Posts by Steve Lowry

"Still, never having personally experienced unexplainable phenomenon, I am reluctant to open the door, as it were, by attempting contact. I must admit that I have been looking at various talking boards for sale on the internet, so who knows."

Hey Dave, thanks for joining the thread!

Ok, I'm gonna tell you what I have told many friends over the years after this discussion has arisen. Stay away form the Ouija Board. This may sound like contradictory advice considering I have been discussing the Ouija at length here in this thread. I don’t know what exactly it is that moves the plastic pointer (planchette) on the Ouija Board, but it ain’t nice whatever it is. There are documented cases where people have gone mad playing around with it. I know from personal experience that these ‘spirits’ are not benevolent. In the beginning when you realize you aren’t the one(s) moving the planchette, it’s a great rush and very exciting. But eventually the ‘spirits’ want more and more. I know it sounds strange and I could give examples, but suffice to say, stay away form it. That’s my advice anyway. It’s still very interesting to discuss however.

106

Well, I think my apartment is haunted.

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

yep, thats right, haunted.

i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.

lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.

Steve Lowry

"Absolutely plausible. Our conscious minds have immediate access to only a minute fraction of the information that the mind actually records. Are you familiar with the practice of therapists using hypnosis to uncover details of patient's experience that they can't seem to recall consciously? I think you greatly underestimate the power of the mind."

Ok, lemme get this straight. The eyes are flashed a Ouija Board. The brain instantly memorizes the Board in its entirety with only a moment’s opportunity to do so. Then, with the brain locked out of vision by having its eyes closed, the mind even though blinded can then quickly, effortlessly and flawlessly command the hands to maneuver a piece of felt bottomed plastic all around said Board. All the while stopping exactly on certain letters and numbers to answer questions, and do all this without error (as in my case). Also, keep in mind that the subject has not undergone any hypnosis in the preparation for this exercise, but the subject’s mind can still successfully connect seamlessly with the hidden subconscious and execute the aforementioned exercise without error.

Or,

There is another realm which we cannot see, where there are entities that when asked to participate can use the energies supplied by two human volunteers to help manipulate a plastic pointer around Ouija Board, answering questions.

Which takes the greater leap of faith? For me, I’m open to any answer that seems within the realm of possibility. Since I believe in a spiritual plain of existence then its somewhat easier for me to see a spiritual entity involved, than the mind jumping through what seems to me to be illogical hoops. I don’t want to discount the mind either, as I do believe in the untapped powers of the human mind. Frankly, I don’t quite get why a spiritual entity would be interested in playing around with a Ouija Board. Like, wouldn’t it have better things to do than push around a little piece of plastic to entertain humans? I dunno. I don’t have the answers. I maintain an open mind for all possibilities. Very good dialoging with you. Very interesting stuff, this.

106

Well, I think my apartment is haunted.

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

yep, thats right, haunted.

i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.

lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.

Steve Lowry

"It was a serious question even though Daystar found it amusing. I am speaking from experience--you wouldn't believe what all happened at a house I used to live in. I was an unbeliever when I moved there but after living there for 8 months, I decided that I was wrong--I don't really know anything and decided to keep an open mind." I had a feeling it was prolly a serious question considering the context of the post, but I just wanted to make sure. What kind of things did you expereince in the house? If you aren't comfortable talking about it, thats no problem. Steve

106

Well, I think my apartment is haunted.

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

yep, thats right, haunted.

i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.

lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.

Steve Lowry

Ok, funny story and then I'm done. When I was a kid about 10 or so, my parents decided to go out and leave me at the house all on my own for a little while. Our kitchen was surrounded by 3 sides (with a small opening to go in and out) by five-foot or so walls my dad had made to create a separation for the eating area. I was in the living room when I heard some commotion in the kitchen. I stood up to peer over the walls (I couldn't quite see over them, as I was only 10). When I looked into the kitchen area I saw one of the kitchen chairs spinning around on the floor all by itself! Well sir, I ran outta that house just a screamin'! After I regained my composure, I decided I was gonna go back in there and see just what the heck was going on. Well, when I got close to the kitchen, I noticed the chair had stopped moving. I walked into the kitchen to see our family dog tied to one of the kitchen chairs. My parents had forgotten to untie him before they left and he went a little crazy, I guess. He was completely exhausted and out of breath and looked up at me as if to say, " Could ya help me out here and untie me? Thanks.". I sat down on the floor and laughed till I cried. Poor little dog.

106

Well, I think my apartment is haunted.

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

yep, thats right, haunted.

i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.

lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.

