Leave it alone. (Ouija)

Member Name: MichaelR

Product:	Ouija
Date:	19/02/01 (137 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Psychologically damaging. Potentially a gateway to something very nasty.

Well, I must say that I am glad that there is such a tide of opinion against this 'game'.

I am also glad that some many people are open-minded enough not to dismiss all the stories as the product of over-active imagination.

I'm not going to tell you what the Ouija board actually does, because no one can really say for sure.

All I will say is that at best it is a psychological death trap that can leave people very disturbed for some time (even permanently) and at worst it is the very gateway to hell itself.

You may laugh at that, if you choose to, then that's up for you. I think you'd be wise to keep an open mind though.

It is most definitely not a game. It is a tool for channelling energies, and like any tool, those who do not understand it shouldn’t use it. I don't pretend to understand it, and therefore I do not use it.

The basic idea behind the board is to communicate with spirits. You get a board, marked out with all 26 letters of the alphabet in a circle. It is also divided into half with yes and no sections. Some also have a goodbye section marked on, for use when the spirit wishes to cease talking to you. (If the board does not have one, you should always ask if you can leave and wait for the pointer to move to yes before you do so)

You then place a crystal glass or similar object onto the board (it should ideally be a glass, as the spirit is supposed to occupy the space inside the glass.) and everyone wishing to communicate places a finger onto the glass. You then ask questions and wait for the glass to spell out answers to you.

Now, I don't know whether it really is spirits that control the glass, or whether it is the subconscious minds of those sat around the table, but SOMETHING moves it, and assuming that no one cheats and moves the glass with their hand - as is usually the case it has to be said - then it does move by itself.

I've also
known instances of the glass suddenly 'escaping' the board... just flying off the table and smashing.

I've never, ever, touched the glass, or gone anywhere near the board when people have played with them and I never will, because I admit that they scare me. They scare anyone who has seen them work - I mean really work, not just seen somebody push a glass around a board with their hand.

It's this scariness that is the most dangerous aspect of the board. People go into shock at some of the things they see happen - even if someone was cheating, because as soon as you use one, it plants the thought in your mind that everything spelt out could be true.

I don't myself have any tales of possession, or escapes of spirits, or anything like that. A great many people do though, and I am inclined to believe that they're not all liars. ("The Exorcist" is actually based on a supposedly true act of possession resulting in an escape from a board)

If you must play around with it, then if only for your own sanity you should dispose of the board and any other equipment used with it as soon as you have finished - because it really is the psychological aspect of it that hurts people.

Here are some "Safety Guidelines" that some of my friends who have played with these have told me:

ALWAYS burn the board and smash any glasses etc after use.

ALWAYS ask permission to leave before removing the glass from the board. If you can't get it, then try to place a beer mat or similar under the glass until you can take it outside and smash it.

NEVER be disrespectful when asking questions.

All of that, and probably all of this opinion probably seems stupid, but I will say it again - it is the psychology of using the board that is potentially the most harmful thing about it - and therefore you're less likely to worry about it if you do the things listed above.

Ju
st leave it alone. Don't subject yourself or your friends to mind games at best and something a whole lot more sinister at worst.

Summary: