Of Pipes and Water Meters

After my first blush of success dowsing to find my home's water pipes, I asked my wife Christine to join me as I walked around the block, holding my L-rods in front of me. I kept my focus on the sidewalk but would tell her when the rods were crossing. She would then confirm the presence of an adjacent water meter. I successfully found every water line for most of the houses on our block.

“Most” is the operative word. There were two metal water-meter covers side-by-side where my rods did not cross. When Christine pointed them out to me, I walked back over the sidewalk next to them. Still nothing. All I know is that the house connected to the meters is likely empty because it’s being refurbished. No people may mean no water.

That one remains a mystery. I also found a couple places where the rods would swing wildly, one way and then another. My suspicion is that, judging by the vibrant green of the homeowner’s lawn, I had encountered an underground sprinkler system.

Thinking over all of this, I love what Hamish Miller wrote next in his little book:

It’s all about tuning your mind. The aim is complete relaxation in body and thoughts, but keeping one tiny part of your mind totally concentrated on the target. The dowsing tool provides a physical response to receptors in your consciousness that are capable of probing beyond normal sense horizons. One-hundred-percent concentration makes you right every time – very boring – and you can walk through walls, so a little humility helps.

Those two water meters that elicited no response are certainly helping my humility.