In the USA anyway you do not need the Vatican's approval for the right of exorcism. All Catholic Bishops can do it, and, many more priests have been specially trained in this in Rome. As a matter of fact, more priests today are being asked to become exorcists along with their other duties as priests.

It's a little late to be warning us about ouija boards.That's so yesterday.

Don't mess with that stuff!!!! You will get a lot more than you bargained for. Once the demons are unleashed, and you can't get rid of them on your own, it will be very difficult to have a REAL exorcism performed. You must get permission from the Vatican itself. The road travelled to get that far will be strewn with obstacles that will probably get you committed to a mental hospital before you get the help you really need, and the demons will continue to torment within the confines of a padded cell. You have been warned.

I wish all these board Burn 24/7/365 Worldwide

Playing with a Ouija board is very dangerous. It is inviting things that are beyond our comprehension into our own home, and, unlike a thief, it's not that easy to get those things out.

Three points. I have two friends who are exorcists, who have said blantantly that the Ouija board is a door to satanic influences. In exorcisms, they have discovered demonic activity in people and around people coming directly from the Ouija board.

When I was in college, I was at a retreat, believe it or not, where a student brought in a Ouija board. As I went up to it, and some others were encouraging me to do this "game", the board turned colors, like leds, which did not exist then. I stepped back and told the others to get away from the board and not touch it. Some were so shocked they stepped back, thankfully.

I know of three houses in the States which were infected with demons because the inhabitants had been involved with Ouija boards. It took an exorcist to clean out one of the houses, and the other two are most likely still infested.

Here is an article from one exorcist on this, giving a short reference:

http://www.catholicmessenge...

and Fr. Chad Ripperger, the most eminent exorcist in the States notes some demonic activity "doors" in modern culture found here: if you listen, either pay the dollar or pound, or say a decade of the rosary for this priest.

Conference on Exorcism on YouTube

These media files are Penanceware, which require that you do one of the following: (1) $1.00 via Paypal (http://www.sensustraditioni...,
(2) offer up a decade of the Rosary, or (3) perform some form of
penance for the intentions of Fr. Ripperger (for each individual media
file downloaded). The same rule applies if you copy and distribute to
friends.

i mentioned that....no problem. And, when I have linked him on my blog, I also note that.

I played with a Ouija board when I was a kid and never then and since have I ever believed it was anything but nonsense. Next think you know I'll be hearing of the evil of fortune cookies.

I have never knowingly been in the same room as a ouija board but I'm quite sure it's nothing more than a toy, albeit a toy intended to trick gullible people into handing over cash in exchange for being told some silly story. The same goes for tarot cards, crystal balls and all the rest of the fortune teller's paraphernalia. For further details, watch Hitchcock's Family Plot.

Actually the Catechism of the Catholic Church implies that using Ouija boards is sinful. Paragraph 2116 of the Catechism says "All forms of divination are to be
rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other
practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future.
Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens
and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all
conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last
analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden
powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe
to God alone."

More importantly, the BIBLE (you know, the book the church is supposed to be based on) says it is sinful to attempt to contact the dead in anyway.

On the other hand, a holy priest once explained to me that our deceased loved ones may remain with us through the Communion of Saints, especially at Holy Mass, and especially during Holy Communion. We are in the same Church after all; we in the Church Militant; they in either the Church Suffering (Purgatory) or the Church Triumphant (Heaven). Those with whom we have been much connected in this life, as well as the great saints, of course, whom the Church recommends to us at mentors and patrons. As such we may ask our loved ones who have undergone death for their prayers, promise to pray for them, and assure them of our love for them in Jesus. (That is all: we don't ask them questions or try to get them to tell us things.)

I Would never want be same house with that Cursed Board

Jojo I think that phrase from the Cathecism to be very important: "a desire for power over time, history, and in the last analysis, other human beings"
That encapsulates perfectly everything wrong with the use of these stupid, dangerous things.

Actually, what the Catechism forbids is superstition. That is, believing that supernatural powers are manifested in certain objects and materials. There is no problem with a Ouija board itself. It only becomes problematic when foolish people believe it has supernatural powers. It is a board, a game, a piece of wood. Nothing else.

WRONG.

