[Ed note-- While this file seems useful in some of its concepts, I
would highly recommend the excercise of both caution and prudence
as well as some form of 'magical' protection before attempting to
use Ouija boards for divination. --Amythyst]

General Topic : Channeling
Specifically : Divination Devices.

Picture a scene...
	Six young students; four women and two men.  Ages ranging
from seventeen to twenty-three.  All are sitting in a small
dormatory room.  One male sits on a bed near the door nervously
watching the group.  Two of the women sit on another bed; nearer
to the action.  One of these women wields a pen, busily writing
down the letters that the members of the group call out.  Within
arms- length two females and one male sit around a small table.
Thier eyes transfixxed on a small glass cup which upon each one
has a single finger resting.  The table is divided into many
sections; The alphabet lay scattered about in organized chaos
surrounding and crossing through words such as Yes, No, What, and
Why, among others.  The room's lights are slightly dimmed.  Even
though no one says it out loud, there is a great feeling of
expectancy.  Each of the six has a hidden reason for attending,
yet all are curious to play with toys that they were never
encouraged to play with as childred.
	Channeling a neither something new nor something old, it
is something that has always been.  The above scene is a picture
from memory.  Many times I have seen postings on this group and
others describing channeling as being demonic.  Now I'd like to
take a moment and describe my knowledge of channeling.  Hopefully,
this knowledge may open a few minds and give a new perspective to
an unaccepted social practice.

Basics:
	The diversity of channeling devices is astounding.  Almost
anything can be used to channel.  A channeling device is anything
that is used in conjunction with oneself in order to better
understand the messages one recieves.  Some of the more known
devices are tarot cards, Ouija boards, divination rods (the common
name escapes me for the moment), and autowriting.  There are
thousands of other devices used in conjunction with channeling.
No device has been proven to be effective in the interpretation or
amplification of channeled messages. (Professor Reich's device
excluded - as I've never read a proper report on it yet.)
	To narrow down a bit, I'll stick with the device
commercially called a Ouija Board.  The history of the board can
be found either on a boxxed set of the game or within the backlogs
of the forum.  I'll stick to the name Ouija Board hereafter, even
though many channeling boards are nothing like the game set.
	A ouija board can be of any size or dimension.  It can
contain words, numbers, letters, symbols, or anything else for
that matter.  The commercial set uses a plastic pointer with
felted bottoms to ease it's abilty to slide on it's board.  Some
people refer to the pointer as a planchette.  The pointer can be
almost anything that will easily slide on it's board's surface.
Glass vessels are often used.  Most- likely this is due two one of
two reasons: 1) the crystaline properties inherant to it's
structure or 2) it's a handy item that most people have around.
As to the board design; there are many.  Some people tend to stick
to the commercial set, while others design hand-carved wooden
tables with polished glass tops.  Blood is also used by some who
believe that once one becomes part of the board then they can
master it's power more easily and control it's forces better.

Preliminary Ceremonies:
	Sometimes a cloth is kept with the board to wipe it clean
of spiritual residue before and after the board has been used.
Mostly, it's a good idea to keep one's board free of dust so the
pointer can move freely.  Another practice is to dim the lights
and light a candle(s).  A prayer of protection is also used often
to protect the channeler from evil forces.  Many practices are
used, as there are too many theories and too few facts to give
people.  Most people are afraid and will do anything that they
think will aid and protect them.

The Act Itself:
	Initially a session begins with a number of people grouped
around a board.  The number commonly varies between two and four
members.  A common belief is that a person will be open to a
spirit's will if the person maniplulates the board alone.  The
initial cerimonies are preformed and each member of the group
places a finger or two on the pointer.  If there is no table then
the board is placed so that it touches the knees of each of the
members.  Usually a caller is determined, a person who is either
experienced with channeling or one who has a strong will.
Hereafter the session can go in a multitude of directions.  Common
practic is for the caller to ask if there are any spirits in the
room.  If there is no caller, then the channelers take turns
asking questions of the spirit; either verbally or mentally.

