Ouija Board Info
The candles have been lit, your friends are gathered, and the board has been opened. What will you experience this night? Will you be visited by a benevolent spirit, a trickster, or perhaps something much worse? Do you seek light hearted fun, spiritual insight, or to simply peer into the unknown for the briefest of moments? Much of what you experience will be determined not by the board itself, but by your frame of mind when participating and the company you keep.
Ouija boards, also known as witch boards, talking boards, spirit boards, channeling boards, and oracle boards have been around since 1850. Are they a harmless teenage game, a doorway to the spirit world, or a tool of the devil? Your answer will depend upon whom you query. A source of fear for some, a tool for others, for many a simple childhood game. Whichever you believe Ouija boards are undeniably shrouded in mystery and lore.
The classic Ouija board is simply a wooden plank covered with letters and numerals used to communicate with spirits. In addition to the board you'll need some sort of pointing device be it a glass or planchette. There is no rigid layout that a talking board must adhere to. A standardized etiquette for Ouija board setup doesn't exist. Literally any surface with letters and numerals will suffice, be it a magnificent slate board or a piece of scribbled upon notebook paper. Given the correct circumstances and a receptive mind, a spirit may communicate through either.
Existing for over 150 years, the classic Ouija board has evolved from a harmless novelty item to something much more. While many first viewed it as a simple game or oddity, after the release of the Exorcist in 1973 it became ostracized by many. The movie gave the board such a grim reputation that people destroyed them in droves. It's said that when the movie was first released, highly religious folks would drive out of their way rather than pass directly in front of a theater showing the film.
Now that reputation has diminished somewhat, but the mystique remains. It is now used by everyone from the merely curious, to skilled psychics and mediums. Whether you regard it with a healthy dose of skepticism, fear it, or view it as a valuable tool for humanity, you'll agree that the Ouija board is part of America's lore.
Brew a strong cup of tea, settle back in a comfortable chair, select a topic from the menu to your left, and with an open mind enter the world of the Ouija.