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The Ouija Board

spillage said:
No offense but....don't you have to be just a little bit insane to believe in ouija boards? ;)
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Do you mean people who believe in Ouija boards from a paranormal POV? if that was the case I'm sure I know a high percentage of *insane* people, on the other hand I would hazard that it is more than likely down to their own *suggestibility* or inability to cross-reference an experience with something other than the paranormal rather than a mental health issue.

Take for example the glass or the planchette moving, imo I believe that in most cases it is down to the people using the Ouija board subconciously, moving the *pointer*. I believe that to be the most logical explanation, in lieu of any other evidence to either prove or negate conclusively whether the Ouija Board does actually work in the way it is said to, in that it contacts the dead/demons whatever. I can't say that I could prove this by using scientific methods but that is what I do believe until I am proved wrong etc..

Like I say, I would certainly know a high number of people who would be classed as *insane* when it comes down to believing in Ouija Boards and the paranormal in general. Most of my mates and family actually. ;)

As far as Ouija Board experiences go, I've used one once. A lightbulb *blew* in the next room to us whilst we were messing about. The glass we used as a pointer never moved at all but with the lightbulb going, if we had been in a serious mood I have no doubt we would have been scared witless, apart from being just being left jumpy. IIRC we laughed about it and then went and watched Halloween. I didn't go away from the Ouija board feeling like we had contacted anything or that the lightbulb was specifically linked to the use of it.
 
spillage said:
No offense but....don't you have to be just a little bit insane to believe in ouija boards? ;)
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Nope, Ouija boards definitely exist!

Take for example the glass or the planchette moving, imo I believe that in most cases it is down to the people using the Ouija board subconciously, moving the *pointer*.
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I agree. It's my belief that a lot of what we call paranormal comes from inside our own heads. It's just another tool, like Tarot cards, pendulums, runes or dowsing rods to allow our subconcious mind to show how powerful it really is.
 
I hear as many ' Ouija Board ' cautionary tales as I do ' ghost ' tales, from such a variety of people, often people who scoff anything else , but will have a experience or foaf tale about them. Nope, I wouldn't call them insane, although, of course, if some-one has a history of mental illness, drug/alchohol abuse and then suddenly crumble , think they're possesed, haunted etc after using one, we-ell, of course I'll think that's their state of mind and suggestibity at work, tipping them over the edge, and they, their friends will always say ' I/they were all right until that happened, ' Fine. I was a studious kid, with my nose in book when I wasn't horse-riding, I know I witnessed something which was very much an eye opener if nothing else, and I know what I felt, and I was probably the calmest person there. I didn't believe, when I tried it myself ( not with others because I never trusted any-one not to push the glass ) that anything would happen to me, so nothing did, I probably wouldn't believe unless a balrog sized demon appeared in a cloud of sulpher in front of me. But I'm not dismissing EVERY-ONE who has an experience with these things as mental, no more than I would think the legions of people who have witnessed an apparition, were off their heads. Anyway, it's more interesting to believe it than not. :) I like the frission, the goosebumps.
 
I agree. It's my belief that a lot of what we call paranormal comes from inside our own heads. It's just another tool, like Tarot cards, pendulums, runes or dowsing rods to allow our subconcious mind to show how powerful it really is.
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When I said insane, I didn't mean it literally...
And I think you missed the point there mate... The uija board movement comes solely from either puposeful mainipulation (fakery) or impulsive, involentary subconcious muscle movement. There's nothing supernatural there. I posted on a thread of this kind a while back about my experiences dabbling with ouijaboards from a sceptical viewpoint. I blindfolded the participents and the messages were bollocks. The messages without blindfolds were predictable.
Sorry if I offended with my tongue in cheekness about insanity. I meant gullible or, to be polite...You have to want it to be true to believe.
 
Yep, but doesn't belief actually help to shape reality? I'm not the most cynical of people, but have a healthy dose of scientific objectiveness. If I see something work, I can't deny it. Also, if someone is actually channeling a spirit or pulling something from the reccesses of their concious mind, wouldn't eyes still be needed, at least if the person is only average in regard to channeling?
 