Some Facts About the Spirits: 
        [Ed. note-- refer to my comment at the beginning of this
        document.  Most deleterious effects can be avoided by
        working withing a 'protected' area.  --Amythyst]
    1.  Spirits do not know everything.
    2.  Spirits are mostly common folk.
    3.  Spirits cannot predict the future, although some would
        like to.
    4.  Spirits do lie.  They welcome the chance to chat and will
        tell a person anything to keep them on the 'line'.
    5.  People who channel often will have a greater following of
        spirits.  The reason being that spirits hang around hoping
        to chat; to somehow get a piece of what they miss while in
        thier non-corpral state.  This also extends to thier
        efforts to steal one's strength.  This can work for or
        against thepractitioner.
    6.  Each living person has a soul mate.  The purpose of this
        soul mate is unknown.  Maybe it is the guide that leads
        one's soul from thier body when one dies.
    7.  Most spirits are weak powerless entities.  Most 'evil'
        ones are good at scaring the channelers, somehow deriving
        pleasure from thier fear.  Very few of these have the
        strength to do anything more than talk.
    8.  Spirits are just like people; good, evil, neutral.  Most
        border on neutral with good tendancies.  Like others have
        expressed in this forum; people are not good or evil, only
        shades of grey.  Most spirits one meets while channeling
        meet this criteria.
    9.  Any spirit that must go through a channeler in order to
        come in contact with the living will be virtually without
        any strength.  This doesn't mean they will be powerless,
        it does imply that a spirit's strength in the living world
        is proportional to the strength (will) of the caller.
   10.  Most spirits talk of a corridor and that they cannot
        truely see or feel, but they can tell whether another
        entity is around and if the other entity has malicious
        tendancies.
   11.  Entities if asked about god, heaven, or hell will often
        either make no response or give a response of unsuredness.
   12.  Most entities can't spell very well.
   13.  Entities who have been "out of touch" for a long period of
        time will have problems relating to the living.  They tend
        to forget who they are, what it feels like to be alive,
        even what it means to be alive.  In essence they tend to
        forget that which they have little or no use for.

Observations:
	Devices such as Ouija boards are no better or worse than
any other such device that a practitioner uses as a focus.  For
once someone has mastered the ability to focus thier attention,
such devices will not be needed again.  Granted, no one likes to
abandon the one tool that most aided them on thier path of
learning.  Initially a person begins as a student, learning the
basics; like how to feel and how to tell the difference between
feeling true forces and non-true forces.  A true force is one that
is physical and can be measured (assuming one had the equipment or
resources).  Non-true forces are those that come from one's
imagination.
	The second level is when one can not only feel, but also
hear.  Usually one has to teach oneself to hear.  To hear one must
open thier mind to the speaking voices.  When one begins
channeling they cannot feel nor hear so thier limbs must be forced
to move a pointer on a board.  Breaking words down to thier
components (letters) is not always an easy task.  It is much
easier to hear a whole word then wait for the board to spell it
out for you.  Mostly what one needs to do is listen for the words
and guess at thier meanings, but never force the pointer to
letters.  If you're guess is correct then good, if not just keep
at it.  If your ability good enough or the spirit strong enough,
you will hear it's words of frustration when your guess is wrong.
Once you can hear words, sentences will not be far behind.
	The last level (surely not the last) is when the channeler
puts down thier device and no longer needs it.  When this happens,
the channeler can now see.  Like the other levels, seeing is an
enhancement of one's existing abilities.  To see one needs to have
found thier focal point.  To say it is a point of great power is
to under estimate it.  For each person the exact point is
different.  Once one can see, this ability will stay with them,
even if they give up the pratice of channeling.  Seeing covers
many areas; it is the visualization of auras, second sight,
travel, among many other things.  This level is a spring- board
point from which the channeler can easily move on to other
psi-related areas.

Expectations:
	Why does a ouija board directly/indirectly contact spirits
whereas tarrot cards only seem to flirt with spirits who know the
future and past?  The reason is that our expectations of these
devices are different.  When one uses a ouija board they expect to
contact a spirit (or non-tangable force).  If one thinks they will
come in contact with the devil, then maybe they will.  It's an
internal force that one deals with when channeling.  For this
reason, a novice can easily interpret a subconcious effort for a
true spiritual confrontation.  One's fears of meeting the ultimate
evil or one of his dominions can easily force one to perceive
fantasy for reality.  Likewise, if one expects that they will be
possessed by a spirit, then it may just happen, but it will be a
force of the mind rather than an exterior force.  These
possessions can be easily fixxed by giving the subject something
positive to focus on.  Many times self-induced possessions are the
result of depression.  Once the person has announced that they
have been possessed they will recieve companionship and the
attention of thier peers.  Given this attention most cases will
disapear.


