Ouija Board Explained, Magicians Unsurprised

BBC has an article up today explaining how it is that Ouija board planchettes seem to move on their own. As I in fact mentioned back in 2009 in my novel Arcana, the explanation is simple - the board picks up small, imperceptible motions in your fingers and transfers them to the planchette. This is an observation that surprises absolutely no practicing magicians. It's obvious if you spend any amount of time working with a board that it's your fingers doing the movement. After all, there are some crazy stories and 1980's movies about planchettes moving on their own but I've never met anyone who's actually observed it. The article compares the use of a Ouija board with the motion of a pendulum, another common divination tool, and dowsing, which operates according to the same principle.

The phenomenon is called the ideomotor effect and you can witness it yourself if you hang a small weight like a button or a ring from a string (ideally more than a foot long). Hold the end of the string with your arm out in front of you, so the weight hangs down freely. Try to hold your arm completely still. The weight will start to swing clockwise or anticlockwise in small circles. Do not start this motion yourself. Instead, just ask yourself a question – any question – and say that the weight will swing clockwise to answer "Yes" and anticlockwise for "No". Hold this thought in mind, and soon, even though you are trying not to make any motion, the weight will start to swing in answer to your question.

Magic? Only the ordinary everyday magic of consciousness. There's no supernatural force at work, just tiny movements you are making without realising. The string allows these movements to be exaggerated, the inertia of the weight allows them to be conserved and built on until they form a regular swinging motion. The effect is known as Chevreul's Pendulum, after the 19th Century French scientist who investigated it. What is happening with Chevreul's Pendulum is that you are witnessing a movement (of the weight) without "owning" that movement as being caused by you. The same basic phenomenon underlies dowsing – where small movements of the hands cause the dowsing wand to swing wildly – or the Ouija board, where multiple people hold a cup and it seems to move of its own accord to answer questions by spelling out letters.

Censoring Magick, Internet Edition

British Prime Minister David Cameron has been in the news lately regarding his proposal to set up parental controls for the Internet throughout the United Kingdom that will block pornographic material. The plan has been widely criticized, mostly on the based on the futility of trying to block the vast ocean of pornography available online. But what has not been disseminated as widely is that pornography is not the only target for the new filters. Magick is also in Cameron's sights, as Open Rights Group reports. Based on their sources, the default filtering category screen will look something like this (emphasis mine):

☑ pornography
☑ violent material
☑ extremist and terrorist related content
☑ anorexia and eating disorder websites
☑ suicide related websites
☑ alcohol
☑ smoking
☑ web forums
☑ esoteric material
☑ web blocking circumvention tools

While the fact that users can disable the filters means that this is not precisely censorship, the problem is that all of the filtering categories will be enabled by default for every Internet account. That is, if a user sets up his or her account and just takes the defaults as most people do, he or she will then have to know enough about how the system works to get back to this screen and change the options. My guess is that this won't be particularly easy to do, as the point of having everything enabled is to push users into filtering out all these categories of information.

I have to say, I find it rather bizarre that a site like Joseph Peterson's Esoteric Archives is somehow being placed in the same category as pornography, terrorism, and violence. I suppose the idea is that geometrical figures and tables of letters and numbers somehow pose an existential threat to British civilization - except that makes no sense to anyone but the most extreme religious fundamentalists. That makes me wonder who exactly is pushing Cameron to implement the filtering system, and what their real agenda might be.

This information needs to be disseminated as far and wide as possible for two reasons. First of all, it puts some pressure on the British government to re-think its filtering strategy, or at the very least change it from an opt-out to an opt-in. Second of all, if the filtering system is implemented as planned, people need to know that in order to access material related to magick they will need to manually go into their settings and turn off the relevant filtering option. Every British citizen needs to be aware that the default position of their government is to block access to this material.

Malawi's Flying Witches Remain Elusive

Some paranormal claims are remarkably easy to test, or would be under the right circumstances. In the African nation of Malawi, many people believe that witches are capable of flying great distances in small baskets. This claim would be just about the easiest thing in the world to authenticate. All you would have to do is find somebody who can do it and observe them, since there's nothing subjective about a basket rising into the air and flying off - either it happens or it doesn't. But as German student Kristin Droop discovered when she set out to do exactly that, it's that first part where you run into difficulties.

