As soon as the person’s foremost foot comes near the attracting body, the end of the rod is repelled toward the face. (See Fig. 4.) Then open the hands a little, replace the rod, and approach nearer, and the repulsion will be continued until the foot is on or over the attracting body. When this is the case, the rod will first be repelled a little, viz., two or three inches, and then be attracted toward it.
When it hath been drawn down, it must not be thrown back without opening the hands, a fresh grasp being necessary to every attraction, but the least opening of the hand is sufficient. As long as the person stands over the attracting body, the rod continues to be attracted, but as soon as the fore foot is beyond it, then the rod is drawn down backward to the face. Metals have different degrees of attraction: gold is strongest, next copper, then iron, silver, tin, lead, bones, coals, springs of water and lime-stone. To make common experiments, set the foot on a piece or coin of any of these metals, having the rod in your hands as before directed. In using the rod to discover springs and metals, let the person hold the rod as already directed, and then advancing north or south with a slow pace, just one foot before the other, at first the rod may be repelled, but as the person advances slowly, and comes over the spring, or vein of ore, the rod will be strongly attracted. The divining rod is sometimes called Divina Virgula, and sometimes The Luck Rod.
JUDGMENTS DRAWN FROM THE MOON’S AGE.
1. A child born within twenty-one hours after the new moon will be fortunate and live to a good old age; whatever is dreamt on this day will be fortunate and pleasant to the dreamer; various undertakings will succeed on this day.
2. This is a very lucky day for discovering things lost or hidden; the child born on this day will thrive, but the dreams are not to be depended upon.
3. A child born on this day will be fortunate through persons in power, and all dreams will prove true.
4. This day is bad; persons failing on this day rarely recover; the dreams will have no effect.
5. This day is favorable to begin a good work, and the dreams will be tolerably successful; the child born on this day will be vain and deceitful.