Misconceptions:
	If you channel, you can easily be contacted by one [evil
entity] and not know it. [...]  Ouija boards are gateways for
entities, they especially are contacted by nasties because it's an
easy gateway for them to get through.  Remember, evil entities
will not seem evil all of the time - thier goals are to get to our
world and manifest.


	This is a clear case of the misconceptions that,
unfortunately, are taken as truth.  There are indeed such things
as evil entities, but channeled spirits are not always evil.  It
is just the evil ones that people find most worth noting.  One
thing that should be remembered is that a Ouija board is nothing
more than a device, you are the medium through which the entities
converse; the gateway is you.

Invitations:
	The invitation of entities may not be wise, for it
releases many forces.  A free entity, unless controlled, will most
often express it's presence in unexpected ways.  It's not that
freed entities are neccessarily evil, it just means that they have
been cooped up with no way to express themselves and thus tend to
be bit over-zellous. This in no way confirms the existance of
entities, it just means that there are forces at work that we do
not fully understand.  As stated before, one's expectations can be
an extremely powerful force.  When one expects an entity and
truely believes in it's existance, they may indeed fabricate one
from thier own will.  Whether this is a concious or subconcious
force is not clear, but it is believed that a person can induce
telekenetic forces from thier own will.

Poltergiests and Entities:
	One of the more famous encounters with forceful entities
is detailed in the Warren's book, The Demonologist.  The case
tells of a teenaged girl who took up playing with an Ouija Board.
The girl encountered an entity that claimed to be a sixteen year
old boy who had once lived near her prior to his death.  The girl,
being lonely, made contact with this spirit on a nightly basis,
trying to find out more about him.  She became romantically
attached to the spirit.  She told the entity that she wanted to
meet him and in doing so invited him to her world.  After this
calling her life and her family's was in constant termoil.  In
essence she had called forth a poltergiest; an entity of mischief.
The Warrens were called in and after a couple of weeks they
persuaded the entity to leave the family alone.

	In this case there are a few factors that stick out and
may have enhanced the encounter: a) The girl's loneliness and
possible depression, b) The age of the girl.  Emotions such as
loneliness and depression express themselves as darkened areas
(voids) in a person's aura (or bio-magnetic/electric field).  When
a person channels, they open themselves to the entities.  If a
void exists in one's aura it is not difficult for an entity to
merge it's energies with those of the channeler's.  The more a
person uses such a channeling device while in this state of mind,
the more chances the entity has to work itself into one's own
field; in essence it anchors itself and burrows in.  Once an
entity is "attached", it can do several things: a) Possession, b)
Gateway through, c) Bind.
	A possession occurs when an entity is able to burrow down
far enough to attempt to gain control of a person's internal
electrical relays.  Possessions have to be allowed, even asked for
in order that they may occur.  Living beings have what one would
term as "shields".  These shields protect one from being attacked
by low energy bursts (psi) or continuous low intensity fields
(entities).  When a person becomes depressed they begin to
internally weaken thier shields, thus inviting attacks by
entities.  One thing to note is that while one lives they cannot
fully drop all thier shields (unless trained).  Like any well
constructed machine, the human body has many redundant fail-safe
guard systems.
	The second possibility is gating.  A spirit, if given
enough oppertunities, can gate itself.  Gating of this manner
relate to the entity's ability to passthru the channeler's energy
field(s) and roam about the living world as they please. There's
one major flaw to a spirit gating itself; the entity's energies
are linked with the channeler's.  If the channeler works hard
enough to rebuild and strengthen thier aura, they can in effect
banish the spirit.  While linked to the channeler the entity
cannot roam far, and it's roaming range is severly limited.  Since
the entity would rather stay in the world of the living it may try
to prevent it's host (the channeler) from rebuilding his/her aura.
If an entity is desperate enough it will try almost anything to
keep it's host distracted and if possible try to drive the person
into greater depression so that it may establish a greater link.
Gatings of this nature are usually the result of incompatible
host/entity relations.  When an entity and it's host are
compatible they establish what is termed as a "link".
	A link is more complex than a gating because it involves a
willful merging of both the entity's and the channeler's auras.  A
link involves the sharing of energies as well as knowledge.
Compatibility of entity and host is essential because a link
boarders on gating and possession, but it requires cooperation
whereas the other two require force.  Links can lead to greater
understandings and manipulations of one's own psi-related
abilities.  [ Actually, when one channels, they are in essence
establishing a link.  Although a channel link differs in that the
link is less successible to coruption. ]
	The age of a channeler plays a strong factor in the
stability of one's connection.  Teenagers who dabble in channeling
usually do it based on an ulterior motive.  This most often being
due to the need for speaking to someone who understands what they
are feeling or experiencing.  It's also a time in one's life that
they seek to experiment and defy authority.  In essence it's a
time of great change, and with change comes much burden of
thought.  For some teenagers, channeling is a way to find a
friend.  For others it's a means of expressing thier inner
feeling, even some that they are not aware of.

