OWENSVILLE — After the regular business of the Gasconade County Historical Society wrapped up Sunday afternoon, members stepped outside to witness something few had ever seen firsthand — a live demonstration of grave dowsing by Jody Lewis and Timothy Thomas.

Members of the Gasconade County Historical Society gathered Sunday afternoon at the beautifully maintained Saint James Charlotte Church Cemetery, where Jody Lewis and Pastor Timothy Thomas demonstrated their unique methods of dowsing for graves.

Lewis, who has been dowsing for about 25 years, uses metal rods to locate unmarked graves and to determine whether the person buried is male or female. She told attendees she first learned about the practice while doing family genealogy, after she was unable to find a relative’s grave. Once she tried it, she said, she found her ancestor — and has been using the technique ever since.

“There’s nothing terrible or witchcraft about it,” Lewis told the group. “There is a magnetic field in the ground, and when it’s broken, it’s never reconnected. Even if a grave is 200 years old, the rods will still cross trying to reconnect that field.”

She explained that her rods cross when passing over a burial site, a reaction she attributes to those broken magnetic fields beneath the surface. According to Lewis, dowsing can reveal not only where someone is buried but also the person’s sex. “If it goes to the west, to the head, it is a woman,” she said. “If it goes to the east, to the feet, it is a man. The easiest way to remember that is ‘Mae West’ and ‘Clint Eastwood.’”

Lewis said she made her own rods 25 years ago by bending old coat hangers, explaining that nearly any metal will respond to the ground’s magnetic pull. She added that anyone interested in trying dowsing should always bring a phone or a friend along and watch for hazards. “I’ve literally run into open wells and holes big enough to break a leg,” she said.

When working around cemeteries, Lewis said it’s wise to check well beyond the fence line. “Fences get moved, headstones weren’t always affordable, and some broke or sank over time,” she said. “You’ll be amazed at what you can find 15 to 20 feet outside the fence.” She added that cedar trees or yuccas are often clues to old burial sites. “They’re the tree of life,” she said. “They stay green year-round, and that’s why you always see them at cemeteries.”

Lewis demonstrated her technique by walking through the cemetery with her rods, stopping at points where they crossed. She located several unmarked graves outside the cemetery fence and also found what she identified as the foundation of the old schoolhouse, once located behind the back fence of the property.

After Lewis’s presentation, Thomas shared his own approach. Instead of rods, he uses a small stone tied to a leather thong, which he said responds to the same unseen energy fields. It looks like an arrowhead, Thomas explained, but an expert told him it’s actually a cutting stone.

“When dowsing, you have to understand intent,” Thomas said. “If you don’t think it’s going to work, it probably won’t.”

Thomas told the group the stone came from a friend’s collection. He said that while helping his friend pack away artifacts, he picked up the stone and felt an immediate physical reaction. His friend noticed and told him, “That one’s yours.” Thomas said he has used it ever since.

He also described the importance of grounding, which he believes enhances the flow of energy between the earth and the body. He often dowses barefoot for that reason.

“The Earth has an electric frequency of 7.83 hertz,” he explained. “When your bare skin is in contact with the earth, you get an immediate electron flow through your body.”

Thomas said the experience is both scientific and spiritual.

“Your feet have thousands of electrical connections, and the bottoms of your feet are called ‘soles’ for a reason,” he said. “Your soul connects you to the Earth — the same dust we came from.”

Thomas wore grounding shoes to keep his feet in indirect contact with the Earth.

Many members of the Historical Society tried both the rods and the cutting stone for themselves, with mixed results. Some saw the rods cross or the pendulum swing in their hands, while others found their tools completely still.

As the demonstrations wrapped up, Historical Society member Kenny Hackmann thanked both presenters. “When we invited (Jody) out to (a previous) cemetery, we were all skeptics,” he said. “But she proved me wrong.”

The afternoon ended with cookies, coffee, and conversation, as members compared their own attempts and reflected on the enduring mystery of an ancient practice that continues to fascinate and divide opinion centuries later.