Ouija boards

Isis

Member
I read a debate online about Ouija boards. I didn't realize so many took a Parker Brothers game so seriously but I guess they do. I also found out the vintage Ouija boards are wooden, which I bet looks pretty nice.

Have you ever played a Ouija board? Do you think they are dangerous?
 

Myrddin

Well-Known Member
Have you ever played a Ouija board? Do you think they are dangerous?
I have played with a Ouija board, but not for a long time. Not since I was a kid, actually. And no, I don't think they are dangerous. The only dangerous thing would be a malevolent spirit, which would either be there or not, not to say that I necessarily believe in such things. Just that, hypothetically, if spirits existed and something were to happen concerning the spirit, it would be the spirit behind the occurences, not the board itself - it is only a means of communication. The spirit has to be there in the first place in order to use it, just like the human user has to sitting at the borad in order to use it. Remember the saying, "Don't shoot the messenger".
 

fairywings

New Member
I have never played and don't think that I ever would! I have always been very afraid to try it and inadvertently uncover something that should be left alone!
 
It's just a game. I don't understand why people think they are dangerous. I mean, if there were spirits I would think it would not take a Hasbro game to "connect" to them.
 

Setharoth

New Member
It didn't start out as a game, Alice. It was a spiritualist device for a very long time before Hasbro decided to turn it into a "game". I have used a ouija board and I do think they are dangerous. Yes, spirits are there no matter what but the ouija board is inviting them into this plane and allowing them access to your mind.
 

RLynn

Active Member
The ouija board is just a piece of wood or cardboard with some harmless numbers and letters printed on it. It is therefore absolutely impossible for it to be intrinsically evil!
I lean toward Carl Jung's position that "spirits" are unconscious contents of the human mind. There is some nasty stuff in there, of which we are not normally aware (hence the term "unconscious"), such as repressed fears and "evil" thoughts (which do not exactly (!) conform to what we've been taught in Sunday School, etc.). Sometimes these repressed contents are revealed in dreams and nightmares. They can also deliberately be exposed in certain methods of psychoanalysis. Another avenue to them is via automatism, such as automatic writing or the ouija board. This unpleasant stuff is not necessarily harmful, provided we fully understand its source and accept the fact that few of us are as squeaky clean and virtuous as we may suppose. On the other hand, if we have strong irrational fears and tendencies which seriously throw us for a loop, then sudden, unprepared exposure to some of the unsavory stuff "upstairs" could be potentially harmful. This may, for example, be responsible for the bad trips which have been reported by some people who have taken psychedelic drugs, and it certainly plays a role in certain types of schizophrenia.
 

Athena

New Member
I haven't used a Ouija board since adolescence, and I wouldn't use one now. There's more than enough anecdotal evidence to prove to me that entities on a different plane of existence need no invitation. So, I wouldn't encourage them. Ouija boards might not be dangerous, but they could certainly open the door.
 

Myrddin

Well-Known Member
RLynn, you have given me a lot to think about.

Setharoth, I don't think Ouija boards are so powerful that they can invite a spirit into one's mind, not to mention granting them access out of the spirit world. Both would take some conscious effort on the spirit itself, Ouija board or not. I stand by my statement that Ouija boards are only used for communication. Nothing more.
 

