Ouija: Game or Trouble?
COLORADO COALITION OF PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS·MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017
Countless people have experimented with Ouija or other talking/spirit boards in an attempt to connect with those who have passed. As paranormal investigators, this technique is a “hot button” topic that quite literally divides researchers almost as much as politics divides the general public. Let’s take a look at what a talking board is exactly and how it is used and potentially applied to the field of paranormal research.
In it’s simplest form, the talking board consists of cardboard, wood, plastic, or a combination of the three. There are no crystals, electrodes, mirrors, or other items that are thought to increase interaction with ghosts or spirits. The participants gather around the board, placing the tips of their fingers on the planchette and verbally ask any spirit within the sound of their voice to communicate with them - utilizing the alphabet and numbers on the board below to spell out their messages to the living. Sounds simple enough, right?
The skeptics will say that the movement of the planchette is the subconscious, or even conscious manipulation by one or more participants in order to spell out a message or some deep, hidden secret. In some cases this is correct, however, there are documented cases of board use where suspected infidelity has been proven, paternity discovered, and, in at least one case, a body located. All seemingly without prior knowledge of the participants. Now, the skeptics will chip away at those last two sentences and I’m sure if you play enough “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” you’ll find some abstract link between those playing and the mysteries that were solved, but I digress...
One of the biggest arguments among paranormal researchers is that by using a spirit board, you are inviting in an unknown entity. Fair enough, however, nothing in this field is concretely “known”. How then, is utilizing a talking board different than conducting an EVP session, asking for a knock or rap in response to Q&A sessions, or even the controversial flashlight experiment? After all, we don’t truly know who or what we are communicating with in these cases either.
As researchers of the afterlife, we are conditioned to not allow spirits to consume, borrow or otherwise utilize our personal energy. Doing so is thought to cause great fatigue, in some cases allow for illness, and in extreme cases, possession. By placing fingers on the planchette, you are inviting whatever entity or energy present to enter you - to physically touch you. You are opening the door to your body - and possibly your soul - to whatever ethereal being may be willing to come in.
While it remains true that we do not conclusively know who we are potentially communicating with during EVP sessions and other methods of investigation, it is the primary focus of the Colorado Coalition of Paranormal Investigators to conduct our research as scientifically as possible. We follow the premise that you cannot prove the paranormal with the paranormal and thereby do not utilize spirit boards and the like during the course of our investigations. This also helps us to ensure the safety of our investigators and our clients. Should you personally decide you want to experiment with a talking or spirit board, we highly encourage you take the appropriate steps to ensure the safety of not only yourself, but those assisting you during your experimentation. Study up on methods for beginning and ending sessions before you begin, as well as proper disposal methods for boards no longer in use.
-Clarissa Vazquez
Founder, Colorado Coalition of Paranormal Investigators
http://ccpi-paranormal.com/
© 2017 Colorado Coalition of Paranormal Investigators.
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