Testing the Message
Dowsing
Developed
and evolved over
millions of years, your body is a most sophisticated and sensitive
instrument. It has an innate intelligence that sidesteps the distorted
filters of the rational mind, directly connected to the primitive,
energetic, instinctual, subconscious self. One way to access and
communicate with this innate wisdom is to "Dowse" for it.
"Dowsing"
is an old and
traditional technique. Documented records going as far back as the
middle ages show dowsers using a "Y" shaped cut stick
called a "witching rod"
(hence the origin
of the term "Witch" = one who uses a witching rod). In ancient times,
knowledge of dowsing (not
something i think the Churches would have approved of) must have
been keep as a closely guarded "trade" secret by the guilds. Today,
there are
geologists (and others) who use it as a very effective tool for finding
water, coal, oil and precious metals (among other things). "Dowsers"
have traditionally used the "witching" or "dowsing rods", but there are
other methods that work just as effectively.
Programming
In
The first thing one must do to effectively
dowse
is to "program" or "command" your body-mind to give you a readable
"yes" and "no" response/signal. There are some parts of your body that
may be more receptive to this programming than others, but you will
have to test this out for yourself. Let me suggest you start by using
your head... you already do this to some extent, but program it in
consciously. Here is what I mean: say to yourself (out loud, with
conviction and intention)...
"I command my body-mind to indicate"
a “Yes” answer is when my head moves up and down...
a “No” answer is when my head moves side to
side.
Ask yourself a question you
clearly know the answer is a "Yes". Respond by moving your head up and
down - help it along a bit at first (called “priming the
pump” so to speak). For a "No" answer, do this same thing
except move your head from head side to side. Do this enough, and the
body-mind will get the idea and do it automatically (like driving a car
or walking). However you do this, be very consistent in how you program
your body-mind. Once you program yourself in one way, don't change it -
if you program in to many conflicting commands, this will give you
conflicting readings. If you do not feel the signals using your head,
you may get a better response by using your arm, hand or finger. Some
people may even receive the signals better in their solar plexus or
heart (with particular sensations or feelings indicating a yes or no
answer).
Negative Programing - Habits
If
you want the ringing of a bell to
mean "time to eat", and you program that in... every time you hear a
bell ring (like "Pavlovs dog") your subconscious is going to tell you
it's "time to eat". And if when you do hear a bell and do start eating,
the more you repeat that behavior, the more that signal is
going
to get
reinforced with
more and more of your intentional mind power and life energy. This is
how habits are formed from our programing... especially when they are
linked to an external stimulant. So its important to be careful what
you
program in or "wish for" - it may come true.
A good
example of this is smoking. Besides it being full of addictive drugs, smoking is an even
more powerful habit due to the added
reinforcements of seeing its behavior viscerally linked to so
many sexy, glamourous, powerful and successful people
on the silver screen... and on the flip side, we see those very same
people use smoking as a coping mechanism
(they really have you poor smokers coming and going - getting you to
smoke when you
are feeling good and smoke when you are feeling bad !). The
subconscious is a
powerful part of us that can
be easily programed in these and so many other ways... not
just by us, but also by a
variety of outside influences (can you say "conspiracy"?). Breaking
the links
one has to such counterproductive
self destructive programing is very
difficult, but it can be done. when they are
stressed out and feel powerless
From Spirits' point of view, any time a behavior is not coming from the
"inner self" but from repetition of the mind, it is a self limiting
habit that keeps
one in
bondage, that keeps one in a box. Spirits goal with us is that we live
in and exercise freedom of choice in the eternal spontaneous NOW, free of any past
mental programing, conditioning or baggage... that we act in the moment
as if
it was the first day, even the very first moment of our lives. In the
context of dowsing, Spirit allows us this tool to access a deeper level
of knowledge so that we may find guidance and direction on our
spiritual path. But if we do not use these tools wisely, or we corrupt
them with our ego-minds, they may become harmful to us and generate
even more negative programing with each use. If thise
happens, Spirit may from time to time shut off your ability to
receive in this way, or give you conflicting answers that just don't
make any sense. Don't worry.... if this happens, it's all part of the
higher plan to free you. Such tools are helpful, but if they stand in
the way of us going deeper, they become an impediment or bondage,
rather than an aid to our liberation. In this case, I would suggest a
course of healings to help clear and move you beyond this stage.