The Church forbids any involvement with the occult. Read Jojo's comment.

The Ouija board is occult.

The devil would like nothing better than that you believe that the Ouija board is a "game", or yeah, the other thing he doesn't want you to believe is that he doesn't exist.

I go through life not worrying about things that go bump in the night, nor do I believe that having a conversation with the dead can be anything but one way.

The power of a Ouija board is only coming from those who ascribe power to it. You may as well blame a mirror for what you see in it.

You shouldn't speak about something that you know little about.

Off slightly at a tangent, it is as if the "purifiers " of the Reformation left a void which has been filled in the most peculiar ways. Firstly, an upsurge in witchhunting in the 16th and 17th centuries. Alongside all that, a growth in Deism and freemasronry which evokes mystery, ritual and ceremony (and threat) in its make-up which far exceeds anything in medieval Catholicism. Then, in the 18th century, a madness for all things "gothic", lots of ruins and evil monks, as if their world was haunted by their crimes. Then, alongside the growth of modern science, a sudden growth in Spiritualism, where the gullibilty of the likes of Crookes and the apostate Conan-Doyle far exceeded that of a medieval Catholic peasant.
Bram Stoker, from a firmly Unionist and protestant background, also in those times, presented the world with his Dracula--- almost a parody of the incorruptibility of some saints. His book, however, is replete with very favourable references to Catholic sacramentals, and his hero, Van Helsing, has as his invisible advisor and helper, a Catholic priest, from who we can only assume, he obtained the host and crucifix. A haunted protestant world, confused about its origins and its losses--- and its guilt. Communal denial.
Ho hum. I'm off to bed. God bless us all.

"Then, in the 18th century, a madness for all things "gothic", lots of ruins and evil monks, as if their world was haunted by their crimes".

The Romantic movement was inspired by the excavation in Rome of numerous grottoes, from which we get the word grotesque. I agree that some of this fervour was a replacement for the mysteries of Catholicism, and if you accept Eamonn Duffy's premise in "The Stripping of the Altars", Protestantism wasn't a popular uprising against a decadent and out of touch church, but a top down imposition from a wealthy English elite.

True blinky. Spread the word about Eamonn Duffy's works.

P.S. And then consider the "richness" of what New Age speculation has brought us to?

My brother in S Africa was at a party in his youth where some people were playing with a ouija board. Just to be mischievous, he threw his rosary on it (which he always carred around with him). The glass apparently spun off and smashed against a wall.

Yeah, yeah, coincidence - NOT!

Oh for the love of God; such nonsense.

Interestingly the law as it applies in England and Wales did take this type of thing seriously:
"The Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951 was a law in England and Wales which prohibited a person from claiming to be a psychic, medium, or other spiritualist while attempting to deceive and to make money from the deception (other than solely for the purpose of entertainment). It repealed the Witchcraft Act 1735, and it was in turn repealed on 26 May 2008 by new Consumer Protection Regulations following an EU directive targeting unfair sales and marketing practices.

There were five prosecutions under this Act between 1980 and 1995, all resulting in conviction."

The 1951 Act came somewhat late.
After WW2 some of the large number of the bereaved sought solace by using "mediums" to "contact" their dead. These gullible people (the bereaved) were greatly and shamelessly exploited.

The growth in mediumship was after world war one, a senseless slaughter in which ostensibly Christian countries attempted to annihilate one another over land. Is it any wonder people looked beyond the churches for solace?

Skeptics enjoy a good rant about exploitation by mediums. Atheists insist there is no after life, no higher meaning, no free will and that we're meat robots imagining our brief existence of love and friendship, pain and sorrow, empathy and antipathy, before permanently conking out, and they have the temerity to say people pushing hope are being exploitative!

I would counsel the grieving not to look for "proofs" provided by mediums because the proof is in our hearts, but concern from nihilists about people seeking hope is a bit rich!

The Witchcraft Act was used to convict Helen Duncan. She supposedly predicted the sinking of HMS Barham in November 1941. The real concern of the authorities was the damage to morale that the mendacious Duncan could cause.
As far as ouija boards are concerned I cannot think of a good reason to use one. Their use really is stupid and dangerous as well.