As Droop writes in an article published in the Maravi Post, her search for real flying witches uncovered plenty of people who believed in the phenomenon but found no one who could actually do it. That's a shame, because with a per capita GDP of only $857, anybody who managed to win the Randi Challenge could live like a king. And I have a hard time believing that the Randi Foundation would be able to weasel out of paying off somebody who could actually make a basket fly using magical powers.

Droop goes on to explain that she went so far as to track down a practicing witch doctor recommended to her by a friend. The man confirmed many of the stories she had heard, but nevertheless provided no proof of their veracity.

I started to ask my questions in English, those questions were translated by my friends to the witchdoctor since he could not understand the language. I asked him if witchcraft was real. If it was true that babies could be taken on a flight during the night. And; again, he said it was. He even had medicine for parents who want to protect their children from witches and wizards. He showed the medicine. To me, it looked like some mere pieces of wood.

Wanted: Creation Scientists

Are you a young person who believes in the inerrancy of the Bible and yet somehow managed to make it through a degree program in an actual science? Do you find that your peers are misguided atheists and heretics who fail to comprehend that since the world is only six thousand years old just about every scientific claim about nature is wrong? You know, even though you studied and passed tests on it all - but that was just to complete your degree program so you could get a job! God will understand! If this sounds like you, the Institute for Creation Research has the perfect job that will bring your career in line with your faith. You can become a professional Creation Scientist!

ICR, together with the rest of the creation science movement, has made great strides in the last 40 years. In many areas, the superiority of the creation worldview has been clearly demonstrated. Even now, ICR is making exciting discoveries in the fields of biology and geology, and we have started new research initiatives in the field of astronomy. However, there is much work that still needs to be done, and this work is hindered by a lack of trained scientists.

Which would be because most trained scientists understand that Young-Earth Creationism is a bunch of drivel that no thinking person should even consider accepting. You know, given the massively overwhelming evidence that the Earth existed long before 4004 BCE, or 10000 BCE, or whatever ridiculously recent date the movement is now pushing. This isn't even "intelligent design," folks. It's "God snapped his fingers" kind of stuff. Since God is not amenable to any sort of scientific testing, one wonders what it is that "Creation Scientists" even study.

God Versus Gay Marriage - and Cheapskates!

Remember Cindy Jacobs? She's the self-proclaimed prophet who back in January claimed that the power of God had granted her quality footwear. Now she's back, with a more sinister and self-serving claim - that God will punish those who support same-sex marriage with natural disasters, along with those who can't afford to give her money.

“Recently in the United States we’ve had these Supreme Court decisions that are against biblical marriage,” Jacobs said. “and the Lord said to me, ‘duck your head, duck your head.’ I said, ‘Oh God, duck my head?’”

The Holy Father, she said, will “mark” believers — as long as they are giving at least 10 percent of their income to the church — and save them from a series of natural disasters that Jacobs described as “a whole lotta shakin’ getting ready to happen.”

“We have displeased the Lord and the earth is going to answer,” she insisted, intimating that God is going to punish the U.S. in the form of natural disasters.

I love that little totally non-Biblical but completely money-grubbing comment about how to be saved from these disasters you have to be giving ten percent of your income to the church. Presumably, that means her church, on the grounds that anyone taking her seriously is probably a follower. Because when you read the words of Jesus, the central takeaway is that the Lord will spare only those who can afford it. Oh, wait...

Jacobs claims that she predicted natural disasters before Hurricane Sandy hit, but that's the nice thing about natural disasters - there's always going to be another one at some point in the future. Jacobs stresses in the article that she doesn't want these natural disasters to come, God is just angry and that's the way it is. Apparently all she does want is those sweet, sweet donations. You know, so she can afford more of those holy shoes.

Different Religions, Same Scandals

Most of the time in the United States when a scandal emerges surrounding a religious leader, the leader in question is Christian. That's not surprising, as Christianity is by far the majority religion in America. But this story out of Thailand reminds us that corrupt religious leaders can be found in every spiritual tradition. Wirapol Sukphol, a Buddhist monk, is at the center of a scandal involving sexual misconduct, fraud, and the amassing of $32 million dollars in assets. Sound familiar?

