The Ouija Board

[Incesticide]

I would like to begin by saying I was somewhat unsure of where the appropriate place to post this was so please forgive me if I have made that mistake. Now i must say i have always been fascinated by these spirit/talking boards and do remember them being mass produced by parker brothers throughout my youth, this was the main reason i never thought anything of this "board game". Aside from some stories i had heard, the credibility of this game was masked behind pretty colors at toys r us, a wolf in sheeps clothing i might add. I myself personally have not had a paranormal encounter or experience with one of these boards but I do not approach them lightly because of that fact, being older now my mind is more open and my eyes are forced to see whats infront of me rather than being able to deny the unexplainable as I may have done when I was a youth. Now to cut to the chase, just a few days ago i acquired a ouija board which i beleive to be dated roughly from around 1968 to 1970 this to me being vintage. The building i was in at the time i acquired it was an old local second hand store which had been closed the last 20-25 years, that being said the building was packed with books, board games, vinyl records, and magazines literally stacked to the ceiling, an accumulation of around 50 years. This was my first time inside the building having been finally granted access by the owner whom is elderly and rather difficult to get ahold of, once inside I was immediately overwhelmed by the stacks and piles that went higher than my head. Having made a quick pass through of the building, i began attempting to turn around in a section of the downstairs when down came the ouija board right in front of my feet, having fallen from an above pile. Having not seen this on my initial walkthrough i was instantly thrilled and fascinated at the find and did not think anything of it until I returned home. Looking back i find the whole string of events that occured odd and am not sure if i plan to use the board or any board in that case. My question to all of you is what are your experiences with the ouija board, based on your individual knowledge and experience can good things come from it if used correctly or is it something that shouldnt be touched by your average paranormal investigator? Edited August 25, 2015 by Incestide In utero

[Imaginarynumber1]

Hate to be the one to break it to you, but despite what some claim, and can never back up, it is, in fact, just a toy.

[Incesticide]

Thats actually what I prefer to hear and beleive but i would be unable to look someone in the face and tell them that without feeling as if though i am lying for some odd reason, thank you for your response its great to be able to share these things.

[Likely Guy]

It just as easily could have been a 'Monopoly' box.

Well, maybe not. Monopoly sold more units over the years, even though 'Ouija' has been sold for longer. But, you catch my drift.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Likely Guy

[Incesticide]

Haha, yes I do. Like I said at the time I thought nothing of it, later when I had a chance to over think the situation i did indeed spook myself. It would have made sense for it to be monopoly, ouija only outsold it the first year it was released and after that died out. The ones with the blue phantom on the box are the lesser common which is why i was more or less suprised that it wasnt monopoly that fell out infront of me.

[Paranormalcy]

I think its neat to see some older ones, might even be (but probably not) worth something to the right collector. There are people, just everyday and people who see themselves as sensitive or even professional psychics, etc. that think the boards really work to contact spirits. Originally they were invented as a "psychic novelty" using "nervous energy" and were not associated with necromancy at all, but that changed a short time later. I was in a group that used one for years and we got all sorts of results, and it was fun (and scary at times). But my current stance (which can be assumed from my sig) is that a board is as mystical as a ham sandwich, though for peopel that REALLY love and think ham sandwiches are amazing, I can't argue with them.

[Likely Guy]

Haha, yes I do...

If you could stop Kurt from spitting, that would really be nice. If not, I'll have a hard time corresponding with you.

Edit: Other than that, welcome to UM!

Edited August 25, 2015 by Likely Guy

[Incesticide]

No problem, and thank you very much everyone for your replies.

[Imaginarynumber1]

But my current stance (which can be assumed from my sig) is that a board is as mystical as a ham sandwich, though for peopel that REALLY love and think ham sandwiches are amazing, I can't argue with them.

I mean, I guess it really depends on what else is on the ham sandwich, you know? Is there cheese? If so, what kind? Is it shredded, or sliced? Are there any condiments and if so, which ones? Any veggies? Some could be good on there, while others might ruin it. Is it hot? If so, baked or toasted? What kind of bread?

These are important questions.

[Hudds]

I mean, I guess it really depends on what else is on the ham sandwich, you know? Is there cheese? If so, what kind? Is it shredded, or sliced? Are there any condiments and if so, which ones? Any veggies? Some could be good on there, while others might ruin it. Is it hot? If so, baked or toasted? What kind of bread?

These are important questions.

Your quoted on UM not to the staff in a sandwich bar. LOL

[Imaginarynumber1]

Your quoted on UM not to the staff in a sandwich bar. LOL

Don't presume to know the profession of the posters on UM. You might be surprised.

[Incesticide]

I've had a lot of experiences with witchboards, and based on these experiences, I lean more toward convinced than not. Not sure what you mean by "good things" coming from it. I've had interesting interactions and a few weird things occurring during a witchboard session. On the other hand, I haven't had any terrible experiences either. It's fun for one's own curiosity, but probably not great for investigations. *shrug*

. By good things I mostly mean taking a positive experience away from it rather than negative, I personally am afraid to touch it in fear of anything demonic or sinister overwhelming my already frail mental state, another underlying reason being my house was built in 1902 seeing all of the victorian era i am very truely frightened at the thought of what lingers.

