What is a Ouija board? Explanations and instructions
Everyone knows what an Ouija sign is. The infamous sign with the letters that allow you to contact the dead. The sign that so many people are afraid of and about which so many horror stories circulate. But... what is actually true about that?
A Ouija board is a rectangular board on which all the letters of the alphabet are printed. A sun is drawn in the top left corner and a moon in the right corner. Usually the sun has the word YES and the moon the word NO. At the bottom of the sign is the word GOOD BYE. In the past, these signs were mainly made of wood. Nowadays, you can find them in all shapes, colours, sizes and materials.
Choose your own Ouija board here
Toys
There is no more to tell about it than this. The Ouija sign is a sign with letters and a few words. Nothing more nothing less. One wonders where all the fuss surrounding this toy comes from. Because that's what it is. Toy. The Ouija board was once marketed as a party game. Suitable for children as young as eight! In people's homes, the board was simply in the cupboard with the Goose Board and Monopoly game.
Although William Fuld - the manufacturer - never made a secret of the fact that he himself did not believe in communicating with spirits through the board, he was only too happy to play on people's gullibility. To give the Ouija board an even more exciting image, he devised the instructions below, which he had printed on the back of the board. You can see how suggestive the text is and that it mainly says what you want to read yourself without claiming that what you see in it is correct or not.
Instructions
1st - Place the board upon the knees of two persons, lady and gentleman preferred, with the small table upon the board. Place the fingers lightly but firmly, without pressure, upon the table so as to allow it to move easily and freely. In from one to five minutes the tablet will commence to move, at first slowly, then faster, and will then be able to talk or answer questions, which it will do rapidly by touching the printed words or the letters necessary to form words and sentences with the foreleg or pointer.
2nd - Care should be taken that one person only should ask questions at a time, so as to avoid confusion, and the questions should be put plainly and accurately.
3rd - To obtain the best results it is important that the persons present should concentrate their minds upon the matter in question and avoid other topics. Have no one at the table who will not sit seriously and respectfully. If you use it in a frivolous spirit, asking ridiculous questions, laughing over it, you naturally get undeveloped influences around you.
4th - The Ouija is a great mystery, and we do not claim to give exact directions for its management, neither do we claim that at all times and under all circumstances it will work equally well. But we do claim and guarantee that with reasonable patience and judgment it will more than satisfy your greatest expectation."
5th - In putting the table together wet the tops of the legs, and drive them firmly into the table. Care should be taken that they are firm and tight.
6th - The board should be kept smooth and free from dust and moisture, as all depends upon the ease with which the feet of the table can glide over the surface of the board. Rubbing with a dry silk handkerchief just before use is advised.
Freely translated:
First - Place the board on the knees of two people, preferably a man and a woman, with the small table on the board. Place fingers lightly but firmly, without pressure, on the table (planchette) so that it is able to move quietly and freely. Within one to five minutes, the table will start to move, slowly at first, then faster, and will then be able to speak or answer questions, by quickly touching with the pointer the printed words or the letters on the board used to spell words.
Second - Care should be taken that a person asks one question at a time, this is to avoid confusion, and the questions should be spoken clearly and precisely.
Third - To get the best results, it is important that individuals concentrate on the question just asked and avoid other topics in their minds. Avoid persons who cannot engage seriously and respectfully with the board. If you use this board in a smiling mood, asking ridiculous questions, not taking things seriously, you yourself will naturally exert the same kind of influence on those around you.
Fourth - The Ouija is a great mystery, and so we will not lay down exact rules for its use, nor do we claim that the board will work perfectly under all circumstances.However, we do dare to claim that if you can be patient and use the board in a righteous manner, it will exceed your greatest expectations.
Fifth - When assembling the planchette, wet the tops of the legs and screw them forcefully into the table. Make sure these are securely fastened.
Sixth - The board should be kept clean and free of dust and moisture so that the legs of the table can easily slide over the board. Wiping the board with a soft handkerchief before use is recommended.
Patience
If you read carefully between the - suggestive - lines, Fuld tells you that the Ouija sign sometimes, but so lang not always will work. And that is also what you can expect. Nine times out of 10 - especially when you are just starting to consult the board - it will not work. Patience is indeed needed, as Fuld also states in the description.
Sometimes it takes at least half an hour to an hour for the pointer to move at all. So if you give up after ten minutes, you will definitely not achieve the desired result. Patience and a lot of practice is what you need if you decide to work with the Ouija board.
It is also true what Fuld says about one's own attitude towards the board. And above all: one's own expectation. After all, everything the board shows you is a reflection of your own brain. Your own subconscious.
Ghosts
Do you expect the board to prank you? The sign will tell you the craziest things. Do you expect the sign to scare you? The sign will live up to your expectation. Do you expect the sign to give you useful information? In that case, the sign will do not disappoint.
As with alternative treatments, it is mainly based on expectation, faith and thought power. What you set yourself up for mentally is what you will get, feel and experience.
But most importantly, nowhere in the description does it say that the information one gets through the board comes from ghosts! It states that the board will speak. Which the board does (through your own unconscious movements) if you can have the patience for it.
It says not That you can talk to the dead through this sign! Although Fuld has carefully crafted the description and everyone can have their own take on this, the text contains no lies.
Everyone can interpret the text in the way that most appeals to them, thus preserving as much as possible the belief that through the sign it is possible to communicate with the dead - without stating falsehoods.
Read more in the book 'Glass spinning is not (un)dangerous. For online ordering click >HERE
You can order directly from the printer >HERE
Reading tips:
For more Ouija boards, see: Museum of Talkingboards.
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