Day 3: Ouija Boards
Ouija boards have become very popular and are often used as a party game. Whilst sometimes marketed as a game for children as young as eight, it has a sinister side to it. I have no memory of ever having a game to do with summoning or communicating with spirits. My friends and I did say Candyman five times into a mirror for some reason. I never went to a sleepover where we played Bloody Mary or Cat Scratches or any other paranormal game. I'm pretty sure none of my friends had a Ouija board. However all three activities are things people a little younger than me (usually) talk about as being part of sleepovers with their friends.
There are people that say they don't work, people that say they do and people that say they wish they didn't. As with any paranormal activity, there are plenty of stories about people using them and having terrifying experiences. Of course using a Ouija board, especially if you are a child, is messing about with things you don't understand. Some people use them to try to get in touch with loved ones they have lost, some spirits either good or evil and some use them specifically to call a particular entity. Whilst seen as a fun game by many, it is taking a risk. You could be inviting something dark into your life, as many people reportedly have.
Whilst a Ouija board sounds like something with an ancient history, they have only been around for about 130 years. Spirit writing is as old as 8000 years, but actual Ouija boards are a lot younger. They are used these days as a game more than anything and are almost a substitute for ghost stories. While people used to sit round telling ghost stories to scare each other, they now attempt to use a Ouija board, or play Bloody Mary, or Charlie Charlie. Essentially, playing apparently paranormal games to see what happens.
If you want to use a Ouija board, for whatever reason, that is your privilege. Some people say a prayer before hand to limit the chance of something evil coming through but it really is up to you. For cautionary tales, here are some things that a session with a Ouija board is said to have happened.
1. The summoning of a Poltergeist. Literally translated, poltergeist means "noisy ghost". Many explanations are given to this paranormal phenomenon. A young girl named Annabelle accidentally summoned a spirit called "The Jester" whilst using a Ouija board and even by the age of 22, still experienced poltergeist behaviour.
2. Demonic persuasion. Many people have claimed the crimes they committed were due to a Ouija board telling them to do it. Whether this is just an excuse or an example of a spirit manipulating people into nefarious deeds is for you to decide.
3. Demonic possession. You're kind of asking for this one. A young girl in South America was allegedly caught on camera writhing when a spirit possessed her following a Ouija board session. A priest even had to perform an exorcism. While some suspect the whole thing was staged, others truly believe it was genuine.
4. Unwanted information. Some use Ouija boards to try to contact the other side. For a comforting message, to send one themselves, for closure, many reasons. One girl however is haunted by the fact that, when trying to contact her late boyfriend, she was told by a spirit that she couldn't because he was in hell.
5. Physical discomfort. After the fear when a session actually works, people have experienced temporary paralysis, hyperventilation and even night terrors. Nothing scarier than when it stops being a game.
6. Mental health issues. A Ouija board session can be shocking, scary and disappointing. Asking a question and getting an answer you really don't like, can affect you for the rest of your life.
Of course, if this is just a game and you believe anything that happens is either, another person there having you on, independent movement (when you relax, your body can move without you telling it to) then maybe even scary answers won't phase you. Just remember, messing with things you don't understand is always risky, being flippant about something that could potential be harmful for you or others is ot a joke and playing a game with something that is not supposed to be a game, is tempting fate. Whatever you do and whatever you experience, I will give you one piece of advice.
Never burn a Ouija board! Whatever happens it is seriously dangerous. Not only does it annoy the ghosts, it opens a gateway from their world to ours. A group of boys printed off a Ouija board and when getting no response burned it. That is when the scary stuff started happening. Throw it out, give it away, sell it whatever, just don't burn it.
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