Pendulum
With all that said, one of the best dowsing tools to
start off with is called
a "Pendulum".
A pendulum can be any small balanced object that can be tied to the end
of a string - preferably about 6 inches long (more or
less). Holding the end of the string with your fingers, proceed to
program in to your body-mind...
A "Yes" spins in a clockwise direction (or moves up and down)
A "No" spins in a counter-clockwise (or moves side
to side).
It's that simple.
Muscle Testing
A
more recently devised technique (used by some Chiropractors and herbal
practitioners) is
called
"kinesiology" or "muscle testing".
While a clients arm is held out,
the practitioner applies a light pressure down on it, and in
this
case, a “strong” resistant unmovable arm indicates
a “yes”
answer, and “weak” arm indicates a "no”.
If you
don't have someone to do this with you, this technique can be used on
oneself using the
strength or weakness of your index and thumb
fingers.
Connect the tips of your index and thumb fingers of both hands so you
get 2 “Okays”. Now interlock these 2
"Okays" together as in a chain link fence. Program into your body-mind
that a “Yes” answer is when your fingers stay
strong and hold together, and a “No” answer is when
the fingers get weak and
release.
If
one of these techniques does not work for you, don't give up - try
another. Sometimes the inner self will only speak to you through a
certain medium... but you will only find this out if you
experiment. Once you discover which body
part or tool your inner self likes (be it a dowsing rod, pendulum, muscle
testing, or some other technique)
you
may begin to
make your inquiries. Only ask questions framed so that
you get
“yes” and “no” answers.
Communicating with the
subconscious in this way is a very simple affair (which adds to the
primal beauty of the thing). The language you are using
here is similar to Morris Code where you only communicate with
a
dot and
a
dash, or in this case, with a yes or a no.
With this in
mind, start your inquiry with very basic simple questions like: Is __
my
name? Do I live at __ ? Am I __ years old? and so on.
Degrees
- Levels
In
life, there are
many degrees of truth or "grey areas" that lie between the absolute and
mundane. Don't be
shocked if your
simple
questions turn up some unexpected answers, for there are
many kinds of
answers and/or levels of truth - one truth in the physical universe may
be very different than that found in the mental or spiritual ones. This
complicates things a bit, but then it makes it more interesting - and
fun. From your
experiments with Dowsing, you may find that your body-mind does not
always answer questions
in a straight yes or no, right or wrong, black or white way... for many
questions - and their answers - dwell in these "in-between" places. To
account for this, you may
want to couch your questions in terms of percentages, as in
“is
this answer (approximately) 25%, 50% or is it 100% true?”
(that
sort of thing). You
may find that some answers are not the complete truth but a
portion of the truth...
so you could ask “is this answer (approximately) 25%, 50% or 100%
complete?” (or something like that). This may be easier
to do if you draw out as
in a chart, a
percentage % scale, and then use a pendulum. First communicate to your
subconscious your intention to
use this chart, then dowse.
You may also find that many of your answers depend on the preciseness
of your question - and this too is something to consider.
No matter
what you think is good or bad in life, don't judge what
comes through while you are dowsing - simply be open to any
response the universe happens to send you.
In other words, do not be attached to what you think
is right or wrong here - you are simply experimenting with or testing
your subconscious interpretation of reality. And like any good
scientist, it's may be a good idea to write your questions and
answers down in your journal to analyze later.
Perspectives
The symbolism (either in images or words) your
subconscious mind sends you in response to any question you
ask, is
open to such broad interpretations, as varied as there are peoples in
the world. This is so because everyone has a slightly different
perspective on
what something means, determined by ones unique subjective
experience and interpretation of life (for a demonstration of this phenomena, just
visit
your local museum and ask different people what they see in any one
painting - and you will get a range of different responses).