Observations:
  1.  There are many perconcieved ideas reguarding Ouija boards.
      Some hold truth, while others are merely superstitious bull.
  2.  Women tend to participate in psi-related activities more
      than men.
  3.  The longer one practices channeling, the greater one feels
      they understand.
  4.  The after effects of channeling are sometimes more vivid
      upon reflection than when the event occurred.
  5.  "Seeing" does not necessarily mean vision, it implies
      understanding as well.
  6.  Insanity is a broad term that society lables paranormal
      activists; he who strays from the norm and delves in
      unexplained activities must have a few loose screws.
  7.  Generally, people enter into paranormal activities in hopes
      of finding out what it is exactly that makes them special.
      Everyone has a feeling that they have a special inner
      talent, something that is utterly astounding.  But, life
      comes with no manuals, no guide books to tell you what is
      life and why you are here.  You are intelligent and must
      figure that out on your own; no one will tell you or give
      you the slightest hint.

Conclusion:
	If one approaches channeling with an open mind they will
have little trouble understanding it.  Yet, one who has an open
mind is not one who is easily persuaded, it is just a person who
can look at all things as though they are new.  Looking at thing
without preconcieved ideas is not an easy task, but it can be
learned and once mastered one can see beyond most learned hatreds
and fears.
	Channeling is an art.  It is an ability that one must
strive towards.  It can be reached many ways including meditation;
which I haven't discussed.  And like most other psi-related
abilities, channeling is something anyone can do.  There are many
factors that can inhibit a person, the foremost being that of
thier programming.  From the point of conception, a child is
burdened with programming from it's parents, from society, and
from many other sources.  One theory is that children shy away
from thier inate psi abilities in favor of the positive
reinforcements from thier parents.  As people grow older and begin
making decisions for themselves, they tend to experiment to see if
they can gain back the abilities that they loss.  The bond between
mother and child may be a good example of this; the way a mother
can sense when her child is in danger.

Afternote:
	When I mention auras I am referring to a general term.  A
living person is nothing more than a glorified machine that
changes matter into energy.  Basic laws of physics say that energy
can never be loss, only transfered.  The human body is constantly
changing matter into energy and although a good bit of that is
used for the body, there is an amount of it that escapes the body
in the form of radiated energy.  Some of this energy stays near
the body in a concentrated form while other bits extend out into
fields.  There are several fields, some very distinct, while
others are widely dispursed and somewhat amorphus.  Based upon
dispersion, the layers differ in color and magnitude.  To say a
person's aura is a certain color is incorrect.  It is more to
correct that one's field is comprised of a greater amount of one
color than the other.  Either that, or people are referring to the
outer field.  The inner field is a great display of a multitude of
colors and shades.  It's this field that I'd guess healers look at
to see illnesses.  By way of comparrison one could look at the
reflection a gasoline gives, but an aura's colors are better
organized and filled with less darkness.  I'm sure many will
disagree, even say I'm completely wrong, but in my defense I can
only say that this is what I see.