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For many years speculation was that such turning of the rod was caused by an underground emanation or an occult force.
Clairvoyance
Some modern theorists believe the turning of the rod may be caused by the person's sensitivity for the object for which he is seeking, which stimulates the muscles in the individual's nervous system.
electro-magnetic impulse
Some believe that it must be an external force that guides the instruments, rather than an internal force that emanates from the person dowsing.
The human body can be affected by electric or magnetic fields (the senses of electroception and magnetoception). It has been discovered that we have three sensors, that can pick up this electromagnetic information'. One near or in the pituitary and one on each adrenal gland. Having three points, the subconscious can determine both distance and direction of an electromagnetic source. This is probably done in a similar way that the subconscious uses the two eyes to determine distance, except it has the advantage of having three points of reference instead of only two.
Moving water underground seems to cause or to be associated with electric flow. A fairly simple science experiment shows how moving water can cause electricity to flow. Water drops moving down a wire will rake off enough electrons to cause a small neon bulb to flash--a requirement of over 68 volts. Any time electricity flows in any kind of conductor, it creates an electromagnetic field. This electromagnetic field could then be picked up by our internal sensors. And like the eye that can differentiate between forms, shades and colors, the magnetic sensors, at least according to dowsing, seem to differentiate between patterns of electromagnetic energy fields from different sources. Therefore, the subconscious can easily have information about the location of moving underground water.
So how do we get this sensory information from the unconscious to our conscious mind? That is where dowsing comes in--in particular, the dowsing instrument. Experiments have been performed in muscle testing, in which the subconscious can be programmed to cause involuntary muscles to be strong for a true statement and weak for a false statement. There have also been experiments that test the muscles in dowsers, with the finding that dowsers move their instruments with involuntary muscle movements. Do you see how this could work? Say our internal sensory systems pick up electrical currents from the flow of water underground. Our conscious mind may not "know" we feel these electrical signals, but the sensory systems could trigger involuntary muscle responses tht indicate the "yes" response in dowsing instruments. The muscles of the body respond involuntarily, guided by the unconscious--or at least, by that of which we are not aware.
Noxious Energies
There are many sources and types of noxious and beneficial energies or influences. In addition to the water and fracture types discussed above, there may be influences from magnetic, electromagnetic and electric fields, either man-made or from the Earth. Also, there are cosmic energies and many known, unknown or partly understood types, such as Earth grids and ley line crossings, psychic or spiritual influences, etc. It seems that these influences may sometimes affect the body in good or bad ways. It also appears that anything that can affect the body or the subconscious can be easily dowsed.
The idiomotor reaction
A skeptical theory of dowsing is that the seemingly involuntary movements of the piece of metal or wood are due to the idiomotor reaction. In other words, the dowser inadvertently creates such movements him/herself. James Randi is one proponent of this theory. Dowsing is the most common claim to Randi's offer of one million dollars for the demonstration of something paranormal, but as of 2003, all attempts to demonstrate dowsing to Randi's exacting scientific standards have failed.
The Backster Effect
Map dowsing seems to be related to something called the "Backster Effect." Cleve Backster is a lie detector specialist who attached a galvanic skin response detector (a lie detector, in effect) to the top leaf of a plant. This device measures the electrical resistance of the skin--or in this case, the leaf. He then watered the plant, intending to measure the amount of time it would take for the water to reach the leaf and change its electrical resistance. To his surprise, the detector immediately indicated a response that correlated with a "happy" response in humans (the galvanic skin response that equates with a happy state). Puzzled, he decided to measure a traumatic response in the plant by burning a leaf. The plant showed a fear response on the lie detector as soon as he had the thought. He hadn't even picked up the match yet! (Ever notice that people who talk to their plants have the best green thumbs?)
Backster's experiments have been duplicated thousands of times, using many variations, by many scientists. These experiments and others like them have been argued to show that there is some type of energy--I'll call it "superconscious energy," for lack of a better term--that seems to have been flowing through Backster's mind and the plant. Have you ever felt ill at ease or apprehensive for no apparent reason? Perhaps this is the undetected energy that explains a mother's intuition.
A basic theory is, then, that using a dowsing instrument allows your subconscious to tap in to the wealth of information available from this superconscious energy. It follows, therefore, that water dowsing is the most physical type of dowsing because it is most closely related to your body's own sensitivity to the electrical currents of underground water. Dowsing for objects is also likely related to the body's allowing itself to tune in to electrical currents. It seems more psychic in nature, however, because you really have to let your rational mind let go of preconceptions in order to get in touch with energies you are not conscious of.
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