The Ouija Board: A Postmodern Trickster Archetype for the Paranormal World

Everything's foreseeable. Everything has already been foreseen. What has been fated cannot be avoided. Even this boiled potato, this fork. This chunk of dark bread. This thought too....
My grandmother sweeping the sidewalk knows that. She says there's no God, only an eye here and there that sees clearly. The neighbors are too busy watching TV to burn her as a witch.
--Charles Simic, from his Pulitzer Prize winning book of poetry, The World Doesn't End

A trickster is an omnipresent mythological and Jungian archetypal character defined as a clever, crafty mischief-maker, whose aim it is to survive in a threatening environment by use of non-traditional, mundane or magical means and pranks.

Easily recognizable traditional, cultural, and classical literary tricksters include court jesters and harlequins, Rasputin, the kokopelli, Brer Rabbit, fairies, Parsifal, Pan, skinwalkers, witches, St. Germaine, and Count Cagliostro. Modern incarnations of the trickster continuum include: Amelia Bedelia, Bugs Bunny, Bart Simpson, Star Trek's enigmatic Q, the Borg, Dr. House, Wile E. Coyote, evil clowns, Pink Panther, Aleister Crowley, Andy Kaufmann, Elvis, Gilligan, Lucy Ricardo, John McEnroe, Harry Potter, Britney Spears, and perhaps the Grand Poobah of modern day tricksters, Michael Jackson.

Contemporarily, the trickster persona, as it is perceived and created within both our media and develops culturally within our 'real lives', retains its traditional qualities, but also seems to have taken on almost a happy martyr, sin-eater type of tone, as the trickster becomes an outlet of expression by proxy with permission (although this may be veiled or superficially negated) for the pent-up dysfunctions, negativities, evils, and frustrations of his/her/its immediate 'good' and functional close populations and society.

Tricksters are not actually evil or bad, although there are always rumors, conspiracies, outright accusations and assumptions, and/or a general aura of evil or badness (or sometimes, but more rarely, stupidness) surrounding or attached to the trickster. This is an essential quality of the trickster, and it is very highly visible and important quality in the modern trickster persona.

The morality and general integrity of Dr. Gregory House is almost always at the forefront of each episode of House, MD. The recent "bad parenting" issues of both Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, along with their other outrageous, socially unacceptable behaviors (obviously, the sexual abuse accusations of Jackson fall into quite another realm, but even then, the ambiguities, mysteries, non-verdicts, and antics found within seem to only strengthen his role as uber-dark-trickster) reflect this aura of evil.

The brilliant comedian Andy Kaufmann's bizarre, violent boxing-ring, saloon-style catfights with women onstage, along with his descent into profoundly uncomfortable existentialist meltdowns during his stand-up act (which was part of the act) led to his marginalization within the entertainment world, then even caustic he-faked-it-for-the-ultimate-hoax conspiracies and rumors after his tragic, premature death.

Harry Potter, who although obviously is a modern day trickster, is at his core a classic trickster persona, in that he essentially plays an unwitting Parsifal-esque role. Harry is overwhelmingly seen as a Hero, but carries great underdog and classic Fool qualities. Harry triumphs over all seemingly insurmountable hardships and trials (as exampled in the treacherous Triwizard Tournament) as a mostly reluctant participant using his wits and unlikely tactics to overcome adversities. Even within his role as unquestioned Hero, however, there is a great darkness about Harry. It was revealed, that via a backfired Killing Curse, a part of the evil Voldemort's soul accidentally flew into Harry, giving him some access to the Dark Lord's psyche, and the gift of Parseltongue, the ability to communicate with snakes.

Even outside the literal storyworld of Harry Potter, perhaps because of its unprecedented popularity and influence on culture, the idea of evil, moral controversy, and dark conspiracies have attached to the Harry Potter brand itself; not only is the character Harry Potter a trickster, but the books and films themselves have taken on the role with the allegations of Satanic/and or impure origins by conservative Christians and others concerned with such dynamics.

So, if the trickster figure isn't really evil or bad, what is it? The trickster carries a great sense of hyper-duality, complexity, is ineffeably mysterious and sometimes androgynous and/or bisexual. The trickster is an ambiguous (threateningly so sometimes) outsider, a socially unreliable rule-breaker in that he/she/it comprises particular sacred or established social norms(that may be ultimately in need of breaking, or on the brink of collapse or mass confrontation.)

Modern cultural trickster figures seem to be very much in line with court jesters. The trickster fills a desperate, essential need; it is a marginalized vessel into which our unattractive, dysfunctional, or scary qualities can be dumped, processed, and confronted at a safe distance. Our reaction to the modern trickster is usually one of exhaustive annoyance mixed with amused disgust, usually masking a fairly transparent, inexplicable attraction.

