The Divining Hand:: The 500 year-old Mystery of Dowsing [Paperback]

Christopher Bird (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000

"To dowse," says the author of this definitive study of the divining art, "is to search with the aid of a handheld instrument such as a forked stick or a pendular bob on the end of a string - for anything: subterranean water flowing in a narrow underground fissure, a pool of oil or a vein of mineral ore, a buried sewer pipe or electrical cable, an airplane downed in a mountain wilderness, a disabled ship helplessly adrift in a gale, a lost wallet or dog, a missing person, perhaps a buried treasure." Co-author of The Secret Life of Plants, Christopher Bird has filled this book with exciting, documented stories, most of them illustrated with photographs and diagrams. It provides a complete history of the art of dowsing around the world and discusses in detail the various existing theories attempting to explain this extraordinary phenomenon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.; Revised edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0924608161
• ISBN-13: 978-0924608162
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #569,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informative history of the oft misunderstood dowsing art., September 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Divining Hand:: The 500 year-old Mystery of Dowsing (Paperback)

I first read this book in 1992, and I have referred to it so many times since that I now know it's content backwards.

The late Christopher Bird took a documentary view of the whole subject of dowsing, from it's earliest history to the present day, in the fields of water divining, mineral and oil exploration, tunnel and cave location, missing objects, animals and people, geopathic stress, and medical diagnosis, including both physical and remote sensing.

As a Geologist, I found the book quite fascinating, and packed with useful information and guidelines for the would be dowser. Although one does have to cut through a lot of misconcieved mysticism and folklore, and religious and scientific taboo, to get to the core of this subject, the basics and the details of practical dowsing are all there in "The Divining Hand".

There is a long history of water divining in my family, but for many generations there have been no practising diviners. I was inspired by this book to explore the potential of divining in the modern context of the earth sciences, and I found it to be so effective and successful that in 1994 I started in business as a professional diviner or dowser.

Divining is a great asset in geological mapping and in the location and assessment of mineral, oil, and gas resources. For groundwater source location and assessment it can not be equalled even by the latest state-of-the-art geophysics.

I have developed a systematic exploration method called Geodivining, utilising both remote-sensory map-dowsing and field divining techniques, which is successful world-wide. I have found most of the claims made for divining in Christopher Bird's book to be verifiable, and the success of my own work adds a powerful testimony.

Geodivining is so much in demand by drilling contractors and clients in the UK, North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, that I and my trainee Geodiviners are hard pressed to keep up with the work.

Bird's book "The Divining Hand" changed my life for the better; and whilst it may leave some readers cold, for anyone with a genuine interest in learning more about the subject of dowsing, this book is an excellent place to start.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent history and conceptual overview of dowsing, August 13, 2001

By 

Juju (Boston, MA (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divining Hand:: The 500 year-old Mystery of Dowsing (Paperback)

Excellent history of dowsing as it evolved in Europe. A very thought provoking overview of the current ideas, concepts and hypotheses of what dowsing is, and why and how it works. There are even simple instructions, usually by way of anecdote, on how to dowse with different dowsing tools. I am a physicist, and find the scientifically designed and conducted tests in the former USSR, and Germany exceptionally interesting. A neutral, observational, experimental attitude is a must for getting the most out of this book

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Respectfully disagree, August 17, 2005

By 

Psychic Investigator "MW" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divining Hand:: The 500 year-old Mystery of Dowsing (Paperback)

This is in response to:

"Dowsing is bogus, backwoods folk stuff at its best. Explain how I could use a cut wire coat hanger to locate subterranean water? Ugh? Am I missing something or is this just stupid? This book does nothing to educate the public about the myth of dowsing. I am ashamed to admit that I live in the dowsing (and drowzing) capital of the U.S.--Vermont! There's so much water here you'd have to be a fool NOT to find any hidden sources of it. I can do it with a styrofoam coffee cup. Go figure."

Dowsing is so much more than dowsing for water. It's used to find lost people (which has been proven), lost pets, items etc. Spiritual dowsing, healing and so forth. What Christopher Bird's book does is open people's minds to the possibilities by showing historical and scientific data. It's simplistic really, dowsing is an extension of ourselves. We are all made up of energy and water, as is our surroundings.

I believe we all have a sixth sense (some more open than others) and when we are using dowsing rods we are utilizing that sixth sense to tap into that energy.

Think of it this way. Animals and humans were given a sixth sense since the beginning of time. To sense danger,find water, gather food etc. Over the centuries humans have become desensitized through the use of technology. Where animals have had to maintain this sense to survive. (By the way, back to technology, just because you can't see radio waves, energy,and the like,coming out of your radio, television and so on, does that mean it's not there? Hmmm?)

Dowsing has approx. a 90% accuracy rate. It does however have many variables which may effect an accurate outcome. Most importantly the dowser's ability to detach themselves emotionally from the question they're asking. (not always an easy thing to do.)

Science can not explain why it works,but it does. Even the army began testing dowsing and utilized it to find enemy bunkers in Vietnam. But then you would have known this had you an open enough mind to read Mr. Bird's book and see it for what it is. A great learning tool!

Sorry to rant and rave, but I believe it's important for people to see all that dowsing is about. By the way, I'm an technical engineer for a high tech computer company. And and instructor of dowsing.

I've read these posts and think it's great! Scientists, physicists! Perhaps it's the quest to find out how and why everything works? The thirst to experience everything life has to offer that gives some of us the understanding and desire to search into the unknown and come up with answers. If only for ourselves.

I'd shiver to think what this world would be like without humans with enough doggard determination to push the envelope and realize that this Universe is a bountiful supply of endless possibilites. If you have the courage that is, to open your eyes!