Ghost hunting and Ouija Boards…is there a difference?

When you think of Ouija Boards you tend to remember the movie Exorcist where she played with an Ouija Board and in turn it resulted in a demon entering the house and taking over her body. This series led to a number of entertaining and memorable events as to the bed rocking violently and of course the infamous pea soup vomit scene. Now all this wouldn’t have happened if she never played with an Ouija board. To this many witchcraft practitioners and Satanists, which I use that term loosely, people wanting to find some answers from those people who have passed away and people wanting to play with said Ouija Board for kicks and giggles. So is there really that much difference between Ouija Boards and Ghost Hunting?

First off let’s begin with the operational definition of what a Oujia Board is based upon Meriam-Websters definition which reads: Oujia - used for a board with the alphabet and other signs on it that is used with a planchette to seek spiritualistic or telepathic messages. Now how does one operate a Ouija Board, well that’s simple, everyone sits around the table with their hands on a wedge with a hole in it and you begin to ask questions. After you ask the question the wedge seems to move all by itself and either gives you a yes or no answer or can spell or count out your answer.

Many people are afraid of Ouija Boards and want nothing to do with them, they feel that there may be some truth to this piece of cardboard and wood. It may possess some actual link between here and the afterlife and quite possibly invite some sort of demon spirit in, that’s the fear anyways. I am one of those people, I am very much afraid of Ouija Boards and will not get near them, I want nothing to do with them and will request it be put away if around me. However I have ghost hunting for a little over 5 years now and truly believe there is something else out there and want nothing more than to find some sort of evidence in the existence of the paranormal. Now I will be honest with you in the fact that I have held off from doing this article for over one and a half years because I struggled with the connection I am about to make between Ouija and Ghost Hunting.

Oujia Boards as I stated earlier are used to for the purpose of linking yourself with the afterlife and being able to connect with them and get answers to questions as well as satisfying one’s own curiosity about the other side. So tell me this, how are the use of EVPS, EMFS Detectors and Thermal Cameras on a Ghost Hunt any different than sitting around a table and using a Ouijia Board, the answer is there is no difference what so ever. When walking around on a Ghost Hunt you ask questions to the spirits and request that they show themselves an give you answers to your questions and if you’re not doing this to satisfy some sort of curiosity then I am calling you a liar.

People who do Ghost Hunting want to know questions to answers and satisfy the curiosity they have within themselves to see if places are really haunted and if they can get that holy grail of hunting evidence.  It’s the same exact thing with Oujia boards, only less technologically advanced. I have talked with a number of people in regards to this and a lot of the response is, well we are using sound scientific equipment and methods, really? I can’t stand behind that seeing as how ghost hunting is not an exact science just as wicca and voodoo is not an exact science, but does some of it work…yes.

Im not trying to down play Ghost Hunting in anyway what so ever, heck I still go Ghost Hunting to this very day and I will continue to do so. Does this make me a hypocrite then in what I have said as it relates to my fear of Ouija Boards, quite possibly it does, but in Ghost Hunting I feel in my own mind that I have more control of the situation than if I was using a Ouija Board. And honestly that is a stupid way for me to look at it because in reality you have the same amount of control for either hunting or Ouija…none. If the spirit wants to use a board or technology to attack and harm you then it has that ability to do so.

What I am trying to do with this is to show you that just because you throw technology at it does not mean you are and better off or safer when it comes to the spirit realm. A spirit/demon can pretty much do anything it wants to you, your friends and your family. So take precautions and prepare yourself for hunts, there are many ways you can and whatever puts your mind at ease then so be it, but be careful because I have yet to find one person who actually enjoys vomiting pea soup, it’s just nasty.

Be safe and fasten your seat belts,
John Cannon

P.S. Penn & Teller have a show on Showtime called BullSh*t and in one of their earlier shows they went after the Ouija Board. If you can find a copy of it online or on Netflix I recommend watching it, it’s some pretty interesting stuff they had done to debunk it.