Ouijah boards are quite a neat parlor trick. One that demonstrates
how the subconcious mind can operate. Here's the simple
explanation, and an experiment to prove how the board works:
Excerpts taken from drmomentum @ epinions.com
I DIDN'T DO IT!!!
People can get some interesting responses from the Ouija board. Because it frees you from the responsibility of having generated the responses, all manner of things can be said through the use of the board which cannot be said aloud. That the Ouija board can sometimes produce a vulgar response makes it all the easier to deny that you are partly accountable. One way to show the source of this board's information is to blindfold the two participants and ask the question. The planchette will probably still move, but the responses will be unintelligible.
If more than two participants are involved, there
generally is a dominant participant driving the board. Simply alternate blindfolding the participants and you will discover who the dominant participant is.
STAYING POWER
Why does the Ouija board retain any of its popularity, and why do some people still believe it has any power whatsoever?
1) People do not like to believe their bodies can move without conscious control.
2) People are predisposed to superstition and the belief that unseen sentient forces can actively, if infrequently, intrude into our lives.
3) The theme "don't meddle in things you don't understand" is strong in myths. It actually represents a good lesson in real-world situations. However, it is also a favorite of people who want to control others. And it is infectious. Someone who buys into an unfounded fear-based idea is likely to spread the word. This is how many urban legends and internet hoaxes thrive.
4) Sometimes, unpleasant responses come from the Ouija board. People don't want to admit that those responses came from within and "demons" or "spirits" are easy scapegoats because they will never appear to defend themselves.
5) It's fun, in a rebellious sort of way. Youngsters and teens who are just entering a phase of rebelliousness and are exploring their own independence use it as a secret activity that feels vaguely dangerous. Anything forbidden is automatically fun at that age. If it weren't for the fact that many children never learn that there is nothing "supernatural" about the Ouija board, I'd say that it's a much safer alternative to experimenting with smoking, alcohol and drugs. If you do teach your kids about it, the Ouija board CAN be a valuable lesson about squishy thinking and superstition. The inability to think critically and assess belief for oneself is more dangerous than smoking, drugs and alcohol combined because of where it can lead you.
6) As Barnum put it, "A sucker is born every minute."
RECOMMENDATIONS
What you get for your money is a piece of board covered with fancy letters and numbers. The one I have is fake-wood colored, but the latest one is even spookier (if cheesier) and glows in the dark. I waited for an after-Christmas sale at Apex in the Swansea Mall in the 1980s because I think $16 is too much to pay for this lark. It makes a good Halloween decoration.
Will it contact spirits, demons or anything else? If it can, no one has shown this to be true (not even in a remotely reliable way). We must assume it cannot.
Is it for kids? I suppose that depends on your child. If they are old enough to understand that it cannot contact spirits and you explain it to them, then sure. Even if we took the huge leap to believing that demons and spirits are looking to contact your child, it seems silly that these "powerful entities" would just snap their fingers and say "Aw, shucks! He doesn't have a Ouija board! Well, that thwarts us. Next victim."
In the end, the true danger of the Ouija board is that we come to be willing to believe, on little or no evidence, things that govern our decisions in life. The real peril is in not learning how to question the truth of a claim. Not only does an inability to think critically put us at risk, but it can also take a good deal of fun out of life. The power in the Ouija board is the power of your imagination, turned toward self-deception.
