does it really work?

YES, they really work. However, it is BEST to have someone who knows what they are doing, look for water for you. When my Granddad was putting in his well, he used a divining rod also known as a dowsing rod. It has to be held in such a way so you have NO control over its actions!!! Gramps let each grandchild try their luck at it. I can tell you from my turn doing it that the rod just suddenly starts vibrating & pulls toward the ground. I do NOT know how they know where the water is, but I know it vibrated & pointed down & Gramps placed a marker there. In watching, you can tell when someone is joshin ya. Actually, Gramps blindfolded all the following kids so they wouldn't know where he had marked!!! Each child followed the lead of the rod & each said here within 6 inches of the last. When all 6 of us had finished, Gramps put on the blindfold & did his own test. His was within 6 inches of the first marker!!! That is where Gramps dug his well & it provided water for over 50 years!!! The first summer it didn't provide water, we were in the midst of a drought!!! I know I didn't answer ALL your question but even using it myself I have NO clue how it works!!! I've chalked it up to one of those things I cannot see but know is there!!!

Most diviners say that about 1/3 of the population have good ability and rather more than that have it to some extent. The rods, twigs or pendulum are merely indicators which amplify very, very small muscular vibrations. Nobody knows how or why we are sensitive to the presence of water (and other things) in this way but it is likely to be something which all animals have. Because it is unexplained (and probably because only a few have discovered that they can do it) it tends to get 'mystical' and 'magical' explanations (which may or may not be correct - I am of the opinion that it is completely natural and that we do have many 'senses' that we don't notice and often take for granted.) Because of the 'woo-woo' reputation it has, it is not often reported that water supply companies and geological exploration companies are not unknown to have paid dowsers on their staff. The easiest indicator to use is the pair of L-shaped metal rods (which you can easily make yourself from wire coat hangers). I have used these and have accurately located drains and water pipes, for example. I have tried the forked twig but have never had any success with it.

Yes, I do believe it works, however, I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes! Little story...I lived in a house that got it's water from an underground stream. It was located up on a hill, and gravity fed it through the lines to the house. One day I ran out of water, and I went to old timers in the neighborhood to ask how I should approach the problem. My friend that owned the house did not feel that the expense for having a well dug was justified since it was good, pure, clean (tested) germ free water. So, they had this one really old fellow. I knew him from church, but I had no idea water-witching was one of his talents. He walked up the hill, about a quarter mile away from the house and found where the underground stream started from the piping that went down the hill to the house. Then with the branches he walked around in a large area and when the twigs started crossing told the guys to 'dig here.' They dug and found that an animal had burrowed and changed the course of the underground stream. After many days of digging and searching for where the underground stream started, he 'witched' it out in a very short matter of time. After they dug it and put stones around (so the animal couldn't re-burrow, we had water and never a problem again once the stream was re-routed back to where it naturally fell. I must say I thought the whole thing nuts at the time, but I kept my mouth shut. After seeing him locate where to have well drillers dig many times, I must say that I am totally a believer now. Especially since the well drilling teams came up empty handed so many times, and the water-witching found the right spots. Weird? Yes. But I do believe that it does work. As I understand it, it has to be from a weeping willow tree, a peach tree, and I think there's a couple others. Plus I think, if I remember right, that it can't be a twig from the ground, it has to be cut from the tree fresh. Anyways, that's my experience with it.