Steve Lowry

To finish this up then; if it is not the unconscious mind that controls the Ouija planchette, just what is it then? Don’t know. But it seems more believable to me that an entity other than my partner or myself would be answering the questions or moving the planchette, than our subconscious minds, per my experience. I think in all fairness one would almost have to experience the Ouija Board before one could make an educated opinion about its nature. I have, and for me anyway, I am convinced it is not my mind or my partner’s mind, but something else outside of ourselves controlling it. I think this is a disturbing proposition for some and that may influence some peoples thinking, IMO. I know that the night I had my young friend over and the Board guessed his dog’s name, there was another friend of mine there that had brought him to see what he had also seen on previous occasions concerning the Ouija. On another evening this other friend of mine was also a skeptic until I asked him if he had ever had a supernatural experience. He reluctantly admitted that he had. When he was a young boy his granddad had died and ‘visited’ him on his way to the cosmos, as it were. I asked the Board how old he was when this happened. When the board revealed his age (12), which I had no idea about, he literally almost fainted. (I believe something like this could be unconsciously driven as he was looking at the board when he answered.) His name was Bob and a few weeks later I ran into him and he no longer believed it was supernatural but the unconscious that answered the question. This is why he brought his young friend over. He wanted to dispel any possibility that it really could have happened. That is why I insisted the young man lean back his head and close his eyes. My friend Bob was clearly agitated by the ‘test’ and never admitted it was the Board that revealed the answer, Haus. All that to say, that I think some people just don’t want to believe for whatever reasons that are known to them. Maybe conversely, some people always want it to be supernatural cuz that’s what works for them. For me? I just want the right tool for the right job. It doesn’t personally matter a to me which it is that moves the planchette, mind or spirit. But as of this point, its spirit.

Thanks for listening.

106

Well, I think my apartment is haunted.

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

yep, thats right, haunted.

i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.

lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.

Steve Lowry

I’m kinda glad I started this thread now, as its gotten interesting with the different points of views and all (although this was not my intention). Some of the discussion here kinda reminds me of the, Jesus is God/ no Jesus isn’t God debates that never really seem to resolve, with either party stating their particular point of view as best they can. I like this kind of discussion because where two opposing points of view collide, is very often where the sparks of truth are found.

Daystar, you said, "True hauntings, ghosts, etc., are nowhere nearly as common as popular opinion and entertainment media would have you believe."

This statement implies that you believe or you at least are open to the possibility of genuine a haunting existing, but just not as common as what popular opinion holds. Is this the thought you wish to convey? Do you believe that there is such a thing as a genuine haunting or such a supernatural paranormal occurrence? I’m not trying to corner you, I just wanna know what you believe. Is there a kind of litmus test you would use to verify such an occurrence as outside the realm of ‘normal’ explanation?

"Regarding the Ouija board, what happens if the person with the question is not touching the planchette at all. Minute tremors in our are the explanation for the magic of Ouija boards. Our subconscious mind will guide our hands without our conscious knowledge."

The planchette typically must be touched, at least it did for me. It can work for one person but I always needed a second person contacting it to enable it. I don’t buy into the theoretical explanation of the movement of the Ouija planchette being ‘driven’ by the unconscious, and here’s why. While I think the unconscious or the subconscious is fascinating, it still must work within the realm of believability. For instance, in my story about my young skeptic friend who had a childhood dog, Haus. The volunteer had never sat down in front of a Ouija Board before. I had him place his hands on the planchette, immediately close his eyes, lean his head back as I asked the Board the question about the name of his dog. From the time he entered my home to the time his head was tilted back was all of maybe five minutes. Now to me, it seems a remarkable feat, that my young friend’s subconscious mind could in that short amount of time, view and scan the entire Ouija board with all its letter and number assignments, commit that all to memory including their precise locations on the Board, physically direct the planchette to those exact assignments (which he could not see) quickly answering my question, and do all that within just a few seconds time! WOW! I wanna believe in science of the mind, but that seems a bit much to believe. This seems plausible to you? I think it takes a leap of faith to believe that the very thing we as people can sometimes spend an entire lifetime trying to get in touch with through psychotherapy (that is the subconscious or unconscious mind, to help us find out why we do the things we do and who we are), that we could just as easily run out to Toys R Us and grab a 10 dollar Oiuja Board and get there lickidy-split! If that’s the explanation that satisfies your curiosity, then ok. But it doesn’t satisfy mine. And that would be ok with me. It just doesn’t fit.

