May 14, 1983
HOW TO MAKE AND USE YOUR OWN DOWSER
by Jack Houck and Severin Dalhen
A dowser is a devise that displays large movements which result from extremely small
movements in the hand, arm, and body of the person holding it. There are many good books on
dowsing (e.g. References 1 through 3). There are many types of dowsers. It is the authors'
opinion that our minds are capable of accessing a universal information system (called the
"STU" in Reference 4) to obtain any desired knowledge. By being specific about the desired
information, by allowing your own analytical and conscious mind to get out of the way, and by
believing it is going to work, the mind will channel the information back into your brain (i.e. the
brain acts as the tuner/receiver). The information will then be processed by the brain which will
activate the appropriate muscles via the autonomic nervous system to display the information
(e.g. an answer to a question) by the movement of a dowser. Thus, the dowser is a good devise
for obtaining yes/no answers to questions that you do not consciously know the answers. Correct
answers are available, even if you never knew the information and even if the answer is not
available in the same part of the world (i.e. distance does not seem to matter). Two types of
dowsers will be discussed: the pendulum and the Japanese wand.
Pendulum
A pendulum can consist of any lightweight object connected to the end of a string or chain. For
example, a small stone or crystal attached to the end of a neck chain doubled in half makes a nice
pendulum. Any kind of necklace can be used as dowser. Recently the authors made 200
pendulums for a large PK Party (Reference 4) out of eight-inch pieces of string and three -
quarter inch diameter plastic balls (found in macramé stores at ten cents apiece).
Simply hold the end of the chain or string such that you do not induce a preferred direction for
the pendulum to swing. Ask it to show you how it will indicate "yes" (each dowsing device may
have a different preferred direction for yes). Once a clear direction is indicated, ask it to stop, and
then ask it to show you the direction of "no". Usually the direction of no will be in the opposite
direction as yes (i.e. if yes is a clockwise motion, no will be a counterclockwise motion).
Pendulums can be used to point in a desired direction. For example, hold the pendulum and ask it
to "swing in the plane that includes the hidden object." The pendulum will eventually swing in
the correct direction. Be patient and try not to evaluate what is happening. Also be aware of your
internal senses because you may also get a mental picture or hear a sound that will help you find
the hidden object. You can even find mineral deposits by holding the pendulum over a map.
Draw a line on the map under the plane being defined by the swinging pendulum and then hold
the pendulum at another location over the map and repeat the process. The intersection of the
lines will establish the point on the map. Don't hesitate to cut us in if great wealth is found!
Japanese Wand
The Japanese Wand dowser is extremely sensitive to the minute muscle twitches that make the
dowser move. Almost everyone achieves success using this type of dowser the first time they try.
These dowsers are also used at PK Parties to determine if the silverware is willing to bend.
Figure 1 illustrates how to hold a Japanese dowser. You cradle it in your fingers, point your
thumb toward the coil, and press down on the top of
1
Figure 1 Holding Japanese Dowser
the handle with your thumb. Then simply ask it to show you a yes, then a no, and you are ready
to obtain yes/no answers to any questions.
The following materials are needed to make a Japanese dowsing rod:
1. A stiff copper pipe 14 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter.
2. A 3 foot length of 1/16 inch (#504) piano wire (available in hobby and some hardware
stores).
3. Two copper end caps that will enclose the 1/2 inch diameter copper pipe.
4. A 3/4 inch diameter wooden bead (available from macramé stores).
5. Epoxy glue.
6. Fiberglass resin.
7. Toothpick.
e. Waxed paper.
The following tools are useful in making these dowsers but there may be ways of getting around
needing all of the tools:
1. Vise
2. Vise grips
3. Regular pliers
4. Long nose pliers
5. Paper towels to wipe up spills
6. Electric drill (optional)
7. Hacksaw
8. Metal file or grinder
9. Hammer
10. Knife
Figure 2 illustrates dowser dimensions. The following steps are used to manufacture a single
dowser (for mass production, use your own ingenuity):
Step 1. Place the piano wire in the vise with 9 inches of the wire exposed on one side.
