Ouija
Do you believe Ouija boards are evil? Should they be banned from the general public? A history and belief have been told about them for generations. But there’s one problem – it’s a toy, made from cardboard and plastic. It is mass produced by Parker Brothers, the same people that makes Clue and Monopoly. Parker Bros. is a corporation like any other and have no discernable evil intentions. So why is there such a controversy about them in the paranormal and spiritual fields?
Let’s look back into the proposed history of the Ouija board. One belief that is said to be the forerunner to the Ouija board is Fuji. Fuji is the divination method in which Chinese characters are drawn in sand or incense ashes. But this is not Ouija, this is a form of spirit writing, with no board. Not Ouija. Another proposed precursor is, according to a Greek historical account of the philosopher Pythagoras, in 540 B.C. his group would conduct séances at “a mystic table, moving on wheels, moved towards signs, which the philosopher and his pupil, Philolaus, interpreted to the audience as being revelations supposedly from an unseen world.” The only problem is that there is no record of Pythagoras or his students actually performing this method, and Philolaus was never a pupil of Pythagoras and was in fact born roughly 25 years after his death.
Ouija Board
In fact, the earliest form of the modern interpretation of the Ouija board can only be found in the late 1800’s, during the heyday of the Spiritual movement. During that time, planchette’s were widely sold as a novelty in which a pencil was usually attached, writing letters or other designs on paper to be later interpreted by a medium, for a decent pay of course. On May 28th, 1890, businessman, lawyer and inventor, Elija Bond filed for a patent for the first planchette sold with a board on which the alphabet was printed, simply calling it the Talking Board. In 1901, William Fuld, an employee at Kennerd, took over the talking board production, calling it the “Ouija Board” for the first time. After his death, Fuld’s estate sold the entire business to Parker Brothers. So, it is not an ancient invention.
As mentioned earlier, the Ouija board was created during the heyday of the Spiritualist movement, let’s look at this. Spiritualism is a belief system that lasted from the 1840s to the 1920s with as many as eight million followers in the United States and Europe in 1897. Spiritualists believe in communicating with the spirits of the deceased. They believe that spirits are capable of growth and perfection, progressing through higher spheres or planes. They claim that spirit mediums are gifted people who can communicate with the dead and provide knowledge about moral and ethical issues, as well as about God and the afterlife.
Harry Houdini
One of the most well known aspects of this time is the vast number of fraudulent mediums. One of the most well known skeptics of the psychics and mediums of the day was Harry Houdini. His training in magic allowed him to expose frauds who had successfully fooled many scientists and academics. He offered a cash prize to any medium who could successfully demonstrate supernatural abilities. None were able to do so. This search for the truth ended his long time friendship with Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a firm believer in Spiritualism. His final opinion on the matter was “Up to the present time everything that I have investigated has been the result of deluded brains.” the time, purpose, and circumstances of the Ouija boards creation were extremely dubious.
Using the Ouija Board
Now on to the act of the Ouija board itself. One very easy explanation is that a fully conscious person is controlling it under their own power. If you really think about it, this is extremely plausible since it is mostly considered a toy by the general public. Another explanation is a subconscious behavior called the Ideomotor Effect. The Ideomotor Effect is a phenomenon where someone makes motions unconsciously. Harvard physician-turned-psychologist William James describes it as “Wherever a movement unhesitatingly and immediately follows upon the idea of it, we have ideomotor action. We are then aware of nothing between the conception and the execution. All sorts of neuromuscular responses come between, of course, but we know absolutely nothing of them. We think the act, and it is done; and that is all that introspection tells us of the matter.” The same article that this quote is from goes on to say “Modern brain researchers have produced data and theory that help explain how quasi-independent modules in the brain can initiate motor movements without necessarily engaging the “executive module” that is responsible for our sense of self-awareness and volition.”
With that in mind, I’d like to tell you a fascinating, true, story. In late 1972, an experiment was conducted by the Toronto Society for Psychical Research. They wanted to see if they could create a ghost. They assembled a group of eight people, known as the Owen group, named after it’s originator Dr. A.R.G. Owen. It consisted of Dr. Owen’s wife, a woman who was the former chairperson of MENSA, an industrial designer, an accountant, a housewife, a bookkeeper and a sociology student. The group was tasked with creating a fictional character. Together, they created a name and complete background to the character “Philip Aylesford”.
Their detailed biography of “Philip” is as follows.
“Philip was an aristocratic Englishman, living in the middle 1600s at the time of Oliver Cromwell. He had been a supporter of the King, and was a Catholic. He was married to a beautiful but cold and frigid wife, Dorothea, the daughter of a neighboring nobleman.
