For decades, users have been fascinated by the Ouija board and its apparent accuracy. Some disagree about who or what is really giving you answers via the “spirit board,” but there’s certainly something to it, most agree. Whether you seek answers to life’s major dilemmas or simple yes-or-no questions, the Ouija can give you the information you seek.
What Is a Ouija Board?
A Ouija board is a type of spirit board. A small, tri-pointed, almost heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic, called a planchette, is moved around a board. This board, usually wooden, is printed with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0 through 9, the words “yes” and “no” and often the word “goodbye.” Users place their fingertips on the planchette while asking a question. The planchette then directs users to the answer to their question by pointing to “yes,” “no,” or using the letters to spell out words.
How Does the Ouija Board Work?
The answer to this question depends on whom you ask. In the late 19th century, members of the spiritualist movement in the United States began using spirit boards as a way to connect with spirits: either individuals who had passed “to the other side” or other spiritual, non-physical entities. True believers in the Ouija board and other such devices say that the Ouija board allows mortals to have contact with these non-physical entities.
On the other hand, many contemporary researchers attribute the movement of the planchette across the Ouija board and the answers derived thereby to be a result of what is termed the ideomotor response. These researchers argue that users of the Ouija board non-consciously move the planchette across the board. They don’t realize they are doing so, but their belief in the validity of the board and its ability to be a medium for the communication with spirits allows them to move the planchette and get answers without consciously realizing that they, themselves are making these movements. This would mean that users get the answers that they either most want or most fear by literally pointing to these answers themselves. It should be noted that this phenomenon in relationship to the Ouija board has been studied by a number of sociologists, psychologists and other researchers.
Finally, some groups, such as Evangelical Christians, argue that the Ouija board is, indeed, a possible portal for communication with spirits and that, as such, it should be avoided. Some argue that playing with such devices is opening one’s self up to interaction with malevolent spirits, such as demons.
Many historical figures have dabbled in the Ouija, including poets William Butler Yeats and James Merrill who wrote many prize-winning poems he claimed to have channeled through the Ouija board.
How Does a Virtual Ouija Board Work?
As much of our lives has migrated to the virtual and digital world, so has the Ouija board. There are a number of online and app versions of the traditional Ouija board game. Although these do not operate by allowing users to place their fingertips on a literal planchette, some do allow users to use a touchscreen our mouse to “move” a graphic representation of the planchette across a graphic that looks like the traditional Ouija board. Other versions allow users to simply type in a question, then receive an answer as a visual representation of the planchette moves across the screen by itself.
Are These Virtual Ouija Boards Accurate?
The real question becomes, how accurate are these virtual Ouija boards? Some of them are “scary accurate.” Many users who claim to be otherwise psychic and who are proficient with a number of other divining tools find these virtual Ouija boards, such as the Ouija board game by Redwerk, just as accurate as more traditional tools of divination, such as Tarot cards and dousing pendulums. Certainly online or digital Ouija boards are no less accurate than the traditional board game.
Are you a believer? You can really only answer that question honestly by giving the Ouija a try. Ask it a question you know the answer to: What is my grandfather’s name? What color underwear am I wearing?
When you ask questions you already know the answer to, you can test the Ouija’s accuracy. If you are interested, give it a try. You may contact a spirit. Or you may simply answer the question yourself.
