Divine intervention

Life is timely and death is timeless.

When we look up at the stars at night, what can we find beyond the light?

If we turn our eyes upward and outward, the infinite and the cosmos appeal to our sense of wonder.

But if we look down, we may find more than we could have ever known had we not looked at all.

Divining rods, commonly called “dowsing rods” or “witching sticks,” have been used for centuries, primarily for finding water, but also for finding the unmarked dead in cemeteries.

Marjorie Burnett is one who has, in hers and many others opinions, become adept at locating those who have died and have no headstone to map their final resting place.

Cindy Munson, who is best known as the manager for Pioneer Village Living History Center, is another.

“It takes a lot of practice,” Cindy says as she paces the grounds of the Gonzales Memorial Cemetery on a windy afternoon. “I’m trying to find some people who are here and don’t have a headstone. I believe there are many of them – even some under the road that cuts through the cemetery.”

In terms of a focused, concerted effort, the practice of dowsing divination for many represents a pinpointing of not only where a deceased person may lie in the ground, but also literally and figuratively closing the space between a living person and a long-lost relative.

Although we may be happy with our lives, we often long to find happiness in discovering the location and identities of those long gone, maybe years or even centuries before our own inception.

Was he a distant relative, one you never got to love?

Does he proudly watch you from the skies above?

One of the biggest frustrations in genealogy is being unable to locate the burial site of an ancestor.

“Although we may have an idea of where a relative is buried, we have no proof,” Cindy says.

Grave dowsing, known simply to some as walking in the shadows with divining rods, cannot give us the name of the person buried in any unmarked grave.

“But it can identify the locations of unmarked graves within a cemetery or lot, and also provide some clues to their gender and age,” Cindy says.

Marjorie has been doing this for the better part of 20 years, and is more than happy to share tips on how to be successful in locating plots of the deceased.

“I recommend people use No. 10 brazing rods encased in PVC pipe,” she says. “Contrary to popular belief, the rods don’t work the same way for everyone. They open for some people, and close for others – it just depends on the person. Try it first over the graves of someone you know, like your grandparents or an uncle and aunt.”

Marjorie says she makes a 90 degree bend for the handles.

“I do recommend that the rods be 10 inches long, especially because you want to be resistant to winds. Especially those 30 mile-per-hour northers! You may need to vary the handle length depending on the size of your hand. Just be sure that the handle does not extend below beneath the hand. This allows for a light grip and keeps the handle from obstructing movement.”

Concurring with Marjorie’s assessment, Cindy says she holds the rods lightly in her hands, with her elbows at her waist and her forearms parallel to the ground.

“The rods should be held straight out, also parallel to the ground and parallel with each other,” she says. “I don’t place my thumbs over the bend of the handle because this will restrict movement. And I don’t hold ‘em too tightly – only enough to keep the rods parallel.”

Marjorie stresses that in order for this method to work properly, one must go to a cemetery with marked graves and practice. She believes that everyone develops a slight variance in their technique, and just because something works for her does not mean that it will work exactly the same way for everyone.

“For some, this method will not work at all, but I have found that it works for most of the people that I have taught this method to,” Marjorie says. “Some people have associated dowsing with witchcraft, however, I do not believe even a small part of the [local] population are practicing witches – I’m certainly not one! This to me means that there has to be a scientific explanation and requires no ‘special powers’ by the person who is performing the dowsing.”

Other sources say in order determine the approximate age of the person buried in an unmarked grave, begin at the foot/head of the grave and walk the length. The rods will cross at the feet/head and remained crossed until you reach the other end (feet/head) at which time they will uncross when you step from over the body.

“I count my steps as I walk the length of the body,” Marjorie says. “For me, one to two steps indicates an infant, two to three a toddler, three to four a child, five an adolescent or short adult, six for an adult and seven a tall adult. Once again, this is where practicing with marked graves helps perfect your technique.”

Marjorie says there are two methods to determine the gender of the person buried. “The first one can give a false reading depending on whether the undertaker buried the person correctly. The second method has proven to be foolproof, so far,” she says. “It is very important to use both methods when determining whether a burial site contains human remains.”

Marjorie breaks down the methods as follows:

Method 1: (Overhead) Standing over the center of a grave, hold one rod over your head. The rod will swing around and point to the feet of a male or the head of a female. I don’t know the scientific reason for this, but I can only guess that each gender is polarized to the earth by a different portion of the body. You may get a false reading. It is uncommon, but does happen, that a person can accidentally be buried backwards. I have found this several times, which is why method No. 2 is used as confirmation.

Method 2: (One-finger) Standing over the center of the grave, balance the handle of one rod on your index finger, holding the rod straight down. The rod will begin making a circular motion. It will rotate clockwise for a male and counterclockwise for a female. No matter how the body is laid in the grave, this method will give the correct gender. This method can also be used when more than two people are buried in one coffin or one grave. In this case you will need to go over the entire grave using the one-finger method. If there is a break between the bodies or a difference in gender, the rods will swing in a pendulum motion and then resume a circular motion. This is good to use when an infant is buried with their mother, for instance.

Combining the two methods will help determine human or animal remains. Animals will also register gender, but it is unlikely that they will all be buried in a Christian manner. So if you find several burials, use the gender methods to determine the layout of the bodies. If all heads point west and the one-finger method agrees with the overhead method, then most likely you have found human remains.

Although Marjorie is considered by many to be an expert with using diving rods, she maintains an aura of modesty and is quick to dismiss the notion that she is as good as she’ll ever be.

“This is an art that takes a long time to perfect,” she says. “I still strive to get better.”

And for those skeptics who believe diving sticks are a bunch of hocus-pocus, Cindy, who considers herself an amateur, tries to keep an open mind – like a window with a view.

“Do I question things?” she says. “All the time! But you never really know anything for sure, so you’ve got to try different things to find out as much as you can.”