by Brian Ashley I first started dowsing with a springy, forked twig and searched for water. I moved on to copper and metal rods and then the pendulum. For me, the results with the rods were the most consistent, so that is the chosen medium for this DIY course.
	Step 1 - The Rods Make or acquire a pair of copper/metal rods 1/8 to 1/4 inch (3-6mm) in diameter, bent at right angles as in the diagram.
	Hold them by the short ends as you would a pair of pistols à la Western. Keep them above waist level with elbows just less than a right angle, rods about 10 inches (260mm) apart, parallel to each other and horizontal to the floor.
	Relax arms and hands; avoid gripping hard and using the thumb (wrap thumb over the index finger). Imagine you are holding a little bird. Relax until the rods appear to be floating, for that is when you will achieve the best results.
	Step 2 - The Water Practice Place a bowl of water on a table. Stand about 8 feet (2.5m) away and very slowly go towards the water with the rods in neutral or 'search' mode, i.e. loose, parallel and horizontal. Make sure that the tips of the rods do not dip down; they must be horizontal. As you reach the water the rods should respond by either opening out or closing in. If you have no reaction, repeat the exercise. With the rods over the water, stop, relax and sense any subtle movement of the rods, allowing them to move as they wish. Do not presume or will the movement - it will come. Step 3 - Pipes and Drains If your kitchen gives onto a dowsable area such as a garden or yard, turn on the kitchen tap. Go to the outlet pipe and drain outside and see if you can pick up the exact route of the pipe leading to the first inspection cover. Do this by dowsing across the general direction of the pipe, moving along a few feet at a time, returning the rods to neutral after each finding. Now you are getting there! Persevere at this kind of practice until you get consistent results. Avoid any tendency to auto-suggestion by putting down markers and repeating the exercise with eyes closed. When you feel the rods move, open your eyes and check the position. Water and Electricity Board employees use rods to find pipes and cables. They know it works. Of course they also use an electrical device similar to a metal detector.
	Step 4 - Ancient Sites Now you should be ready to dowse the energies or power patterns in the Avebury complex or other ancient sites. Here are some exercises to try in Avebury. i. Approach one of the large stones in the outer circle with the rods in search mode. As you reach the stone you should get a reaction. Each stone has an energy field or aura around it, and this, I believe is what you will have detected.
	ii. Go to one of the concrete markers which Alexander Keiller had placed to indicate the position of a sarsen stone, now missing, possibly broken up and used in building. Position your rods in neutral and approach the marker. You should detect the aura, not of the marker, but of the original stone. Hard to believe? Try it. I see this as akin to Kirlian photography - a body having a limb amputated will sense the missing limb for some time afterwards.
	iii. Go and dowse in the North East and South East quadrants, where a few of the outer circle stones remain. See if you can pick up the missing stones. iv. Dowse between any two of the existing stones of the outer circle. First go from the outside towards the centre of the circle, then go from the inside towards the outside of the circle. You should detect an energy field - a band of about 5 feet (1.5m) - linking the stones. Here again it is useful to put down markers to show where you get the first reaction and then double check with eyes closed or perhaps the aid of a friend. With practice you will pick up the band of the whole outer circle, even where there are very few remaining stones. Try it. v. Dowse the two inner circles. Avoid preconceptions and do lots of double-checking. If there is a group of you, position individuals on the arc of the circle as you detect the missing stones. Pace out the distance between two of the stones adjacent to each other in the southern inner circle as a guide to the position of the missing stones.
	vi. Go to the Obelisk marker - the largest concrete cone. The Obelisk was the tallest stone of the circle and phallic-shaped. In the early 18th century, William Stukeley measured it as 21 feet (6.5m) as he found it, broken in two where it had fallen. Dowse this area carefully. Line up some of the concrete markers with the outer circle stones and pick out the site line which points out the top of Silbury Hill, which itself just touches the skyline - hardly a coincidence…
	vii. In the northern inner circle is the Cove.
	Go 20 yards (18m) from the Cove towards the Swindon stone - the large diamond-shaped stone on the other (western) side of the road. See if you can pick up the small circle, about 25 yards (23m) diameter, which may have been a wooden or stone circle, predating the present henge. It is detectable - believe me.
	There is so little we really know about Avebury: its purpose, the rituals, why the site was chosen. Even archaeologically we know very little. Only 4% of the circle has been excavated and most of that was the ditch and all of 60 years ago. It is likely that more great stones lie buried, waiting to be resurrected. Go see if you can find one. If you have difficulty with dowsing and would like some personal tuition, contact the Henge Shop to arrange a lesson. Good luck in your exploration of ancient sites. It's a whole new world.
	Brian Ashley  The Henge Shop, 2004.