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Zozo


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Matt Forde: This is a story that I heard about only recently. A reader of one of my articles on another site got in touch asking for a little help with the research of a particular series of events, all of which seemed to be linked. It appeared as though more and more independent Ouija board sessions were becoming associated with an entity calling itself Zozo. This was the first I knew about it all but, as I looked into it, it quickly became apparent that it was an interesting enough story to warrant sharing here—certainly; it would be great to read more thoughts on the Zozo ‘phenomenon’ so please leave a comment below. In fact, this is a pretty creepy topic in places.

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First I ever heard of this phenomena was right here in UM so that raises the question, where is it most prevalent, USA, Europe, etc...as that might throw some light on it.

I note the article describes an event in GB but subsequently discredits it or shows a source which discredits it....

Is this another Slenderman meme?

*Edit Sp as usual*

Edited by Whisperer
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I wonder how many people allegedly contacted by Zozo via a ouija board had previously seen the movie 'I Am Zozo'.

Edited by acute
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The video link sucked. To me anyway, that was a scene from a very low budget movie. I like to think I have a pretty good grasp on the occult as I am contacted to help people on a regular basis with demonic residual affects. I have never heard of this demon. I am not saying this demon does not exist, just that I have not heard of it. I would like to offer that demons are not known for their integrity. So the different descriptions of itself under the same name would be consistent with the behavior of a demon.

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Matt,

Do you think there is a correlation between entities like Zozo, and the reported 'elementals' such as the one alleged at Leap Castle?

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I've posted on this topic before, and said there is no evidence of any of the nonsense claims about Zozo in any historical texts, despite the many claims to the affirmative.

I will give the UMBot this, it DID list a French occult dictionary that mentions ZOZO as a demon or spirit apparently contacted via a spirit board. I actually looked this book up on the net and there IS a pdf of it that can be downloaded (in French) and it does indeed list ZOZO as a spirit. I can't read French unfortunately and the text wouldn't paste correctly out of the PDF for me to use an online translator.

So giving the "devil" his due, I will admit there is APPARENTLY (assuming this PDF is legit) an actual precedent for this ZOZO name in occult literature, possibly related to spirit board communication (not certain about the reliability of THIS aspect). On the other hand, there is a MIMI mentioned also in the ZOZO entry, which to ME only reaffirms my original suspicion that these names are literary phenomena that occur in the context of spirit board use. Specifically, repeating consecutive sets of letters, usually but not always consonant-vowel, such as ZOZO, MIMI, JAJA, etc. I nicknamed it anchoring, having witnessed and experienced it myself a number of times while using the Ouija board.

Usually when the sitters (people using the board) get these results, the traveler response gets "stuck" like a record player skipping, repeating over the same groove again and again (for anyone that remembers record players). The traveler just alternates between two letters, "anchoring" unwaveringly, pointing at one and then the other, dozens of times with little or no variation. Usually this signals the end of any useful activity for the rest of the night. I used to think it was similar to when the traveler would "swoop" back and forth over the board, in an oval or sometimes figure 8 or other pattern, which we always called it a "holding pattern" or like a computer, its "thinking" mode, before it would reply, but the anchoring does seem to be different, more like a malfunction than an intentional response.

Regardless, the thing to remember is that there ARE coincidences, yes, even with something as seemingly specific as this. And secondly, the ease by which such coincidences can occur are actually not that inconceivable. If there WAS a ZOZO encountered in 1836 or whatever year (not sure I saw any year in the occult dictionary), it's much more likely that any ZOZO results now are simply repeating the SAME phenomenon because the alphabet is similar or identical. Much like if you mistype on a keyboard and get KIK instead of LOL, you're not "on contact" with some mystical KIK force that people a decade ago happened upon. You're just hitting the same keys in the same way because the way humans work is similar. ZOZO is historical (if it is) because the arrangement itself is a common likely manifestation of this spirit board "anchoring" quirk, not because there is any one specific ZOZO entity.

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In my experiences with Zozo this "anchoring" explanation was not valid. In many Zozo stories sent to me the planchette behavior was quite calculated and forceful. The reference to Zozo being mentioned in The Dictionnaire Infernal also lists Caproulet as one of the three demons that infested the young girl. If by some chance an unidentified Ouija was used during this time, the anchoring effect would also seem invalid because of the spelling of this Caproulet. The account translated from French makes no reference to a Ouija, planchette or other talking board device, Some obviously suspect this account to be less than genuine, but it is ironic that here Zozo is listed as a demon before the modern invention of the Ouija.

