Mystic Info - Mediums/Psychics - Ouija

Ouija

A board and pointer used for divination and to contact the spirit world.

The name comes from the French for 'yes', oui, and the German for 'yes', ja.

The board, which has the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0 to 9, and the words 'yes' and 'no' printed on it, is placed on a table. Participants rest their fingertips lightly on the pointer, a heart-shaped device with three felt-tipped legs. One person poses a question, and the pointer is then supposed to move to answer the question.

Similar board-type instruments were used for divination in ancient China and Greece. In the mid-nineteenth century a similar device, the planchette, came into use in Europe. The modern Ouija board is marketed as a game, originally called 'Ouija Talking Board', and was developed in the late 1890s by an American, William Fuld, who sold the patent to the Parker Brothers game company in 1966.

Ouija boards became popular during and after World War I, when many people were desperate to communicate with friends and loved ones killed in the fighting. Parapsychologists regard the Ouija as a means to tap into the subconscious.