Beware The Occult Practice of Dowsing

 

One of the reasons I frequently expose and warn of the occult is because it has never been more prevalent and accepted by those calling themselves "Christian." Many times occult aspects are not immediately obvious, and the Vatican II sect never warns of its many dangers. 

It was brought to my attention that some members of the Vatican II sect engage in a practice known as "dowsing." There are associations that promote it and claim it has scientific validity. In this post, dowsing will be explained and its occult connection will be exposed. (I have herein compiled my research on this topic from a plethora of sources, including pamphlets, books and Internet sources. I have condensed the information into a terse post. I take no credit whatsoever for the content.---Introibo).

What is "Dowsing"?

According to one source: Dowsing, also called “divining” or “witching,” refers to the practice of observing a pointer — often a forked stick, rods, bent wires, or a pendulum — move in response to some type of influence or transmitter. Some consider it a reliable method for locating underground items of interest, including water, oil, and ore. There are even those who believe that dowsing can help locate buried remains (sometimes called “grave witching”). 

(See leb.fbi.gov/spotlights/forensic-spotlight-dowsing-for-human-remains-considerations-for-investigators#:~:text=Dowsing%2C%20also%20called%20%E2%80%9Cdivining%E2%80%9D,water%2C%20oil%2C%20and%20ore)

The fact that the word "witching" is used should be an immediate red flag. In addition, some use the "dowsing rod" to bend in response to queries about the future--the occult practice of divination. Dowsers claim that they possess a natural sensitivity to alleged earth magnetism, water “radiations,” or some other natural phenomenon. They believe their dowsing stick or other device (often an occult pendulum) somehow “focuses” or otherwise identifies this energy so that one is able to find water or other substances or things that one is seeking — including oil, treasure, and lost persons or objects.

The fact that dowsing works is clearly its major defense. Dowsers think that if it works it must therefore be both a helpful and legitimate method: “What interests us about all dowsers is not the theories they develop but the results they obtain. It is these results which will attract more and more adepts [initiates] as well as less and less convinced adversaries.” (See Otis Brickett, “The Gift of Healing,” The American Dowser, August 1979, 116)

According to canadiandowsers.org:

Open-minded big businesses use dowsing, too. Hoffman-La Roche, one of the largest global pharmaceutical companies in the world, has used dowsing to locate water for its new plants. La Roche needs large quantities of good water to process the chemicals into drugs. A company magazine quoted Dr. Peter Treadwell as saying, “Roche uses methods that are profitable, whether they are scientifically explainable or not.”

According to a pamphlet from the American Society of Dowsers, there are three (3) types of dowsing:

• Field Dowsing — the “traditional” use of dowsing which involves locating water, objects, and so forth on a given terrain. 
• Remote/Map Dowsing — “witching the area” so to speak, is not required in this approach. Instead, the dowser locates the target from a distance using the rod and a map to narrow down what is to be found
•  Information Dowsing — the dowser obtains needed information on any subject with neither space nor time limits. Direct quote: The dowser is now trying to access the universe (or the collective consciousness, or God, or spirit guides, or Guardian Angels or...) for information to answer questions. (See americansocietyofdowsers.wildapricot.org/page-18193; 4-3-2-1-Dowsing pamphlet; Emphasis mine). 

How Does Dowsing Work?

According to one source:

It may sound like some rather hokey hocus-pocus, or something from, say, 500 years ago. But by one estimate, some 60,000 water dowsers are practicing in America today. [2023] That's almost 10 times the number of hydrologists, who provide many of the same services as witches, substituting science for dowsing rods.

Not all water witches use the forked branch of a tree these days, of course. Many dowsers locate the underground water based on movement of divining rods. Copper rods and pendulums are popular tools of the trade. Smartly contorted wire coat hangers might do the trick. Shovels. Pitchforks. Glass beads. A crowbar. These are simply channels for the power.

And not all dowsers go about their groundwater search the same way. Some actually incorporate science into their divining; they look at the topography of the land, the geology. They use maps. They may even have an understanding of local aquifers. They make drawings. Do tests.

All rely on some kind of unseen, perhaps divine, intervention to suss out the water. It's an innate ability, a "sense" or "intuition." Sometimes it's simple and quiet. Sometimes it's more theatrical. "You can see some of these folks performing on YouTube," Jarvis says. "Their bodies go into all sorts of contortions." (See science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/water-dowsing.htm; Emphasis mine). 

There wouldn't be 60,000 practicing water dowsers (not to mention those who use map and informational dowsing) if it didn't produce results. However, there is a serious conflict over the reason behind successes. There are three major explanations:

• The Ideomotor Effect. The pointers are typically held in a position of unstable equilibrium, and, therefore, a small movement, such as an involuntary vibration in the user’s arm, becomes amplified and causes the pointers to visibly move. This involuntary motor behavior is guided by the user’s perception. However, this does not explain why it is frequently right. (Source: leb.fbi.gov). 

