Early versions of the revelation
in Doctrine and Covenants 8 state that Oliver Cowdery had “the gift of working
with the sprout” or the “rod of nature,” indicating that he used a divining rod
at some point. The Lord acknowledged Cowdery’s gift, declaring that “there is
no other power save God that can cause this thing of Nature to work in your
hands.” When Church leaders prepared this revelation for inclusion in the
Doctrine and Covenants in 1835, they called Cowdery’s gift “the gift of Aaron,”
reflecting its similarity to Aaron’s rod. ("Divining
Rods," Church History Topics; cf. Revelation
Book 1, p. 13, The Joseph Smith Papers website)
This morning, I came across the following paper that
might shed some light on the topic of the use of a “diving rod” and water
dowsing, both historically as well as in modern times:
Duane G. Chadwick and Larry Jansen, "The Detection of Magnetic
Fields Caused by Groundwater" (Report, Utah Water Research Laboratory,
January 1971)
Abstract
Perturbations on
the earth’s magnetic field may coincide with the existence of groundwater.
Theoretical calculations are made showing how and to what extent this effect
may exist. The suggestion is also made that water dowsers may get a dowsing
reaction as a result of entering a change in magnetic gradient. Tests were
conducted to determine the statistical significance of dowsing reactions
obtained by separate individuals dowsing in a common test area. Approximately
150 people participated in the experiment over a period of one year. Chi-square
tests showed considerable statistical significance. Virtually all people tested
experienced dowsing reactions though most of them had never dowsed before.
There is some evidence of correlation between magnetic gradient changes and
dowsing reactions.