One day when out riding on the boundaries of his estates Philip came across a gypsy encampment and saw there a beautiful dark-eyed girl raven-haired gypsy girl, Margo, and fell instantly in love with her. He brought her back secretly to live in the gatehouse, near the stables of Diddington Manor – his family home.
For some time he kept his love-nest secret, but eventually Dorothea, realizing he was keeping someone else there, found Margo, and accused her of witchcraft and stealing her husband. Philip was too scared of losing his reputation and his possessions to protest at the trial of Margo, and she was convicted of witchcraft and burned at the stake.
Philip was subsequently stricken with remorse that he had not tried to defend Margo and used to pace the battlements of Diddington in despair. Finally, one morning his body was found at the bottom of the battlements, whence he had cast himself in a fit of agony and remorse.”
They even went so far as to enlist an artist to sketch a portrait of him.
They would then have informal meetings to discuss Philip and his life, and meditate. This went on for a year with no results. Changing course, they decided to change the decor to be more like the atmosphere of a classic spiritualist séance. This change seemed to work because they soon after received “communication” from Philip. Starting with rapping on the walls and even going as far to have lights flicker and tables levitating. It was so successful that they decided to try it again with a completely different group of people and a new fictional character. They soon got the same results and the same happened for an Australian group as well. Mind you, these “ghosts” were completely fictional, created in the participants minds.
Looking back, the history of the Ouija board is very recent and has strong connections to questionable beliefs, it was created as toys and novelty items, that along with the strong evidence toward it being a subconscious act, it is extremely questionable that it is actually supernatural. The definition for Supernatural is “of, pertaining to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal.” So, basically, even if there’s a small chance that it can be explained as a normal and misunderstood object, chances are that it’s not supernatural at all.
Even if you still believe that it’s powers are true, you should know that most Spiritualist believe it to be just a tool that brings the ghosts or demons into this world. In other words, you channel your beliefs through it. It is an object that keeps you concentrated on the thought of spirits. So, technically, anything, be it a drinking glass, flashlight, spoon or car keys, can conjure spirits as long as you concentrate enough on it.
So, in conclusion, it is just a mass produced collection of cardboard and plastic. It’s what you do with it that matters.
Written by “Bracket”, Copyright 2009 TrueGhostTales.com
More about “Philip” www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/p/philip.html
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- Met My Soul Mate Through a Ouija Board?
- Stay Away From Ouija Boards
- Ouija Boards and Unfocused Attempts
- Vanquishing Evil Spirits
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Karem,is homos i alike said also.I am in american culture,is how I live every day,I don’t have bad influence.I is a very little contact with Latino peoples,include Portorrican,I no have friend I not trust so much a peoples,only I love some much are dogs.All my life I was alike now.All
my way live I was have in my country I change 100% to american system.I rise my family,32 and 30 are my children,I divorce my wife and a second I will leace too,my view over woman is complete change,only my dog with me,no more women in my side.I like have friend peoples around me,talk,no drink,no drugnot go no where,I like be alone in a home with a children five dog now,and later only one.I happy in that way.Conect with peoples over internet I happy,after i will move no computer,no furniture nothing I must ger small apartament for me and leaving quiet and peace.Maybe by next years when I get my case desability,I will change something.
i think theyre only evil if you dont know what your doing.people play around with them just for fun but they can be fun if you know how to do it correctly and safetly. if you gonna believe there evil and then go and do one your negative energy isnt going to help you.if your happy and dont fear and are confident youll get a good spirit.but if you play the game and have no respect and laugh and giggle to much and you go in with a lot of fear and lack of confidence then im afraid to say youll only get a bad spirit you get what you give. if your gonna use the ouija board then BE SURE to learn the history and preparations on it first. also when buying a board online or thats been used before make sure you know the history of the board.spirits attach them selves to the board so maybe theres a reason theyre selling the board.im buying a nemesis on tuesday and iv done all my research and spoke to the seller.im confident it will go well and im looking forward to getting it thankyou for reading and take my advise if you gonna do a ouija be sure you know what your doing and DONT be negative
Allan I believe you are true,evil are any where,sure we can see,but is there,we can see but sense is there.If not invite him is not enter,in different way,we choose what are good or wrong,when choose wrong is there when invite a evil be with a person,in all my life I was note when have a evil in the side all in a life go good,choose a good every thing most a time not go good,evil yes help but in a end he own that person and destroy.See a case of Manson,he and evil is only one,send peoples to kill?.In a good way a faith are a most important key in a life,faith in good is give weapon to repel a evil,but only again a faith nothing more.Be positive in a we mind with faith are a good weapon again evil.I can said now I live with evil,a person are evil when talk,see my in a eyes,that for 8 years,how I was resist no idea,bvut I paid a big price,soon is will end,but a damage to my self is will be with me a rest of life.A evil never is will control me in no way and I not let him doing.
ms.dane,,, that was very well put, i was going to leave a post, but you said it all….