Zozo is also mentioned in other literary sources, as is "Zo." I suppose it could be coincidence that Zozo is described as demonic in other sources that predate 1891, when the modern Ouija was introduced, but that does not change the fact that these sources exist. Regardless of the actual existence of spirit entities, thousands of people report the Zozo phenomenon on Ouija boards all over the world. It crosses religious and geographical borders.

Urban myth? Egregore? Or a legion of spirit entities using this unusual term or sigil to instill fear into Ouija participants, the Zozo Phenomenon remains a mystery.

Edited by DarrenEvans
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In my experiences with Zozo this "anchoring" explanation was not valid. In many Zozo stories sent to me the planchette behavior was quite calculated and forceful.

Bluntly, stories are circumstantial and unverifiable at best. Even if every one legitimately reported very forceful and deliberate planchette movement, that doesn't in any way eliminate ideomotor response as the actual process at work in Ouija sessions. I've been present and involved in some sessions where the traveler actually acted like a "dog", zipping from one corner and side of the board to the next with great force, sometimes with 2 people, sometimes 4 with hands on it. It approached each person at the table, came right up to their side and slide back and forth slowly as though trying to "get through" to them, sniffing them to familiarize itself with them. A few times it actually slide right off the board onto the table and continued until it bumped right into one man's stomach. While fascinating and entertaining, none of this makes that NOT the ideomotor force at work.

The reference to Zozo being mentioned in The Dictionnaire Infernal also lists Caproulet as one of the three demons that infested the young girl. If by some chance an unidentified Ouija was used during this time, the anchoring effect would also seem invalid because of the spelling of this Caproulet.

I never asserted Ouija boards ONLY anchored, or that names would ONLY be a result of that. That's just my term anyway but you can likely ask any regular "Ouijer" who will report the phenomenon. And yes Caproulet is definitely not a case of this, it is clearly a typical board reply. But so? Ouija board gives lots of replies. Nothing about it giving a name makes it any more valid than any other response.

The account translated from French makes no reference to a Ouija, planchette or other talking board device, Some obviously suspect this account to be less than genuine, but it is ironic that here Zozo is listed as a demon before the modern invention of the Ouija.

Ironic to the point of seeming to mean this is something we do as part of OUR inherent unconscious behavior, not limited to using a board.

On the Dictionary point though, agreed, I couldn't find any specific mention of a board, only that it was an "evil spirit" (for lack of better paraphrasing) - I was merely applying the idea to this topic. The point I was trying to make is that ALL the things WE do are manifestations of the human mind and the human condition itself at work. The board would reply with ZOZO or some other construct, because that's the kind of thing WE do. It's a simple phonetic pairing of repeated letters, two syllables, very basic consonant-vowel setup. This is not rocket surgery, it's two letters strung together twice (or often over and over). It's not grounds for any sort of claim of unusual property. And I went into the issue of coincidence in the ZAMA thread, but I'll summarize it here - the word ZOZO existing before Ouija boards again reinforces not that the board is even really involved, only that it receives and operates on the same principles as anything else we do. Thus, the fact that ZOZO was around BEFORE spirit boards is a shining example of my proposition of primitive linguistic "meandering" we do.

Zozo is also mentioned in other literary sources, as is "Zo." I suppose it could be coincidence that Zozo is described as demonic in other sources that predate 1891, when the modern Ouija was introduced, but that does not change the fact that these sources exist.

Yes, it "could" be coincidence that Zozo is described as demonic in a source predating 1891. Since we're just spitballing here anyway, I'd say it's pretty much a certainty, with credit given to your own research about the letter Z and z-words having established historical significance as evil or negative to begin with. And again, this could easily create circular logic, saying Zozo uses "evil letters" because they're associated with evil, and they're associated with evil because they're evil letters. The human mind and unconscious has many, many associations and symbolic links for things, and carries on with many ancient traditions, often without knowing exactly why. This doesn't validate or support "evil letters" in any meaningful, empirical way.

Regardless of the actual existence of spirit entities, thousands of people report the Zozo phenomenon on Ouija boards all over the world. It crosses religious and geographical borders.

Again, yes, this is true, at least by now it probably is, though unless you can produce the actual citations to support this rather broad assertion, perhaps with your Zozo book, this will have to be taken as a case of a bit of an exaggeration for the sake of the argument, which is probably allowable within this context.

