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The Ouija Board Fact or Fiction
I have always been fascinated about stories that I heard about the board when I was a child. This was to lead me into a path of mystery and self learning. The story starts in 1978 when I went looking for answers that I was told could be given through an object called the Ouija Board. It gave me no answers and what I was to find out about the board became controversial and is still controversial today.
The names “oui” and “ja” are as most are now aware, the words in French and German for yes
I had heard that the name originated because the inventor thought the word was an Egyptian word for "luck" The other close possibility was the resemblance with the Moroccan city Oujda. It was here that there had been a French fort which protected Eastern Morocco. The city is actually twinned with Trowbridge in Great Britain because Trowbridge has the biggest population of Moroccans in the country.
A Frenchman by the name of Planchette was said to have invented the Ouija Board sometime in the 1850’s and the device that was used was said to of been a table with pencils attached which moved when writing was in progress. Further study shows that planchette itself means little plank.
There is also controversy around who invented the first board which we recognize as being today’s modern concept of the board with the Alphabet and the numbers 1-10. The first Patent for the board went to Elijah Bond as the inventor with Charles W. Kennard and William H. A. Maupin as assignees. E.C. Reiche and Charles Kennard are also other names that have been mentioned as having a connection with the Ouija board.
All Rights were sold to the Parker brothers in 1966 and it is sad to think that the board is ALMOST demystified because of *IDM. Once being a tool for a medium or spiritualist it can be bought as a game in toy shops. Remembering the Parker Brothers slogan “It's only a game, Isn't it?”
*IDM
This is known as ideomotor response which was first proposed by William B. Carpenter in 1852.
I studied this in hypnotherapy classes using a Pendulum. What the body does is make tiny muscular movements which can be involuntary and in response to the subconscious being open to suggestion. It is something that is not deliberately done.
There is no doubt that the ideomotor effect exists. In particular the subconscious influencing of a pendulum swing is a well-known and I have used this technique to see how open to suggestion people are when they come to me for Hypnosis.
The Talking Board
The Talking Board is something different, and is what I use to communicate to my subconscious. It has Zodiac symbols, scales and extra words like Fear, Love, Hate, Death...many Talking Boards can be all different.
Again there is much controversy about the origins whether it is Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Chinese Hindu...ect…ect. My personal belief is that it pre-dates all and is as old as Human kind itself. Most historians will also agree that it has been around for thousands of years in one form or another.
This board can be used with a pendulum as I use it, or with a normal planchette.
Moving back to the Ouija Board it has to be said that many people, including myself, have done experiments to see if it is the operator or another, is actually moving the planchette around the board. Dr Robert S. Woodworth stated that it could be a form of muscular tension in the arm which causes the planchette to move. I feel that this is not far from the truth and that it is the unconscious mind which is operating the planchette not the spirits…
James Randi experimented with the use of a blindfold and changing the board. His conclusion was that when blindfolded, the operator was unable to make any intelligible communication from the board. Penn and Teller the magicians have also experimented and further proved this point. I also have done this many years ago and found that I had the same conclusion.
The spiritualists have argued that the spirits will not communicate to people who are disabled in any way (makes me think of the discrimination act). The spirits need Human eyes to see the letters and Human hands to touch the indicator. The planchette will not move unaided and the spirits use the people’s subconscious to guide it! Spiritualists claim that many children in possession of the Ouija Board in the build up to the 21st century have apparently had movement from a planchette while operating the board. I also have been told that there is no power in the board itself because is merely a tool of communication.
I have argued that when using the board with my children the spirits appear not to be able to spell...my children are six, I'm a twin. They are twins, all three of us are rubbish at spelling...
Some religious people believe that the board is evil and should be destroyed, because it may cause malevolent spirits to damage the health of the operator, or people using the board. The proof that they offer is the many accounts of possession reported by experts on demonology and the occult. The issue with this is that there is no actual proof from any reputable source that any one has actually been admitted into any hospital suffering the effects from a spirit while using the board.
In all my years of searching I have never come across anyone who has been harmed by using a board. I feel that the only way that any one can determine if the board is really able to communicate with the spirits is to actually do it with a group of people. If you are unsure then you need to look at doing a cleansing ritual first and to be positive in thought. As I'm unable to prove that it isn't or is real, a certain amount of etiquette is needed before use.
Make sure that the board is clean and always write down what you want to ask. Remember to record the session. You also will not need any distraction like music and very little outside noise is preferable because focus is paramount. Decide who is going to ask the questions and what order you want people to sit in. I prefer to have the board on a table rather than the floor as it's more comfortable for the people involved. It's easier to just ask yes and no questions at first before becoming familiar with the board. If you want some of the others involved to ask the questions as well then I always do this in a clockwise direction.
Sometimes the planchette will move quicker or slower depending on the strength of the thought coming through from the subconscious mind. Only ask the question a maximum of twice. This is because you want to separate the conscious mind and only speak to the subconscious. It is easy for the letters of a word to be in the wrong order so make sure that there is someone who can also write down the responses that the board gives you. If it is a board that you have made you must ensure that no one uses the board with out you being there. I believe that the energy that you use to create the board will be tainted otherwise. Also you will notice that some times the board will not work for you, do not let this deter you, just be a little patient.
Now let’s look at some of what a spiritualist would say before using a board:
First say a prayer then when comfortable get rid of all the negative energy. You must visualize a white ball or shield protecting you and the other users including your house or the building where you are operating the board from. Some spiritualists will put water and I have been told to place flowers by the board to appease the spirits. Attempt to make a note of any mental images that come into your mind when communicating to the spirits. If the planchette makes a figure eight then you have contacted an evil spirit. If the planchette moves to all the corners of the board then an evil spirit has been contacted, you then need to ask your spirit guide to protect you and visualize a stronger shield.
Apparently you should never let the spirits move up and down the alphabet and numbers because this will mean the evil spirits will get loose from the board. If the planchette falls off the board whilst operating, then an evil spirit has invaded the room you are in and you need to take immediate action. Cleanse the room and board, destroy the board if necessary. To destroy the board you need to break it up into pieces and pour Holy water over it then bury it or burn it. If you place a silver coin on the board then it will stop any evil spirit from contaminating the board. Never leave the planchette on the board unattended and never be disrespectful to the spirits. When finished always close the board by a cleansing ritual.
I like to question everything and I always question people who believe the board is a form of communication with the spirits. I respect the spiritualist’s point of view but feel it is over the top.
Remember It's only a game...Isn't it?
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