Forget the tea leaves, grab a dowsing rod.
The ancient art of dowsing can help predict the future, discover past lives and even allow people to communicate with animals, according to enthusiasts gathered in this liberal seaside town with a reputation as a counterculture mecca."Whatever you want to know, you can dowse for," said Rose Rozga, one of about 300 people at a weekend dowsing convention at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
"I use it when I'm buying cosmetics. I ask if there's anything in the product I'm allergic to," she said.
Dowsers from the United States, Canada and Australia attended the convention of the American Association of Dowsers. The group claims about 6,000 members in 41 countries.
Dowsing rods, traditionally used to find underground water, used to be made from Y-shaped willow branches. Modern rods are made from nylon tubing. A dowser asks the rod a question, watching for slight movements or bends. If the rod points skyward the answer is no; downward means yes.
In addition to the traditional pursuit of water, the convention offered such classes as "Dowsing and Past Lives" and "Interspecies Communication."