Ouija Boards: a History of Hoax
Alrighty guys, this is a short summary of why and how Ouija boards have been linked to both ghosts and demons for as long as most of us can remember. I will be going into detail on how many common stories exist, why they gained popularity, how they work, and why they are nothing to be afraid of.
Much of this post will be excerpts from different articles and examples of research done, but I’ll do my best to add my own commentary when necessary.
Let’s dive in!
———————————————
WHAT IS A OUIJA BOARD?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a Ouija Board is:
“a board printed with letters, numbers, and other signs, to which a planchette or movable indicator points, supposedly in answer to questions from people at a seance.”
The key word here is “supposedly,” but we’ll get into that in a minute.
Image of a common Ouija board here: https://i.imgur.com/IuxRsaG.jpg
———————————————
HOW IS A OUIJA BOARD USED?
Essentially, two or more people channel their energy into the planchette and determine who they’d like to contact in the realm of the dead. By opening the door, they now have the ability to have questions answered, or information given to them by spirits or demons at hand. (No pun intended)
Opening this portal could be “dangerous” and thus must be closed by saying “goodbye” on the board at the end of a session - giving yourself and the spirits closure to any sort of communication.
———————————————
THE HISTORY OF THE OUIJA BOARD
This is long, so I’m just going to copy/paste the article here, as it is an interesting read:
Essentially it was a cash-grab in the late 1800’s and nothing more. Let’s get into the popular culture of it.
———————————————
REFERENCES TO OUIJA IN POPULAR MEDIA
Here we have a list of a few sources of “spookiness” given to the board through movies, or TV shows:
Ouija boards have figured prominently in horror tales in various media as devices enabling malevolent spirits to spook their users. Most often, they make brief appearances, relying heavily on the atmosphere of mystery the board already holds in the mind of the viewer, in order to add credence to the paranormal presence in the story being told.
What Lies Beneath (2000) includes a séance scene with a board. Paranormal Activity (2007) involves a violent entity haunting a couple that becomes more powerful when the Ouija board is used. Another 2007 film, Ouija, depicted a group of adolescents whose use of the board causes a murderous spirit to follow them, while four years later, The Ouija Experiment portrayed a group of friends whose use of the board opens, and fails to close, a portal between the worlds of the living and the dead.[62] The 2014 film Ouija featured a group of friends whose use of the board prompted a series of deaths.[63] That film was followed by a 2016 prequel, Ouija: Origin of Evil, which also features the device.
I Am Zozo follows a group of people that run afoul of a demon (based on Pazuzu) after using a Ouija board.[64]
The British singer Morrissey released a controversial single titled "Ouija Board Ouija Board" in 1989. The lyrics and the video of the song mockingly play with the idea of supernaturally contacting dead persons.
A Ouija board is an early part of the plot of the 1973 horror film The Exorcist. Using a Ouija board the young girl Regan makes what first appears to be harmless contact with an entity named "Captain Howdy". She later becomes possessed by a demon.
From https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouija
———————————————
WHY DOES THE BOARD SPEAK TO ME??
Well, in short - it doesn’t. YOU speak to you.
The Ouija board works on the well-documented Ideomotor Phenomenon:
“The ideomotor phenomenon is a psychological phenomenon wherein a subject makes motions unconsciously. Also called ideomotor response (or ideomotor reflex) and abbreviated to IMR, it is a concept in hypnosis and psychological research.[2] It is derived from the terms "ideo" (idea, or mental representation) and "motor" (muscular action). The phrase is most commonly used in reference to the process whereby a thought or mental image brings about a seemingly "reflexive" or automatic muscular reaction, often of minuscule degree, and potentially outside of the awareness of the subject. As in reflexive responses to pain, the body sometimes reacts reflexively with an ideomotor effect to ideas alone without the person consciously deciding to take action. The effects of automatic writing, dowsing, facilitated communication, and Ouija boards have been attributed to the phenomenon.”
From: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideomotor_phenomenon (scientific sources listed at the footnotes section of the wiki)
———————————————
THE BLINDFOLD EXPERIMENT
Recently, a “working Ouija board” being used by a group of people that had made contact with an entity was held under scrutiny. How, you may ask? The participants were simply blindfolded after using the board to receive clear answers from the spirits. Take a look and see what happens once their sight is taken away:
Spoiler Alert! The spirits lose all power. (Probably due to the board not being a portal to a different dimension!)
Keep in mind, this is all supposed to be a form of a seance! Let’s touch on that next.
———————————————
SEANCES - THE PHILIP EXPERIMENT
In 1972, an blind experiment/study was performed to prove/disprove the ability to contact the dead under lab conditions, read below:
“The experiment was conducted by a Toronto parapsychological research society lead by mathematical geneticist Dr. A.R. George Owen and overseen by psychologist Dr. Joel Whitton. The test group consisted of Owen's wife Iris Owen, former chairperson of MENSA in Canada Margaret Sparrow, industrial designer Andy H., his wife Lorne, heating engineer Al Peacock, accountant Bernice M, bookkeeper Dorothy O’Donnel, and sociology student Sidney K.
Their goals were to create a fictional character through a purposeful methodology and then "attempt" to communicate with it through séance. The character created and agreed upon was named "Philip Aylesford", referred to as Philip during the test. His fictional history partially coincided with actual events and places, but with multiple contradictions and errors. He was born in 1624 in England, had an early military career and was knighted by the age of sixteen. He was involved in the English Civil War and became personal friends with Charles II, working for him as a spy. Philip was unhappily married to a woman named Dorothea and later fell in love with a Romani girl who was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake. In despair, Philip committed suicide in 1654 at the age of thirty.
The group was seated around a table with initial séances yielding no contact, no communication, and no phenomenon. Owen changed test conditions by dimming lights and changing the environment to mimic that of a more “traditional” séance. Participants began feeling a presence, table vibrations, breezes, unexplained echoes, and rapping sounds which matched responses to questions about Philip's life. At one point the table tilted on a single leg, and at other times moved across the room without human contact. Although audio, video, and witness accounts document the paranormal phenomena, Philip never appeared to the participants.”
From: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_experiment
———————————————
IN CONCLUSION
GHOSTS, DEMONS AND SPIRITS DO NOT, HAVE NOT, AND WILL NOT EVER COME THROUGH A OUIJA BOARD OR MEDIUM TO CONTACT US.
This is a tested phenomenon, can be attributed to science, and is completely mundane.
Don’t worry! You playing with the board one night over some wine and candles is totally safe, and perhaps fun! Nothing can hurt you by doing it.
Hopefully this will put some people’s minds at ease on this sub, and we can have this stickied to the top alongside our explanation for orbs and backscatter.
Thanks for reading.
Posted Feb 19, 2021, 8:22 PM UTC