David McMillian: Ouija boards can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies

Dear David: I've recently become interested in Ouija boards. Is there
anything to worry about? -- Ouija Wondering
Dear OW: It really depends on whom you talk to and how you're using
them. Clearly, from a spiritual and religious nature, some people view
Ouija boards as "evil." There have been several movies and TV shows
produced around that theme. There also are people who consider them to
be a harmless game, so you may first wish to spend some time and energy
considering your own beliefs about evil and dark forces in the world.
You might consider talking with your minister or priest if you're part
of an organized religion to get their spiritual advice and view on the
subject.

Having said that, consider how Ouija boards work. Vibrations from the
finger tips move the pointer about the board, spelling out answers to
different questions. So what the Ouija board can become is a key that
may unlock contents of the unconscious mind. This is always an
undertaking to be taken with great care since the contents of the
unconscious mind can be unpredictable and easily misunderstood.
Further, I would caution you to be aware Ouija boards can set up what
are known as "self-fulfilling prophecies." Let's suppose you ask the
Ouija board whom you will date and then you spell out "Paula" or "Tim"
for reasons your unconscious may understand. Then you might be on the
alert for people with this name coming into your life, maybe missing out
on other opportunities. In any case, along comes a Paula or a Tim and
you jump at the opportunity to go out with them, something you might not
have considered were it not for the Ouija board. The reason you go out
with them is not because the Ouija board predicted it, but instead
because you were expecting it to happen, and so you created that very
thing in your life.