I know what you mean, and I take it when you say you see something work and you can't deny it, you did mean real things, not illusions, tricks and so forth.
I don't think eyes are of any use for channeling as most 'mediums ' have them closed anyway AND the rooms are usually very dark (Hmmmm....the darkness part often struck me as yet another convenient part of the ploy to all this escapism.)
I've seen Oui-Ja board participents misspell(!) things the way only they do, giving themselves away. I always find it as funny as it is irritating when I see 'Table Toppling' experiments. The books and documentaries always insist this and that when it's patently clear that it's the other and "That bloke on the right isn't even touching the table.." actually is and furthermore....his foot is under the far leg! etc...
I personally don't believe in anything that sounds unlikely that hasn't been proven. I have doubts about things that are likely but haven't been.
Check out the history (the true history) of Oui-Ja boards and seances and you'll find that technically it's only since the Victorian era that it all started. (Oh hear quotes from the Bible about mediums etc...lol!) But seriously.....The way ghosts etc evade being captured on any surveillence equipment and any true images etc...and the way people come up with the excuses, that makes me both seethe and giggle.
 
spillage said:
I know what you mean, and I take it when you say you see something work and you can't deny it, you did mean real things, not illusions, tricks and so forth.
I don't think eyes are of any use for channeling as most 'mediums ' have them closed anyway AND the rooms are usually very dark (Hmmmm....the darkness part often struck me as yet another convenient part of the ploy to all this escapism.)
I've seen Oui-Ja board participents misspell(!) things the way only they do, giving themselves away. I always find it as funny as it is irritating when I see 'Table Toppling' experiments. The books and documentaries always insist this and that when it's patently clear that it's the other and "That bloke on the right isn't even touching the table.." actually is and furthermore....his foot is under the far leg! etc...

I personally don't believe in anything that sounds unlikely that hasn't been proven. I have doubts about things that are likely but haven't been.
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If there weren't so many shysters and people so convinced that it must be true that they are prepared to cheat to prove it to others, it'd be a lot easier to see what is actually true and what isn't. Some people can't use Tarot or any other method of divination, same goes for Ouija boards. But it doesn't mean they don't work, it just means you haven't seen them work.

spillage said:
Check out the history (the true history) of Oui-Ja boards and seances and you'll find that technically it's only since the Victorian era that it all started. (Oh hear quotes from the Bible about mediums etc...lol!) But seriously.....The way ghosts etc evade being captured on any surveillence equipment and any true images etc...and the way people come up with the excuses, that makes me both seethe and giggle.
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I'm quite into divination and scrying, and last year found a pack of something called the Celtic Tree Oracle. The blurb in the accompanying book basically say's it's a system used by the ancient Celts, which is something I don't believe for a second. The system, however, still works, even with the probabilty it was only invented in the late eighties, and I've found it useful on several different levels. My point is that it doesn't matter when it was invented, if people can genuinely find it useful, then they should use it. The fact that spirit boards were invented in Victorian times suggests to me that this is also where the superstition and nonsense about them has come from.
 
Penn and Teller looked at them as part of ther TV Show "B*llshit".

They had 2 goes. One without a blindfold and one with. However the one with the blindfold had the board turned around the opposite way once they had blindfolds on. The glass moved to where the YES NO etc... would have been had the board not been switched.

If it was the dead contacting us surely they would have seen the board ;)
 
Maybe they just didn't want us to have more proof of their existance
 
I honestly beleive that Oui-Ja boards do work and should not be toyed with or for that matter sold in toy shops. Theese things are dangerous ive had one personal experiance and have had nightmares for years because of it. Heres what happened to me .... I was about 11 years old at the time Me my brother and 2 of my cousins decided it would be a laugh to see if it worked so we got a glass and an A4 size sheet of paper ..wrote the letters of the alphabet on it and also the words YES and NO and then cut them all out into individual pieces we laid them all out in a circle with the yes and no bits in the middle. We all put our fingers on the upturned glass and proceded to ask questions ...nothing happened, after some debate we decided that this was because my aunt was a devout christian and it wouldnt work in her house so we took the whole lot outside and into the shed after we set up all the letters and placed the glass in the middle the glass started spining wildly around the circle by itself NONE of us where touching it and it was a summers day (no wind) . We all ran out of the shed and never spoke of it again
 
I have to agree, even though I've never used one, that they aren't toys and shouldn't be sold as such. I did go to the online board but couldn't really think of anything to ask it. I'm happily married so I didn't need to know of anything about a "dark, handsome stranger" and I have a decent job that I (mostly) enjoy so I didn't ask about that. I asked it to tell me about my future and it asked me what I wanted to know. I told it anything and it asked me if I could be more specific. I told it no then just gave up and came back here. Suppose I could have asked it for the winning lotto #s. :p
 
My mom has a Ouija board ( yes we have used it lots of times in her haunted house). We have had some pretty creepy sessions with it over the years but nothing too outrageous ever happened. Scariest thing I ever saw when my deceased brother apparently came through and started spelling personal info to my mom..she got so upset we had to put it away.

