Action of the Earth in solenoids

[Qiaozhi]

Originally Posted by Fred

Actually this is interesting , dowsing rods could be a way for your mind to express itself, kind of a translator, so logical (real world) clues about a possible treasure location could be expressed.
That would also explain why one needs practice, the more you dig empty holes the more you learn where to dig to avoid digging empty holes .
And also explain a more than average rate of success on real terrain, but zero on planted targets, where such clues don´t exist.

Lets get back to real (electronic) detectors

I think Fred has hit the nail on the head.

A dowsing rod is simply the equivalent of an executive decision maker. When you're out with your trusty metal detector (you know, the one with some real electronics inside, and not the fantasy-land stuff) the problem is where to start searching. No problem, use an LRL or dowsing contraption to make the decision for you. Like the executive decision maker, it's only guesswork, but at least you've made a decision.

Of course, the dowsing / LRL contraption has one advantage over the executive decision maker, as the user's unconscious mind can "control" it via the ideomotor effect. So, in this way, clues in the landscape, hidden desires, etc., will influence the decision. In this way the result may be slightly better than guessing when used in the field, simply due human intervention. But it's still guessing.