[+ouija ouija]

I would like to begin by saying I was somewhat unsure of where the appropriate place to post this was so please forgive me if I have made that mistake. Now i must say i have always been fascinated by these spirit/talking boards and do remember them being mass produced by parker brothers throughout my youth, this was the main reason i never thought anything of this "board game". Aside from some stories i had heard, the credibility of this game was masked behind pretty colors at toys r us, a wolf in sheeps clothing i might add. I myself personally have not had a paranormal encounter or experience with one of these boards but I do not approach them lightly because of that fact, being older now my mind is more open and my eyes are forced to see whats infront of me rather than being able to deny the unexplainable as I may have done when I was a youth. Now to cut to the chase, just a few days ago i acquired a ouija board which i beleive to be dated roughly from around 1968 to 1970 this to me being vintage. The building i was in at the time i acquired it was an old local second hand store which had been closed the last 20-25 years, that being said the building was packed with books, board games, vinyl records, and magazines literally stacked to the ceiling, an accumulation of around 50 years. This was my first time inside the building having been finally granted access by the owner whom is elderly and rather difficult to get ahold of, once inside I was immediately overwhelmed by the stacks and piles that went higher than my head. Having made a quick pass through of the building, i began attempting to turn around in a section of the downstairs when down came the ouija board right in front of my feet, having fallen from an above pile. Having not seen this on my initial walkthrough i was instantly thrilled and fascinated at the find and did not think anything of it until I returned home. Looking back i find the whole string of events that occured odd and am not sure if i plan to use the board or any board in that case. My question to all of you is what are your experiences with the ouija board, based on your individual knowledge and experience can good things come from it if used correctly or is it something that shouldnt be touched by your average paranormal investigator?

Hi there. Welcome to UM. (Shame about the username). I am wearing my Miss Marple hat and twinset and pearls and I have questions about your original posting which doesn't quite ring true for me ...... perhaps it's the way it's written.

Were you aware that Parker Bros stopped making Ouija boards in 1991 ...... 4yrs before you were born?

Why did you ask to go in the shop in the first place? Why would the owner allow you to go in there on your own?

Why would you have seen the Ouija board on your first 'pass' through the shop? You said it fell from somewhere above you.

So you just stole the board?

What is the 'string of events' you mention?

[Incesticide]

.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Incesticide

[Hudds]

Firstly I never recommend the use of Ouiji boards to anyone, as things could turn dangerous depending on the "user" and the location. If there is any spirits around your home, then they may choose to communicate with you. Now one thing you really need to keep in mind, is that where you live is a very old home & usually their are spirits in old houses. Another important thing is that if you ever done very bad things in your life. The spirits may very well use all that against you, and have all the spiritual legal rights to make your life a misery. If you contact the spirits, you invited them into your life. Don't make that mistake.

I know I'm going to get bombarded with skeptics now. You know what I don't care. I won't be responding to anyone against me.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Hudds

[Incesticide]

Hi there. Welcome to UM. (Shame about the username). I am wearing my Miss Marple hat and twinset and pearls and I have questions about your original posting which doesn't quite ring true for me ...... perhaps it's the way it's written.

Were you aware that Parker Bros stopped making Ouija boards in 1991 ...... 4yrs before you were born?

Why did you ask to go in the shop in the first place? Why would the owner allow you to go in there on your own?

Why would you have seen the Ouija board on your first 'pass' through the shop? You said it fell from somewhere above you.

So you just stole the board?

What is the 'string of events' you mention?

Yes I was aware parker brothers stopped producing Ouija in 1991 having sold the company to hasbro whom continued to manufacture them throughout my youth, sorry for having not been more specific everything i have written has been on a 7" tablet so my attention to detail may be lacking. Secondly my main reasoning for going into the shop was vinyl records being an employee at a record shop in town i felt it would be beneficial to the store, thirdly i did not enter alone i was accomponied by her (shop owner) this was something i left out feeling as if though it was not relevant, fourthly i felt a ouija board was something that would have stood out to me, myself being very fascinated about the paranormal and having had to of walked right past it I find it odd I didn't see it above initially. And no I did not steal the board I simply asked her how much she wanted for it and ended up paying ten dollars for it, the string of events i was referring too is how I acquired the board and in the surroundings in which it was found along with the age of the board itself just felt funny and off to me for some reason. Please feel free if you have anymore questions I am sorry for any confusion

[Incesticide]

Firstly I never recommend the use of Ouiji boards to anyone, as things could turn dangerous depending on the "user" and the location. If there is any spirits around your home, then they may choose to communicate with you. Now one thing you really need to keep in mind, is that where you live is a very old home & usually their are spirits in old houses. Another important thing is that if you ever done very bad things in your life. The spirits may very well use all that against you, and have all the spiritual legal rights to make your life a misery. If you contact the spirits, you invited them into your life. Don't make that mistake.

I know I'm going to get bombarded with skeptics now. You know what I don't care. I won't be responding to anyone against me.

