"I did it just the way you showed me, Uri," the lad told me over the phone. "I held my palm over the map and I moved it slowly. Where it felt hot and tingly, I put my cross. My friends thought I was silly, because it was in the water, off the edge of the island."

"Maybe the pirates threw their plunder overboard," I suggested. "When you're older, I'll take you hunting for oil and gold!"

I made my own fortune dowsing for minerals and petrochemicals, before a series of threats made me decide to retire while I was ahead - and alive. I worked with several mining multinationals and oil prospecters, beginning with maps to narrow down the fields which I felt held most potential. Just like the boy at the fete, I would hold my hand above the chart and dowse - allowing the psychic sensations flowing through my hand to help me read the map's secrets. Then we'd make a helicopter reconnaisance and, when I felt a strong signal, I would mark my cross.

My greatest success was in Mexico - the oil fields I found are still pumping billions of dollars of crude annually. I should have insisted on a percentage, but I settled for a Mexican passport. It's in my full name, Uri Geller-Freud, and I still use it regularly.

Next time you lose something at home - a ring, or your glasses - sketch a map of the house and dowse, using your palm to look for the hotspot. Let me know how you get on.

www.urigeller.com

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