A Brief History of the Ouija Board
Since the beginning of recorded time, man has claimed to be able to communicate
with those who have died. In the middle 1800's man began to perfect his methods of communicating with the dead through the
seances and mediums of the Spiritualist movement.
As time passed and man moved into the modern age, he began to look for more
sophisticated methods of talking with the spirits. The days of knocking and rapping ghosts were over in 1853 when a French
Spiritualist named M. Planchette invented a device that would be named after him.
The planchette was a small, heart-shaped table with pencils attached to its
legs. Those who used it claimed that it operated by spirit force and ghosts were able to write out messages from beyond.
But a short time later, another invention would revolutionize the Spiritualist
movement and have an impact that still resounds today...the Ouija Board was born.
Of all the stories and reports related to supernatural or paranormal
phenomena, the largest number by far originate during use of Ouija Boards. The term "Ouija" is owned by Parker Brothers, who
market the board as a game and offer no explanation as to how it works, though one early brochure said it may have to do with
inner-consciousness. Parker is not the only one who markets talking boards, however, and indeed, a workable rendition
of this interesting medium can be made at home using ordinary materials.
Talking boards in various forms have been used for thousands
of years in attempts to contact spirit entities. During World War II, sales went through the roof as people attempted to communicate
with lost friends and relatives. A poll conducted on teenagers in 1994 indicated that Ouija Boards were second only
to Monopoly in board game popularity. Virtually everyone has a personal story about something eerie (and often frightening)
happening while in the process of using Ouija Boards, which suggests that this is something a little more complicated than
a store-bought board game for entertainment, and that it may even be dangerous when used incorrectly.
This brings us to the darker side of talking boards. Many
noted mediums, including Edgar Cayce, strongly warn against their use, relating that they receive thousands of letters and
communications from hapless people who have apparently become possessed, or have unleashed an unstoppable stream of paranormal
occurrences in their surroundings due to board usage. In 1944, Manly P. Hall, a noted occultist, wrote this chilling
portrayal of his experiences with Ouija Board usage:
"During the last 20-25 years I have had considerable personal
experience with persons who have complicated their lives through dabbling with the Ouija board. Out of every hundred such
cases, at least 95 are worse off for the experience. . . .I know of broken homes, estranged families, and even suicides that
can be traced directly to this source..."
Obviously, many of us have used Ouija boards without serious
ill effects, but the real problem is that once you pick up that board and start trying to conjure up spirits, the outcome
becomes very uncertain. Factors that may have an impact on individuals include mental stability, ingrained belief systems,
strength of personality, etc., and because we do not know what is actually taking possession of that planchette, or how this
process really works, we could be opening doorways for the bad entities as well as the good. For instance, if we pick
up a Ouija Board and try to contact Elvis, and we really believe that we are talking to Elvis, we will be much more vulnerable
to manipulation and possibly even possession by the entity who has come through that opened doorway - who is very likely not
Elvis at all.
As suggested in the Parker Brother's brochure, the mainstream
theory regarding use of Ouija boards is that it is the subconscious of one or more of the participants making the planchette
move. This is likely often the case - but not always. Several tests done by competent researchers have revealed
that the planchette moved to spell out words at very high speeds in some sessions during which the participants were blindfolded.
Other indications that it may be something more include many reports of physical changes in the vicinity of the Ouija board
usage, such as objects moving, lights flashing, sudden temperature changes, and even the planchette moving by itself.
Although nobody really knows for sure what happens during Ouija
Board usage, what seems clear is that when used by stable individuals for the right reasons, Ouija Boards are probably the
best medium that exists for making contact with supernatural presences. Many of our leading mediums and psychics started
their careers using this very technique. Please see the link below for practical tips to help make your Ouija board
experience a good one and to help you avoid common and potentially disastrous pitfalls.
Source: Mystical Blaze