Thanks so much for the genuine reply on the topic, I share the same stance on the ouija board. Part of me is craving an experience but the smarter half of me understands the damage that can be done.

[Paranormalcy]

Obviously I have an opposing viewpoint to some posting here, but that's what makes discussions eventful I guess, huh?

When our group was using a board in the 90s, one time, a board personality instructed a member to take a stone he had been given at a psychic fair and bury it in the graveyard across the street. Yes, literally, we used a Ouija board for 3 or 4 years solid, every week, in a house across the street (not a highway, a one way street, like 8 feet wide) from a full sized graveyard. Amusingly, he did so, jumped the fance and gouged out a little hole in some peripheral spot and dropped the hematite rock in it and covered it back up and came back. Which means he got rid of what probably sold at the psychic fair or occult bookstores for $3 or $4. But he had a Visa Gold card so it's not like it was a big loss to him.

Anyway, we were also told to go outside at 3 am and we would see 93 aliens coming from the moon, and other humorous predictions. We went outside and took a blanket and looked up at the stars in our friend's backyard, and though we didn't see anything paranormal, it was neat to lie out in the deep of night in fall and look at the sky, so I don't even consider that a waste of time, even if nothing the board said was going to happen, did.

I both recommend people DO try out Ouija boards, and DON'T, but it's essentially a "Hindsight is 20/20" deal - you generally won't know which people shouldn't use a board until they have a panicked period of time where they're freaking out about what the board told them, noises they heard, shadows, etc. Basically, for people with a good handle on reason, pragmatism, humor, curiosity and their own emotional state, I think boards are a neat hobby and are a lot less worrisome than things many people wind up doing in their free time. On the other hand, very young teens and other people with potentially high anxiety levels or behavior "hiccups" should avoid all this kind of stuff, just for the very real and negative psychological effects it can have.

[Lucas Cooper Merrin]

Firstly I never recommend the use of Ouiji boards to anyone, as things could turn dangerous depending on the "user" and the location. If there is any spirits around your home, then they may choose to communicate with you. Now one thing you really need to keep in mind, is that where you live is a very old home & usually their are spirits in old houses. Another important thing is that if you ever done very bad things in your life. The spirits may very well use all that against you, and have all the spiritual legal rights to make your life a misery. If you contact the spirits, you invited them into your life. Don't make that mistake.

I know I'm going to get bombarded with skeptics now. You know what I don't care. I won't be responding to anyone against me.

Id feel alot safer huddo if you were to clearly state that the advice you give to be only your own opinion and it to be taken with a pinch of salt

[+ouija ouija]

Id feel alot safer huddo if you were to clearly state that the advice you give to be only your own opinion and it to be taken with a pinch of salt

Surely that's what we're all doing, 'stating our own opinions'? And why should he say 'take it with a pinch of salt'? Are we not capable of deciding for ourselves how useful or otherwise his advice is?

[+ouija ouija]

@ Paranormalcy: I think spirits make a lot of amusement for themselves through the Ouija board .... sometimes it's harmless, like persuading you and your friends to go outside at 3a.m., sometimes it gets nasty. I guess it depends on what the spirit was like when incarnated.

[Hudds]

Id feel alot safer huddo if you were to clearly state that the advice you give to be only your own opinion and it to be taken with a pinch of salt

Of course I would prefer you to always feel safer Father Merrin. indeed you can take it with a pinch of salt.

Every advice I give is my own opinion, from my personal experiences & from many people that I have known.

Very shortly I will be starting a new thread, about the dangers of Haunted Dolls. Request by a close friend.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Hudds

[Lucas Cooper Merrin]

Of course I would prefer you to always feel safer Father Merrin. indeed you can take it with a pinch of salt.

Every advice I give is my own opinion, from my personal experiences & from many people that I have known.

Very shortly I will be starting a new thread, about the dangers of Haunted Dolls. Request by a close friend.

I look forward to the haunted dolls thread, i had a friend who swore they had a haunted draught excluder sausage thing for the bottom of the door!

Keep up the good work my friend

[Myles]

Me and some friends used one for a whole summer years ago.

I must admit, I was the one who moved the indicator. Had us doing all kinds of stupid stuff.

Years later I told them that I was "Ed James" (the character I invented. Not sure if they ever forgave me.

I just bought one a couple weeks ago. My youngest daughter wanted to try one. She's 12. The problem is my wife won't touch it and neither will my 17 year old daughter.

I don't want to do it with only 2 people. Does it matter?

My house was built in the 1830's, so I can add to the experience a little.

[Lucas Cooper Merrin]

Me and some friends used one for a whole summer years ago.

I must admit, I was the one who moved the indicator. Had us doing all kinds of stupid stuff.

Years later I told them that I was "Ed James" (the character I invented. Not sure if they ever forgave me.

I just bought one a couple weeks ago. My youngest daughter wanted to try one. She's 12. The problem is my wife won't touch it and neither will my 17 year old daughter.

I don't want to do it with only 2 people. Does it matter?

My house was built in the 1830's, so I can add to the experience a little.

I Think you you have answered your own question