As have so many others, Nicky Greenham has found dowsing to be the ideal tool for managing food allergy, food intolerance and multiple chemical sensitivities. Always available, free and accurate. She gives us a master class. Those interested in multiple chemical sensitivity should check out her website: www.chemicalfree.co.uk

I first found I could dowse when I tried to locate the lines of geopathic stress in my home. The instructions said to cut a wire coathanger into two ‘L’ shapes and think hard of what I wanted to find. Feeling a little silly and extremely sceptical I stood in the middle of the lounge holding out the rods and hoping nobody was watching. Incredibly, as I wandered round the room the rods began to move. I was surprised and a little shocked. This was my first foray into dowsing and since then I have learnt how useful it can be in helping to identify food and chemical intolerances - especially for those with multiple sensitivities.

I now dowse weekly to plan my rotation diet and find out which washing powder I will be able to tolerate on which day. Occasionally I use it to check which food or vitamin supplements I require, and to see if foods such as meat and fish are safe to eat. Unlike other sensitivity tests, dowsing is free, the results are immediate and it can all be carried out in the comfort of your own home - great if you also have chronic fatigue syndrome.

What is it?
Dowsing can be defined as a way of searching for things that cannot be seen, in this case answers to questions.

Many people are familiar with diviners using rods to look for water, and the process is virtually the same when dowsing food or other products. Some dowsers use rods made of a particular type of wood or metal, while others prefer to use pendulums or even manage to dowse without any tool at all. Most people find they have some ability to dowse, especially for water and geopathic stress; some find they can refine their talent to dowse for almost anything – from oilfields to missing persons. While the latter often involves spiritual energy, beginners usually find their dowsing ability is due to a physical process between the substance and the unconscious chemical energy of the body.

No particular belief is required and even a healthy scepticism is unlikely to hinder your ability.

The easiest way to find out whether you can dowse is by searching for underground water. Assuming you have no desire to dig up your garden or kitchen floor, it is going to be difficult to verify your results, but if the rods do move you will know you are likely to have some success in dowsing for foods or chemicals.

To get started the only equipment needed is a rod or pendulum of some sort. A ring on a piece of cotton would suffice, but I find the results are more obvious using rods.

Dowsing for Water
Equipment: one wire coathanger and something to cut it with.

1. Open the coathanger.

2. Discard the hook, and bend the two other pieces to create two L-shaped rods. Ideally, one side of the ‘L’ should be longer than the other.

3. Hold the shortest part of the rods in each hand so the long parts are parallel to the floor. Make sure you hold the rods loosely so they can swing around. You might find it easier to slip the ends of the rods into a handle such as a straw or an empty biro casing.

4. Hold the rods steady out in front of you, with your elbows close to your body to minimise movement of your arms and hands.

5. Clear your mind and centre yourself. It is important to keep your mind completely focussed on what you want to find. Tell yourself out loud that you would like to look for underground streams.

6. Walk slowly with the rods held in front of you. If you come across an underground stream the rods should start to move.

If the rods cross, you are likely to be standing directly over a source of underground water. If the rods line up, they may be marking the direction of flow of an underground stream.

Try approaching the area from another direction to see if you get the same response. If you don’t get any reaction, check you are not holding the rods too tightly, and that they are still parallel to the floor – not tipping up or down. Move slowly and smoothly to avoid unintentionally moving the rods and make sure your mind is completely focussed on what you want to find.

If there is still no response, it may be that there is no water in that area, so try looking somewhere else. The same process can be used to dowse for geopathic stress.

Dowsing for Food Intolerance
The process of dowsing for chemicals or foods is similar to that of looking for water. It is easier to have a sample of the food or product in front of you to start with, but in time you may find you can dowse just by saying the name of the food or chemical.

Hold the rods loosely with your elbows tucked in. Clear your mind and focus on the question you want to ask. Hold the rods over the sample of food and say your question out loud eg ‘Can I tolerate this food?’.

If the rods cross, the answer is yes. If they remain parallel, the answer is no. If one rod moves or they only move a little, the answer is uncertain.

With this technique it is most important to ask an accurate question. If your mind is not totally clear, or you are expecting a specific answer, you are likely to influence the way the rods swing.

It is useful to have a practice run first – simply ask the rods to indicate yes, no and uncertain. With practice, you can refine your dowsing to find out whether your intolerance is temporary or permanent and how often each food should be eaten in a rotation schedule, simply by asking the question out loud.

Using a Pendulum
Whether you use the rods a pendulum depends on your own preference. Almost anything can be used as a pendulum, as long as it is light and easy to move. It is possible to buy all sorts of purpose-made brass and crystal pendulums, but a metal ring on a piece of cotton should suffice.

Once you have centred and focussed your mind, the process is similar to using rods.

First of all you need to work out which way the pendulum should swing to indicate a positive or negative response. To avoid confusion keep the same code each time. Usually the pendulum will circle clockwise (to the right) for ‘yes’ and anti-clockwise (to the left) for ‘no’. If the answer is uncertain it may move forwards and back in a straight line, but it is up to you to decide on a code. Before you start have a practice run to make sure the pendulum will swing in the direction you want.

Time Specificity
Dowsing usually provides answers for this exact moment in time so it is important to be accurate. Asking if you are sensitive to potatoes may produce a positive response but may only apply to today; asking whether you will be sensitive to potatoes in the next five days is likely to get a different response. This can be really useful when planning rotation menus as you are likely to be able to tolerate slightly different foods each week, according to your body chemistry at that time

However, if you don’t have the energy to dowse regularly, it may be more appropriate to just find out whether your sensitivities are temporary or long-term.

Dowsing when Tired
Whether you decide to use rods or a pendulum, try not to dowse when you are tired or brain fogged, as the results will be unreliable.

If you find you become tired while dowsing, stop and before starting again imagine yourself completely enclosed in a giant glass bubble - this should prevent expending excess energy. When you have finished evaporate the bubble and imagine your energy coming back down from your head into your feet. Some people like to wash their hands after dowsing to rebalance their energy.

Finding I had the ability to dowse made managing my food intolerances a lot easier and gave me more flexibility in planning rotation diets. It also enabled me to test my sensitivity to products before I bought them, meaning I no longer had stockpiles of redundant food, washing powders and toothpastes. It is especially useful in helping to solve the riddle of multiple intolerances and can help lessen the likelihood of distressing reactions. In fact the only thing dowsing hasn’t been able to help me with is next week’s lottery numbers, but I’ll keep trying!

First published in 2005

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