"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 30/4/07 17:15, in article
,
"Des Higgins" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
One well digger I
knew
was a dowser, too and made his living from finding water for people and
digging for it. To him and to his customers, it was perfectly
straightforward. I'm quite genuine when I say that I can't see what the
fuss is about.


Lots and lots of things work and work very well as far as people can tell
like Horrorscopes, Goat Entrails, Lucky Shoes, Homeopathy, Lay Lines,
Mystical Properties of Crop Circles etc. UNTIL you formally test them.
To test, you need to measure if you do better than random and the testee
must not know the answer.
Lots of people sink wells without dowsing. The main principle is usually
to
sink a pipe until you hit water. In Ireland, that usually works sooner
or
later.
If you dowse and find water then it looks magic. If you do not dowse and
find water, no one notices.

I think the problem here is that I have absolutely no problem believing in
dowsing because I know it works and I've seen it in action so for me,
that's
it. Certainly people can find water without it - we've just had a
borehole
dug and the man simply had underground 'maps' of the lie of the land and
knows the area well.
I don't think you can equate dowsing - well, I can't - which you can see
in
action and feel in your own hands, with lucky shoes etc. and it's hardly
right to lump all those things together and scoff at people who believe in
one, thinking they must therefore, believe in all. Homoeopathy was tested
on animals some years ago and appeared to work but the animals hadn't read
the books....

But their owners had.

Des



--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
Devon County Show 17-19 May
http://www.devoncountyshow.co.uk/