Halloween ended sooner than I personally wanted it to, but that won't stop me from watching scary movies and YouTube videos.
When I'm surfing the web for something like a good conspiracy video to keep my mind going for hours, I also come across speculated haunt videos. Some of these include people using the Ouija board.
If you aren't sure what an Ouija board is, it's a game created by Hasbro and the Parker Brothers in 1980. The board has letters A-Z, numbers 0-9, and the words "Yes," "No," and "Goodbye." Along with the board, a planchette, a small piece of wood or plastic, is used to glide along the board to spell out words while your fingers are placed on the sides of the planchette.
The original game's purpose wasn't to contact spirits, but to just answer questions from multiple people having their fingers on the planchette. It wasn't until American Spiritualist Pearl Curran used the game to contact spirits and gave the word out that the board can be used for that purpose. Since then, the board is known for nothing else but contacting the dead.
The majority of videos where people play the Ouija board are so hard to watch. Not from the ones that are obviously fake, or the ones where someone gets possessed, but the way people use the board in an obnoxious manner.
I've personally never used an Ouija board since my friends refuse to play. My family has sworn on me not to use it or even breathe near it. But the game is fascinating to me, just like a lot of other scary games I've looked into. I've researched how to properly use it and its origins. Some people speculate it to be fake, saying that your body is the one moving the planchette on its own. Others, like a lot of my friends and family, say to stay far away from it because you never know what you can invite from the grave.
Either way, there's one thing I have to say about playing the game. If you're going to be obnoxious and not take the game seriously, you don't need to play it.
If the game truly lets you talk to the afterlife, you have to take it seriously and be respectful. It's so irritating to watch people in videos giggle and go "Ooooh, scary!" when they play. I've also seen people take their hand off the planchette in the middle of the game before telling the board "Goodbye" because they're impatient if nothing happens creeped out if something does happen.
First of all, big no-no right there. You have to keep your hands on the planchette throughout the entire game. Second of all, you're talking to the dead. I'm pretty sure they are just as annoyed at your obnoxious behavior as anyone else would be. That kind of behavior will most likely bring in some bad spirits because that shows you are a vulnerable person.
It's not just amateur players that get on my nerve. The movie "Ouija" also gets on my nerves because it made a simple game so overdramatic. The movie gives unrealistic expectations and a reputation that people will probably believe from here on out. It's nothing more than a spirit communicating device.
You probably thought I was going to sit here and tell you why you shouldn't use it because of the bad juju you can get from it. Sure, that can happen. I believe it just depends on how you use it. Like I said, use it maturely. Just because it's labeled as a board game doesn't mean it's 100% meant for fun.
Be respectful, be patient, do your research. If you aren't going to do any of those things, don't play it. You're annoying people, including the ones in the afterlife.