You would think that if everyone spoke the
same
language (like english), everyone would perfectly understand eachother
in a
conversation, but this is not entirely so. Because
each person has a unique
history with images and words (having linked or imbued them in their
mind with
different
meanings) this can easily be the source of some terrible
misunderstandings. By analysing ones own unique interpretations of
symbols, this will help you - not only better understand yourself, but
also (at the
very least) make you less quick to pre-judge what others say.
By asking
questions in the dowsing process, this will challenge
and stretch your logical minds assumptions about the meanings of
things, which will in turn help expand your minds limitations
on reality so
you may begin to think (more and more) outside its boxes.
Reading
the
Signals
The basic foundation of dowsing
is to
either program in a signal, or be able to read a signal that your
subconscious is already telegraphing out to you... which it probably is
doing most all
the time anyways (if you are paying attention that is). When our bodies
are stiff and sore from sitting in front of the computer for too long,
our subconscious is screaming out to us "Get Up - move this body
around!". But do we listen? Sure we may, sometimes, but we often
ignore. And if something is ignored long enough, our
awareness gets further
suppressed into the subconscious... till it gets so full, it starts to
flash through our bodies with a red "Warning - Overload" message -
usually of pain. What started out
as minor irritations (that we easily and readily discount and ignore)
becones many a serious
illnesses later on. As they say "an ounce of prevention".... That
headache, stomach ache, fatigue, irritation, anger, sadness,
depression... all these are signals our inner self is sending to us to
try and get our attention, to say "something is wrong". During
my second semester at Chiropractic school....
when I metioned a small thing like not feeling excited about getting
out of bed and going to school... that was a message from my
subconscious telling me that there is no energy or enthusiasm in doing
this thing... that "we" are not
backing you up here (and for me, this feeling of low energy and
motivation was a "No" response... for you it could be something
different). Of
course, on the other hand, when we feel happy, energized,
uplifted... these are "Yes" responses from our subconscious (we must be
doing something good - keep it up). In life, we not only have to be
sensitive to the signals other people are sending out to us, but we
also have to be equally if not more sensitive to the
signals our subconscious is trying to convey. And when you get
it,
follow through on that message - don't ignore.
Automatic
Writing
This isn't exactly considered
"Dowsing" either, but it
is a similarly effective tool.
Before you begin, sit quietly for a moment... perhaps close
your eyes... tune in... and ask your inner self to work through you.
Request
that what messages come through is of "the highest truth" -
and
you will likely receive "the highest truth" (at least
the
highest truth you can currently access...
which all depends upon how clear and well connected you are to what
levels of truth you have currently going for you). You may
also want to add this qualifier "the highest truth" when you do your other forms of dowsing as
well.
With a blank piece of paper and writing
implement in front of you,
place pen to paper and see what happens... and just start to write
anything that comes into your head or to tip of pen. If there
is no response, you may
need to begin by asking a question, and then see if something comes
forth.
If still no response, you may have to "prime the pump" (so to speak)
and do the "programming" thing: for example, let's say, a "yes" answer
is this sort
of mark, and a "no" answer is that sort of mark.
Actually,
any form of self expression (not just writing) can be used as a sort
of Dowsing tool... even such forms of expressions as finger
painting, dance, music, singing, walking, sitting, eating, loving...
they can all convey some inner message from and about your inner
truths, if you can read them that is.
If
you do not feel that any of these tools work for you, your subconscious
mind may not feel free right now to express itself (through
your
conscious mind) and may need to be given permission (like an
overcautious child) to do so.