Bend the exposed 9 inches into a sharp 90 degree bend. Pound the bend with the hammer
on a hard surface to make it a sharp right angle. Remove the wire and secure the 14 inch
piece of copper pipe in the vise with approximately 6 to 8 inches extending. Then, using
the vise grips, clamp the 9 inch end of the piano wire to the top of the copper pipe
extending from the vise as shown in Figure 3. Make sure the wire is clamped securely to
the pipe. Then very carefully, bend the long end of the piano wire around the pipe 4 1/2
times. Do this slowly and keep the coil tight against the pipe as you wind it around. It is
OK to use your
2
25
9 1/8”
1/8”
1/2” 6” 1” 3/4”
Figure 2 Japanese Dowser Dimensions
Piano
Wire Bend Wire
Around Pipe
4 1/2 Times
Vise
1/2”
Copper Pipe
Length = 12”
Vise
Grips
Figure 3 Coil Winding Setup
psychokinetic ability to soften the wire as you are bending it around the pipe. When you
release the wire after 4 1/2 wraps around the pipe, it will uncoil a little resulting in three
loops in the coil. Now another right angle must be put in the wire. Using the long nose
pliers, hold the end of the coil at the bottom (i.e. same position as the 9 inch straight end
of the wire). With the other pair of pliers, bend the wire 90 degrees such that the two
straight sections of the wire are aligned.
Step 2. Cut a 6 inch length of copper pipe for the handle with the hacksaw.
Step 3. File the edges on the end of the pipe smooth. A grinder is useful for mass
production.
Step 4. Drill a small hole through the center of the one of the copper end caps to act as a
guide.
Step 5. Put the 9 inch end of the wire through the hole in the copper end cap, starting into
the outside of the end cap.
3
Step 6. Place the other copper end cap on the copper handle and use some epoxy glue to
make it permanent.
Step 7. Put the end cap, with embedded wire, into the copper handle such that the wire
touches the bottom.
Step 8. Mount the handle into the vise vertically with the closed end down. Now mix a
large amount of fiberglass resin. Pour the fiberglass resin into the open end of the handle
to the top of the handle and slide the end cap with the hole in it down the wire and place
over the top end of the handle. This seals the handle so that the fiberglass resin can not
leak out. Let it dry.
Step 9. Pour the fiberglass resin in slowly so that air bubbles can escape and you can see
when it is getting close to the top. Be very careful not to overfill or permit the resin to
leak down over the handle. Paper towels may be necessary.
Step 10. Use a knife to trim and fiberglass resin remaining outside the handle and to
scrape any epoxy or fiberglass resin off the wire.
Step 11. Clamp the end of the wire in the vise with 1/2 inch of the wire extending
vertically up through the vise. Put a piece of waxed paper over the top of the vise. Poke a
small hole through the waxed paper for the wire. Keep the hole as small as possible.
Center the wooden bead around the wire. Then mix some epoxy to fill the hole in the
bead. A toothpick is handy for putting the epoxy into the hole. Fill up the hole and hope it
does not leak out the bottom. You can always top it off later. Sometime a hot glue gun is
used for this step.
Step 12. When the epoxy is dry, remove the dowser from the vise and clean it up. The
knife might be useful to chip off any epoxy around the base of the wooden bead. Copper
cleaner will bring a nice shine to the handle. Spraying the handle with a plastic spray will
keep it looking nice.
Step 13. Use the dowser in the same way as the pendulum.
References
1. Christopher Bird, The Divining Hand: The 500-Year-Old Mystery of Dowsing, E. P. Dutton,
Mew York, 1979
2. Christopher Hills, Supersensonics, University of the Trees Press, Boulder Creek, Ca., 1975
3. W. Tromp, Psychical Physics: A Scientific Analysis of Dowsing, Radiethesia and Kindred
Divining Phenomena, Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc., New York, 1949
4. Jack Houck, "Conceptual Model of Our Multi-Dimensional Nature", May 7, 1983