Want to know where and how your water supply enters the property, or where the electrical cables are?  Come on the beginners' dowsing course.

Dowsing, or divining, is something that we can all do, some better than others. Like any craft or artistic skill the more you practice the better you get.  Although mostly thought of as a means of finding underground water, it's applications are many and varied.  It is a sixth sense and can lead to perceptions beyond the confines of our other five senses.

It is a fact that when objects are held in a person's hands in a particular way and in a particular context they move.  These movements are called dowsing responses.  The human body has a real sixth sense and after completing the course beginners will be aware of this sense and how to use it to "see" and interact with an undiscovered world of real physical energy which contains all sorts of use information.

The course for beginners will follow a structured programme of practical demonstration, experiments and activities with the primary objective of beginners experiencing and developing their dowsing responses.  L=rods will be used as their movements are ideal teaching and research dowsing tools.  The context in which the rods move will be explored and evidence for the mechanism clearly presented.

Various activities will be undertaken to show how the responses, together with rational and logical thinking, make dowing a powerful analytical tool in a number of applications.  These will include dowsing for water pipes, for objects in the ground, such as electrical cables and archaeological dowsing to name but a few.

Tomorrow (21 September) there will be a continuation of today's course when the use of colour wheels and witnesses in dowsing will be explored in greater depth.

List of recommended books:

The Divining Hand by Christopher Bird.  This book is a classic but is for readers who are interested in the history and development of dowsing.  It covers the experiments that have been done to try and explain dowsing.

The D-Force, by Vincent Reddish is another book dealing with a scientific investigation of dowsing.  It is specialised and does not deal with practical aspects.

The Complete Guide to Dowsing, by George Applegate is a good text for those interested in the practical aspects of dowsing.  It is non-scientific but practical and widely used.

Dowsing, New Light on an Ancient Art, by Tom Williamson is both practical and discussive dealing in particular with the human magnetic sense.  It is written for the general reader.

Water Divining and Other Dowsing, by Ralph Whitlock is a good practical guide but no theoretical background.

Comments from participants:

Most enjoyable.  Good for lateral thinking.  Worth following through.
Attentive organiser.  Excellent venue.
Fascinating introduction to a very complex subject - look forward to taking it further.
Very interesting starter course.  Wish I'd read a bit more beforehand.
Thank you Anne, Geoff and Nigel.  I'm so glad I came today (and have discovered Assington Mill).  I particularly valued the emphasis on reflection - taking a break if necessary.  I enjoyed the science too - took me right back to college days.  Jill.