Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Ouija Boards - Good or Bad?

I have heard some talk recently about Ouija boards and their use in general as well as during paranormal investigations. First I should discuss the history of the Ouija board a bit...it's original beginning, not that of Parker Brothers, the version most known today.
In 1853 a French Spiritualist named M. Planchette invented a tool so that people could try to communicate with those who had crossed over to the other side. The planchette was heart-shaped, and had little legs attached to the bottom. Spiritualist mediums were the first to use these planchettes at the time, claiming that spirits would force the object to move through the medium's hands while using it.
"Shortly after the planchette came to America, a cabinet and coffin maker from Maryland named E.C. Reiche created a new method of communicating with the dead. He devised a wooden lap tray with the letters of the alphabet arranged in two lines across the center of the board. Below these letters, he placed the numbers 1-10 and the words YES and NO in each lower corner of the board. He used the planchette with his board but removed the pencil tips and placed wooden pegs on the bottom of it. In this way, the planchette was free to move about the board.

It was always believed that Reiche named his board the "Ouija" because the name represented the French and German words for "yes" (oui and ja) but this was not the case. He named it that because he believed that the word "Ouija" was actually Egyptian for luck. Needless to say, it's not, but since he claimed to receive the word from a spirit on the board, the name stuck."- from http://www.prairieghosts.com/ouija.html
The use of the Ouija board by the general public brings worries by many people because there are no special mediumship skills that are required to use one. Just gather up a few people to sit in a circle around the board, place your hands on the planchette and go! Ask some questions to the spirit world and before you know it you have movement on the board, and communication with the dead.
Stories have been circulated for years about horrendous results that have occured after using the Ouija board....Items being thrown across a room, ghastly noises and even possessions of places and people after the fact. So are these claims true? Can a simple board game (now under the Parker Brothers name) do all of this? What's the difference between using a Ouija board and using a pendulum, dowsing rods or any other well-known 'tool'?

The use of pendulums and dowsing rods involves only the person holding it in their hands and doesn't have the amount of energy that is created when more than one person is involved. The second difference is that with a pendulum or dowsing rods you can ask questions but can only receive a yes or no answer most of the time- no words will be spelled out for you by doing this.

When using a Ouija board the intent of the people is KEY. They have gathered specifically to try to communicate with people who have passed over. Most don't specify what type of spirit they wish to communicate with...just any old spirit will do! This is where I believe some problems can arise. Any spirit who knows you are trying to do this can view it as an open doorway to walk right in- and wreak havoc on any person or place. The intent is key here folks....No matter what tool you are using as a form of communication, it's your intent behind it that matters. If you sit down with a Ouija board but have no belief in it's use and don't really want to open up this communication, it's most likely that nothing will happen when you try.

On the other hand, if you seriously believe in what it can do, you can have some major results, and results that you never counted on having...Ever heard the term, 'Be careful what you wish for?' I think this is one of the times that this saying can be applied. There's a fine line here because in order for the spirits to create results, they have to manipulate YOUR energy with your hand to do it. It's very similar to automatic writing or trance mediumship, where the spirit takes over the medium's body and voice. Although I don't think it's as severe as that, it is along the same lines.

No matter what tool you want to try out, whether for fun, spiritual use or during a paranormal investigation, make sure that you really know what your intent is....All things can be tools of use, but it's how you use that tool and with what mindset you are using it.

Lisa H. is the Founder/Director of PRISM- Paranormal Researchers in Southeastern Michigan. She has been studying spiritual and metaphysical topics for over ten years. She lives in Michigan and her and her paranormal group investigate homes and well as houses and businesses for spirit activity. You can find the PRISM website at http://www.ghostprism.com

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