Ep 191: Ouija Stories
There are some people in occult history who warned against using the Ouija Board, who said: "This is a dangerous door to the unconscious. Don't approach this thing."
– Researcher, writer, and lecturer on the occult, Mitch Horowitz
Description:
Last week's episode on the Ouija board's history and sociological context illustrated that its use was regarded mostly as a virtuous parlor game for over half its life. But then, in the later period of the 20th century, the board's reputation changed from being an innocent way to contact the deceased to often being an oracle and instigator of supernatural dangers. Which leads us to the question of whether it's merely that our cultural norms have changed, or is it that the communication and the resulting coincidental events have become more diabolical? Have our attitudes about Ouija evolved because it got more sinister, or have we altered what comes through the board due to a change in ourselves? In other words, is this "talking board" a window to a manipulative, omniscient intelligence, or more of a mirror reflecting our darker human essence? Whether it's the fact that we're unaware of the more iniquitous interactions of Ouija's earlier years, or the nature of it has indeed changed, we now have no shortage of anecdotes where this "game" delivered terror rather than comfort. In tonight's episode, we'll first examine some historical cases where there's a connection to Ouija and crimes. We'll then hear stories from a few of our listeners where a session with the board took a turn for the worst. The lesson here is that one should be extremely cautious if opening the door to the occult, as you never know what's waiting for you on the other side.
Reference Links:
In Flanders Fields a war poem by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
“The psychology of spiritualism: science and seances” from The Guardian
Ouija and Talking Board collector, historian, and expert Robert Murch’s website, RobertMurch.com
Robert Murch’s website on the Ouija board and William Fuld, WilliamFuld.com
“Detailed History of William Fuld and the Ouija Board” on WilliamFuld.com
Danzinger & Company’s ad for the Ouija board, from the Pittsburg Dispatch, February 01, 1891
Newspaper articles mentioned in the episode:
Related Books:
Brandon Hodge’s shops in Austin, Texas
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CREDITS:
Episode 191: Ouija Stories. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2020 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.