16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

Witching sticks take on a few forms throughout the South. In southern Appalachia, it is the forked branch in a Y shape, with the leg of the Y being the smallest section. The two prongs of the Y are gripped, palms up, and held aloft at the base of the ribs with the leg of the Y pointing out and up a little bit. Keep the thumbs extended, with your palms at least 4 inches from the end of each prong. The stick should be cut about 4 to 6 inches behind the fork or where the prongs join together. Then cut the prongs to the same length, ideally between 10 and 14 inches.

The stick will indicate that water or whatever you're seeking is below by pulling or dipping downward or upward (it varies from person to person). The movement will be barely noticeable at first, but the closer you get, the stronger the pull will be. I heard a story of one man who didn't believe in such stuff, so he gave it a try. The stick pulled. Then it pulled again. He thought he'd outsmart it and everyone there, so he made the tightest grip he could on the prongs. Well, he stepped right over where the water was, and the stick pulled downward with such force it peeled the bark off where his hands were and snapped one of the prongs! Don't underestimate this stuff. If you're just starting out, the stick may pull even if you're just near the thing and not right over it. This is because you have to get used to being this channel, and the more you practice dowsing, the more on the mark you will be.

The second form of witching stick, often called a bobbing stick, is a long branch that is thicker on one end than the other. The thinner end can be held in the right or left hand, depending on who you ask, between the thumb and the two first fingers; the thickest part is left to dangle outward, bowing the branch a bit with its weight. The bobbing stick's meaning differs from the Y-shaped dowsing rod's. Once over water or near what you are looking for, the stick is said to bob or shake, meaning its bowed middle will vibrate. The stronger it gets, the closer you are. Held outward by the forefinger and thumb with the end resting against your palm, the stick should be about 20 inches long, and freshly cut. Usually bobbing sticks are used to determine the number of things, specifically the depth you'll have to dig to reach water, in which case the unit of measurement is either 1 foot or 10 feet per bob, depending on who you ask. It was often used after the pronged stick had identified the location. Count the number of vertical vibrations, and when the stick is finished, it will shake horizontally.

If you have the Gift and wish to continue using the same stick, depending on the wood and how long it's dried, you may be able to soak it in hot water overnight to make it flexible again. Nowadays, folks will also use L-shaped wire rods that are held in each hand at the shorter length. When they cross, that's the spot or a yes; if they point away from each other, it's a no; if they don't cross but point in a direction, head to that spot. They are usually 12 to 18 inches on the top part and the handle is generally 4 to 6 inches long and wrapped in plastic tubing. The handles of mine are made with straws cut to size. They can be made from wire bought at a craft store or made from old wire coat hangers. I've even heard of some folks using a coat hanger in its original form to dowse and witch for things, simply holding it at the corners with the hook facing out and up.

And some folks don't use tools at all—only their hands! Called hand tremblers, they walk around with their hands open, palms facing the ground, while shaking them like jazz hands. Once they are at the point of water or whatever they're looking for, a number of things happen: their hands stop shaking by themselves, they get warm or cold, or a feeling of needles comes to the hands and fingers.

Still yet, some folks carry the thing they are looking for on them, whether it's a small bottle of water, or a piece of coal, gold, or copper. After determining the depth of the water, for example, you can use different types of rock to determine what needs to be drilled through in order to get to the water source.

If you do decide to keep a stick to use and simply reanimate it with hot water overnight, do so while praying to the spirits to help you find whatever you're looking for. When you're not using the stick, wrap it up in a white cloth and store it somewhere dry. I'd recommend replacing your witching sticks every year, hunting them in the early spring or summer, when the wood is new, and burning them in the winter.

Whatever type of tool you decide to try, test it out by walking your own property trying to find the water pipe that leads to your home. You might have wonderful luck the first time, or you might have to try a few times to see if the stick or rod will work for you. Keep a clear mind and focus on what it is you're after. You may also need to take breaks, as dowsing requires a good bit of concentration and muscle, and can be draining physically and spiritually. If dowsing gives you a headache, makes you nauseous, or gives you the shakes, it may not be for you.

Another tool in this practice is the plumb bob, which is a weighted object suspended by a thread whose movements indicate directions or yes/no responses. It's essentially a pendulum. A plumb bob was also used to find lost objects and even people, as in the murder case of Frances Silver in 1833. “Frankie” Silver was accused and hung on the crime of killing her husband, Charlie Silver. That morning, Charlie had chopped a week's worth of wood. Frankie told folks she suspected him of seeing another woman on these “hunting” trips of his; that's why he chopped so much wood—because he planned to be gone for a while. She made the first chop as he slept on the couch and the final one after he got up and fell to the floor.

