The Ouija Board
POSTED:
Date: Friday, February 03, 2005 @ 00:11:05 EST
Topic:
So, you got yourself a brand new Ouija Board and can't wait to try it out, huh? You think it may give you the kind of information you want from the spirit world. After all, the spirits you may encounter when the planchette or pointer spells out words forming a message will tell you the truth, right?
Wrong! Even though the name 'Ouija' comes from two words that mean 'Yes' (oui in French and Ja in German) false information or falsehoods are one of the things that Ouija boards are famous for!
For those of you who have never seen one, the Ouija board is a board with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers from 0 to 9 and the words 'Yes', 'No' and 'Bye' written on it. There is a planchette or pointer made of plastic and to get the messages, the people sitting around the board must each put one of their index fingers lightly on the planchette and ask a question. The planchette will then move over the letters and spell out words that answer the question.
Some people may think that there is one person who is moving the pointer around to fool the others. Other people say that the unconscious mind or subconscious are at work and involuntary muscles that tense up in our hands may cause the index fingers to jerk ever so slightly, causing the pointer to move. I have seen the pointer move on its own more than once.
When I was discovering the paranormal world and read about this 'perfect' way of communicating with the dead, I could not wait to try it out for myself, so I MADE something similar, just like my mom and grandmother had done before me. Cardboard was quickly bought and I wrote down the alphabet and the rest of the words needed. Each letter was cut out in square shapes and the alphabet was then arranged to form a circle on a coffee table with the 'Yes' on the left, the 'No' on the right and the 'bye' at the bottom. The numbers finished and closed the circle. As a pointer, an upside-down, long-stemmed crystal wine glass was used. Some friends came round to visit and I showed them what I had made, all the letters already laid out on the living room coffee table in a circle.
As soon as my mom saw what we were up to, she warned us to stop, but seeing that the four of us (my three friends and I) were so set on 'playing', she went upstairs to her room and closed the door.
We turned off the lights in the living room and the only light left on was the light from the second floor corridor, but we could see the letters clearly, so we each put an index finger lightly on the glass and waited.
Nothing happened, so I cleared my throat and said, 'If there is anybody here, please move the glass to 'YES'. The glass moved a little and stopped. I repeated my request. It did the same thing again. Again, I spoke, and again it moved to the left and stopped. Irritated, I said really loudly, 'Well, I just want to SEE if this is true or not!' As soon as I said those words, the glass sped towards the 'yes' and stopped. The only light coming from upstairs went out and a white glowing figure glided down the stairs, crossed the room we were sitting in, and disappeared through the front door. Then the upstairs light went back on again.
We were so frightened we could not move for five minutes. We just sat there. One of my friends started crying and I felt close to tears myself. My mom later had the satisfaction of saying, 'I told you so'. It turned out that my mom and grandmother had had a terrible experience with it too. After having asked a number of questions and gotten the answers, the glass had started to move in circles, its 'cue' for getting ready to 'leave'. My grandmother insisted and had ordered the 'spirit' to remain, and it had spelled out, 'MUST GO NOW!' On asking why it had to go, the glass had spelled out 'The devil comes!' and it had literally jumped out of the circle in the table and had flown across the room into the fireplace where it had shattered to pieces.
Of course, there are a number of people who have NEVER encountered anything out of the ordinary when 'playing' with the Ouija board and continue to do so. If you want to experiment with one, go ahead. But make sure you say a prayer before you do and at the end of the seance or session say goodbye and take time to insist that the 'spirit' leaves. Afterwards, say another prayer. And NEVER ask for a sign or proof, unless you want to open a door that you may not be able to close again.