I dont know if they work paranormally or not...I am still on the fence about it, but I have had a lot of fun nights with friends trying to contact the dead.
To ease the creepiness factor, we always ate cheesecake afterwards. It made us concentrate more on the "here" life, than the afterlife.

I have never heard of them being banned anywhere...I don't see the point of that since a piece of paper with YES, NO and the alphabet on it can yield the same results.
:twisted:
 
A little OT, but Peni mentioned "blue laws" a bit earlier up:

Peni said:
Our infamous "blue laws" (No, I don't know why they're called that) were greatly reduced and simplified in the 1980s.
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The story -- at least the version I heard -- was that the blue laws were originally written (or printed) on blue paper, to designate them as being related to morals, but that has since been proven false.

The most likely explanation is, quoting Snopes, "the term most likely derived from an eighteenth-century usage of the word "blue" as a disparaging reference to something perceived as "rigidly moral" (a "bluenose," for example, is one who advocates a rigorous moral code), not from the color of the material on which the laws themselves were printed."

Snopes on blue laws.

As far as ouija boards go -- I was, much to my disappointment, not allowed to play with them neither by my parents nor the guardian of my best friend. She'd had dealings with ghosts and poltergeists over the years and had had a particularly bad experience with a ouija board (I think) surviving being burned -- as I recall, they were freaked out by it and attempted to burn it. They got it alight, but it never would consume.

So I never got to experiment for myself. :( 'Spose I could go out and buy one, but I don't have too many house full o'people sleepovers these days. ;)
 
The only ones in the US that I have seen were made by parker brothers.
My penticostal ex brother in law made it his mission to buy every one he saw at the local flea markets and destroy them, they do not burn well,so he began smashing them with large heavy hammers and eventually cutting them into little pieces with an electric saw. AFAIK he still does this,it's been going on for years.
 
They aren't banned in the US only disallowed in certain communities. You're more likely to find them around Halloween. Parker Brothers holds the copyright for the stereotypical ones you see. You will not, however, find them at Wal-Mart. They aren't included in their sales line in accordance with their "family oriented" business plan.
 
I think the "Demons get you " and the bans were mainly due to Christian peacekeepers. Such is with Tarots and runes etc. Could be a legacy from the fascistic ways of the early Christians and their Pagan bashing.
"Oppose my God and I shall thwart thee" sort of nonsense.
"Don't meddle in the unknown!" Is a common one.... anti-science anyone? lol! :lol:
Could I ask, all the posters who fear the Oui-Ja... are you or were you brought up religiously?
The Pentecostal Oui-Ja board destroying does sound manically obsessive, no offense.
 
You will not, however, find them at Wal-Mart. They aren't included in their sales line in accordance with their "family oriented" business plan.
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I don't know, communicating with your great great great grandfather sounds like family values to me. :D
 
tygerkat said:
... BTW, anyone know why it's called ouija board? Oui is yes in French and Ja is yes in German. So it's a yesyes board? I could see it if ja meant no, it would be a yesno board then but...
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See here for info on the boards and the meaning of the name:

http://www.psychics.co.uk/ouija.html

Written by believers though, so don't know know useful all the info there will be to you.
 
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horik said:
See here for info on the boards and the meaning of the name:

http://www.psychics.co.uk/ouija.html
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It is thought that Ouija Boards may have been invented in Ancient Egypt or Ancient Greece and spread through Europe during Medieval times..
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I'd love to see an ancient Eygptian version with several hundred hieroglyphs. :roll: (actually there's a way round this)

There's no real evidence for Talking Boards going back much beyound the mid-19th century. Ouija was a trademark.

Ancient Talking Boards

History of the Talking Boards

Actually the sites pretty interesting with a gallery and some online boards (if you're not afraid of the Ghost in the Machine)

Museum of Talking Boards
 
Hmm . . . ouija boards are overrated. Seems to me about all they do is spook the living hell out of teenagers, and open the door to any negativity sitting within the participant's own skull. That's jmho, however. A friend of mine says she sees them as the psychic equivalent of throwing open your front door and inviting any and all passersby inside to visit. No thanks!
 
Portholes of both sides !!!!!

Hi my name is Steve i am an innermedium and have made contact with the other side and have also new of people who used ouilja boards and this i suggest some take it as a game but it is a porthole for spirits that you can not see some good and some bad !!! So if you do not have inner sight to channel and find out a word of caution!!!!!!!!! :?:



Sincerely,[email protected]
 
Re: Portholes of both sides !!!!!