Duncan didn't predict the sinking of the Barham, the figure of drowned sailor appeared at one of her seances. The loss of the Barham was already known to a small admiralty elite, and they considered Helen Duncan a threat to national security.

One of the senior officers sent to debunk the medium changed his mind when his late mother appeared at a sitting. Whatever one thinks of mediumship, I think Duncan was treated very shoddily in resurrecting an ancient witchcraft act that even those who invoked it didn't believe in.

Thank you Blinky.
I don't write from the point of view of a sceptic, with regard to Duncan however I think the evidence suggests she was a fraud. I agree, the treatment she received was wrong.

It's impossible to say whether Duncan was a fraud, because an army of guerilla skeptics change public access information, especially Wikipedia, to eliminate all reference to unusual phenomena.

Photographs of sittings suggest "ectoplasmic" phenomena were contrived, but some accounts reckon Helen Duncan was the real deal. I suspect she may have had mediumistic skills which became debased over time by an expectation to perform on demand - I think something similar happens with religious visionaries. Whatever the reality, aggressive pseudo-skepticism has rendered the internet useless as a resource on the subject.

For anyone who doesn't know the prayer to St. Michael, or the Fatima prayer - both are very apt for when we find ourselves confronted by evil and I would encourage you to learn them:

(St. Michael Prayer)
St Michael, Archangel, defend us in the day of battle,
be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil,
may God rebuke him we humbly pray,
and do thou, Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust down into Hell Satan and all other evil spirits,
who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

(The Fatima Prayer)
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of Hell,
and lead all souls into Heaven,
especially those who have most need of thy mercy. Amen.

I said both of these repeatedly once, just a few months ago, when a former flatmate of mine was giving another flatmate a Reiki "healing" (these prayers also gave me the grace from God to confront them both on the matter, although both are still lapsed Catholics): Reiki, hypnosis, some forms of Yoga and eastern meditation DEFINITELY have potential to be diabolic, even psychoanalysis and "mindfulness" (attempting always to focus on the present moment to the exclusion of any past or future concerns) can distract us from prayer and from the voice of God, or lead us to think that the values of the world are "just as good as" the values of the Church, and that the Church isn't the ONLY means of salvation, and going to Mass isn't REALLY important, etc.

With those kinds of thoughts, even coming from something as apparently harmless as psychological help and counselling (psychoanalysis) and focusing on the present to reduce anxiety (mindfulness) a Catholic can lose their faith over time if they are not careful, and the devil can get a foothold in the soul.

Then if you get into Ouija boards, the occult, hallucinogenic drugs (including cannabis) pornography and/or adulterous sex then it's downhill from there and there are COUNTLESS souls in the grip of these vices who need our prayers and help.

I remember as a child having to dress as a vampire, werewolf or Frankenstein's monster for Halloween because my mother would not let me dress as a devil. Looking back on that now I am glad she didn't, in fact it might have been better had we never done anything for Halloween at all in our house (but no parents are ever perfect and I'm not sure what my sisters would have made of that so I understand my Mum having compromised) but I think if I ever have children I will do what I can NOT to do anything for Halloween with them; except maybe to take them to a vigil Mass for the feast of all Saints and/or say a Rosary together!

Sancte Michael ora pro nobis.

"maybe to take them to a vigil Mass for the feast of all Saints and/or say a Rosary together"
followed by loads of sweets to celebrate all the saints we have in heaven to help us out and dressing up as your favourite saint.

I'd never thought of that!

You are infinitely more likely to be of interest to Slubgob, Toadpipe and the rest as you calculate your own self-interest before voting next May, than you are when playing with a child's (and childish adults', apparently) board game.

Oh, dear... I suppose you want us to vote for the members of Emily's List, the sole condition for membership of which is that you approve of abortion?

It's NOT a child's board game.

Technically, it is. The point is that people use it with the complete intent of communicating with spirits. As such, the church teaches that this is sinful as attempted contact with the dead is an abomination. From a more spiritual perspective, any attempts to contact a spirit could result in a demonic entity latching onto you. The churches teaches that demons are everywhere. As mentioned before, you would be just as likely to encounter a demon in a mirror, tree, or plate of spaghetti - it really comes down to the authority you put into that object to be a conduit for a demon to latch onto you.

