MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Question about Ouija boards

Question about Ouija boards

posted 4 years ago by Roguemail (1562)
30 replies | jump to latest

Firstly, I don't believe in supernatural ghosts etc.

But I find the notion of Ouija boards a strange one, for a specific reason. Let's be honest... I don't care if people have stories of using them and having bad experiences quite often when they were younger. They can believe what they want to believe...but the fact that there are fingers on the planchette will always mean that someone is moving it. Dont care what anyone says...thats a stone cold fact.

However...let me throw one concept into the equation...poltergeists.

Surely, if these phenomena exist as some people believe...then wouldn't it make more sense for a poltergeist to move the planchette unaided without human hands on it?

If people believe in such things, wouldnt this be more effective and dare I say it...believable...?

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I think the notion of there being ghosts will go away with the advent of phones. Much like alien abductions.

[–] Kawada_Kira (7269) 4 years ago

I've always thought the whole concept is just kinda weird. What is it that supposedly gives this particular piece of wood, or cardboard or whatever Ouija boards are made of, such power?

[–] Roguemail (1562) 4 years ago

The odd thing about phones is that now pretty much everyone on the planet has a phone, with HD video capability...and yet we still have no proof of any of this stuff?

I have a theory...when we had fuzzy photographs of ghosts and ufo's, and later fuzzy, out of focus videos from early mobile phones...such photos and videos were so bad that it was impossible to determine if something was real or not.

So those people examining such photos and video had to conclude that they were simply 'inconclusive'. And that meant people who were predisposed to believe all went 'So...they COULD be real then?'.

But curiously now that everyone on tge planet can capture images in excellent clarity...the actual amount of footage seems to have dwindled.

And I believe largely because the clarity makes it harder to fake this stuff, and people are also aware of CGI and all sorts of technology that makes it possible to fake such things.

It often makes me wonder...if an actual alien ship landed in the open and the media were there in force and it was broadcast all over the world...what would it take to convince us that even this was not being faked?

[–] moviechatterer (13195) 4 years ago

"what would it take to convince us that even this was not being faked?"

Given the amount of people thinking this pandemic is fake .... a lot

[–] christomacin (4526) 4 years ago

...and for religious types: if the second coming of Jesus Christ was broadcast all over the world, what would it take to convince us that it wasn't being faked?

[–] CharlotteXavier (2357) 4 years ago

What is it that supposedly gives this particular piece of wood, or cardboard or whatever Ouija boards are made of, such power?

Supposedly it’s not the wood. Anyone can cut up a bunch of letters and numbers and put them on a table and use a glass to move towards them. That’s where Parker Bros. got the idea from. It’s very old.

If it works it’s because there are ghosts who can move matter slightly. It’s not that big a deal.

I don’t care for it though. Ghosts aren’t any different than any other jerk who you might come across on the internet. You might get someone cool, but chances are you won’t and they will just screw with your head bc you gave them a pathetic amount of power.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12228) 4 years ago

My recommendation: just don't use it. They aren't worth the trouble.

[–] Roguemail (1562) 4 years ago

Never used one and not planning to. Just curious as to other peoples experiences of using ttem.

But I can't handle a lot of the doom and gloom merchants I have seen (not here but on other sites) who have had some sort of bad experience when they were young and inaist on issuing dire warnings that we should not mess with such things.

I cant help but equate such people with those torch-carrying villagers in old horror movies that march through the town to the castle to dispatch the evil baron, because he dares to dabble in things that they don't understand...

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12228) 4 years ago

I never used one, but I read real-life horror stories about people having their hands and arms possessed for a time after using those. It wasn't pretty.

[–] Roguemail (1562) 4 years ago

I would take 'real life' with a huge pinch of salt though...

[–] Moonglum9 (10697) 4 years ago

I'm sure most of these real life experiences are by people who are highly subject to delusion already (i.e. very religious), or perhaps some of these stories just grow from a real experience where a weird coincidence occurred. Like, "Hey, we got some cows dying of a disease over on the Kitterbury's farm!"
"Whaaaaaat? Hey, I heard tell that them youngens down the road was playing with a Ouija board last week. They musta done brung the divil down on us. BURN THE WITCHES!"

[–] Kazak (2007) 4 years ago

I recommend reading “The Big Picture” by Sean Carroll. It should dispell any supernatural notions you may have. Or, at least look in to the core theory of particle physics (which the book will explain much better and more eloquently than I could). In short, the core theory states that we now know what kind of particles exist, how they interact, and most importantly how they’re capable of interacting. It’s the job of anyone asserting a claim that violates this theory to explain the mechanics of the claim. Carroll is a highly regarded cosmologist out of Cal Tech, not some rando. It’s also a pretty terrific book!

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Thanks for the book recommendation, I’ve just put it on my to read list. Sounds interesting.

[–] Kazak (2007) 4 years ago

Cheers!

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I believe anything is possible. I’m also ridiculously superstitious. I once got a tarot reading and it didn’t turn out well. It probably has more to do with the power of the mind than anything, so I just don’t mess with any of that type thing.

[–] jriley555 (7048) 4 years ago

waiting for ghosts is really boring

[–] Zilkin (401) 4 years ago

The more you learn the more sceptical you become of anything you consider to be supernatural. Then you reach a point where the more you learn the more you become aware anything is possible.

[–] jriley555 (7048) 4 years ago

except for things like ghosts.

[–] Zilkin (401) 4 years ago

You never know.

[–] Artisan (3464) 4 years ago

I've known people who have used them and bad shit seems to follow them. I think if someone were moving the dial the others would feel it as it would require some force to do so as opposed to a supernatural being pushing/pulling it. I do agree that if there was as spirit it should be able to move the planchette by itself.

An odd point but I don't get why the planchette is plastic, you would think you would want a material that resonates like wood or even metal. Something that conducts energy.

I'm open minded about it all, I like the idea of it and I don't believe in only what we can see.

[–] moviechatterer (13195) 4 years ago

your planchette is plastic? you must have a toy one - do the ghosts still come?
I thought traditionally it was an upturned glass

[–] Artisan (3464) 4 years ago

I don't have one but I have noticed that many of them do have plastic planchettes. I would think glass or wood would be better.