Interestingly enough, as a former sceptic myself, I now dowse with a fairly high success rate.
In my opinion, there is nothing magical or mystical about it, it would appear that we move the rods or pendulum ourselves subconciously, with electronic impulses in the hands. The puzzle is HOW we know the answers to the questions we ask when dowsing.
My opinion is, for what its worth, that the sub-concious mind taps into a universal conciousness when dowsing or "channelling", and we gain knowledge through this process which we put down to "mysticism" just because we do not understand it!
Remember, the word "paranormal" merely means that which cannot currently be described as "normal", and electricity for example, may even have been seen as paranormal before it was understood!
Try dowsing with an open mind, and you may be surprised by the results you get.
Ross Hemsworth
Founder
The Phantom or Fraud Project
(From TV's Ghost Detectives)