Ghosts Among Us - James Van Praagh [65]
If EVP interests you, be aware that any time you delve into the unseen world, you may get more than you bargain for. The messages that come through can be frivolous or downright scary.
I will never forget the e-mail—and eventually a tape—I received in 1997 from an extremely upset young woman visiting my Web site to contact me for advice. Becky, who unfortunately didn’t know anything about EVP, was a musician and quasi-sound engineer who worked in a makeshift studio at her house in Santa Barbara, California. Several times a week, local bands would come into her studio and record. Late one night Becky was working on some tracks that had been laid down that afternoon. In the middle of the second song, she very distinctly heard a man’s voice quickly say, “Your father’s gonna die!” Becky played the track over and over. The words were on a very low tone level on the soundboard. She thought maybe one of the band members was playing a joke on her. So the next day, when the band came into the studio, she had them all listen to the playback. All of them were flabbergasted.
Becky told me, “My father and I had a falling-out, and we haven’t spoken in four years.”
“That’s interesting,” I said.
“Several months ago, I kept thinking of him. I wondered if I should buy a plane ticket and go back home to Iowa and visit so I could square things up with him.”
“Did you?”
“Work took all my time and energy. I never did get around to going back home.”
“Is the voice on the tape familiar?”
“No. I can’t identify it.”
Two days after our web chat, Becky got a phone call from her sister in Iowa. Her father had died.
It was obvious to me that a ghost had been trying to warn her.
OUIJA BOARD
The Ouija Board—or “talking board,” as it was originally called—is probably the most misunderstood divining tool in history. The original boards were first seen in the mid-1800s during the rise of Spiritualism. In those days, the talking board consisted of a large, dining room-size table with letters around the outer edge. A triangular-shaped indicator, or “planchette,” was used to point to the letters. People would place their fingers on the planchette and ask a question. The planchette would move from letter to letter, spelling out messages from the spirit world. Though the design and look have changed dramatically over the past one hundred years, the board is still used in the same way to contact the world of ghosts.
In 1966 Parker Brothers marketed the “Ouija Board” as a family game geared toward children. The company never really acknowledged its validity as a divination tool. As the Ouija Board’s popularity grew, many soon realized that it was hardly a children’s game. I believe that the Ouija Board has been the subject of many false tales of demonic possession, entity influence, and even schizophrenia owing to ignorance, misinformation, and various religious belief systems.
In truth, the Ouija Board can be used to help a person open up to his or her intuitive self. The principle is similar to using a crystal ball, pendulum, divining rod, tarot cards, runes, or several other tools designed for gaining insight. Using a Ouija Board for the right reason and in the correct way, a person can increase his or her sensitivity and gain spiritual insights. Used incorrectly, however, it can become a Pandora’s box, opening the user up to lower, unevolved entities and negative energy. Before delving into any type of metaphysical work, you need to have gained a full understanding of the instrument involved and a proper respect for what you are asking it to do. An ample amount of protection is also essential.
I first started using the Ouija Board over twenty years ago, and I have never had any problems with ghostly attachments or possessions or anything of a negative nature. In fact, I am sure a lot of you will be shocked to learn that I developed some of my mediumship skills of discernment by working with the Ouija Board.
Shortly after