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Haunted Notes From A Board Meeting
FROM A BOARD MEETING
When author Guy T. Simpson Jr. appeared on Ground Zero, he related that most of his book “The Brotherhood of Olympus and The Deadliest Game,” was based on experiences that he and his brothers had after the passing of his favorite uncle. The death of the uncle in the book was a devastating blow to the family and one of the boys decided that the only way to find solace was to contact his dead uncle through the use of a ‘spirit board‘.
I was very surprised that Simpson was so open about the experiences he had with the board when he was young. I could relate because as I was exploring my spirituality when I was young. I also wanted to know how a ‘spirit board’ worked.
When I was 12 years old, a woman in my neighborhood used to use a crystal wine glass and a sheet of paper with letters and numbers on it. She claimed that ghosts could be contacted with the use of these spiritual tools.
I avoided a lot of this so-called spiritual contact until I was about 13 and then set out to purchase what I thought was a board game that was similar called the Ouija board.
I was afraid to use it and realized that I did not know what all of the excitement was about. I guess I was better off for it. When I was in my later teens I was producing a radio show for a friend and doing production at a gospel station. I met a priest named Wolfgang Gossett that had a show on the radio about the paranormal and supernatural. I asked him about Ouija boards and he introduced me to another talk show host that claimed to be a witch. The witch demonstrated how they worked and made claims that the only way they work is through human consciousness and that the small guide, called the planchette, does move on it’s own and that it also is guided by what she called ‘the medium‘.
Gossett told me that throughout history there have been poets and writers that have used the spirit board to help them write songs or stories and that if used properly is a tool for inspiration and not a tool of the devil.
In 1916, a prolific author by the name of Patience Worth was busy writing books, poems and plays. For nearly twenty years this author was writing thousands of pages and it seemed that there was no end in sight. Patience wrote that she was a native of Dorset, England who lived in the 17th century. She later immigrated to America and was killed by Natives.
I know it all sounds peculiar and yet it happened. How could a woman who lived in the 1600’s be such a successful author some 300 years after her death?
Pearl Curran, a woman who lived in St. Louis was poorly educated with no formal education in history or literature. She played piano, never read much and wanted to be an actress. She dabbled in the art of divination, which was a past time for many people in that era and the use of spirit boards were common in those days.
During the afternoons, Pearl would have tea parties with her mother and a friend who lived by. Conversations would wind down and eventually lead to games played on the witch boards.
Mrs. Hutchings, Pearl’s neighbor really never understood the appeal of the boards because she claimed that they delivered nothing but jumbled sentences and vague answers that no one could figure out unless you had someone take dictation.
One day the board surprised the ladies when a dull sentence was spelled out during one of the teas:
“Many moons ago I lived. Again I come. Patience Worth is my name”
This was the initial contact with Patience Worth. Her messages would come through the Ouija board when Pearl and Mrs. Hutchings placed their hands on the planchette. After many sessions with the board it was becoming more and more evident that Pearl was mainly responsible for the contact with the alleged entity. It seemed that when anyone would sit down with her Patience would come through the board and reveal her secrets to whoever wanted to listen.
The power to speak with discarnate beings has been spoken of in all histories and texts for centuries. Magicians, preachers, popes and prophets all claim to have been influenced by spirits. Some claim the ability of automatic writing and scrying.
William Wordsworth, a 19th century poet, gave us words that we should read if we ever wonder about our existence and purpose:
“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting; The soul that rises with us,
our life’s star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar;
Not in entire forgetfulness, And not in utter nakedness, But trailing
clouds of glory do we come From God, who is our home” — Wordsworth.
From casting of the runes to crystal balls, the person who wishes to transmit or receive a message uses the tools for pure showmanship. It takes the mind to a different level. It is the stepping stone to further divination.
The most popular tool that is used to contact the spirit world is the Ouija board. Never has there been a device that has been met with more controversy than the board with numbers and letters on it and a planchette that is used for pointing.
The reason why it is so controversial is because on one hand many say that the board is fake, and others claim that rather than getting direct responses from certain entities, you are opening yourself up to numerous entities both good and evil. Another controversy that is rarely talked about is that most people who have Ouija boards do not actually know the procedures to make them work, so they either project responses or get no responses at all.
