Since Mesmer's discovery of what he called animal magnetism, practitioners sought a reliable instrument to detect this invisible force in people and objects. The biometer - published in the Russian occult journal Izida around 1909-1914 - was one such instrument, built on the theories of Baron Karl von Reichenbach, who named the energy "odic force."
The Instrument
The device is simple in construction: a small spindle-shaped needle, roughly one inch in length, suspended on a long thread inside a glass tube. The outer end of the tube is sealed with a stopper. To use it, the tube is suspended at table height and the subject places their hand near the glass without touching it. The needle's response reveals the quality and strength of the person's vital field.
Reading the Needle
Clockwise rotation - positive, aligned with health and strong vital charge. Counter-clockwise - negative, associated with illness, depletion, or disturbed energy. The speed and arc of the swing add further nuance: a wide, steady rotation reads differently from a slow, hesitant drift.
How Practitioners Used It
Practitioners used the biometer for three purposes. First, to assess a person's magnetic strength before any healing work or magnetic passes. Second, to diagnose the condition of a specific body region - the tube could be held over different areas to compare responses. Third, to test objects for residual charge, a practice rooted in the belief that materials absorb and retain odic imprints from their environment.
Legacy and Modern Use
The instrument belongs to the broader tradition of dowsing and pendulum work, but its glass-tube design was intended to isolate the needle from air currents and the reader's own hand movements, making responses more legible. Whether one reads it as a subtle biophysical sensor or as a tool that amplifies the practitioner's own intuition, the biometer remains a precise entry point into the art of reading invisible forces.