• Chance. Worldwide, scientific testing of dowsing consistently disproves the dowser’s claim that it merely represents a natural or learned sensitivity to radiations or some other physical phenomenon. Moreover, The natural explanation of "successful" water dowsing is that in many areas water would be hard to miss. The dowser commonly implies that the spot indicated by the rod is the only one where water could be found, but this is not necessarily true. In a region of adequate rainfall and favorable geology, it is difficult not to drill and find water! (See pubs.usgs.gov/gip/water_dowsing/pdf/water_dowsing.pdf). 

• Demonic influence. As a form of occult divination, the forces of Hell would want to give confirmation to get more people involved and keep those using it satisfied that they have "power." I'm not suggesting that all dowsing is demonically directed. Some may be chance and others the work of a charlatan.

The Occult and Dowsing

As the power of dowsing is not some scientifically proven human ability, are there good reasons to believe that it is occult and its successes may be attributable (at least some of the time) to demonic forces? Yes, and they are listed below.

Dowsing is a form of Divination

Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means. Interestingly, the members of the Vatican II sect have pre-Vatican II support that dowsing is not really sinful. Upon examination, however, the protest fails. 

According to theologian Jone, both divination and sorcery are per se grave sins because it involves either an explicit or implicit invocation of the devil to obtain knowledge. He explains an implicit invocation of Satan as follows: Implicit invocation of the devil is also a grave sin. Even though one protests against the influence of the evil spirit, one still invokes him by using evidently inadequate means to produce some definite effect. If there is a possibility that the effect is the result of some unknown powers of nature, one may use such means if he protests against any diabolical influence. Such a protestation is unnecessary if one is certain the effect is produced by natural causes even though the respective natural powers are little known, as happens, for example, in the use of the divining rod for the location of water or veins of metal. (See Moral Theology, [1961], pgs. 98-99; first emphasis in original, second emphasis mine). 

Theologian Jone's approval of dowsing is predicated upon the condition that it has natural causes of which science knows very little. (He also does not include dowsing for information wherein the future is to be told by the rod). Dowsing even fooled some Catholic clerics, which helps explain the conclusion of Jone. Fr. Alex Bouly (1865-1958), coined the term radiesthesia in place of dowsing back in 1927 and founded The Society of Friends of Radiesthesia. The coined term means "radiation perception" because that's how Fr. Bouly thought it worked. Since 1961,when Jone's theology manual was published, much scientific research has been done regarding dowsing. 

Various experiments prove there is no "natural cause" such as "radiation perception" that makes dowsing work. You can find the experiments here:

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1279512/
• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01134560

These are not all of them, just two examples. Yet, dowsing for water and information is sometimes so accurate, it cannot be dismissed as the ideomotor effect, chance, or chicanery. If theologian Jone had the knowledge of these experiments (especially since the 1980s), I'm sure his teaching on dowsing would have changed since we can now be certain that the effect is not produced by any natural causes as Fr. Bouly thought. 

What, exactly, are the reasons to think of an evil power source of dowsing's success? There are four (4) reasons.

1.  Many dowsers enter a trance when dowsing.

Altered states of consciousness are used by pagans and shamans to make contact with "spirits" (demons). According to literature put out by those who practice dowsing: The secret of good dowsing…is a curious state of mind….Dowsing has been compared to a mild state of hypnosis, or trance, or meditation. (See Gordon MacLean, “Dowsing Experiences and Problems,” The American Dowser, May 1976, pgs. 182-183).

2.  Dowsing requires using the rod like a Ouija Board.

Many indications exist that a personal spirit entity operates through the dowsing implement and that interaction with it is necessary for success. For example, the dowser is instructed to ask specific questions of his rod and get "yes" or "no" answers for information. What "natural cause" answers questions? This requires intelligence. It is identical to asking questions of a Ouija board and it points to "yes" or "no." If your questions are answered, it comes from a decidedly evil intelligence. 

3. Dowsing is linked to other forms of the occult. 

Dowsing is often linked with other forms of occult practice. For example, dowsers have made connections between dowsing and such practices as astral projection, remote viewing, shamanism, and yoga in their literature.

4. Some dowsers claim contact with "spirit entities." 

Some dowsers also admit connections to the spirit world. A report on one dowsing seminar confessed that ...dowsers…are always surrounded by discarnate entities eager to express themselves….They most easily accomplish this by breaking in and influencing the movement of whatever dowsing instruments are being used….(See William Vrooman, "Dowsing for Health: Mental and Spiritual Bodies of Human and Non-Human Entities," The American Dowser, November 1977, pg.151).

Conclusion

Dowsing is neither a scientific endeavor, nor some innate human ability. When it works, the evidence points to demonic influence, as it is now morally certain to be a form of divination. Knowledge and the testing of dowsing have grown greatly in the last 60 years. Those who practice dowsing will find themselves engaging in an activity condemned by the Church. Remember well the words of Sacred Scripture,  "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you." (See Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Emphasis mine).