Ghost hunters about the Ouija Board
August 19, 2008
 Ghost hunters about the Ouija |
Ghost hunters about the Ouija: If you’re thinking that a Ouija board, marketed for years as a parlor game by Parker Brothers, is too trivial for a serious group, think again. For paranormal investigators, it is a serious matter. SOURCE: |
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Meet the Texas Society of Paranormal Investigators. The meeting room at the back of the Gander Mountain outdoor outfitter store on the Eastex Freeway was crowded on a recent Saturday afternoon for a meeting of the Texas Society of Paranormal Investigators. The group, formed with the aid of an online meet-up site, began in early 2008 and is dedicated to the scientific investigation of things that go bump in the night – the world of spirits, hauntings and unexplained phenomena. Except for the TSPI logo and box of cupcakes topped with a cartoon ghost, there is nothing to distinguish the members of this group as particularly out of the ordinary. One couple also raises miniature show goats; another guy sports a “Jay & Silent Bob” t-shirt. Part of the discussion this night concerns details of upcoming Halloween and Christmas parties. Their common purpose, however, is an interest in the paranormal.Group leader Don Dennis is a burly truck driver who organized TSPI to conduct investigations. He points out the fact there is safety in numbers as one of his motives for starting it. “You never want to do this by yourself as a safety factor,” said Dennis. He traced his interest in the paranormal to “a couple of different experiences I had when I was younger.” Dennis stresses that his group exists to undertake serious investigations, often on behalf of property owners seeking explanations for things that may be beyond conventional wisdom. “Like the guy who wants to know why plates are flying across his kitchen,” he said by way of example. The TSPI manual contains a list of “The Official Standards and Protocols” that covers a range of topics. Some are basic, from “Respect private property, ask permission and do not trespass” to “Show reverence and respect in cemeteries, battlefields, historic sites, etc.” to “No running or horseplay at any site you are investigating.” Other protocols seem a little more exotic, including “Ask the spirits of the dead for permission to take their photos or to record their voices” and “Avoid shooting when foreign objects are floating near the camera lens.” One curious standard says: “We do not consider Ouija boards, dowsing rods, crystals or séances valid investigation tools.” If you’re thinking that a Ouija board marketed for years as a parlor game by Parker Brothers, is too trivial for a serious group, think again. For paranormal investigators, it is a serious matter. “I will tell everybody flat out, if I find out you’ve been playing with one or that’s what you’re into – (you’re) gone,” said Dennis when asked about Ouija boards. “The reason being that you have no control – if they actually do work – usually when you have some type of demonic activity, you can trace it back to somewhere in that time a séance or Ouija board was brought into play. That’s why I don’t play with them.” The question of demons called to mind another point. On the meet-up Web site, it allows users to click on other members and see what related topics interest them. An initial scan showed a number of those who signed up also expressed interest in topics including Wicca, pagans, and goddesses, to name three. A few days later, those members had disappeared from the site.”I purged them,” said Dennis. “If that’s what you’re into, that’s fine. But that’s not for our group … Because of their worship of spirits or whatever, some of them were in our group to find out places for them to go. I don’t put up with that.” This caution is understandable, considering another protocol from the manual: “If someone is angry, they should not be involved with an investigation. They could draw angry spirits and the other spirits will avoid them.” Dennis says such contingencies are always a consideration when dealing with the paranormal. “There is a possibility, a very slim possibility, say you have a thousand claims of paranormal activity, you may get one that’s even close to a demonic,” he said. For more information about upcoming TSPI activities. |
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