Urban myth? Egregore? Or a legion of spirit entities using this unusual term or sigil to instill fear into Ouija participants, the Zozo Phenomenon remains a mystery.

Ha! Very nice closure. Definitely some good thought and research here, very good actual discussion on the topic!

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Ive Had Encounters My First Was When I Was 8 Years Old I Was In My Bedroom I Had A Captain Bed And Above To The Left Wall A Huge Window Well My Chow Chow Was In The Room With Me I Woke Up On The Floor My Body Was Being Pulled Towards The Direction Of The Window Luckily I Was Being Brushed Up Against The Wooden Drawer The Dog Barked I Couldnt Scream For Help I Was Frozen State I Remember Lights Outside As My Room Was Dark The Door Was Closed After What Seemed Like Forever And A Day It Stopped And I Was Able To Get Up And Run Out Of The Room.The Second Time Came When I Was 12 It Was THe Year 1990 I Fell Asleep In The Den And On My Back I Awoke As If I Was Being Pulled Up I Tried To Scream Was In A Frozen State It Stopped I Dropped After Moments Later I Was Able To Get Away Later Dr Called It Sleep Apnea Um Last Time It Happened When I Was 22 I Never Will Sleep On My Back Ever Again Well After I Was 12 I Started To Experiment With The Ouija Board Always With Friends Never Alone It Always Moved Talked With Us Some Of My Friends Would Even Make HomeMade Ones I Remember One Time Playing With My Cousins And Their Friends Who Were Jehovah Witness And The Room Went Crazy SomeHow The Lights Turned Off And We Saw Orbs Fly Across The Room I Went To Northern Ca 4 Years Ago Stayed In Room 112 Whatever Was In That Room Made A Buzzing Sound And It Got Stronger Coming Towards The Bed My Boyfriend Told Me To Go Under The Covers And Pretend To Be Asleep And It Would Go Away The Spirit Followed Us To Our Next Room Also To The California Redwoods I SomeTimes Have NightMares And Call Out For God To Help Me When I Feel Like My Spirit Is Being Forced Down Ive Recorded Myself On Webcam Drinking One Time And Caught What Appeared To Be A Black Shadow Figure Coming Towards Me Then The Webcam Got Warped My Voice Sounded Weird Also Have Taken Pictures Where My Eyes Are Cat Or Lizard Like Very Strange

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Ive Had Encounters My First Was When I Was 8 Years Old I Was In My Bedroom I Had A Captain Bed And Above To The Left Wall A Huge Window Well My Chow Chow Was In The Room With Me I Woke Up On The Floor My Body Was Being Pulled Towards The Direction Of The Window Luckily I Was Being Brushed Up Against The Wooden Drawer The Dog Barked I Couldnt Scream For Help I Was Frozen State I Remember Lights Outside As My Room Was Dark The Door Was Closed After What Seemed Like Forever And A Day It Stopped And I Was Able To Get Up And Run Out Of The Room.The Second Time Came When I Was 12 It Was THe Year 1990 I Fell Asleep In The Den And On My Back I Awoke As If I Was Being Pulled Up I Tried To Scream Was In A Frozen State It Stopped I Dropped After Moments Later I Was Able To Get Away Later Dr Called It Sleep Apnea Um Last Time It Happened When I Was 22 I Never Will Sleep On My Back Ever Again Well After I Was 12 I Started To Experiment With The Ouija Board Always With Friends Never Alone It Always Moved Talked With Us Some Of My Friends Would Even Make HomeMade Ones I Remember One Time Playing With My Cousins And Their Friends Who Were Jehovah Witness And The Room Went Crazy SomeHow The Lights Turned Off And We Saw Orbs Fly Across The Room I Went To Northern Ca 4 Years Ago Stayed In Room 112 Whatever Was In That Room Made A Buzzing Sound And It Got Stronger Coming Towards The Bed My Boyfriend Told Me To Go Under The Covers And Pretend To Be Asleep And It Would Go Away The Spirit Followed Us To Our Next Room Also To The California Redwoods I SomeTimes Have NightMares And Call Out For God To Help Me When I Feel Like My Spirit Is Being Forced Down Ive Recorded Myself On Webcam Drinking One Time And Caught What Appeared To Be A Black Shadow Figure Coming Towards Me Then The Webcam Got Warped My Voice Sounded Weird Also Have Taken Pictures Where My Eyes Are Cat Or Lizard Like Very Strange

Longest sentence ever ;)

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