Customer Reviews

The Divining Hand:: The 500 year-old Mystery of Dowsing

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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.

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

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!

More than 20 years since its publication, "The Divining Hand: The 500-Year Old Mystery of Dowsing" by Christopher Bird continues to serve as "The Bible of Dowsing" for many seasoned enthusiasts and new students alike to this ages-old practice. Dowsing is generally defined as the search for anything that can be thought of- lost objects, missing persons and pets, water, oil, mineral, and much more. This is truly a one-in-a-kind book, unlike most others which usually cover the subject of dowsing from a hypothetical standpoint. Bird's unique style takes readers on a journey through the history of dowsing, from its origins to the present day, and how it has shaped and defined the lives of many peoples and cultures along the way. Not merely a "how-to" manual on dowsing, Bird offers many insights into this unique art form, exposing its full potential via documented cases, scientific data, newspaper clippings, and supplemental photographs taken during actual field searches and digs, held tightly together by his narrative convictions.

Dowsing is carried out through various methods, usually with a y-shaped rod cut from a tree branch, a metal rod bent at a 45-degree angle and rotating inside a tube, or a pendulum swinging freely from a hanging cord. By walking over a designated area with one of these tools in hand, it is possible to locate, for example, an underground well based on when the rod bobs, or where the pendulum points. It is also popularly used as a divination tool to forecast the weather, future events, insight and wisdom, as well as finding alternative remedies for healing. Many skeptics and naysayers have dismissed dowsing as nothing more than old-world nonsense which has no place in today's science-driven society of rationalization and reasoning. Bird counters with valid arguments of his own- How does a child first learn to walk? How are flock of geese able to migrate to the same place year after year? And, what about the countless stories of pets being able to find their families at their new homes thousands of miles away after being left behind? These are some of the questions posed by Bird which have even left some of the world's most renowned scientists miffed and without any scientific explanations. Many have attributed this to the involuntary movement factor caused by the sub-conscious mind, but numerous experiments conducted by scientists and luminaries throughout the past few centuries have contradicted this support.

As the style of the book's presentation is a chronicle into the history of dowsing, it has become the text of choice for those who are seriously interested in delving deeper into the mysteries of this ancient and sacred practice. One of the best ways to learn about dowsing is through the actual experiences of others, and TDH just about covers the entire spectrum of all the well-known and respected authorities in the field. Two such accounts include the works of Jim W. Kid and Jean Auscher. Kidd, a foreman of a dairy farm, was contracted by the Misquamicut Golf Club in Watch Hill, Rhode Island concerning a water shortage which threatened the golf course with possible closure. Kidd was able to achieve in a matter of hours with his y-rod what the club could not do over many years and after spending tens of thousands of dollars on consultative digging; He had located a water vein, as well as where to dig and how deep. The well that sprung from Kidd's finding initially produced 100 gallons of water per minute. 10 years later, it was reported that the well was still pumping out 80 gallons of water per minute!

What is even more astonishing, if unbelievable, is the art of map dowsing, or locating any missing items and/or person(s) through the use of a map and a pendulum. For many, this abstract form of dowsing is hard to fathom as there is actually no substance of reference beneath the digger's feet as is the norm with field dowsing. Jean Auscher, a French pendulum dowser with one of the highest accuracy rates recorded in the field, successfully assisted the police in the recovery of 2 million francs that was stolen from the Societe Technique des Sables de la Seine in Paris, tracing the safe-crackers back to their hideout in another part of the city by using this method. Other incredible stories documented by Bird include that of Paul Clement Brown, whose un-orthodox form of map dowsing and uncanny ability allow him to effortlessly find water, metal, and other kinds of mining ore, and the U.S. military's use of L-rods to locate underground Viet Cong bunkers, tunnels, and booby traps during the Vietnam War.

I've been a skeptic for a good part of my life where anything not rationalized by pure, hard scientific facts are concerned. Several incidents have since changed my outlook: I've had numerous encounters with the paranormal, becoming more frequent in recent years. Then last year, we had a problem with the sewage system when tree roots had breached the pipe, causing waste to overflow out onto the street. Prior to the digging phase, a water department engineer was dispatched to the site for inspection. Using just an l-rod, flags, paper, and pen, he was able to mark the exact location where the roots had broken into the pipe- something which the snake camera failed to do due to obstruction. I often find myself using a pendulum whenever I need to make quick decisions, feel like I'm going in circles, or just plain stuck, which usually works well for me in these types of situations.

Whether just a coincidence, or the involvement of a "sixth" sense as suggested by Bird where the human body acts as a sensitive receiver attuned to the earth's signal with the aid of an "amplifying" rod, how and why dowsing works may never be fully explained, but it does work. Dowsing has stood the test of time, having always been able to help solve problems where other known methods have failed. Until it can be proven otherwise, dowsing will continue to be an asset to human society, and no other book and author has worked so diligently as Christopher Bird's "The Divining Hand" in making the case for dowsing and ensuring that it is given its proper due. If you're only able to buy one book on dowsing, then let it be this one. It teaches not only the fundamentals of dowsing, but also gives the user a historical primer on dowsing, and the important role it has played throughout time. Measuring in at a generous 8 1/2 inches wide, 11" inches long, and 327 pages thick, this colossus of a book is even larger than the textbook we used in U.S. History 17A in college, and well worth every penny. I just can't recommend "The Divining Hand" enough, because it is so well-written and full of documented first-hand accounts that readers may be hard-pressed not to be convinced! 5 OUT OF 5 STARS!

Very interesting views on what makes Dowsing work.

I dowsed our well which was almost as deep as the Empire State Building is tall and almost all of it below granite. After we moved into our home I always wondered how copper L-rods could sense water below. This book did a great job of explaining many possibilities.

Additionally, it revealed many things I had never heard about dowsing before.

Innate Intelligence is the entity that made your body in the womb and it is still there maintaining your body in life and health. It must have a clear nervous system to maintain life and health. The Innate Intelligence works within the body and it can work externally in mystical ways. This is not understood by the average person and the medical profession ignores it because it would be too simple for maintaining health and their profession could not sell drugs and surgeries. All the healing arts are a business and businesses are designed to make money. Think about it!

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.