Nadai

Active Member
Diviners and spiritualists believe that paranormal or supernatural forces are at work in spelling out ouija board answers. Sceptics believe that those using the board either consciously or unconsciously select what is read. To prove this, simply try it blindfolded, having a bystander take notes on what is spelled out. Usually, the result will be unintelligible nonsense.​
The sceptics say that the movement of the planchette is not due to paranormal forces but to unnoticeable movements by those controlling the pointer, known as the ideomotor effect.​
While automatic writing was being and still is embraced by mediums, those who were curious about the spirit world held "home circles" and were searching for a more efficient way to reach the spirit plain than by sitting in the dark and joining hands just waiting to hear the rapping on tables .​
In 1853, a French Spiritualist named M. Planchette (legend has it) invented a device that could do a lot more than tap on the table. The ‘planchette’ was a small, heart-shaped table with pencils attached to its legs. Those who used it claimed that the spirit plain operated it and spirits were able to write out messages from beyond. The invention was used by the mediums as a more elaborate form of automatic writing, but it really didn’t take off with the general public.
It has been said 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. Unfortunately, it's not, but since he claimed to receive the word from a spirit on the board, the name stuck.
Reiche however was more interested in spirits than making money and he sold the invention to his friend, Charles Kennard, who founded the Kennard Novelty Co. and began producing the first commercial ouija boards around 1886. The first patent for a ‘talking board’ was filed on May 28, 1890 and listed Charles Kennard and William H. A. Maupin, as the assignees.
Shortly after the company started, the shop manager, William Fuld, decided to go into business for himself. He forced Kennard out and changed the name to the Ouija Novelty Co. He began producing the ‘Fuld's Talking Board’ in extremely large numbers and became a successful businessman. For the next 35 years he ran the company. Finally, in 1927, during a brief slump in sales, Fuld strangely took his own life. He climbed to the top of a Baltimore building and jumped to his death. Other versions of the story have it that Fuld died accidentally while supervising the replacement of a flagpole. This is likely the more accurate version of events, although Fuld committing suicide gave the Ouija an eerie taint over the years.
The Ouija Board was anything but a curse to Fuld's company though. It became the most successful talking board manufacturer of all time, selling millions of boards as well as other toys and games. Fuld had created a new industry with the ouija board, which he claimed to have invented himself. He started the apocryphal tales of the naming of the board (using oui and ja) and claimed many of his successful sales plans came from the board itself.​
His heirs maintained the company until 1966, when they sold out to Parker Brothers. Who produced reproductions of the Fuld board and also made a deluxe wooden edition of the board for a time. They hold all of the patents and trademarks to the board today and they still produce it in large numbers. In spite of the fact that it is now sold in toy stores, it is remarkably similar to that of the Spiritualist board that was sold many years ago.
http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/7042/the-ouija-myth
...​
I don't think anyone can really say that the Ouija Board does or does not channel spirits. Those who believe in spirits obviously will believe that channeling spirits is possible-the Ouija Board was created for that reason entirely. For those sceptics who don't believe in spirits or don't believe in channeling spirits, they can easily say it's an impossibilty. I've always wanted to use a Ouija Board for scientific purposes (experiment to see if it's real), but because to me it is a way to channel spirits, I would never try it. I would never want to channel a "bad" spirit that could attatch itself to me (I do believe spirits can attatch themselves to people and can be summoned by normal people with or without their knowledge). I believe in the possibility that evil spirits can bind themselves to people and that it can become dangerous for that peson so... I personally wouldn't want to take that chance despite how much curiosity wants me to try.​
 

Caburus

Active Member
I wouldn't 'play' a ouija board - I didn't know they were sold or seen as toys. Where I live they are one of the many tools for contacting the spirit world.
I've not used one, not from any fear . I've just had no reason to ask any questions through it.
 

Bryan

New Member
Ouija board's are no joke I am personally a firm believer of spirit's and have looked into many thing's. Ouija board's are used to talk to spirit's as many have said and it is mostly known for that reason. Now then to my explanation and beliefs on it. They do in fact invite "Malevolent" spirit's into your house hold you are never a 100% sure whither or not a spirit is malevolent or not. which is why it is recommended not to mess with Ouija board's unless you are really educated in what they stand for and there purpose. Ones mass produced from Matel make me laugh i do not expect them to work what so ever, But a legitimate Ouija board will. So unless you know what a legitimate Ouija board has on it your safe. Mass produced by all means pass them out to your friends n family. I would only suggest not messing with a legitimate one.
 

Argus

New Member
Ouija board's are no joke I am personally a firm believer of spirit's and have looked into many thing's. Ouija board's are used to talk to spirit's as many have said and it is mostly known for that reason. Now then to my explanation and beliefs on it. They do in fact invite "Malevolent" spirit's into your house hold you are never a 100% sure whither or not a spirit is malevolent or not. which is why it is recommended not to mess with Ouija board's unless you are really educated in what they stand for and there purpose. Ones mass produced from Matel make me laugh i do not expect them to work what so ever, But a legitimate Ouija board will. So unless you know what a legitimate Ouija board has on it your safe. Mass produced by all means pass them out to your friends n family. I would only suggest not messing with a legitimate one.
I can understand that an old wooden ornate ouija board would give out a more mysterious look but surely thats just presentation. Im sure whether wood or plastic there still made on a factory floor. Or are they different features on the board between legitimate and matel.
 

RLynn

Active Member
I don't watch many horror movies, so I don't know a lot about evil spirits. Demons are mentioned in the Bible, but they seem to be associated with a pre-scientific understanding of mental disorders. I have lived over three-score and ten years, with a receptive attitude toward the supernatural, yet I've had nary an experience of evil spirits. Maybe they are like fairies: one has to believe in them in order for them to manifest. :rolleyes:
 
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