Well it is. But I've amended my post to read "Child's (and childish adults'...)"

I remember reading an essay of GK Chesterton's in which he said that the "spirits" summoned up by the Ouija board always gave mischievous messages; messages that would make the recipient worried.
This is true from the stories I have had knowledge of.
For example, I once offered a lift to a colleague in my car. She visibly shrank away and declined. It turned out she had received a message from a Ouija board "dabbling" that she would die in a red car. My car was red.
And another friend of my father's was told he would die by falling down a lift-shaft. so he avoided lifts for a bit which made his life very difficult, but ultimately went in them and he didn't die in this way, but from cancer.
I think that if you want to summon up spirits, they will never be the good but the wicked and you will get nothing but troublesome and mischievous messages to ruin your peace of mind.
"Do not look for them unless you want them." GKC

I couldn't agree more. Many years ago, in my very materialistic(and mischievous) days, I found myself invited to join in a ouija session which another had previously planned. I experimented with it by fully intending to push the glass gently in the direction of my desired letter. It required a totally imperceptible resistance or inclination. Once the glass was moving the friction to be overcome was minimal and it was very easy to steer by my own finger pressure even though many fingers were on that glass. They "co-operated". God forgive me, but I was very mischievous, and the trivial responses which I engineered were taken as "the real thing" by many present. I did not confess my culpability for fear of being torn limb from limb by the disappointed seekers after trivial truths.
As regards the Devil? ||My later experiences in life have taught me that he is willing to use whatever is most effective, naive things for the simple, and great subtlety with those who must be more subtle and as innocent as a dove.

I'm amazed you could get away with directing the glass? It would have been spotted surely as the whole extraordinary thing is the ease with which it moves and most definitely without guidance.
I have to admit I was asked to make up a four for the Ouija Board when at University many moons ago and I reluctantly went. The glass most definitely moved by itself and I left the session in alarm as the glass spelled out my initials backwards (and no-one there knew my second name) as there was a "message" for this person symbolised by these odd letters.
My friends at University were fairly cross with me for breaking it up. I just walked out before I could be contaminated.

I can only relate my own experience Nesbyth. I presume the explanation must be something like this: mine was the only finger with "intention". The others, at the start, sought a neutral touch, but at my barely detectible pressure they yielded, but necessarily followed. This alternation between seeking a neutral touch and following, constituted a slight but real pressure x 5. I certainly sought to guide it towards certain letters. Let us imagine I successfully managed to spell NES in your company. Everyone would then seek out the B--Y--T--H even prior to the movement. Added assistance.

One way to test it all would be to use a glass on a smooth surface with the aid of four friends. No letters. No ouija. Just a desire to test the "moveability " of a glass on such surfaces with one intentional finger, and four neutral touches.
All that being said, I am no longer a materialist! I most definitely believe in a "spiritual realm" and would as soon take part in a ouija session today as I would plunge my hand into boiling water.
The devil doesn't mind being a cliche too, so long as it helps his cause.

Is there a prize for a repetition of the Big Bang--- or even your unique self and experiences, Meena?
It is true that I cannot know my finger was the only intentional one, Meena, but I am not a bad judge of character and I judged the curiosity of the others present, and considered their neutral touch to be probable.
Like the gardeners on tv programmes you do make simple things unnecessarily complicated. As Bette Midler said to her umpteenth husband when told that his favourite dish was stuffed mushrooms, she replied, "Life is too short."
Though it may not have been Bette Midler.
Is there any reward on offer for presenting the Committee with God in a jar?

Bette Midler married just the once and has a daughter, as far as I know.
You could have been referring to Bette Davis.

No, it's really very simple: all this talk about ouija boards being demonic is utter tosh and can be demonstrated so to be.

As one who has spent a working life in education and research I believe that the debunking (and all attempts thereof) of nonsense is of great importance. When we see it rearing its ugly head we have a duty to do what we can.

Good night

"I believe that the debunking (and all attempts thereof) of nonsense is of great importance".

There's a huge difference between debunking and disproving. Debunking is airing prejudices against things we disapprove of. It's generally passive and requires no expertise. Disproving is a scientific activity that requires knowledge and endeavour.