Freak369's Full Review: Ouija Board @ Epinion.com

The Ouija Board. Mystical portal to all that is supernatural. Is it a hoax or is it real? I am sure that 99% of the people have either played with a Ouija or can recall some horror story of a cousin that used it and went insane. Regardless of your religious background or your state of belief; the Ouija isn’t a toy. By the same token I can hardly call it “the devils play thing”. That is about as sane as calling a loaded gun a killing machine … it can’t kill someone unless there’s a finger on the trigger. My point? Simple. The Ouija – or any spirit board for that matter – only has the power that you give it. You can sit at your kitchen table and draw your own Ouija board with paper and pen and try to conjure up spirits of those dearly departed. Will you be successful? That I can’t answer. All I know is what I have seen and experienced with different boards.

First a bit of history.

Did you know that there are more books in circulation regarding the Ouija than there are about J.F.K? Did you know that the Ouija was used to pick names for babies in Salem MA. (pre witch trials of course). Beyond the documented facts there are literally thousands of urban legends surrounding the Ouija. Every small town has a story that is told around Halloween – about a group of kids that played with a board and either died in a car crash or were hacked top pieces by an axe toting escaped lunatic. Believe what you will but 99% of it is untrue.

There are three types of Ouija boards available. The first and most common is the one distributed by Parker Brothers. It is compressed fiberboard with a glossy top. Early editions of this type of board used wax but people complained when the wax wore off and cause a drag when the planchette would move across certain areas. The cost of a Parker Brothers Ouija is between $14.99 and $19.99 depending on the store and area.

The second board is one made of stone. Granite is the stone of choice since it is sturdy, of good color and is readily available. It much resembles modern tombstones in the fact that a buffer can be used to create a sheen that allows the planchette to glide smoothly over it. There are only 7 marble cutters in the U.S.A. that make these types of 'spirit boards'. The cost for a basic board starts at $170.00 and can run as high as $300.00. The higher price board can include names, dates, events and personal inscriptions of your choice.

The third and usually most perceptive to spirits is a handcrafted board. It can be made from whatever medium you choose as long as it carries the basic alphabet, the yes or no choice and the numbers 1 - 9 (including zero). Although I haven't had much involvement with handcrafted boards I have read many stories of people creating specific boards to ward off certain spirits from "paying an unwanted visit".

Regardless of your personal view of the Ouija board the phenomena of conversing with spirits has been and age old quest.

Ouija 101

Since I doubt most people will opt for #2 and #3 of spirit boards we'll discuss the Parker Brothers board. As I stated earlier it is nothing more than compressed fiberboard with a glossy overlay. Mass produced and having the same design since 1972 (pre 1972 boards carried Good and Bad on the bottom part of the board) Parker Brothers carries the patent on this "toy" as they refer to it.

The board comes with a small instruction booklet that provides as much information as the little packet you get when you buy windshield wiper replacement blades (translation: almost no information at all). You are also given a planchette. This device is what you rest your fingers on and allow it to move over the letters. While the basic planchette you get with this board is conventional you can alter it. Using a small drill you can bore a hole in the center of it. The reason for this you ask? Well, any number of things can be placed in the hole. I suggest a small diamond stud. In my early years of wind teen rebellion we would try to use something of great sentimental value. Example, when trying to contact my Aunt Beatrice we used one of her earrings. Don't limit yourself - try a tie tack or even a button.

Other than the board, planchette and booklet to start with you are pretty much on your own. If you decide to try the Ouija do so with caution. Even if you completely deny any belief in it there are people that are susceptible to its power. By using the word power I am not referring to anything supernatural. Let's face it, not everyone is stable. If someone depressed or emotionally distraught tries the Ouija they may subconsciously be moving the planchette to answer questions to the likes of "Does he love me?" or "Should I kill myself". While most times I do add humor to my opinions, this is certainly not a joke. If you are using a Ouija with someone who is depressed please don’t allow them to ask such questions. An ounce of precaution is worth a pound of good.

To use the Ouija you should really use two people. The reasons being that it supports the board evenly and that if only one person is using it the majority of the answers to questions will be from the persons own psyche. If you use more than two people then the elbows get in the way and everyone is trying to see what words are being spelled. Using just the fingertips on the edges of the planchette you should try to remain calm and relaxed. It helps if one person asks the questions and one person reads the board. The ideal situation is to have a bystander ask the questions while the persons using the board keep their eyes closed. If you use this method I suggest that you do not say the answers to the questions until your session ends. If you blurt out answers it could cause someone to withdraw or become too anxious. Again, these are only suggestions.

