water witching
Forked stick divination
Water witching is the practice of using a forked stick, bent rods, or pendulum to locate underground water sources.
The practitioner walks over land holding the implement, which supposedly dips or moves when passing over water.
Also called dowsing or divining.
Despite no scientific support for the method, water witching persists in rural areas: My grandfather swore by water witching when drilling wells.
Forked branch for finding water
- forked stickStick with two prongs
- willowNarrow-leaved waterside tree
- dowserOne who locates underground water
- divinerOne who foretells events
pendulum · bobber · sensitivity · intuition · sensing · vibrations · detection · locator
Groundwater-bearing geological formation
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- springRecoiling metal spiral
- wellspringPrimary source of something
- artesianGroundwater under natural pressure
subterranean · borehole · well site · seep · watershed · infiltration · permeability · potable
Beyond natural explanation
- psychic abilityExtrasensory perception capacity
- sixth senseExtrasensory perception ability
- clairvoyanceExtrasensory perception ability
- ley linesAlleged mystical landscape alignments
aura · vibration · gift · talent · sensitivity · trance · channeling · occult
Countryside cultural practice
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
- folkwaysCustomary community behaviors
- passed downTransmitted through lineage
- farmsteadFarm with residence
homesteader · settler · pioneer · cunning folk · gifted · belief · skepticism · pseudoscience
divining rod
Forked branch for finding water
- forked stickStick with two prongs
- willowNarrow-leaved waterside tree
- dowserOne who locates underground water
diviner · pendulum · bobber · sensitivity · intuition · sensing · vibrations · detection · locator · prospecting
aquifer
Groundwater-bearing geological formation
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- springRecoiling metal spiral
- wellspringPrimary source of something
artesian · subterranean · borehole · well site · seep · watershed · infiltration · permeability · potable · drilling
supernatural
Beyond natural explanation
- psychic abilityExtrasensory perception capacity
- sixth senseExtrasensory perception ability
- clairvoyanceExtrasensory perception ability
ley lines · aura · vibration · gift · talent · sensitivity · trance · channeling · occult · esoteric
rural tradition
Countryside cultural practice
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
- folkwaysCustomary community behaviors
- passed downTransmitted through lineage
farmstead · homesteader · settler · pioneer · cunning folk · gifted · belief · skepticism · pseudoscience · debunked
- folk superstitionsevil eye, black cat, black cats, horseshoes, horseshoe luck
- finding waterdivining rod, well drilling, forked stick, well digger
- Dowsingdowser, divining rod, diviner, forked stick, willow branch
- folk magicspell, spells, hex, hexes, curse
- Midwest folklorePaul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, tall tales, Wendigo, Native American legends
- weather lorered sky, ring around moon, moon halos, halos, halo
water, watery, watered, underwater, saltwater, waters, freshwater, rainwater, witching