Lundy 1 Sarah Lundy English 1010 Dr.

Greenwell April 18, 2014 The authenticity of Ouija Boards I understand that many of you may be finding it hard to feel that this topic has any relevance in todays society, let alone to you, the average Joe of the 21st century. You may be questioning why you are even bothering to read this. Ouija boards are just a scam to get new age teens to spend their hard earned cash. one of you may say. Or perhaps you find yourself quivering with the notion that Ouija boards are bad news. Dont even bother with that hoodoo witchcraft. Either way, youve made it this far, and so I shall let you in on something Ive learned throughout my venture with this mystical device. Just because something is marketed to receive profit does not hinder that product useless, and just because something mysterious is not useless, does not mean it is destined to cause you harm, two facts that seem rational, until you bring up Ouija boards.

Lundy 2 This seemingly irrelevant board has managed to have had an effect on people throughout its history, and its easy to understand why. The concept it provides of being able to speak with the deceased is a heavy one that captures the arousal of those seeking truth. Yet perhaps it is those of us who feel it is nothing more than a scam are the individuals being honest with themselves. Or maybe those who believe full heartedly that it is the act of reaching the unknown are the ones who have found truth with acceptance that there are still things we have yet to understand. Some feel, however, that our answer lies somewhere in-between the left side and right side of this discussion. The increasingly popular, and highly rational belief is that spirit boards are actually moved by one subconsciously. Though it may very well be a plank of bark or plastic sold for high prices just to earn profit, it may be the key to helping us discover the inner workings of our mind. This mind boggling board that may potentially hold the answers to the human psyche is the spawn of two elder paranormal tools. One of which is known as an alphabet board, which can be described as a flat surface containing all letters of the alphabet, the numbers zero through nine, and a yes or no. This is identical to the faces of current Spirit boards today. The second parent is the planchette, which is what we continue to call the curser of our modern day Ouija Boards. It is a small and usually heart shaped device used to direct and spell out the response. These two devices seemed to join harmoniously and to seep into our world quietly. The Ouija Board was a free tool without any patent or defined creator up until 1966 when Parker Brothers

Lundy 3 trade marked the product and began selling them to the public. By the following year they had sold nearly two million boards. Within its first year of production the Ouija Board has managed to outsell Parker Brothers top selling, and Americas most favorite game, Monopoly. Unlike Monopoly, however, the Ouija Board did not come with a cute little booklet on how the game actually worked. It was instructed that the planchette was used by the members of the event, and that once a question or statement was announced the courser would magically slide across to spell out an eerily intelligent answer. But it was never explained how. That is, until British psychologist William Benjamin Carpenter, introduced the theory of ideomotor effect in 1952. The ideomotor effect is the belief that one can use involuntary muscle movement to perform a task without ones conscious awareness due to heavy suggestion. For many, this is the answer to the mysterious Ouija. This theory has led many scientist, psychologist, and even therapists to believe the effects of involuntary muscle movement that appear when a Ouija Board is in use are linked with ones subconscious and that using the tool can still answer the unknown. Short Sharp Science performed a study to help psychologists probe the subconscious with the help of Ouija Boards and the results were shocking to say the least. To do the study, they had a subject use a Ouija Board and asked them yes or no questions. It is common belief that the ideomotor effect works more effectively if the Spirit Board members perform in a group due to the individual not feeling as in control over the planchette as they would if they were to be alone. Keeping this in mind,

Lundy 4 Short Sharp Science pairs another partner up with their subjects using the Ouija boards. But before they begin, they blind fold the subject and their partner steps away from the board, allowing the subject to be completely in control, while at the same time, feeling as though they are not. Performing this test on 27 individual subjects, 21 of them showed intelligent response results. Short Sharp Science continued after these results to investigate further how effective the Ouija Board could be. In another study, they had their subjects answer yes or no questions on a board but this time without a blindfold, and then had them answer the exact same questions on a mundane computer screen. They were also asked whether or not they actually knew the answers for sure, or were just guessing. When using the typical computer version of the test, subjects answered the questions that they didnt know the answers to correctly about fifty percent of the time. Which is the expected result seeing as how they have one in a half chances of clicking the right button. But when these same questions were asked to subjects using Ouija Boards, they were fifteen percent more likely to answer correctly than those on computers. This suggests that the meditative and more personalized state of the interaction between the user and the board provides a deeper inkling to what our mind really knows. Despite those who still use the Ouija as a means of talking with the other realm, it is growing increasingly common for individuals to use Ouija Boards as a way of therapy. For them, the way of speaking with the board is slightly different. Instead of asking hauntingly dark

Lundy 5 questions such as who is there, and when they died, it has been helpful for the user to address questions more directly to themselves. This way, they can more clearly understand the message the board is telling. Many feel that this works as a more hands on way of meditation which has been proven to increase ones health, happiness, focus, and even theyre life span. There are still those who deny the ideo-motor effect theory when it comes to this particular practice and accept the Ouija for what it was created and marketed to be, a means of communicate with the departed. With this group of individuals there is a subgroup that due to this belief refuse to attach themselves in any way to spirit boards out of utter terror that they may be unleashing, or grouping themselves with a grimace ghoul who means them harm. Though this notion is understandable and completely their own choice, they may be missing out on a chance to advance their lives and understand more about themselves. It is important to remind oneself before using a board that there is nothing inherently evil about a plank of plastic with letters printed on it. For further insurance that no harm will come to any user it is common belief that, if a form of afterlife does in fact exist, it is likely that they will only try to contact you if you are directly asking to have them do so. And if the afterlife is not tangible, or non-existent, then all fear may be eliminate due to there being no possibility of a ghostly threat in the first place. But just to be sure I feel that any individuals wishing to use a spirit board that are finding themselves nervous, or harboring any negativity to take a few breaths, deeply relax and draw in as much positive energy as possible. Perhaps focus on the benefits on the Ouija Board, or how it will help eliminate deeply rooted issues. This is just a recommended exercise however, and I stress that one should do what makes them feel the most comfortable.

Lundy 6 Though the idea of being able to reconnect with the departed is a lovely and exhilarating one, I dont feel that the Ouija Board is capable of achieving that. Though it is capable of a task that is highly practical, and beneficial. Spirit boards can be purchased and used properly by any individual seeking to unlock their inner thoughts. By bringing ones subconscious toward the frontal, direct mind they are then able to confront and alter their own state of mind. One can face and illuminate phobias, or understand a complex situation in further depth. Scientist are now backing the ideo-motor theory with documented cases of it bringing ones inner knowledge outward. And though many of us still are weary, we all have something to gain from understanding what lies within ourselves.