January 5, 2017
The original Ouija (wee-jah, or wee-jee), board was created in 1894
although at that time it was referred to as a spirit board or talking
board. Hasbro games are the producers of the board now, and the name
"Ouija" was their idea .
Businessman Elijah Bond introduced the game on July 1, 1890. The
Ouija board was known as a parlor game unrelated to the occult until
an American Spiritualist by the name of Pearl Curran started using it
as a divining tool during World War I. Spiritualists believed that the
living could contact the dead and the board would enable faster
communication with spirits.
The board is marked with the letters, and numbers 0–9, the words
"yes", "no", "hello" and "goodbye", and various symbols and graphics.
The people using the board place their fingers on small heart-shaped
piece of plastic called a planchette that moves about the board to
spell out words.
Some Christian religious denominations have warned against using Ouija
boards, believing and stating that usage of this board could lead to
demonic possession. Spiritualist, are divided on the issue, some
think that it can be a positive transformation, others warn and
caution against it.
Ouija have been harshly criticized by the scientific community. They
explain the action of the board's planchette can be explained by
unconscious thoughts and movements of those controlling the pointer.
This is known as psychophysiological phenomenon called the ideomotor
effect. Various studies recreating the effects of a Ouija board in the
lab situation showed that, the subjects were moving the planchette
involuntarily. Some critics noted that the messages spelled out by
supposed spirits were the thoughts of whatever was going in the minds
of the test subjects. The scientist's believe that the planchette is
guided by unconscious muscular exertions. The illusion that the
planchette is moving on its own is often extremely powerful and
sufficient to convince many people that spirits are speaking to them.
The unconscious muscle movements responsible for the moving planchette
seen at seances can seem very real.
So this "game" is the subject of many a negative comment. I myself as
a medium had a few encounters with the game. I was young at the time
and every time there was a response and every time it scared the
living !#% out of me.
Does it really bring forward spirit. I am on the fence, I felt
something that is for sure, but being so young and with other young
teens there was a lot of, well, energy. After 3 times of playing with
it I got scared so bad that I never touched it again. You decide.
Psychic Diane
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