Stevie10 said:
Hi my name is Steve i am an innermedium and have made contact with the other side and have also new of people who used ouilja boards and this i suggest some take it as a game but it is a porthole for spirits that you can not see some good and some bad !!! So if you do not have inner sight to channel and find out a word of caution!!!!!!!!! :?:
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Welcome to the board, Steve :).

Sound advice, I'm sure.
 
Could be a spirit or the mind either way possibly.

In my opinion it could be the mind because when you move the class at first and move it around the board in a circle you could be creating energy that way and when you ask a question, you want the answer you want possibly.
 
Are they going out of fashion nowdays? I've not heard a yarn or a cautionary tale for many a year.
 
oiuja boards

Interesting article in this months magazine about these, it reminded me that my aunt used to have one a few years ago and we kids were never allowed to touch it, my mom was terrified of it.
Its interesting because it scares people for two distinct reasons, one is the slightly delusional idea that it allows one to contact the spirit world and allows evil spirits to manifest themselfs, although quite how anyone thinks that a wooden board with a plastic pointer is supposed to allow access to the spirit world is beyond me. the other reason it scares peaple is that allows one to express unconsious desires, or even consious desires that cannot be expressed and it can all be blamed on those naughty spirits which is quite clever.
I think most people subconciously recognise that it has nothing to do with spirits and a lot to do with their darkest thoughts.
 
I remember back in the '70s, there was a massive craze (at least where I lived)for ouija boards among teenagers. They would draw or scratch a makeshift board on to any available surface and convince each other they were in touch with devils demons or the dear departed. I remember seeing a board scratched on to the plastic climbing frame/slide in the local park and it remained there for years. I also had a friend who sincerely believed in this hocum (due largely to him being an impressionable teenager and his mum having a rather odd friend who was a believer) On the one occasion I joined him for a session on the board, precisely bugger all happened.
 
Re: oiuja boards

KarlD said:
Interesting article in this months magazine about these, it reminded me that my aunt used to have one a few years ago and we kids were never allowed to touch it, my mom was terrified of it.
Its interesting because it scares people for two distinct reasons, one is the slightly delusional idea that it allows one to contact the spirit world and allows evil spirits to manifest themselfs, although quite how anyone thinks that a wooden board with a plastic pointer is supposed to allow access to the spirit world is beyond me. the other reason it scares peaple is that allows one to express unconsious desires, or even consious desires that cannot be expressed and it can all be blamed on those naughty spirits which is quite clever.
I think most people subconciously recognise that it has nothing to do with spirits and a lot to do with their darkest thoughts.
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Maybe you should look into it a little bit more. Basically, the board is a thing where a ghost is allegedly able to contact people through it. However, MOST experiences with a Oujia board are not very nice ones. I can't remember where I read it, but there was an article on some site about a woman and her friends who'd done it for "a laugh" and when they'd finished, one of the girls went to the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, the other girls heard her screaming, ran up to see what was wrong and she'd had her head twisted right 'round. Your mum may be scared because of what she had read about it and such. I personally would never, ever dabble in that kind of stuff. I can see where you're coming from though.
 
Re: oiuja boards

kindalikeirony said:
Maybe you should look into it a little bit more. Basically, the board is a thing where a ghost is allegedly able to contact people through it. However, MOST experiences with a Oujia board are not very nice ones. I can't remember where I read it, but there was an article on some site about a woman and her friends who'd done it for "a laugh" and when they'd finished, one of the girls went to the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, the other girls heard her screaming, ran up to see what was wrong and she'd had her head twisted right 'round. Your mum may be scared because of what she had read about it and such. I personally would never, ever dabble in that kind of stuff. I can see where you're coming from though.
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What a load of old bollocks. She wouldn't run out screaming. She'd have died instantly. Not to mention, Oui-ja boards are a load of old scrotal skins anyway. :lol:
 
yeah

Maybe you should look into it a little bit more. Basically, the board is a thing where a ghost is allegedly able to contact people through it. However, MOST experiences with a Oujia board are not very nice ones. I can't remember where I read it, but there was an article on some site about a woman and her friends who'd done it for "a laugh" and when they'd finished, one of the girls went to the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, the other girls heard her screaming, ran up to see what was wrong and she'd had her head twisted right 'round. Your mum may be scared because of what she had read about it and such. I personally would never, ever dabble in that kind of stuff. I can see where you're coming from though.
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yeah my head span round when I read that,
You don't seriously believe that story do you? I only ask because ive got a great investment deal for you if you do.
 
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