About Ouija Boards

History

• The origin of the Ouija Board is appropriately mysterious. Some claim that the Ouija Board originated in at least one region before the common era (BCE). Early versions of the Ouija Board are traced to China and Greece. The Chinese used the Ouija Board as a divination tool, while the Greeks supposedly used it to receive answers from spirits. However, these claims are largely unsupported by firm evidence. The Ouija Board is certainly known to have become prevalent during the nineteenth century. Boards are still sold at the present time. Parker Brothers purchased patents from the original patent-holders of the brand name Ouija Board.

Function

• Some people wish to genuinely derive answers from spirits using the Ouija Board, while others play it "just for fun" whether they believe they are communicating with spirits or not. To play, all players place their hands on the planchette (pointing device), ask questions, and allow the spirits to guide their hands to the symbols, letters and numbers for answers from beyond the grave.

Features

• The Ouija Board is a rectangular-shaped wooden board. On it are printed letters, the words "yes" and "no," numbers and symbols. The Ouija Board comes (or is made with) a planchette, which allows spirits to guide the users' hands over the letters, numbers and symbols to generate answers to their questions.

Considerations

• There are various views on using the Ouija Board as a legitimate tool for contacting the dead. These users often believe that a sensitive person is always a medium, but the Ouija Board provides a means for more specific communication through the conductor. While some believe this is a perfectly reasonable way to ascertain answers from spirits, others disagree. Scientifically, it is possible that ideomotor action (a means of users subconsciously moving the planchette over desired answers) is responsible for answering queries directed to the dead. Many religions condemn the use of the Ouija Board as a device of blasphemy.

Misconceptions

• Some believe that all Ouija Board users have one purpose in mind, but this is not so. Some people use the Ouija Board for fun or out of simple curiosity, while others genuinely seek a spiritual connection with the assistance of a Ouija Board. Generally, those using the Ouija Board do not have any malicious intent, though others believe the use of such a device to be wrong on religious principle.