If one believes in God, a spiritual being (which I do), then it doesn’t seem to be much of a leap of logic that there could be other created spiritual bodies. If God is invisible to the human eye’s spectrum, then why couldn’t those other beings be invisible as well? I know we as people have blamed everything on the Devil throughout the ages. Everything from mental illness to natural disasters. We’ve gotten smarter about such things. But, because we were 100 % wrong that everything was spiritual in the past, lets not be wrong now that everything must be able to be 100% proven in a laboratory.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy..

106

Well, I think my apartment is haunted.

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

yep, thats right, haunted.

i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.

lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.

Steve Lowry

Thanks for all the replays. To answer a question, I haven't really noticed any particular time of day or night with the events occur. I also haven't noticed any strange pools of water. (Don't know if that was a serious question or not?)

Wednesday, interesting story about the black cloud. I haven’t actually seen anything yet. I think that would kinda freak me if I did.

FMZ, I had a bad experience with Ouija Board back in my twenties.

I’m not so sure I wanna interact with it, just in case it could be of the same ‘cloth’ as what I remember. I don’t think that I’m in any physical danger, but I’m a bit suspicious of what it might be. But that said, I will take your suggestion under consideration. Thank you.

K, I don’t know if the following would be what consider proof or not of the ‘supernatural’. Maybe it can’t be since its just word of mouth and didn’t happen in a laboratory. I played the Ouija Board back in my twenties for about a year or so. Here a few experiences;

The first time I played it was with a lady who introduced it to me. It spelled out "ABORTION" right away and the initials ZA. I thought it might be referring to my former girlfriend who had an abortion while we had been dating. Her mother paid for the abortion as we weren’t married and they had money. The lady I was with on the Ouija Board asked if the girl’s mother intitials were ZA. It wasn’t, it was ZB. The next day I called my former girlfriend and asked her what her mother’s maiden name was. It began with the letter A. (Not proof I know but pretty strange.)

I had a skeptic over one night and he wanted to play the Board. I asked him if he ever had a pet when he was a kid. He said yes. I had him lean his head back and close his eyes tight and then asked the Board for the name of his pet dog. It spelled out HAUS. I asked him if that was the name of his dog. Well, lets just say he became a believer.

I always burnt candles when doing the Board for mood, and I always bought a pack of four. One night I bought a typical pack of candles. I would usually ask the Board a question I knew the answer to, to test the ‘connection’. So, I asked how many candles in the pack? Answer, 3. So I asked again. Answer, 3. This went on several rounds until it spelled out on its own, STUPID. Well, I gave up and continued on for the night. When it came down to the last candle, it wouldn’t catch flame. I flipped it to light the other end, but same thing. I held the candle up to a light. There was no wick. Ergo, 3 candles.

These and even more like these are what I experienced. They may not prove there is another realm to someone else, but these things happened to me and it convinced me there is. I don’t know what it is, I just know that it is.

Steve

15

A deeply heartfelt goodbye.

by Gregor in

jw
friends

it has been a wonderful several months getting to know y'all.

we've had some laughs, some tears, a few sharp words, but ultimately we are still brothers and sisters of the church of screw the watchtower and i will always remember this period of my journey.

there are so many names i have come to know, some real, most aliases, because your still scared of being found out, you apostate little bastards!

Steve Lowry

"we are still brothers and sisters of the Church of Screw the Watchtower"

I must admit, I actually laughed outloud when I read this sentence. Good one G.

Steve

106

Well, I think my apartment is haunted.

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

yep, thats right, haunted.

i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.

lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.

Steve Lowry

" Does this happen more when your little girl comes to visit? "

I've been in the apartment for about 18 months and the occurrences started almost from the beginning. My little girl has visited all that time but this is first time I was aware of an "event" while she was actually here.

One morning I got up to pray at about 5:00 am. I have my pc setup in the kitchen, and I noticed I had left the monitor on from the night before. When the monitor is on and it’s dark outside, it illuminates the whole kitchen easily and can be distracting while in the living room if praying and stuff. So, before I went to sit down and pray in the living room, I physically turned off the monitor. I had been praying for about 5 minutes in the living room I guess, when I started hearing sounds like what someone would make if in the kitchen preparing food or something. When I looked over to the kitchen, I noticed my monitor was on even though I had just turned it off! Well, I just figured I must not have actually turned off the switch on the monitor and it simply it went into power saver mode coincidentally when I touched it. Well, I didn't feel like getting up to turn it off, so I just kept praying. When I finished praying I looked up and the kitchen was dark again. I went to the monitor expecting it to be in power saver mode. It was turned off.

Strange goins’ on . . .