My New Ouija

"OUIJA BOARD" Definition:  

Oui·ja  [wee-juh or, often, -jee]  


"a device consisting of a small board, or planchette, on legs that rest on a larger board marked with words, letters of the alphabet, etc., and that by moving over the larger board and touching the words, letters, etc., while the fingers of spiritualists, mediums, or others rest lightly upon it, is employed to answer questions, give messages, etc."  

Last week, I was killing some time on my lunch hour, and went into a local antique store on Main Street in Barre.  I noticed a vintage Ouija Board that was marked with a sales tag of $50.00.  I kept thinking about owning it and yesterday, I went back in and purchased it - and discovered that the price had been reduced - to $30.00! 

The box is in fair condition, from a collector's standpoint, and was delighted to discover that the board itself, is in mint condition.  

The planchette has a crack in it and the felt on one leg (on the reverse side) is almost detached, but a dot of glue easily repaired it. 

Because I am new to owning a "Mystifying Oracle Board", I wondered why someone had stuck a nail in the center of the eye, until I searched online to discover that all planchettes have this.  

At first, I couldn't understand why someone would put a nail in the window... what did it mean?

I discovered that in the past it is believed that the first Ouija boards were constructed using coffin nails.  More importantly, I now understand that the nail serves as the center of the pointer.  This means that when a spirit supposedly chooses a letter, the nail should be centered over it. 

The Board that I bought was made in 1938.  I can't help but wonder if it would be appropriate to perform a cleansing of some type prior to using it.  

My mind swirls with many questions....

What if this vintage Ouija board was misused...

or....

Could old spirits be attached to this board, if someone didn't close the "door" properly? 

In essence, I believe that we do reap what we sow, and that if you enter into a session believing that evil or darkness will be the result, then you will have a negative experience.  However, I choose to believe that when I am ready to conduct a session, that my spirit will be filled with light and positive energy.  As with anything meaningful in life, the outcome will be the consequences of my actions. 

"According to the seed that’s sown, 
So is the fruit you reap there from, 
Doer of good will gather good, 
Doer of evil, evil reaps, 
Down is the seed and thou shalt taste 
The fruit thereof."  ~Samyutta Nikaya (Karma/Buddhism)

I am anxious to discover it's secrets!

The "Museum of Talking Boards" gives us the rules:

"Never play alone!

Never let the spirits count down through the numbers or go through the alphabet as they can get out of the board this way.

If the planchette goes to the four corners of the board it means that you have contacted an evil spirit.

If the planchette falls from a Ouija board, a spirit will get loose.

If the planchette repeatedly makes a figure eight, it means that an evil spirit is in control of the board.

If you should get an evil spirit, quickly turn the planchette upside down and use it that way.

The board must be "closed" properly or evil spirits will remain behind to haunt the operator.

Never use the Ouija when you are ill or in a weakened condition since this may make you vulnerable to possession.

The spirit of the Ouija board creates "wins" for the user, causing him to become more and more dependent on the board. Addiction follows. This is called "progressive entrapment."

Evil spirits contacted through the Ouija board will try to win your confidence with false flattery and lies.

Always be respectful and never upset the spirits.

Never use the Ouija in a graveyard or place where a terrible death has occurred or you will bring forth malevolent entities.

Witchboards are so named because witches use them to summon demons.

The very first Ouija boards were made from the wood of coffins. A coffin nail in the center of the planchette window served as the pointer.

Sometimes an evil spirit can permanently "inhabit" a board. When this happens, no other spirits will be able to use it.

When using a glass as a message indicator, you must always cleanse it first by holding it over a burning candle.

Ouija boards that are disposed of improperly, come back to haunt the owner.

A Ouija Board will scream if you try to burn it. People who hear the scream have less than thirty-six hours to live. There is only one proper way to dispose of it: break the board into seven pieces, sprinkle it with Holy Water then bury it.

If you must use a Ouija board, make your own. Arrange the letters and numbers, into a circle so whatever is trapped within that circle can't escape.

If you place a pure silver coin on the board, no evil spirits will be able to come through.

NEVER leave the planchette on the board if you aren't using it.
Lecherous spirits from the Ouija board will sometimes ask young women to do rather . . . ah, odd things. Ignore them and always remember that your Ouija partner (i.e. boyfriend) has nothing to do with this."  

