

I tried holding two twigs over your post.
 They jumped out of my hands and ran away screaming!

[Maeght]

Does dowsing work?  Yes.   Most drilling for water companies around the world use dowsing even today as the preferred or only method of locating water. There are thousands of wells that are evidence of that fact. Even in certain areas in India where the water table is pretty low and we have to dig nearly 80 to 100 feet, dowsing has been the method used for locating water.

Where is the actual evidence that this is the case?

[wigginhall]

I tried holding two twigs over your post.
 They jumped out of my hands and ran away screaming!

I did the same, and they turned into triffids, who told me that they were technologically advanced plants, who can now simulate complete universes.   I ran away laughing.

[Robbie]

Here is some evidence in an Independent article (about the UK):-
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-water-companies-magic-dowsing-rods-use-engineers-leaks-no-scientific-evidence-sally-le-page-a8069616.html

[Nearly Sane]

Here is some evidence in an Independent article (about the UK):-
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-water-companies-magic-dowsing-rods-use-engineers-leaks-no-scientific-evidence-sally-le-page-a8069616.html

And again the plural of anecdote isn't data.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Regarding dowsing we can be certain of the future trajectory.

We will enter a post dowsing era
An antidowsing movement will arise
Dowsing will be declared the root of all evil.
A lot of antidowsing books will be sold and vast sums made from stating the bleeding obvious.
Internet forums will be set up decrying Dowsing as a logical fallacy.
Some arsehole will appear on these forums comparing dowsing with leprechauns.
And everybody else will just pour cold water over the whole idea.

[Rhiannon]

You left out ‘some people will view it as quaint but irrelevant’.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

You left out ‘some people will view it as quaint but irrelevant’.

It was left out because it wasn't funny.

[Nearly Sane]

It was left out because it wasn't funny.

If you were applying that consistently then your post would have said


'                            '

[Sebastian Toe]

If you were applying that consistently then your post would have said


'                            '

Now, that's funny.

(Vlad. Please take notes)

[Nearly Sane]

Now, that's funny.

(Vlad. Please take notes)

I have to thank my manager who said, 'Quick,  post that before it wears off!'

[Maeght]

Here is some evidence in an Independent article (about the UK):-
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-water-companies-magic-dowsing-rods-use-engineers-leaks-no-scientific-evidence-sally-le-page-a8069616.html

That's not evidence that it works or is widely used.

[Robbie]

Yes, I know that & don't believe there any evidence. It just shows that many water companies use the technique (though seem somewhat embarrassed to admit).