Britney Spears, with her over-the-top fairy tale fame story, glamour girl stardom, mixed with her trailer park, hillbilly, "We're country" identity, perfectly expresses the impossible duality present within the trickster. Michael Jackson too, with his early unprecedented 1980s moonwalk-era superstar megafame, juxataposed with his horrifying 1990s physical and personality transformations and wild eccentricities, and sexual ambiguities are both repulsive, but somehow engage us in spite of, or perhaps ironically, because of our better judgement. We desire, need, and create the trickster characters to suit our collective psychology, whatever that may be.

The trickster doesn't have to be a character or persona-it can be anything that fits the bill. The early Burning Man event, punk rock music and culture, and rap music and hip-hop culture can all be read to fit within the trickster mythos for the larger mainstream masses.

The enormously controversial Wikipedia can even be seen to have trickster qualities, as well as the internet itself. Interestingly, both of these non-living-characters do possess a classical trickster quality of duality, untrustowrthines, and especially, shape-shifting. The changeability of Wikipedia and the internet itself are arguably their most reviled characteristics.

Within the ever-growing paranormal community, which includes but is in no way limited to: ghost-hunters, demonologists, mediums, clairvoyants, channelers, and the like, there is now a fully developed mythology surrounding the Ouija Board that offers a precise, rather unwavering structured narrative, that goes somewhat like this:

Although marketed as an innocent game by Parker Brothers, the Ouija Board is not a toy, but a powerful tool of the occult , that when used, opens an uncontrollable portal into the spirit world, and provides lower astral and negative entities an entryway into the home and even bodies and psyches of those participating in Ouija divination. There are no good stories about the Ouija Board. Rather, there are accounts of the planchette spinning out of control around the board, ensuing poltergeist activity, "bad luck", curses, and even demonic possession associated with the aftermath of Ouija Board use. One should not even have a Ouija Board in their house-they are evil.

As a close observer and participant of the paranormal community, my estimation is that approximately 80-90% of all formal and informal dialogue and narratives surrounding the Ouija Board contains a negative, warning view, and contains most of, or at least some of the canned dialogue within the above statements.

The whole Ouija Board thing has been made into a pretty big deal. Recently, On Coast-to-Coast AM with George Noory, Mr. Noory dedicated an entire show simply to decide upon whether or not to finally conduct his much hyped "Ouija Board Special" show, in which a Ouija Board was going to be used in the studio, in a sealed room, by experienced, competent paranormal profesionals. The drama that ensued within the debate was really unbelieveable. With a grandiose announcement, Noory ultimately decided not to do the show (which seems almost oxymoronic, as the "deciding" show itself was actually entirely dedicated to the Ouija.)

From paranormal writer Stephen Wagner in his wonderful article at about.com, Coast- to-Coast's Ouija Experiment in Fear:

So why did George back out? Because, he told his audience, of strange things that have happened in the previous weeks: People getting into car crashes, People getting trapped in the St. Louis Arch (where he lives,) his daughter is pregnant and she miscarried during a previous pregnancy, an earthquake in Indonesia, and a previous guest's mother had died. I cannot emphasize how crazy these reasons sound to me as someone who takes paranormal phenomena seriously. For one thing, these kinds of things happen every day. How is a radio Ouija experiment possibly responsible? Second, four of the five events took place before the experiment - not during or after.

And, to clarify, the "radio Ouija experiment" Wagner refers to was merely a hypothetical one to make his point-as the Coast-to-Coast experiment never even took place. What Wagner refers to is just the tip of the iceberg too. The whole show was absolutely packed with emotional admonishments and pleas from guests and callers to forgo the experiment, and some even implied the fate of the world was in George's hands with this decision. It's clear that there is a great deal of faulty logic at hand, and high drama bordering on hysteria. The Coast-to-Coast hoopla over the Ouija Board really seemed to both express the sentiments and cement the status of the Ouija Board within the paranormal community.

What could this all mean? The paranormal world-specifically the areas of ghost hunting, and mediumship-is especially engaged and tied with established notions of religion and all that goes along with it: good vs. evil, heaven, hell, God, the devil, angels, demons, etc. Whether this association is welcomed or even acknowledged by individuals or groups or not seems to be beside the point; there are many shared issues such as life after death, apparitions, channeled/received messages, visions, etc. The worlds simply intersect, and because there is so much danger, damnation, and darkness lurking within the religious tableaux, it bleeds uncontrollably into the paranormal.

So, it isn't so odd that a special cup would appear to catch all the gore and demons; and it seems the simple Ouija has stepped forth from relative obscurity to offer itself for this dark and noble duty. Prior to its appearance and appropriation in the 1976 film The Exorcist, the Ouija Board simply was not associated with evil or demons, and there were no testimonials of demons, possessions or negative happenings. All the current mythologies surrounding it can be traced back to this highly fictionalized film.

