For the sake of those who have only a vague idea of what dowsing is about, let us begin by stating that dowsing has now been widely acknowledged as a scientific fact. It is also an art and a reality—not merely a form of “hocus-pocus,” as many people, even educated individuals, have often assumed.
Albert Einstein made a very wise observation when he said:
“The person who criticizes something he knows nothing about is, to say the least, being very unscientific. Before one criticizes anything, study it first.”
To my mind, dowsing is a basic science, for it has the potential to analyse and interact with every other science. Increasingly, scientists are coming to realise that there are far more subtle forces and radiations surrounding us than they were prepared to accept or acknowledge eighty years ago, at the turn of the twentieth century.
Although some conservative scientists still remain, many are now more open-minded and are actively investigating these unseen forces and radiations—forces that, even today, cannot always be detected by conventional instruments.
Only eight years ago, Yves Rocard, a physicist at the University of Paris, set out to prove or disprove the claims of dowsing and to discover why the rod reacts when passing over underground water. Through his research, he concluded that flowing underground water generates an electromagnetic force which, in turn, affects the human body and causes the rod to move.
Thus, after more than three thousand years of being dismissed or ostracised, dowsing is gradually gaining a measure of scientific respectability.

Modern findings have also shown that the human body operates with different electrical voltages and produces several types of brain waves. Furthermore, through developments such as Kirlian photography, scientists have observed that all living things emit invisible radiations.

To discuss this basic science fully would be impossible in a single article, for the subject is vast and continually expanding. There is always more to learn and understand.
In 1930, a French priest and dowser, Abbé Alexis Mermet (often associated with early radiesthetic research), and others in the field helped popularise the term Radiesthesia—a word used to describe the broader science encompassing dowsing. The term literally means a sensitivity to radiations or vibrations.
This word is particularly appropriate because when people speak of dowsing, they often think only of locating water, oil, or minerals. In reality, this represents only a very small aspect of the wider field. Radiesthesia embraces a much broader understanding of life and the subtle energies that surround it.

Although dowsing has only gained wider acceptance in recent centuries, its use stretches back to ancient times. Historical records suggest that dowsing was practiced in ancient Egypt. The biblical figure Moses—who had been trained in the knowledge of the Egyptians—is said to have used this ability to locate water for the children of Israel during their journey through the desert to the Promised Land. Evidence also points to its use in China and India.

During the Dark Ages, however, the use of this faculty was strongly discouraged by the Church. Some authorities feared that if people developed such abilities, they might become too knowledgeable or independent. As a result, dowsing was condemned, and those who practiced it were sometimes accused of witchcraft or black magic. Tragically, many were persecuted, and some were even burned at the stake.
The Church labelled it a tool of the devil, and many people came to believe that it was something satanic.
Even in this modern and enlightened age, there are still people—including some living in Auckland—who sincerely believe that dowsing is somehow associated with dark forces. Yet if people were to recognise that this faculty exists in everyone, they might see it instead as one of the greatest gifts granted to humanity.
Throughout the Dark Ages and well into modern times, it was often monks who quietly preserved the knowledge and practice of this science.
In 1906, the French monk Abbé Alexis Mermet astonished the medical world by becoming the first recorded individual to diagnose aspects of the human body using a pendulum. Over time he developed a significant diagnostic practice based on these techniques, and upon his retirement he passed his work on to a physician.
Today, it is said that more than a thousand doctors in France have used the pendulum as a supplementary tool in their diagnostic work.

Accepting, then, that this faculty exists in all people, it follows logically that anyone can learn to dowse if they are sufficiently interested and willing to practice and develop the ability.
Like any other skill, once we become aware of it and gain a working understanding of its principles and mechanics, we can cultivate it through practice and apply it to our advantage.
Many experienced dowsers agree that developing this faculty expands their vision and deepens their understanding of life. They often find that it enhances their awareness and attunement with what they describe as the universal life force.
In this sense, the practice of dowsing can be seen as working in harmony with the higher forces of life.
For this reason, many consider it a skill of great importance—one that everyone might strive to develop. It can be applied in many different areas of life and may assist in exploring questions, solving problems, and gaining insight into the challenges we face.
The science of Radiesthesia therefore offers far more than simply locating underground water. It has the potential to enrich and deepen the whole of life. Those who develop this faculty often say that once they have done so, they are never quite the same again. Their awareness expands, and their understanding of life grows.
The Christopher Chavasse, a man of considerable intellect, once expressed a similar view when he stated that science, radiesthesia, divine and spiritual healing, medicine, psychology, and the whole nature of humanity are interconnected. All these activities, he suggested, are expressions of the divine, and it is our duty to investigate the laws that underlie them.