No Water, Send for the Water Witch!

California has turned to the water witch to help its struggling farmers find water. The water witch is the popular term given to those who practice the art of dowsing with a y shaped willow stick. California is experiencing a two year draught and they need all the help they can get.

It is no laughing matter as Central Valley, the heart of Californian, farming has been severely hit. It is estimated that $260, 000, 000 was lost in August alone. Some 80,000 acres have just been left because the farmers can no longer face the struggle of trying to get water.

Enter the water witches, they don’t belong to a coven, generally they don’t advertise, there is no water witch union and many operate for free. Although, many are members of the American Society of Dowsers. There is no real scientific explanation for their success, but what they do is not really magic either. It’s an old art which many now desperately need.

Many water witches have been dowsing for some time, they wait for their dowsing rod to move and in theory that’s where water will be found. In reality they have learned that the shape of the land can tell then where water will be found.

Some are highly successful. One well driller can point to all the broken drill bits and a huge waiting list to show how desperate people have become. His work with one water witch has proved to be very successful. In fact 4 out of every 5 attempts have been successful.

Critics can argue that Central Valley was once a giant inland lake so it’s hardly surprising that water is to be found under the surface. Yet many are looking for water in a specific area outside of the valley. Also sending for the water witch is a lot cheaper than sending for the water driller who would have to survey the land before they could even start drilling. This explains why the water witch is still popular and believed in. What has a farmer got to lose if the water witch’s services are free?

Contrary to popular opinion you don’t need to use a willow stick. Some have used a metal rod and worn a metal helmet, and when the rod spins up it indicates where to find the water. Many still hold to the traditional willow y shaped stick, the point being no longer than the size of a finger. The American Society of Dowsers has more than 3,000 members. Their members use pendulums, L-shaped rods, and bobbers.

Dowsing can be dangerous; the speed in which the rod twists and moves can break an arm or a finger. Generally speaking when the rod movers the water witch drops the dowsing tool. One twitch of the tool does not prove there is water underfoot. The aim is to find one twitch, then moving in an ever extended circle to find at least one more, or two more to be certain. Once these places have been marked it is then a case for the water drillers to step in and stat drilling. Even then each water witch has their own method.

What is surprising is that the term water witch is so freely used. It is great to see traditions being maintained and that modern day society has not eliminated them. However, it is surprising when we consider how important religion has become in American life. But then these are strange times.