I am really surprised that there hasnt been a lot more discussion on this one. I was browsing around and came across it again today.
I think a Ouija Board is only cardboard and plastic in much the same way that a bible is only leather and paper. That is in themselves there is nothing inherently bad or good – but when it comes to their use and the ‘power’ we bestow upon them……
A Ouija Board is a tool that can be used to somehow interact with some other dimension or plane regardless of what it may be manufactured of.
I still say its an excellent article Bracket
Bracket never did answer this: Bracket “–
“Also, Roland Doe being possessed by demons because he used a Ouija board is a myth. It was determined by the church by a second investigation that he never used one in his life, his family refused it.”
Where did you hear that and where are the links please Bracket?
Yes eyepriestess I agree with you,all is toy until we use with a mental power,that is real danger.
EP,
I would like to know also. I had read that they did play with a board. That he and his Aunt did and when she passed they felt it was her that was doing all this.
I would love to know where it said he never touched one.
HORA YOU ARE SO RIGHT OUR MIND CONTROLS THE BOARD the working of the board is purely psychological not that the board is packed with one ghost as some one mentioned earlier
Our minds do not control the board, not in my case anyway, how did my friend and i know someone’s surname the board spelt out, who we’d never met before and was there with us? This guy was in total shock at that. Plus, you had to be there to see it, it was very paranormal!
all i know about the board is: i did play with it as a teenager. I have no clue what we asked it now, but i do remember asking it questions, at first it was answering, and spelling out things, then it seemed to get mad and started saying terrible things.. we figured, somehow, we had conjured up a bad spirit.. i have no clue on how it works!!!
We also had seances as kids, with candles, and we chanted, it was all in fun and silliness, but, wierd things did happen.. after a while we became afraid to do any of it….
We had no clue what we where doing, our parents even thought it was all in silly fun. Just something spooky to do, and harmless. Of course when we told them of what would happen, they would just laugh and say,, you see,, now you have each other all afraid and your imaginations are running away with you… wow,,, did i hear that a lot as a kid…
I didnt realize, untill i was older that what i was seeing, and hearing was real… and it still happens on a daily basis… the first time i remember paranormal activity is when i was 4, my mom also remembers how terrified i was….
My daughter and her cousin played with the board, without my knowledge, some very scary things happened to them also,, in fact, my sis is law is the one who told me about her throwing the thing in the trash can….
My opinion is, if you already have an insight to the paranormal, you could probably get some results with the board, but, i think they are uncontroled results…. opening a portal perhaps , to the unknown…… i think we could conjour up spirits just by asking!!!! we have to be careful what we do……
ktm
DarStarr
, yes according to reports from the Doe’s, it’s how Roland Doe’s troubles began through the use of the ouija board. It was his Aunt Tillie who introduced him to it.
Knowtoomuch, was it you who said that at one time the ouija board kept making the figure of eight shape? That happened to us too over and over it kept doing the shape, It was after i asked if there was a God, and from then on it became aggressive.
YOU HAD MISUNDERSTOOD ME I SAID MIND CONTROLS IT NOT THE CONSCIOUS
THE UNCONSCIOUS WHICH Can Be controlled By SPIRITS OR ANY OTHER THINGS
For example Lets Say You Are scared of dark When you happen to be in
the dark ur unconsciousness takes control then you may imagine some
scary things (This is not the case when you ACTUALLY SEE REAL GHOSTS)
Can you understand??? So The unconscious occurs when you indulge in
some thing that your brain tells that its a scary thing any ways
SPIRITS CONTROL OR CONTACT YOU THROUGH YOUR BRAIN!
EP,
You are too smart for your own good sweetie!!!
That happened to us too, when the spirit we were communicating with would grow agitated it would start making a figure 8!!!
CREEEEEEEEPY!
Hiya DarStarr sweetie
Did it DarStarr? this us something that guarantees to get my heckles up when others say that about the figure of shape making – like there is some kind of malevelentness that is around all of us and that figure of eight means more than we could ever imagine. Ok people may say, it’s just a shape. Just try and make that shape by pushing a glass around a table a few times.
What did you feel in yourself as it happened DarStarr?