O.K., so now I sound like a complete moron for buying into this right? I have only read one Epinion so far on the Ouija so I am not sure what the majority rule is here. I am sure every person remembers a ghost story that sent shivers up their spines. The Ouija is much like that. Who is moving it? Is it really talking to me? More to the point - who is it that is doing the talking. Based on personal experience I have seen more than my share of strange happenings with boards. Not wanting to bore people I won't tell any of the tales.

Several movies have been made about the Ouija - the most popular being Witchboard (starring that video vixen Tawney Kittan) and Witchboard II. After Witchboard was released there was a slight case of pandemonium with some mothers burning boards and going on an all out rampage against having them in their houses. Growing up Catholic we were warned that to even be near a board was committing a sin. Hysteria goes hand in hand with any type of occult items. I have read the Satanic Bible but you don't see me worshipping the devil. I have used the Ouija and I can't remember ever killing anyone after using it. [humor]

To sum things up - the Ouija has whatever power you give it. It is only a piece of wood with some ink and gloss. If you sit there and make jokes chances are nothing will happen. But on that rarest of occasion you might just tick off some passing spirit (personal experience). No one is sure what is out there beyond human vision and honestly I think it is better we don't know. So the next time you are using a Ouija and feel a shiver you might want to pack it in and call it a night.

Game or gateway? You decide. Whatever you do, please be careful.

My Own Experience

I have decided to revise my Epinion and add my own personal spirit board experience. I have used them in the past but have had several strange happenings during the course of use. This is a true story and if you choose not scoff at it that is your choice.

About 13 years ago myself and a group of friends gathered to see if we could reach an old friend who had passed away. A majority of my friends were Catholic and had been raised believing that the spirit boards were a straight ticket to hell. Understandable, we were also teenagers with purple hair and glitter nail polish. We dimmed the lights, lit candles, gathered our collective strength and sat in a small circle. We were in an enclosed room, no windows. There were seven of us total. After we decided on who would be contacting our friend we took our places and started calling his name. Remember, we were in a closed room. Seven people with candles burning – it was starting to get warm. I sat across from my friend Cameron while we called out Justin’s name over and over. I felt the planchette move and assumed it was Cameron… and he assumed the same of me.

After about ten minutes I opened my eyes and saw my fingers hovering over the planchette – as well as Cameron’s. We were not touching it in any way. Sharon was writing down the questions and answers while Cameron and I tended to the board. Prior to our gathering we all wrote a few very personal questions to ask to make sure that we were indeed contacting Justin. They were questions that none of us knew the answer to except the person writing the question. That would eliminate the subconscious assumption – that we were merely moving the planchette but not realizing it.

Two hours later we were soaked with sweat and decided to take a break. When we opened the door it felt like ice was hitting us. Twenty minutes later we started again. I was feeling very tired and drained – Cameron said the same. We decided to let two other people try the board- Frank and Kimberly. Within five minutes the spirit said it would speak to no one except A and C [myself and Cameron’s initials]. Everyone was getting edgy – something wasn’t right. Cameron and I got back on the board after “it” refused to speak. We made contact again and it started to spell the word jasmine over and over. We had no clue so we asked what it meant. It said death and then blood. We had no idea what it all meant until a few days later. It mentioned a few other things of a personal nature. All of which happened to the letter.

After another hour the room started to get cold. Not suddenly but gradually. Remember, we were in an enclosed room, no draft, no open doors and no windows. About half past midnight it was so cold that we could see our breath. I wasn’t sure about everyone else but I wanted to stop. Cameron looked at me and shook his head… this wasn’t Justin we were talking to. We went into something blind and found ourselves in trouble. I pulled my hands away from the board and went to stand up – at first I thought my legs were asleep but then realized that I simply couldn’t move. Sharon said we had to get back on the board and close the connection. She read a short passage in a spirit board book and told us to recite after her. The planchette was moving but I didn’t want to look.

We knew it wasn’t Justin we were speaking to after we came back from our break. This spirit was more bold and brass. Justin was a quiet guy who just wanted to make music and have a few laughs. We later found out that when we left for our break we should have closed the porthole – by simply telling the spirit that we were done for now and running the planchette over the words goodbye. If we would have done that perhaps we would all have different views of the boards.

Jasmine. We sat for hours trying to think of who Jasmine was. It wasn’t until a few days later when Sharon, Cameron, Pete and myself were having lunch that we found out that two of our friends were killed in a fire at Jasmine – a dance club that we frequented often. Our friends Frank and Kimberly were dead. We never really talked about that night with the spirit board again. I don’t think we wanted to admit that our own stupidity, arrogance, selfishness and ignorance could have in any way contributed to their death. But it is something that I live with to this very day.

Again, Game or gateway? You decide. Whatever you do, please be careful.