The specific practice of using a divining rod, usually a forked twig, to look for water. The stick’s forked ends are held, one in each hand, the stem pointing upwards. When the dowser walks over the area to be surveyed, the stick is suddenly seen to twist violently and point downward, indicating where to dig for water. Traditional woods for dowsing are hazel, peach or willow, but all types have been used. Other materials such as ivory, metal or even bare hands have been employed.
Some say that water divining is an ancient practice that goes back to Moses striking the rock with his rod, but there is no evidence that ancient cultures utilized it. We do know that in 15th-century Germany, divining with a forked twig was used for the first time to find underground minerals, but, just as today, the practice was controversial. The forked-twig system was later applied in France and England to finding water, and eventually the idea was spread by European settlers to other parts of the world.