Do Ouija Boards Really Work?
Depending upon who you ask you may be laughed at, or receive a stern warning. Some people regard the Ouija board as being merely a childhood game. Others take them very seriously. Psychics and mediums will sometimes list the Ouija board as the instrument that opened up their paranormal abilities.
Psychics say that the mechanic behind the board is the spirits themselves. They use your eyes and fingers to literally move the planchette to spell out words in order to communicate with the living. Skeptics believe that either people intentionally move the pointer on the board or are allowing their subconscious mind to spell out hidden ideas and thoughts.
Most people across the planet believe in some form of afterlife. Therefore it makes sense that people would want to contact spirits that have passed away into the next life. For some people an Ouija board is the tool of choice for contacting those spirits. They believe that it opens up a doorway through which communication with the astral plane is possible.
From skilled psychics to your average everyday Joe, for years people have documented strange occurrences when using Ouija boards that have no earthly explanation. These include the planchette moving on its own, hearing voices, dramatic temperature drops or rises, physical manifestations and more. People have reported receiving information from Ouija boards that they had no previous knowledge of. For instance, they might be given the name of a dead relative that was unknown to them at the time. Many people believe in the power of the Ouija and suggest that only those with a healthy respect for the occult and training attempt to use the board.
Skeptics regard the Ouija board as nothing more than a silly waste of time. They believe that the planchette is not moved by spirits but by the unconscious mind. They believe that movement is caused by Ideomotor response. This essentially means that your subconscious mind controls the planchette to spell out hidden thoughts and ideas that you may have repressed. A person might feel the planchette begin to move without realizing it's their own fingers guiding the pointer.
Skeptics argue that when dark or offensive messages are spelled out on the Ouija board, you are merely airing out thoughts and feelings that you've pushed down into your subconscious mind. They argue that it's much easier to write off such negativity as the meddling of an evil spirit than admit that these thoughts originated within your own head.
The comedians Penn and Teller performed an experiment where they asked unbiased volunteers to channel William Frawley using a Ouija board. At first the answers provided by the boards were surprisingly accurate.
Then Penn and Teller blindfolded the participants and reversed the boards. The answers given changed to gibberish. According to skeptics this is proof that Ouija boards are a fallacy and nothing more than a silly game.
Spiritualists would argue the opposite. Their theory is that when using a Ouija board, spirits actually use your eyes to spell out the words. They see through your eyes and use your fingers to move the planchette. Blindfold the user and you take away the spirits eyesight as well.
There's only one real way to find out if Ouija boards actually work. And that is to find out for yourself. If you dare...