This is the time of year when the thoughts of even the most straight-laced among us turn toward the otherworldly. Most people will play around the edges. They will tell ghost stories or visit “haunted” places telling themselves it’s all make believe. It’s harmless the way a zoo animal is harmless: there are barricades between you and the scary thing so you can feel safe.
The more adventurous might break out a Ouija board, half hoping something will happen, and completely freaking out when it does. That’s a bit riskier. It’s like finding a black bear wandering through the RV Park you’re camping at. It’s a real brush with wild nature but still within the relative safety of society.
When I was eleven I bought a Ouija board at a church flea market. I kid you not, a church flea market. I couldn’t believe it was just sitting there. My friend and I couldn’t wait to try it out. The next time I slept over her house I brought it with me and we went right to her room to see what all the fuss was about. Neither of us personally knew any dead people at the time and it was around the Bicentennial so we tried to contact one of the Founding Fathers. It might have been Jefferson or Franklin. I don’t remember. We were weird kids.
I will never forget when that planchette started moving. I accused her of pushing it and she accused me and we both came to the terrifying realization that something else was moving it.
We probably screamed. We were two eleven year old girls. I know we both backed away from that board. I think we threw a blanket over it. I’m not sure what we thought that would accomplish. We gathered it up, put all the parts, including the box, into a garbage bag, and took it outside to the trash can. There may have been some holy water thrown at it for good measure. Her mom was Catholic enough to have holy water in the house. We went back inside good and properly spooked. That experience cured her of dabbling. Me? not so much.
It got me curious. Once I calmed down and realized that nothing terrible had happened, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what could make that device move and what else was out there. It was my introduction to how much bigger and stranger the universe was compared to what I’d been taught and I wanted to explore it.
That exploration is not unlike a wilderness hike. There are dangerous things out there and you need to know how to avoid them or at least to not piss them off. An experienced guide is quite useful. An education of what is and is not safe is important. Understanding of and respect for entities you will encounter and the territory you will traverse is also key. There are plenty of cautionary tales about people who go into the wilderness unprepared or with misguided ideas about the threat posed by wolves and bears and things. There are also stories about people whose wits are damaged by wandering into the metaphysical wilderness unprepared.
So, this Halloween enjoy your ghost stories and haunted houses. Even play with a Ouija board if you dare. But, if you have your interest piqued by the experience, be sure to educate and prepare yourself before you take it any further.