She used the week's worth of wood to burn his body in the fireplace and hid those things that wouldn't burn, such as his belt buckle, metal buttons, and teeth, all over the property, under floorboards, and in tree stumps. He had been missing for a while when folks began noticing his absence, backed by Frankie's claims of him hunting, but all that wood he had chopped was gone. Charlie's father, John, worried about his boy, traveled over the mountains from Burke County to a farm about forty miles away in Zionville, Tennessee, to request aid from a slave owner whose slave, Jonas, had a knack for finding folks. Jonas wasn't there, though, so Williams, the owner, did it for him. He told John to draw a map of mountains and creeks and things that Charlie may have crossed on his trip. Williams tied the string to a rafter, pulled it back, and released it over the map. The plumb bob spun and swung for a while and then stopped like the needle of a compass right over where Charlie's home was. Williams, thinking it didn't work, pulled the string—but the plumb bob held its position over the square.

You can make a plumb bob from anything—a ring, a holed bullet, a holed quarter, a stone, a piece of broken plate. The string it is suspended from should be about the length from your hind knuckles to the inner bend of your arm. Hold the string between the thumb and index finger. Arch your hand and wrist up a bit, and hold it a good distance from yourself, keeping the hand at chest level. Establish your answers by asking it what yes is and what no is. It will swing clockwise, counterclockwise, side to side, or back and forth. These change depending on the person and can even change from time to time, so always ask it what yes or no is first.

To fine-tune the plumb bob, wind the string around a stick until the weight is 2 inches below. Take a sample of something you're looking for, such as money, aluminum, copper, or water, and place it on a table. Slowly unwind the string while holding it over the sample until the plumb bob starts moving at a maximum pace. It is now tuned to find that object.

NUMBERS AND COUNTING

Numbers play an important part in most magical systems, and Appalachian folk magic is no exception. The secrets of numbers have long been discovered in these hills, first through the Bible and then through lucky dream number books sold in pharmacies and trade outlets. Biblically, numbers are the foundation for the measurements of the world. They measure the days and nights and minutes and hours from the time man took his first shaking steps.

Numbers were used to set the firmament and the Earth alike: Christ had twelve disciples, died with five wounds, and expired in the ninth hour. There are seven Holy Spirits of God, He holds seven stars in his hand, and before His throne is a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes.

The Cherokee baptized children on the fourth day after birth, and they recognized seven directions: up, down, center, north, east, south, and west. Many of their medicines had to be applied four or seven times, with the corresponding song being sung the same number of times. They believed Creation was completed in seven days and they had seven clans.

Growing up, many southerners are warned against counting things without rhyme or reason. If you count the stars, you'll number your own days or years. If you count the teeth of a comb, you'll conjure bad luck to yourself. On the other hand, counting is accomplished for such goals as gaining wishes, in the case of counting one hundred white horses. Warts are counted and the same number of knots are made in string to tie them up and take them off. To cure hiccoughs, count backward from your age with your mouth closed.

Because of this, numbers have had a significant impact on mankind, especially those in the lowest livelihoods. Most folks back in the day were very poor and oftentimes had to drop out of school early to help the family either in the mines, in the timber mills, on the tracks, or on family land. Not everyone had a fair education according to today's standards, so what little they did know helped them in more ways than we can know today—counting money, estimating crop production, managing household income, and rationing—all just to get by. They didn't know much and often couldn't read, but if they could count and help raise a family right, that was all the blessing they needed.

I mentioned before the distinction between controlled and uncontrolled signs. With the distinctive nature of our relationship with Creation in the mountains, it's no wonder folks often looked outside the pages of the Good Book to find answers through the things that knew God first: the plants and animals, our eldest siblings. Growths and bends and odd appearances in nature were often interpreted in many ways, whether it was how low the wasps nested, how early the squirrels started foraging for nuts, how thick or thin an animal's fur was, or how many leaves or petals a randomly picked herb had; they all had a tale to tell.

Counting Corn

If you have a question, pray Psalm 23 twenty-three times before finding a corncob, either in your garden or at your local grocery:

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

GARDEN METHOD

Walk around the garden counterclockwise while spelling your full name (first, middle, and last) and stop at the row of corn when you speak the last letter of your name. When you've made it there, count down to the respective number of stalks to your left. Each number has the following significance:

One: For questions relating to spirituality, God, and faith.

Two: For love and any kind of partnerships or agreements.

Three: For general inquiries on the present condition of situations or people, like how things are going.

Four: In regards to travel and inquiries of things happening from afar or to people far away.

Five: For questioning safety and the well-being of oneself, especially in matters of possible witchcraft.

