That’s an interesting story. I told above about my wife’s uncle witching for lost graves, and my wife’s father, learning the craft from his brother but never using it, taught it to me one day. Although the rods did move without my perceived intervention (we walked my front lawn and the rods crossed whenever I passed over a known water line), the whole thing did give me that ‘Ouija Board’ vibe, IOW I felt that I was dealing with something I really shouldn’t be dealing with. Tossed the rods (bent coat hangers) and never did it again.
The pastor that I heard the story from was adamant that when encountering something uncanny it is unsafe to assume that it is wholesome. Hence his "testing of the spirits." Having witnessed several forms of witching, I will verify that it can be uncanny. Whether or not it is never wholesome I cannot say, but you won't catch me doing it.