I remember feeling intense fear – but could not stop playing with the ouija. My friend scarpered off to bed after that name was being spelled out, but i was just too mesmorized to give up there and then. I should have though as the glass just wacked the scrabble letters off the table like they were vermin, and in a way you just couldn’t push it…it was very violent in its actions.
This is probably why i ended up with the demon attack some time afterwards…i pushed my luck!
EP,
We were all actually really confused. It just kept flying around the board in the figure 8 shape. And this happened like 22 years ago! We finally figured we had ticked the spirit off and apologized and it stopped and began answering our questions again. It was really weird now that I think about it. At the time, we all thought it was sooo cool. NOT!
Yea at that time it would seem cool but you think of it now your spine tingles isn’t it darstarr
Manik,
You are SOOO right! Sometimes it’s just NOT good to play with things you don’t understand!
I guess all we can do in life is live and learn, right?
Manik, yes you could say that
DarStarr, ours was acting like that, but we must have really got its back up because ours didn’t calm down, we just got up from the table and left it alone. We never even cleaned the mess up and the staff got into trouble for playing the ouija the next day. The staff were told that a person stopping at the hotel had walked in on us whilst we were playing it and reported us all. They were going to play again that next night after my friend and i had left (we had to go home), but i doubt they’d have been allowed to, unless they did it anyway, even though they had been warned by management. I wonder if they did, i’d love to find the guy who’s name the ouija spelt out…GOSS…oh gosh spelling that out sent shivers down my spine just then!
Did anything ever happen to you DarStarr after you played it?
Live and Learn Yea Right!!!
I just want to share a quote with you all and to DARSTARR CAN ANY ONE TELL ITS REAL MEANING I AM CONFUSED
“I CONNOT IMAGINE A GOD WHO REWARDS AND PUNISHES THE OBJECTS OF HIS CREATION AND IS BUT A REFLECTION OF HUMAN FRAILTY” by EINSTEIN.
EP,
I got physically ill one night, right after we played it. It was like 2 in the morning and I woke up from a nightmare with intense stomach pains, sweats ect., after about 20 minutes it passed and I was fine.
When we spoke to the pastor from the physic church, she looked at me and said, “you were ill, weren’t you?” and I about freaked. She said it was the entity trying to enter me, thankfully it didn’t.
I hate to even think about that. Even now.
Manik,
Honey, that one confuses me!
I know you were talking to DarStarr Manik, but this is what the quote is: “I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own — a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms.”
Albert Einstein
That’s just his thoughts, doesn’t mean they are right.
DarStarr,
Yeah, sounds like you had an attempted possession like i did. Only mine was a physical attack whilst i was awake. We were both really lucky i think. I’d never play with one again, would you?
EP,
NO way honey!!! EVER!! I definately learned my lesson! I may be blond…but I’m not stupid!!! lol!
So how have you been my friend?!?
This was a really interesting article. I had actually missed this one and had posted to another story concerning Ouija boards. I used them growing up as did my mom and her mother and never had anything bad happen. We never felt like we had contacted a demon, etc. we use it as a fortune telling tool and that is it. We never try to make contect with the deceased. I think if you use it responsibly it can be fun and is safe.
hi everyone !!!!!!! eye,, for short, ha-ha, i dont ever remember the 8 shape, but you have to remember, this was over 35 years ago…. all i remember is,, the bad language it used as it talked to us,,, i must have been about 13…. we had stopped asking it any questions, it was talking to us now……oooooooo, sends shivers up my spine!!!!!!!
hi manik and dar!!!!!!!
oh!! i wanted to ask,, what is all of this about the 8 shape??? and what about the glass on the table?? man, am i way behind with posts!!! ktm
Knowtomuch, i’d appreciate it if you would have a little respect for me and others who aren’t stupid. I used to feel like you and dis the paranormal, but i have had proof and i would very much ask you to respect that this is possible and you may get this happen to you and then what would you say?
wait a minute!!! i am so sorry that you took that comment the wrong way!!! i am not dissing anything. i have lived with the paranomal my whole life….i was trully curious about the 8 shape….. ask darstarr and manic about me, i would never dis any of you!!!
wow, i am just shocked!!!!!!!!!!! obviously you havent read many of my posts………. im sure you will be shocked when you understand where i am coming from…… ktm
Eye priestess don’t mistake her words you never know the character of a person by her texts. You don’t know about her we know Darstarr and me.
SORRY if she had hurtled u or she didn’t pay attention to u sorry if the speech i am giving is bitter for u.
EP,
Believe me when I say Knowtomuch was not dissing you honey. She is a very understanding, caring person. That’s the problem sometimes when you write stuff down, it can be taken wrong. But EP, you are an awesome person too and I know you and KTM can repair this.