Six: For health inquiries.

Seven: For inquires on luck and money.

Eight: To find out the result of a proposal, such as future plans of any sort.

Pick the highest cob on that stalk and pay attention to how long it takes you to pull it off, as you can only use your hands. If there's a lot of resistance, the answer to your question is no. If it's easy or quite quick, it's a yes.

Pull back the fodder and rip it off. Look to the foremost row of kernels facing you and count to the right, that row being one. Mark it by pulling one of the kernels out so you know where you began. If the number is odd, it is bad/no. If it is even, it is good/yes. Finally, take into account any blights it may have. Are there holes in the kernels?

If so, that is bad. If all is well with the kernels overall, look to their orientation. Are the rows straight? That is good and no difficulty or obstacles are foreseen. If the rows are crooked, there will be difficulties or disagreements. If there are kernels missing naturally, the number missing is the number for your solution.

Now put this all together. Say your question is, “Is Billy Bob running around on me?” The cob is fairly easy to pull and doesn't take long, but it's kind of tough as well. There are twenty-four rows of kernels. There are a few holes in the kernels, but they rest in straight rows. Three kernels are naturally missing. This would tell me that, based on the harvesting, something is up firsthand. We have an even twenty-four rows, which means yes. However, twenty-four is a balanced number, and half of it is twelve. This number we can estimate a time such as twelve months ago or in the last twelve months the situation occurred. Further, we have a few holes, but they're not so bad you can't still eat it; and the kernels rest in straight rows, so no difficulties. I would assume both parties are at fault and that Billy Bob was ashamed and came to his senses. Considering the number of holes in the kernels, he didn't let it get too far and soon got back on the “straight path.” The three missing kernels can be applied to magical and non-magical solutions. Since the events have passed and Billy Bob is already ashamed, I would be sure to have three good moments with him to remind him of love.

Magically, we could also take up Billy Bob's left footprint each day for three days. If it's in dirt, scoop it up with a spoon going from the toe to the heel. If it is on concrete, take a wet washcloth and wipe in the same manner from toe to heel. Mark the location of the footprint with a stone or even a piece of mulch, and put these to work before the next rain, or it'll wash his steps away and the root will take longer to find him (when he returns home again). Take the print and put it in a plastic sandwich bag with a bit of your urine while calling his name and telling him to stay faithful and to remember why he loves you. Place this beneath your underwear in a drawer or chest.

GROCERY METHOD

Go to your local supermarket and spell your full name silently to yourself, finishing as you arrive at the corn. For this, cobs still in their husks are ideal. Count from left to right the respective number for what you wish to know, as shown above. Once you've chosen your ear of corn, notice its husk. If it is in fair condition, with one hole or less, it is a good and fair sign. If the husk is dead or brown in places with many holes, it wavers toward the bad or negative.

Pull back the fodder and rip it off. Look to the foremost row of kernels facing toward you and count to the right, that row being one. Mark it by pulling one of the kernels out so you know where you began. If the number is odd, it is bad/no. If it is even, it is good/yes. Finally, take into account any blights it may have. Are there holes in the kernels? If so, that is bad. If all is well with the kernels overall, look to their orientation. Are the rows straight? That is good and no difficulty or obstacles are foreseen. If the rows are crooked, there will be difficulties or disagreements. If there are kernels missing naturally, that is a number for your solution.

To use this as a work, it would depend on the situation. If you're wondering about protection for yourself or another and the reading is not favorable, cut off both ends of the cob and bake them for an hour at 150 degrees—just be careful not to burn them. Once dried, write your name on the inner side of each, first name on one and last name on the other. Tie these together (flat sides facing each other) and carry them with you wrapped in a piece of blue flannel. Blue flannel was traditional back in the day among conjure workers. While the lay folks made charms out of whatever fabric they had, blue flannel was often used for protection and red flannel was reserved for other works, such as money and love.

THROWING THE BONES

I have personally been throwing the bones for eleven years now and was taught by a family friend named Gracie. She often babysat us when we were little while Mama worked. She was a warm-hearted woman; she'd give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. She was also odd like us, though. She had fly ribbons in every room in her house, although I only saw maybe one fly in all the times I was there. “Keeps the bad stuff from gettin' to ya,” she once said. I assumed the bad stuff was the flies, but now I know different.

The day she taught me was sometime in the fall of 2007 and Mama was running late for work. On the couch was a small box with six chicken bones in it. After we had been there a little while, she tossed them on the floor and told us not to touch them, and she sat there staring at them like they were going to do something. I asked what she was doing. She looked at me for a bit and said, “I'm talking with them.”