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Albert Schatz, Ph. D.
6907 Sherman Street. Philadelphia, PA 19119
aschatz@unix.temple, edu

I am 82 years old and have been doing scientific research for more than half a  century. I have also been dowsing for almost 20 years. I see no conflict between science and  dowsing. I have given workshops on dowsing for different purposes in Arkansas, Connecticut,  Delaware,  Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and the  District of Columbia. When I give workshops, I always tell how I learned to dowse.

Terry Ross was president of the American Society of Dowsers, and helped  establish its Dowsing School. In the early 1980s, my friend Daphne invited me to accompany  her to a lecture on dowsing given by Terry in a church in Philadelphia. Terry’s lecture was  sponsored by the Delaware Society of Parapsychology. All I then knew about dowsing was  that it supposedly located underground water. Although I was not interested in dowsing, I accompanied Daphne to Terry’s lecture. When we entered the church, I was  surprised that 50 or more people were there. It had never occurred to me that that so many people  would be interested in dowsing. After Terry finished his presentation, during which he  demonstrated how to dowse with a Y-rod. he said that he had brought some Y-rods, and we were  welcome to try to locate water veins which were under the front area of the church where  there were no pews.

Daphne then asked me, “Do you want to try it? ” I replied, “No. I don’t think it works.  Let’s go. ” She then asked me, “Are you a scientist? ” I said, “Yes, why do you ask? ”  She replied,  “You just drew a conclusion without doing the experiment. ” I said, “Touché, ”and  picked up a Y-rod, Terry immediately came over, showed me how to hold it. He reiterated the  importance of my focusing on my intent to detect underground water, and my believing that I  could dowse.  Then as I slowly walked about 10 feet, with Terry walking alongside of me, I was  amazed when I suddenly felt the rod go down, I tried it in different places, where it also went  down. I knew I was not moving it down. On the contrary, I could not stop it from going down.  I told Terry about my previous disbelief. He commented, ”The important thing is that you  tried it and had an open mind. ” He also said, “Many people can’t do certain things simply  because they don’t think they can. ” Terry also told me about the American Society of Dowsers,  and suggested I attend ASD Annual Conferences, and take a course in dowsing given  at the Conference, which I did. Terry lived in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, not far from  Philadelphia,  where I reside. I visited him occasionally to discuss dowsing. One of the things we  were particularly interested in was the need to develop a scientific basis for a paradigm  of dowsing.