Cream of the Crop 20/Cream of the Crop 20 (Terry Blount) (1996).iso/math/px1.zip/GHOSTFAQ.TXT

Text File | 1996-06-17 | 56KB | 924 lines

Compiled from the Alt.ghost.folklore newsgroup FAQ

Here's the outline of the FAQ.  To try to make the FAQ easier to search,
I've used the following key:
A = Answer
Q = Question
S = Subject

I. The Ouija Board
 Q2.0 What is a ouija board?
 A2.0  A ouija board is a game in which messages are supposedly communicated
      by the dead to or through the players of the game.  [Note: some people
      consider the ouija to be "more than just a game," but it is marketed
      as a game, and for purposes of convenience it will be referred to here
      as a game.]  The playing pieces consist of a game board (like a
      Monopoly board) and a pointer, called a planchette.  The game board
      has all the letters of the alphabet written on it.  The numbers 0-9
      are also usually included, along with yes/no and hello/goodbye spaces.
      The layout of a typical board looks something like this:
 _________________________
|                         |
|A B C D E F G H I J K L M|
|N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z|
|    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  |
|YES/NO             HI/BYE|
|_________________________|
      The pointer is made of plastic or glass, and either points to the
      letters with one end or has a clear window embedded in it through
      which one can view the letters.
       To play, two or more people lightly touch the pointer and concentrate
      on a question.  The pointer will (hopefully) move and point to letters
      and numbers which will provide answers to your questions.
       Ouija boards are also known as "witch boards" and "talking boards."
      The nickname "ouiji" or "weejie" is also used quite a bit.
 Q2.1 A lot of people on this group say the ouija board is evil, and to
      stay away from it.  Is this true, and should I stay away?
 A2.1  Since it's nearly impossible to merge the two views on this
      topic, I've tried to accurately sum them up here:
      * The ouija board is not any more evil than your Monopoly board.
It's just a toy, a piece of cardboard, and any "evil" force you
feel emanating off it is purely a result of your imagination.
Yes, the pointer does work, but that's the result of tiny
involuntary physical movements, and the messages you see are coming
from your subconscious or psychic mind.
      * The ouija is in fact a powerful tool, and its powers cannot, and
should not, be written off entirely as your subconscious.
Inexperienced ouija users are especially prone to being affected by
malevolent forces which communicate through the board, often
masquerading as a departed loved one.  The best way to avoid this
sort of thing is not to use the board at all.
 Q2.2 Where can I buy a ouija board?  Failing that, how can I make one?
 A2.2  You can, in the U.S. anyway, find a ouija board in a toy store or a
      game store.  You might also be able to find one in a large bookstore.
      Parker Brothers make a nice, relatively cheap, model.
       To make a board, arrange all the letters of the alphabet on a smooth
      surface.  You might also want the words "yes", "no", and "goodbye",
      as well as the numbers.  Use something that glides easily over the
      surface (like a glass) to use as a pointer.  Now, place your fingers
      (this works best with a friend, by the way) gently on the glass and
      concentrate.  Hopefully the glass will start to move and point to
      various letters, which will form words and sentences.  Oh yeah, it
      helps if you ask a question first.
 Q2.3 Are there any 'rules' I should follow when using the Ouija board?
 A2.3  If you consider the Ouija board as just another toy, then there are
      no hard and fast rules to follow.  Holding on to the pointer helps,
      though. :)
       If you believe that you are really contacting spirits through the
      board, you might want to follow a few basic guidelines.  Here are
      some that I've gleaned off the net and from other sources:
      * Use a silver coin as the planchette (pointer), or wear an article
made of silver.  The silver is supposed to protect you from harmful
spirits.
      * To improve "reception", use a solid wood board, and work in male-
female pairs.
      * Draw a circle around you and the board, or make a circle of candles.
Concentrate on creating a safe, protected place as you do this.
Some people believe that spirits must stay outside this circle.
Also, a well-lit area is said to drive away evil spirits.
      * Always say goodbye to the entity you are talking with when you want
to end a session.  If you don't say goodbye, and the spirit doesn't
reply in kind, he may be trying to stick around, maybe to make your
life miserable.  Additionally, do not explicitly invite the spirit
to enter someplace, since this will make it hard to get rid of him
later.
      * It helps to have one additional person (not touching the planchette)
present to transcribe the session.  Sometimes the pointer starts
moving too fast for you to read and process the words it's spelling
out.  The transcription might also be helpful later on so you can
look back on what happened.  Another way to transcribe is to have
    someone call out the letters to a tape recorder.
      * Don't take anything the spirit says literally.  Ouija boards are
famous for lying or otherwise giving false information.
 Q2.4 What does "ouija" mean?
 A2.4  The word "ouija" is actually a combination of two words, the french
      word "oui" and the German word "ja."  Both words mean "yes" in eng-
      lish.
 Q2.5 A Brief History of the Ouija Board
 A2.5 From [e-mail] (Thomas Grotenhuis):
      The ancient Egyptians used a device LIKE a ouija board.  They used a
     ring attached to a strand of thread, held over a circular table with
     symbols on it, and the ring would strike the table to spell out ans-
     wers.
      The Ouija board, the kind we see in toy stores today, came about in
     1889 when William Fuld of Baltimore, Maryland, and his brother Isaac,
     marketed Ouija boards to the American public.  They had a small
     operation and the board was the hottest item they would ever produce.
     People bought the board not as a game, but as a device with which they
     would talk to their loved ones killed in battle (note the two World
     Wars happening; this was where the board's popularity really soared).
     During this time, the fad spread, and so did Ouija's notorious
     reputation as being more than just a "game."
      Finally in about 1960 or thereabouts, Parker Brothers approached the
     two Fuld brothers since they were having trouble making enough boards
     to satisfy the demand for them.  PB then took over the rights to the
     ouija board and the rest, as they say, is history.
      Ouija came about as kind of a by-product of the whole spiritualist
     craze that was all the rage in the early 1900's, and during Houdini's
     time as he debunked many 'mediums'.  Table-tipping was being done back
     then, and a Frenchman, who's last name was "planchette", produced a
     device that looked like a small table like a ouija pointer, that stood
     on two small stilts and a pen or pencil at the third point.  The
     operator would sit with his hands as lightly as he could resting on the
     planchette, this device named after it's inventor, and the thing would
     move, producing writing.
      Ouija replaced the messy planchette (the writing was messy cursive
     scrawls) when a board was used in place of the sheet of paper, and all
     three stilts on the planchette were covered with felt enabling it to
     slide in any direction.  This made the communications fast, clear, and
     easy.  And specifically meant to be done with a partner, "gentleman
     and lady preferred."

II. Famous Hauntings and Spooky Spots

 S3.1 The Amityville Horror
       The Amityville Horror, although now considered a hoax, is one of the
      most famous "hauntings" of all time.  The small house in Amityville,
      New York was made famous in the mid-70s when George and Kathy Lutz