Ouija Boards
The Ouija board, originally known as a talking board or spirit board, has been around for centuries. The first hisorical mention of the board was in China around 3000 years ago. It was called Fu Ji. During the mid eighteenth century other methods and devices were used that gave similar results to todays Ouija boards. One device that has been shown in many t.v. shows and movies involved swinging a pendulum or amulet linked to chain over a plate or board that had letters drawn around the edges. Another involved using a small wooden shape with casters that had a pencil attached to it and would write messages on a piece of paper. This device was called a planchette. During this period these planchettes were quite popular and were sold as novelty items. Talking boards in one form or another have been used for thousands of years. They were extremely popular during World War II as people attempted to communicated with lost loved ones.
The Ouija boards we know today were first introduced in the late eighteenth century when two gentlemen by the names of Elijah Bond and Charles Kennard patented a planchette and a board with the alphabet written on it. It's speculated that the name Ouija originates from the French and German words for "yes"(oui and ja). Another suggestion is that the word Ouija was inspired by the name of the Moroccan city of Oujda. Parker Brothers now owns all of the rights and trademarks to the original "talking board" and still produces and sells the board in large numbers today and although they offer no explanation as to how it works one early brochure is said to have attributed the boards abilities to inner-consciousness. The question remains. Ouija is manufactured by a toy company and can be bought in toy stores but is it merely a toy or a novelty item used for entertainment purposes? Or..................is it a device that actually enables the user or users to communicate with the dead and in the process possibly open themselves up to a dark side that the user would rather not be exposed to. On another level are the participants merely taking part in an experiment of psychic phenomena.
You don't have to look far to find a personal story of someone having a strange and sometimes frightening experience while using the Ouija which suggests that anyone using the board take pause and consider the risks they may be taking. It is possible that the Ouija is controlled by nothing more than the power of suggestion. Or it's possible the board may be a mystical tool that is being guided by the users unconscious movements which are in turn being controlled by spirits. This would suggest some form of precognition or telepathy is involved which although exciting, it also opens up the real possibility that use of the board by amateurs could be risky if the medium like effects that are created aren't kept in check. If you accept that the board puts us in communication with the other side than we are talking about a form of Channeling which means allowing our minds to be tapped into by a force we know very little or nothing about thus possibly effecting our mental and emotional stability.
Then it should also be considered that the board is a device for generating or collecting PK (psychokinesis), which is the ability to create unusual phenomena using the power of the mind. Many poltergeist cases are caused by whats known as "human agents" where an individual is actually causing paranormal activity with their subconscious. This could explain why it is sometimes used to stir up acitivity in a haunted location. The board could be acting as a lightining rod and drawing in the PK from the people using it thus creating a more ideal "atmosphere" for the acitivity to funciton in. Understanding the dynamics of this "atmoshpere" is to enter the realm of the paranormal investigator.
Regardless of what you believe about what the Ouija is capable of, the bottom line is use the board with some caution and keep one thought in mind. You probably don't normally allow someone you don't know into your home without knowing what their intentions are right? Then maybe you should think twice about inviting someone in you can't even see.
The Ouija boards we know today were first introduced in the late eighteenth century when two gentlemen by the names of Elijah Bond and Charles Kennard patented a planchette and a board with the alphabet written on it. It's speculated that the name Ouija originates from the French and German words for "yes"(oui and ja). Another suggestion is that the word Ouija was inspired by the name of the Moroccan city of Oujda. Parker Brothers now owns all of the rights and trademarks to the original "talking board" and still produces and sells the board in large numbers today and although they offer no explanation as to how it works one early brochure is said to have attributed the boards abilities to inner-consciousness. The question remains. Ouija is manufactured by a toy company and can be bought in toy stores but is it merely a toy or a novelty item used for entertainment purposes? Or..................is it a device that actually enables the user or users to communicate with the dead and in the process possibly open themselves up to a dark side that the user would rather not be exposed to. On another level are the participants merely taking part in an experiment of psychic phenomena.
You don't have to look far to find a personal story of someone having a strange and sometimes frightening experience while using the Ouija which suggests that anyone using the board take pause and consider the risks they may be taking. It is possible that the Ouija is controlled by nothing more than the power of suggestion. Or it's possible the board may be a mystical tool that is being guided by the users unconscious movements which are in turn being controlled by spirits. This would suggest some form of precognition or telepathy is involved which although exciting, it also opens up the real possibility that use of the board by amateurs could be risky if the medium like effects that are created aren't kept in check. If you accept that the board puts us in communication with the other side than we are talking about a form of Channeling which means allowing our minds to be tapped into by a force we know very little or nothing about thus possibly effecting our mental and emotional stability.
Then it should also be considered that the board is a device for generating or collecting PK (psychokinesis), which is the ability to create unusual phenomena using the power of the mind. Many poltergeist cases are caused by whats known as "human agents" where an individual is actually causing paranormal activity with their subconscious. This could explain why it is sometimes used to stir up acitivity in a haunted location. The board could be acting as a lightining rod and drawing in the PK from the people using it thus creating a more ideal "atmosphere" for the acitivity to funciton in. Understanding the dynamics of this "atmoshpere" is to enter the realm of the paranormal investigator.
Regardless of what you believe about what the Ouija is capable of, the bottom line is use the board with some caution and keep one thought in mind. You probably don't normally allow someone you don't know into your home without knowing what their intentions are right? Then maybe you should think twice about inviting someone in you can't even see.