Many people point out the film is based on a true story about a "possessed" 14 year old boy in 1949. It is important to note that although a Ouija Board was part of the original 'true' story, its role in the ensuing posession is highly dubious. The plot was supposedly derived from the boy's attending priest's diaries chronicalling the events--not exactly an unbiased source. In his epic investigative article in Strange Magazine (no. 20) , Mark Opsasnick uncovers the identity of the boy, and via conversations with his now-grown friends and neighbors, it is clear there were family dysfunctions and psychological issues going on--and reading between the lines---what may be construed as an ongoing sexual relationship with a friend at a very early age. Obviously, within this atmosphere, a Ouija Board is not at the forefront of probable causation for behavior problems.

It is stated that the boy's mother and grandmother were very involved with the Spiritualist movement, which is a full blown religion based on proof of the continuous life, that is, survival of bodily death by means of a medium. The Ouija Board is a medium, and by 1949, had been used effectively and mindfully by Spiritualists for many decades. There is no evidence and no reason to infer that the board was used irresponsibly or excessively, or that such use contributed to the boy's behavior. However, if the grandmother and/or mother were zealots or religious fanatics, which can be found easily within all religions, that obviously has its own very well documented and innate potential for emotional abuse within childrearing. And again, nothing at all to do with a Ouija Board.

I can only speculate that if the priest was unfamiliar with the Ouija, or had preconceived notions about its use, he may be inclined to associate the boy's behavior with such a curious object. But, if the grandmother had been Catholic, and demanded the boy pray and count rosary beads with her, I doubt there would even have been a mention of that particular religious object or event in the diary, due to the priest's belief system.

So, with my assertion that the Ouija Board itself had nothing to do with the boy's behavior/psychological problems/possesion in the original account, doesn't that then lend some credibility to an idea that the proceeding, similarly negative experiences of evil and demonic possession are based within the realm of some sort of fear-based, socio-psychological creation? This is not to imply that negative Ouija Board experiences are not 'real'-that is beside the point.

Rather, it is to imply that all the negative aspects, evils, and dangers associated with ghost hunting, contacting spirits, and divination itself can be compartmentalized and kept safely locked within the ubiquitous Ouija-Board-is-evil story.

Tricksters are usually creatures, living entities, but as I have pointed out, objects with certain anthropomorphic characteristics can carry a trickster persona. The Ouija board is able to 'speak' in a sense; that is its most basic occupation--interactive, real-time communication. It is presumably fully capable of conveying any message whatsoever, as it displays all the letters of the alphabet, and all numbers.

As previously outlined, tricksters are perceived as evil because they break rules and are frustratingly ambiguous. The Ouija board embodies these qualities as it is said to channel male, female, lower astral, highly evolved, demonic etc. entities and forces. It symbolizes the ultimate andgrogynous, ambiguous Other. These multitude of entities can also be seen as lending the Ouija board the traditional trickster quality as a shape-shifter.

Further, all the speculation and controversy that there is an 'idiometer response' dynamic involved (the idea that tiny muscle movements are responsible for the perceived psychokinetic gliding of the planchette) also contribute to the Ouija's ambiguous and unreliable nature. Additionally, that the whole point of the Ouija is to contact the dead or divine the future, (and oftentimes, it actually seems to work) it is no small wonder that there are all manner of emotional attachments and ideas associated with such an unassuming object. These are some of the greatest, ancient, and most central mysteries humans have ever pondered.

Further, its very design as an oracle assumes its ability to solve problems easily, yet it displays aesthetically-contains simultaneously upon itself-- the contradictory messages of both 'yes' and 'no', and also the opposing sun and moon, proving it complex, extremely dual in nature, and possibly and probably cunning and capable of deceit, trickery, or at the least it seems untrustworthy. With its simplistic yet all-powerful whole alphabet and numerals on a primitive "tablet", it can also be seen as a great nemesis of our normal communication devices, the keyboard/computer, internet/email, cell phones, Blackberries, PDAs, etc.

The Ouija Board is a perfect object/persona for a trickster in the postmodern world, and serves a purpose within the paranormal community. Although it is non-traditional in that it is not a living entity such as a person or animal figure as within the classic stories, it still retains all the features of such. As we evolve with technology and all our supposedly essential reliant devices, it makes sense that our archetypal characters and players may be inanimate objects.

It is somewhat tempting to wave a finger of warning at such a seemingly startling unnatural development, in a hysterical, the-war-of-the-machines-has-begun apocalyptic attitude. But, intellectual inspection and awareness of the covert dynamics involved, especially including the ability and willingness to question and dissect recurring, parroted,canned narratives such as found within the Ouija-Board-is-evil story may be all that is required to allow the necessary fear-based myths to come and go safely and as benignly as they will.

Sources:
Coast to Coast AM with George Noory: Shows, Ouija Board Special
Stephen Wagner, Coast-to-Coast's Ouija Experiment in Fear, About.com Paranomormal Phenomena
Mark Opsasnick, The Haunted Boy of Cottage City: The Cold Hard Facts Behind the Story that Inspired the Exorcist, Strange Magazine, No. 20