Some people believe that we don't disappear after we die, but that our spirits live on in various forms. Ouija boards have been used since the end of the 19th century by anyone who felt the need to contact the dead. Could it be that there really is a force from the other side moving the pointer to spell out words and messages to the living? Witches who practice white magic believe that we are reincarnated time after time, until we have learned all we can from our lives on Earth. Believers in past life regression suggest that they have lived before, and that their memories were revealed under hypnosis. How is it they can recall things that happened way before they were even born? Others claim that during transfiguration séances they have seen the faces of loved ones who have died, when a medium has gone into a deep trance and allowed the features of the spirits of the dead to appear over their own faces.
Ouija Boards
Ouija boards have been used to communicate with the dead since the end of the 19th century. For some, they are a link to a loved one who has passed over. Others are simply curious to see what, if anything, might happen and use the board to try and contact any spirit that wants to communicate with them.
The board itself is rectangular, with letters of the alphabet written across it in a crescent moon shape and the numbers zero to nine written below. The words "Yes" and "No" should also appear on the board, with the word "Goodbye" usually at the bottom. A planchette (French for "little board") is the pointer; it traditionally sits on castors for ease of movement.
You use a Ouija board by placing two fingers lightly on the planchette and asking direct questions to a spirit or spirits that may be present. The spirit will then supposedly answer by moving the planchette around the board to indicate letters and spell out words. When finished, you should move the planchette to "Goodbye" to signify that the séance is over.
Ouija boards, also known as Talking Boards, have been produced since 1890, but there is some debate over who was responsible for the design and where the name originates.
Spiritualism first took root in the mid-19th century, and it soon became apparent that practitioners needed an instrument that could provide an easy way to communicate between the living and the dead. The Ouija board was patented in 1891 by Elijah Bond. Various weird and wonderful stories have grown up around the use of Ouija boards.
In 1920 a small town in California banned their use after an outbreak of "Ouijamania," which led to many of the town's residents behaving so oddly that mental health professionals were called in to help.
The movie The Exorcist (1973) is apparently based on the true story of a child who allegedly evoked the spirit of the devil while using a Ouija board. A woman in the United States claimed the numbers that won her more than a million dollars on the lottery were picked by her Ouija board.
For many a Ouija board is nothing more than a harmless parlor game, but others believe that they can be dangerous, with the potential to allow malevolent spirits access to the human world. Some professional mediums even advise using a Ouija board only with professional supervision, to prevent any nasty surprises or long-term consequences. Others argue that there is no external force at work and the planchette is moved subconsciously by the people touching it.
Next: Past Life Regression