I don’t want the people I care about being upset with each other, and I know Manik feels the same.
HUGS and KISSES guys!!!
ep, again, i apoligize!!!!!! i was just having a little joke about calling you (eye) for short… as Dar, has started calling me ktm, for short.. thats all…. and i have started calling her Dar for short…. i will be more careful how i put things in the future…..
ep,,, i have been through a lot in my life, including the worst,,, when my daughter was murdered by her x boyfriend.. i confronted him first,, you will see part of the story under, ( what does lucifer look like) i will be posting the whole story soon,, its just very hard to do, as i have many illnesses now due to the stress of it all..
ep,, many of us here, have become good friends, as we cant talk to others about our experiences,,,,, im sure we are all sick of being laughed at by others when we talk about the paranormal….. i would love you to be on my friendship list!!!!!! in fact,, i wonder if there is a way to do that????
Dar and Manik,, do you have any ideas about a friend list????
for the first time in my life, i feel comfortable talking about my life and the paranormal… sometimes, i just get a little giddy and silly, as it helps with the stress,, i am just so excited to be here!!!!
i was going to visit with my mom today, but i was so upset last night that i could not sleep, and in turn stayed home today to make sure you understood… i would never hurt anyone, including you…..
it takes a lot of my energy to post, thats why im not here every day, some days i just have to rest all day,, which totally sucks… i used to be very healthy anad fit and able to do many things.. my life now,,,, staying at home most of the time,,, some days, to tired to even take a shower..
ep,, i dont want you to feel sorry for me at all,, i just want all of us to be able to talk about our expereinces, and life…….
please let me know if i can ever help you in any way!!! i mean everything i say from my heart…… and,, i am a very honest person, maybe to a fault…
hugs and kisses,,, to you!!!! and to manik and darr also
what do you guys think about a friends list?? i have looked, but havent found anything…maybe caretaker will see this and he can help?? that would be nice..
ktm
KNOWTOMUCH – We cant really have a firend list here on TGT. No one is required to login to read or post comments so there is no way for any sort of list to be maintained.
We do have a forum http://www.TalkParanormal.com and members can have a buddy list there, they are also able to send private messages to each other.
KTM,
I know EP will understand. She is a wonderful person too!!
I don’t know anything about friends lists, but it would be nice!!
KNOWTOMUCH,
EP is a great lady a good friend of mine, I know she just misunderstood what you said if you come over to talk paranormal I’m known as Isis and I would love to add you to my buddy list, I’ve been reading your stories and following your posts, but I feel that I’m not really capable of saying anything, as I can’t imagine the pain that you have been through!
I apologise for that Knowtoomuch…again it is the internet communication thing
Thankyou to my friends who saw what could have been seen as a miscommunication…love you all!
hi Karen, i am a member of , talk paranormal, but, havent been there since january.. i was having a problem with the site.. i am back on there, but it will take me a while to learn it….. i would love to be on your buddy list. i did notice that darstarr has become a member, i have added her to my list. please,, do talk to me, no one will ever understand how i feel and what i have been through, that is why i am here.. i just feel like such an oddball, in the real world…..
i look forward to learning more about the talk paranormal website,,,,, i have posted before, i even surprised myself……
look forward to seeing all of you guys over there,,,, hugs,,,,,, ktm
Yes it is only plastic and cardboard or wood, whatever, but it is still a tool. The way it is put together and written on and used makes it a tool, the power is in what it is and what you do with it. It shouldnt be used as a toy. Maybe the power is from you, maybe not, I dunno. I just find it silly that you would take an object that is proven to be dangerous object and say, “Oh it is just this and that put together.” I’m just like “No… it is what it is, we cannot tell where the power comes from; us or the object, maybe both.” Point is it’s made for contacting spirits and if you get one, use it or not, something terrible may happen. It is a tool for bringing forth spirits so something might happen. Ya never know… Maybe some people are more apt to have paranormal things happen therefor if someone not in tune with the paranormal may use one and experience nothing, and someone in tune or more perceptive to the paranormal may use one and have demons terrorise him/her. Hard to say, but I’ve pretty well never experienced anything paranormal, and I tried using a Ouija Board with friends as a kid once and we ended up bored. Ugh I smell burnt rubber, smokes coming outta my ears, you guys are making my brain burn out. lol God bless n take care. Kuva \|/
hello its fake you people really want something to believe in don’t you. have you looked at those pictures ooh its so scary a white dot at the top of a roof. i couldn’t have done that on photo shop. get a life people.
hi, person with common sense!! have you ever encounted any type of ghosts or spirits??? and, welcome to the site, always good to see a new face…. ktm