Hob
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Re: the dowsing stance
Sep 10, 2003, 22:38
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The term "atypical dowsing stance" conjours up amusing images.
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Steve Gray
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Re: the dowsing stance
Sep 10, 2003, 23:20
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I think he meant "a typical", not "atypical". It amused me too when I saw it.
How about these for atypical dowsing stances:
Three-legged dowsing.
Handstand dowsing with the rods held between your toes.
Cross-legged dowsing.
Pogo dowsing.
;o)
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Hob
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Re: Pogo dowsing
Sep 10, 2003, 23:32
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Yeah! Preferably with synchronised teams.
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FourWinds
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Re: Pogo dowsing
Sep 11, 2003, 07:07
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You could always go the whole way and do Yogic Dowsing. I imagine this would involve levitating to a height of 4ft above the ground in the lotus position and moving over the land going 'OMmmmmmmmMMMmmmmmmMMMMmmmm' - the capitals represent passing over areas of interest.
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goffik
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Re: Well, I'm game!
Sep 11, 2003, 07:38
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Ah - are we talking about the same sort of "rod"? ;o)
G
x
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Wotan
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Re: ha, ha
Sep 11, 2003, 08:04
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typical
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Wotan
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Re: Leyed back
Sep 11, 2003, 08:27
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I'm not a fan of ley lines myself - and very cynical and skeptical too, but i'm open minded and imaginative at the same time. I tried dowsing as having seen old geezers on tv with bits of twig whirling about for no apparent reason, I thought it was all cobblers, but then as I grew older and became more interested in science and also archaeology the two paths crossed as I learnt of people dowsing from maps and also detecting mysterious energies etc at ancient sites. Immediately, the empirical side of my nature said it couldn't work and it was, as I suspected, cobblers. Naturally, I had to know, being too inquisitive for my own good. Having read T.C Lethbridge some time previously, I elected to try a pendulum as Lethbridge seemed to have a similar mindset to my own - declaring the whole thing scientifically unsound, but willing to look into it. His books detail a whole load of how-to info on dowsing, so I thought it would be straightforward. I gave it a go, trying to find basic elements like iron, copper, water etc - even to placing objects and trying to get a response. Nothing. Bugger all. Nowt. Ha - said skeptical me - its officially cobblers. Then I met a lady who looked after an elderly gentleman who was an experienced and resolute dowser who had worked in farming using his skills to great effect analysing soil conditions and a plethora of other material matters. He suggested reading Tom Graves Dowsers Workbook and also Needles of Stone, both of which suggest a scientific basis to dowsing - even though they do go deeply into Ley Line country. Consequently, I acquired a pair of angle rods and have been using them since - and with ridiculously reliable results. Water divining is easy, and by holding a sample in one hand at the same time as a rod - say an iron nail - then i can detect similar traces with 70-90% accuracy. I cant say I've found dragon energy or feng shui chi coursing through my back garden or detected a buried recumbent in the fields surrounding the house, but I can catagorically say that the technique works - for me at least. Even though the whole thing does draw its fair share of mockery. So the reason I keep flagging it up here, is not for its New Age value or bandwagonism, but purely as a physical and 'scientific' effect in relation to the earth which can be demonstrated as easily as showing an american tourist Stonehenge.
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Moth
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Re: Pogo dowsing
Sep 11, 2003, 08:40
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I like the idea of 'stunt dowsing' - with or without a net....
I'm sure Dominic could advise on the requisite safety precautions!
love
Moth
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Steve Gray
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$1,000,000 Challenge
Sep 11, 2003, 09:52
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James Randi is offering a $1,000,000 reward to anyone who can demonstrate a "paranormal" phenomenon under controlled double-blind conditions and apparently dowsing qualifies as paranormal by his definition. The rules are straightforward. You design your own test conditions and state what constitutes a successful outcome. If Randi is happy that the test is valid and that your measure of success is significantly better than random chance, the challenge is on. You get an initial trial and if that is successful then a full media-coverage demonstration is required.
A test that was suggested as being suitable for dowsing was to lay sealed plastic pipes down on the ground in a field. Some would contain water and some would be empty. Those laying the pipes would then leave the site and the dowser would attempt to identify which pipes contained water. The nice thing about this experiment is that possible pre-knowledge of the site is irrelevant and success can be measured as a probabilty and compared directly with random chance.
Having dowsed successfully myself, I thought, "I could do that", but quite a few dowsers have had a go, and yet so far the prize has not been claimed. Randi says that of all the people who try the challenge, dowsers are the most genuinely surprised when they fail.
Anyone up for it? Read more at:
http://www.randi.org/research/index.html
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Kammer
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Thanks Wotan
Sep 11, 2003, 10:05
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Thanks for the background info. It's interesting to hear people's thoughts on this subject.
Personally I'm a great believer in dowsing as an indicator of magnetic fields, it's just mystic energies that I have problems with. Not a big fan of mystic energies.
:-)#
K x
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