Speaking of which, one reason why any of these tools may not work for
you is caused by ones conscious ego-mind, over-riding (i.e.
suppressing) the subconscious mind. It does this for a number of
reasons, the two biggest ones that come to my mind is judgementfear...
especially a fear of losing control. Consider that the ego-mind
does not want you to let go of or do anything that may loosen its hold,
control, power, or dominance of your life. When you begin to dowse, do
automatic writing, or other such things, you are attempting to
access
another part of your being that doesn't go through the clearing house (judgements) of
the ego-mind. Whenever you do this, the ego-mind will feel threatened,
and do whatever it can to sabotage your attempts. In this case, the
best alternative is to seek for outside healing help that is powerful
enough to release this death grip your ego-mind has over you.
about what comes through, and
Tarot Cards
This
is a tool that is
also not considered
Dowsing, but it can be used as such, as a way for your inner being (or subconscious) to communicate with
your conscious mind. The Tarot uses archetypal images or
symbols - which happens to be the common language our
subconscious
uses to expresses itself, especially in our dreams. Some books
on the subject say that any one particular card (or symbol) represents
one thing
and one thing only, but you can program into your being any meaning for
anything you want - it's really up to you. If
you see an image on a card, and you tell yourself "every time that
image comes up, its going to be a yes" (for ex), well then by golly,
your
subconscious - with the assistance of your spirit guides - are actually
going
to try and manipulate those cards to give you a "yes image" when a
"yes" answer is called for. Of course, there are some universal images
that appeal to everyone in somewhat the same way, images that already
carrying an established meaning to them (a stop sign for example). If
you already
have a meaning for an image (which you probably do for everything by
now) it's best not to program some other image
over it that is contradictory.
Reading
the Signs
Speaking of images and universal
messages, you
will find that your outer universe - the world outside your door - is
also trying to tell you things. Many years ago... I was currently
living in Los Angeles at the time... and was wondering if I should go
to Sedona, Arizona. That next day when I was
hiking around in the hills, in the middle of nowhere... following a
dirt road I had never been on before... at the end of the trail was a
big brand new sign that said,
in big bold letters...
"Sedona" (I kid you not). That was too much of coincidence to be
anything
but a sign from the universe answering my question. Needless to say, I
jumped in my car and drove to Sedona the very next
day.
Following the Signs
It is so important to follow up on such messages, even if you don't
particularly like what you get (acting contrary to
what your ego-mind thinks or
wants is thee best wayto
break its stranglehold on you). Many years ago I received some
healing work from a healer in
Portland, Oregon. She was giving me a pretty good deal - only
charging me $50 per session, just like what I do now for my clients.
Later,
when I was working in Saudi Arabia as an Acupuncturist (being paid
quite well for the very short time I was there)... in my dowsing
sessions, I received
that I should send this healer $500. That was a lot
of money for me at the time (and it still is) but I I knew that I had
to
follow my inner truth and act on what I was getting (if I was serious
about being in integrity that is)... so I sent her the money. She was
of course very thankful (and
very surprised) and as it turns out, she desperately needed it
to
pay her
rent for that next month (funny how things work out when you do the
right thing). As I looked
upon this and other things I did (contradictory to my selfish
wants) I realized that Spirit was trying to teach me to develop an
equal mind... to learn to be unattached to the outcome or
act... to do things from the inside out, not what I think or judge it
to be
from my ego-mind. And in doing this over and over again, I came to
strengthen this inner knowing - and began to weaken my attachments to
the
ego-mind more and more (besides, the ego-mind runs our lives way to
much as it is). When Spirit sees that we are listening and following
the biggest and smallest of messages, Spirit will not need to hit us
over the head to get our attentions anymore.
Limitations
No matter what tool you use to access the truths
of the Inner Self - going through the body as in dowsing, or use some
other
method... one will only
receive those answers
from the universe that you are able to access – if some doors
are clouded over
or outright closed, you can ask all you want and you are not going to
get a straight or true answer. No matter what tool you use, it's a good
thing to try to find out where you stand within these - your mental,
emotional, energetic and intuitive boundaries. And no matter what tool
you use, you will find that as you receive more healing work, you will
receive clearer and more direct answers - through these methods, and in
your life.
Copyright
1999 -
2008. David "Michael" Isaacson. No portion of information in this website
may be reproduced or distributed in any form without prior permission
from the author. All rights reserved.