Three things never to ask a Ouija board:

* Never ask about God.

* Never ask when you are going to die.


* Never ask where the gold is buried. -Museum of Talking Boards

Sugar Sweet Death

If you live in Vermont, you probably are aware that its name means basically “Green Mountains”.  [I suspect that it was named in the summertime, as it could very well have been dubbed Mount d’Orange if Samuel de Champlain first viewed our state in the fall or Montagnes Blanches in the winter.]

The Green Mountains are mostly made up of a variety of coniferous trees, yellow birch, American beech and the sugar maple (Vermont’s state tree).  It’s the latter three trees that dominate our landscape; however, the recipe also includes a dash of black cherry, basswood, red sumac and a splash of red oak at lower elevations and a pinch of lilacs and apple trees. This combination makes springtime blossoms in Vermont a very desirable place to be!

By about 1820, Vermont farmers were well enough established on the land that they had time to pay attention to their front yards, and a tradition was born.  

                

 

When a house was purchased or built for a newly married couple, Sugar Maple saplings were planted on either side of the yard, which signified the growth of their relationship.  One was planted for the husband, and one for the wife.

Known for being thrifty and penny-pinchers, Vermonters who settled these hills found another use for these plantings.  Tapping the tree during the spring to boil down for maple syrup. 

The frugal Vermonter would find it's final use for the trees - since one tree was planted for the husband and one for the wife -  these trees would be cut down when one of the spouses died, and used to build their coffin. - A special thanks to Allison Silvera Joyal for giving me this story. 

The Magical Maple

"Sacred to the Autumnal Equinox because of its fiery red and orange colors as its leaves turn -- a bold celebration of the season and the cycle of death and rebirth. Poised on the equinox, it is linked to both Libra and Virgo, Hazel and Ash. 

Maple's sacred bird is the Great Horned Owl who is herald of the coming Feast of Samhain with its magic and mystery. The owl is a bird associated with wizards and wisdom, and the bearing of messages in the night. 

In North America, especially in its northern parts, the Maple is a dominant tree with many varieties, including the sugar maple from which maple syrup was made by the Native Americans. 

As such it is associated with the life-giving sap of the trees, providing food and sweetness for those who treat it with respect and care.  The Autumnal Equinox is also known as the Feast of Mabon, dedicated to the reborn son-consort of the Great Mother, and to the Dying God of Norse myth, from whose body the world was made. 

Maple is a strongly masculine wood, somewhat rebellious and tough, but with a beautiful smooth grain; hard, yet excellent for carving. Well-suited to spells of sending and communication, binding, transmutations, creation, revolution, rebirth, healing, beauty, art, and abundance."

Dirty Laundry

Here's everything you never wanted to know about wooden clothespins, and how it relates to a Vermont gravestone.

Can you believe?  From 1852 to 1887, the U.S. patent office issued 146 separate patents for clothespins! The first design that resembles today's clothespin was patented in 1853 by David M. Smith, a prolific inventor from Vermont. 

Smith’s design was later improved by another patent in 1887 by Vermont inventor, Solon E. Moore.  Moore designed the  “coiled fulcrum,” made from a single wire, which joined two grooved pieces of wood in the middle of the clothespin. Moore’s version kept clothes and linens securely on the wash line; and it was cheap and easy to manufacture. 

 

Established in 1906 and operated until 2009, The National Clothespin Company Factory is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It was the very last manufacturer of wooden clothespins in the United States.  Today, wooden clothespins are now mainly manufactured and imported from China.  

The original site of the National Clothespin Factory, Montpelier, Vermont

Today

*W. Jack Crowell oversaw the company for decades.  As a lasting tribute to his life's work, he erected this very unique grave marker. I understand that he originally wanted a real spring in the clothespin so that children could teeter-totter and play on it.  His interesting headstone can be found in the Middlesex Center Cemetery.

August 26, 1924  - October 20, 1996

"Here lies old Jack Crow

It was too bad he had to go

While on this Earth he was Hell bent

And we knew some day he would up and went"

*Old Jack Crow would have been 89 years old, today.