This post is in response to a couple of inquiries from some friends in Facebook...
I
"played" with a Ouija board a couple of times as a child, when I was
around 12 years old (by the time I was 13, I found girls to be more
interesting). The few questions I posed
to it garnered surprisingly accurate answers, when I verified them. But, that was the kind of stuff kids did
before there were video games and "personal computers". In my
mid-teens, I had several extra-physical experiences - precognitive dreams (aka:
déjà vu), a sighting of (what I call) a "sprit house" (possessing
three dimensions [that's a long story all by itself], but had no
physical presence) that was no longer on that site, and an OBE in my late
twenties.
I
joined the Navy eight days after my 17th birthday, experienced 13 weeks of
Basic Training at USNTC Great Lakes, Illinois, where I was selected for
training as a Radioman. I was a part of
a very large group called "Burke's Boys" - enlistees who are selected
for a particular field in Basic Training, but who were assigned to general duty
in the fleet for 6 months before attending that training. My first ship was the USS Tidewater, a
destroyer tender at NOB Norfolk, VA.
That was where I spent my time polishing brass in the passageways, chipping
paint and repainting various parts of the ship, rebuilding electrical motors,
and inventorying all sorts of things that were required aboard ship.
Radioman
"Class A" School at Bainbridge NTC, Maryland, was my next
assignment. At Bainbridge we learned
basic electronics, typing and International Morse Code. I enjoyed being on dry land again, and this
assignment (as I recall) lasted about 3 months. Upon completion of the course, I was
reassigned to the USS Mount McKinley, a Fleet Communications Command Ship as a
Radioman.
About
3 months later (1967-68) the Mount Mac (as the crewmembers called her) got
underway for a 6 month Mediterranean Cruise.
One of the guys on the ship had a Oiuja board, and pulled it out one day
while we were crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Those of us who weren't "on watch" thought it would be a fun
way to break up the monotony, and another shipmate and I began playing with
it. A group of about six gathered
around us to watch.
We
both placed our hands upon the planchette (pointer), and it began slowly moving
around the board (it didn't seem to have any discernable pattern to it's
movements, the pointer just seemed to roam around the board as if it was
familiarizing itself with the layout). After about a minute, the pointer made a
couple of big, quick, sweeping movements around the board, like it was comfortable
with the board and ready to "do it's thing". It paused with the
viewer over the letter "H", then moved to "U", then
"R" and "T", and then paused for maybe 10 seconds. Okay…
HURT. It then moved again, this time pausing momentarily on "P", then
on "A", then "I" and "N". We now had HURT and
PAIN… and we stared at each other blankly, each shrugging indication it had no
meaning. So far, the message meant nothing to either of us. After another 8-10
second pause, the pointer moved and paused on the "V", and then moved
to "I", and took then another long break.
We
decided to try it again, and asked the board "Who are we communicating
with?" "V" and "I" was the response, spelling
"Vi". At that point I asked the guy on the other side of the board if
he knew anybody named Virginia, Violet, Virgil or Vincent. He didn't… but, one of the people watching
blurted, "I DO!". I
turned my head to look at him… his face was drained of all color, and his
pupils were the size of saucers! And then he told us his story…
His
family lived on a working farm, with all the usual animals, crops and farming
equipment. The tools and equipment were
all kept in the barn when they weren't in use, and the fuel for the equipment
(tractor, etc.) was stored in a large old drum outside of the barn. The drum had a slight leak around the valve,
of which the family was aware. He said his younger sister (named Violet but
called "Vi"), was playing around the old drum one day… with
matches (that nobody in the family had any idea she had found), when the
fuel ignited and extinguished her young life. On that day, I became a believer
that the word "impossible" no longer had much practical meaning. It had been demonstrated, to my
satisfaction that there was a potential power by unseen forces to -
under the right conditions - reach out from the afterlife.
WARNING
I
know that - for myself - when I read something like this, I am almost
immediately tempted to try it. Ouija requires no particular skill, no physical
prowess, and can be navigated by even borderline idiots. I would caution everyone who reads this - DO
NOT run out to buy a Ouija "game". Keep in mind that - as in the physical
world - there are benevolent, neutral, and evil
presences in the realm of "restless spirits". The operators of the Ouija DO NOT get
to pick and choose which type of "spirit" comes through the
thin veil that separates the realm of our physical world from that of the
non-physical world. We were fortunate,
in that this was a neutral spirit which was reaching out to one of our
observers. There was no indication of malevolence in this
instance. I am not selling Ouija
Boards, nor do I hold any stock in Parker Brothers… I am simply reporting a
personal experience, and specifically NOT recommending anyone interact
with a Ouija! It's one of those
"You pays your money, and you
takes your chances." things.
Personally, I have not touched a Ouija since that experience of over 50
years ago (but I also know that people will do what people will do). Should
you choose to ignore my warning, I wish you the best of luck and safety. As a curious aside, I must note that Parker Brothers is located in SALEM, MA - "witch-hunt" headquarters in the time of the Pilgrim.
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