I ‘firmly’ discourage people about spirit contacts also known as ‘seance’ because this is not a game just for fun as some people think about it.
There are numerous cases of ‘evil’ possession that are mainly attributed to playing the ‘spirit of the glass, coin or pen’ and ouija board. In fact, even my sister during her highschool days have had very very bad experience about this. They accidentally opened a portal from ‘beyond’ and the disturbed spirit haunted them.
Let’s take a deeper discussion about the most popular spirit ‘game’ the Ouija board. What’s behind the Ouija? How does it work? Is it, as the manufacturer suggests, a harmless game? Or is something more sinister involved? In a survey, 65 percent believed the Ouija to be a dangerous tool. While a majority of respondents (41 percent) believed that the board was controlled by the users’ subconscious, 37 percent believed it was controlled by spirits, and 14 percent feared that it was under the influence of demonic spirits.
Basically, by using the Ouija
board, the fingertips lightly touch the edge of the planchette. And the rest of the group do the same on the opposite side then consciously move the planchette in circles around the board to get it “warmed up.” Then you ask your question. No response at first. Then slowly the planchette begins to move, seemingly on its own – at least you’re not trying to move it. Sliding from one letter to the next, the planchette spells out its answer. And it seems to fit. More questions are asked, and with increasing speed the Ouija provides its responses, letter by letter. Seemingly with significance. Sometimes with dark significance.
The Ouija board as we know it dates back to the late 1800s when at the height of the spiritualist movement it was a popular parlor game. Over the years, many manufacturers have marketed Ouijas and other “talking boards.” Since the first production of the Ouija boards, there are many incarnations of the board up to this date.
Currently, apart from the familiar Ouija board marketed by Parker Brothers (now part of Hasbro), there are about eight other styles of talking boards that all work in pretty much the same way – with a pair of hands resting on a planchette that points to words or spells out answers to questions asked.
The Controversy: Why many people believe that spirits make the Ouija’s plastic planchette move? This question makes sense because people during the Ouija board session believe they called spirits from beyond to give them answers about their questions. Though there are skeptics oppose such statements and they presume, the movement of the planchette could have been triggered by the subconcsious mind of the participants. Others say muscles of people involved in the Ouija board ‘game’ could have made the planchette moved.
The Museum of Talking Boards articulates the two prevailing theories on how the Ouija works – the spiritualist theory and the automatism theory:
The Spiritualist Theory – Ouija messages obviously come from forces beyond our control. You contact or “channel” these entities through the board. They are discarnate spirits, ghosts, or other ethereal beings who have a purpose for contacting the living. Many advocates of the Spiritualist Theory think that there is no harm in contacting the other realm because most spirits are basically benign and have important information to share. A few of these same advocates will perform elaborate cleansing rituals before using the board, just in case they run into a stinker. Other Spiritualist Theory supporters believe that no one should ever use the Ouija board. Malevolent forces can masquerade as good and cause emotional damage, even death to the user of the board. They offer as proof the many accounts of spirit possession reported by “experts” on the occult and demonology.
The Automatism Theory – The clinical term is “ideomotor response.” You may not know that you are moving the message indicator, but you are. This is similar to automatic writing, also know as automatism, a well-understood phenomenon. Mediums in years past, would hold a pencil in one hand and pay no attention as it wrote furiously. Some believed that these written messages came from the spirits. Others felt that the messages came from a clever medium. At any rate, most proponents of the Automatism Theory generally accept that it is very possible to move the planchette unconsciously. They claim that the Ouija board opens a kind of shortcut from the conscious to the subconscious mind. Collective automatism occurs when more than one person is operating the board.
The Skeptics Dictionary called it The Ideomotor Effect which refers to involuntary and unconscious motor behavior. The term “ideomotor action” was coined by William Carpenter in 1882 in his explanation for the movements of dowsing rods and pendulums by dowsers, and table turning by spirit mediums. The movement of pointers on Ouija boards is also due to the ideomotor effect.
“Carpenter argued that muscular movement can be initiated by the mind independently of volition or emotions. We may not be aware of it, but suggestions can be made to the mind by others or by observations. Those suggestions can influence the mind and affect motor behavior. What is purely physiological, however, appears to some to be paranormal.”
Autosuggestion – Autosuggestion is where the participants unconsciously control the movement of the glass or pointer. Something, possibly the combination of the random and minor spasming of the muscles of the participants, drives the glass in a random direction. This random movement would, one would expect, lead to a random distribution of letters which would, for the most part, appear as gibberish. However, despite all good intentions, there is likely to be some editing by the participants. The participants begin to subconsciously guess ahead and the letters come out in a generally orderly fashion.Self-delusion – Self delusion is where the belief of the participants drives them to subconsciously control the movement of the glass or pointer. A sort of not quite intended fraud. This is very like autosuggestion except that one or more of the participants actually controls the movement of the glass, albeit subconsciously. They hear the question, they know what needs to be spelt out and their fingers subconsciously push or pull the glass in the direction of the required letter.Telekinesis – If telekinesis (or psychokinetic ability) exists, there is a possibility that in a séance the questions are answered by those who ask them. The participant who knows the answer also controls the movement of the glass or pointer. It is likely that control of the movement is subconscious, so the mechanism is closer to self-delusion than to fraud.Telepathy – If telepathy exists, it is again a possibility that in a séance, the questions are answered by those who ask them. The answers are broadcast and the whole group then subconsciously knows the answer and they all ensure that the correct answer is achieved.Other Spiritualist always warn people not to be reckless in spirit contacts using Ouija or spirit of the Glass or Coin. For them it is not dangerous to participate but don’t treat the session as a game. They advice people before any session of spirit contact using the Ouija board or moving glass to make some cleansing and build psychic protection in the area.Tips for a Smooth Session suggests lighting white candles and to be extra careful when using the board on bad weather days. A Ouija board user Linda Johnson, believes the Ouija is a form of channeling at the same warn people: “Do not choose a place where you suspect earthbound entities are gathered: graveyards, haunted houses, sites of tragedy. Choose a place that feels good – has the right vibrations, a home where loving people live, or a room usually devoted to learning and meditation. Start with a meditation where you concentrate on cleansing your own body, aura and chakras with a visualization of silver rain; filling your bodies with white light; and call upon your guides to protect you and ask them to allow only information and entities through for your highest good.”Now if you ask me again if I it is safe or not to make spirit contacts using the Ouija board and the moving Glass? My answer will be “it all depends on who thesse people involved in the channeling or mediumship called seance. But I strongly suggest, ONLY THOSE WHO ARE WELL TRAINED, EDUCATED AND EXPERIENCED PEOPLE could do this. I don’t consider myself well trained on this matter that’s why I don’t want to get involve or join any ‘seance’ using the Ouija board or Spirit of the Glass.