Most Ouija boards come without instructions. Many people argue that it doesn’t need instructions, however an Ouija board can be like a gun if it is not used properly. Many people do not know that before an Ouija board is used it must be opened ritualistically. One can say a prayer over it asking that the board be cleansed of evil spirits. One can light incense or sweet grass to cleanse the room. All participants on the board must not smoke, or be high on intoxicants while in the process of channeling.
There needs to be two people using the Ouija in order for it to work effectively. One person must be the medium or the primary contact in order for the board to work as well. Many people think that the more the merrier, however in order for it to work only two need to place their hands on the pointer.
The medium is the one who will ask the questions. If the group has a question they should quietly ask the medium to relay the question to the board. The medium needs to also be aware of what is going on in the room at the time of the ritual. My experience with the Ouija board took place in a secluded cabin far from any distractions. The medium who directed the questions to the board pointed out to me a very interesting phenomenon with the Ouija board.
She pointed out that a lot of entities spell things phonetically. Sometimes they spell in reverse. Spirits take with them the knowledge they received from whatever realm they occupy. Not every entity that appears on the board has lived on earth! Some spirits who speak are spirits who have not been born.
It fascinated me that the spirit who appeared during my session was my grandfather. The witch did not know my grandfather’s name yet the spirit spelled the name perfectly and knew many things about me. The spirit actually told me that my wife at the time was sick and to call her. I called her and she did come home from work with the flu. It was very real and very creepy.
If a spirit misspells a word, be careful not to criticize or make fun of it. There was an incident where a group of people at a Halloween party laughed at a misspelled word and said “Someone is f**king with the board!” The planchette immediately moved to the word ‘GOODBYE’. The planchette then flipped across the room and knocked over a candle setting a place mat on fire.
Spirits also lie.
Some of the spirits hate to be called on their lies. They often will give you false dates, false direction and sometimes they will get angry. That is the chance you take when playing with an Ouija board.
Spirits do not like telling the future. Some will, but many say NO when you ask them about future events. Much like Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’ the spirits told Scrooge of what may happen, not what is definite. The future is unsure in any realm and there are things that are clear and some things that are cloudy. Don’t ask questions that you really don’t want to know.
Like it or not spirits aren’t powerful without bodies. Most are modest and are very careful not to startle you. Angry spirits sometimes can get out of hand and the only way to stop them is to break away from the board.
No one can be possessed by a demon after use of an Ouija board. However, there are times when the spirits you contact can remain or attach to people. This may cause them to act peculiar or have bouts of panic or paranoia. Still, a possession is unlikely.
You may also want to be aware that the spirits may even try to contact you by other means without the use of a board.
Spirits also remain if you do not properly close the board. You must say out loud that the session is over and that it is time to say good bye. The planchette is then moved to the word Good bye and is neatly put away. If you do not close the board, it is like leaving a door open for all kinds of spirits to pass through, even the angry ones.
There are dangers to using a board.
Mistakes are often made using an Ouija board and many people have it coming when they refuse to use common sense and an evil spirit attempts contact. That is why you should never under any circumstances use a board alone.
There is a way you can tell if the spirit you have contacted is evil. Many agree that when the planchette moves erratically and then to the “four corners” of the board the spirit is more than likely evil. The thing you do in this case is break away from the board and close it properly. The medium must do this. That is why the responsibility of being the medium is a very important one. The medium must also pay attention to movement on the board, if the planchette moves in a figure eight this also means that a mischievous entity has control.
Also make sure that the planchette remains on the board at all times. If it leaves the board during a session, a spirit can get loose off the board.
Never use the Ouija board while sick, tired, high, or drunk.
There is a danger that if you use the board too much you can reach a point where it becomes addictive. This is called ‘progressive entrapment‘. This can eventually lead to becoming aware of spirits at all times. Sometimes you may see them, or they may appear to you in dreams. They can also leave you messages. Some people claim that they have received phone calls and e-mails from spirits.
Never use an Ouija board in a graveyard, or at a crime scene. Malevolent entities are there and you are asking for trouble when you summon spirits in these locales.
Use wisdom. If the board upsets you, do not use it. If you think they are Satanic, do not use them. Always remember that as the medium you are the chairman of the board and while others argue that Ouija boards work through ideomotor responses, either way you have the ability to open the door and close it.
Source: http://www.groundzeromedia.org/haunted-notes-from-a-board-meeting/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=haunted-notes-from-a-board-meeting