Despite the vows he took to lead a life of celibacy and simplicity, Wirapol had a taste for luxury, police say. His excesses first came to light in June with a YouTube video that went viral. It showed the orange-robed monk in aviator sunglasses taking a private jet ride with a Louis Vuitton carry-on. The video sparked criticism of his un-monkly behavior and a stream of humorous headlines like, "Now boarding, Air Nirvana."

Since then, a long list of darker secrets has emerged – including his accumulated assets of an estimated 1 billion baht ($32 million). This week, authorities issued an arrest warrant for the disgraced monk after having him defrocked in absentia. Wirapol was in France when the scandal surfaced after leading a meditation retreat at a monastery near Provence. He is believed to have then fled to the United States but his current whereabouts are unknown.

The arrest warrant implicates him on three charges including statutory rape, embezzlement and online fraud to seek donations. He is also under investigation for money laundering, drug trafficking and manslaughter for a hit-and-run accident. Authorities are struggling to figure out how he amassed so much money.

It truly is remarkable how this scandal seems so similar to our own despite all the differences between Christian and Buddhist beliefs. It just goes to show that no matter what spiritual tradition we follow, we're all human and power has a corrupting influence on many if not most people. Whether that power is religious or political seems to matter very little.

Indulgences for the Modern World

Indulgences are back - though of course they've never really left. According to Roman Catholic theology, after death souls are tormented in Purgatory in proportion to their sins in life. Indulgences allow those who receive them to take "time off" from this punishment and enter Heaven sooner. One of Martin Luther's strongest objections to the Catholicism of the sixteenth century was the selling of indulgences to wealthy individuals, which became one of the driving forces behind the Protestant Reformation.

Following the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church reined in the practice and today indulgences are granted for particular activities and cannot be bought or sold. In a modern twist, the Vatican is now offering them to those who follow Pope Francis' appearance at the upcoming Catholic World Youth Day in Brazil by television, radio, and social media in addition to those who can attend the event in person. So Catholics can in fact get time off Purgatory by following the Pope on Twitter. Talk about updating the practice.

Indulgences these days are granted to those who carry out certain tasks – such as climbing the Sacred Steps, in Rome (reportedly brought from Pontius Pilate's house after Jesus scaled them before his crucifixion), a feat that earns believers seven years off purgatory.

But attendance at events such as the Catholic World Youth Day, in Rio de Janeiro, a week-long event starting on 22 July, can also win an indulgence.

Mindful of the faithful who cannot afford to fly to Brazil, the Vatican's sacred apostolic penitentiary, a court which handles the forgiveness of sins, has also extended the privilege to those following the "rites and pious exercises" of the event on television, radio and through social media.

"That includes following Twitter," said a source at the penitentiary, referring to Pope Francis' Twitter account, which has gathered seven million followers. "But you must be following the events live. It is not as if you can get an indulgence by chatting on the internet."

Psychics and Police Work

It's not just religious people who are closed-minded. As I alluded to in my recent article on the importance of critical thinking, skeptics can exhibit a mindset remarkably similar to that of a Christian who fails to understand the difference between paranormal powers and stage magick. A prime example is this article from Slate, which purports to debunk the claim that psychics help police solve crimes in response to a report that California psychic Pam Ragland was able to locate the body of a murder victim when police had failed to do so.

The issue of psychics aiding police investigation is contentious and complex. Researchers who have studied actual criminal case data agree that most people who claim to be psychics are unable to offer helpful information. At the same time, there are a few individuals who seem to produce results that are better than chance. The possibility may exist that Ragland could be one of those people, but one lucky guess does not make a pattern. I would expect a real skeptic to make this same argument - most psychic tips aren't helpful to police, and you can't infer much from a single incident, even a high-profile one. Instead, the Slate article offers this:

Yet another example of the mystical properties of the universe? No, but it’s certainly another example of the gullibility (or willful ignorance) of the news media. I’m willing to accept that Pam Ragland helped find Terry Smith’s body. I’m even willing to accept that Riverside County authorities believe she used psychic powers to direct her search. But I am beyond certain that, despite what Ragland says and the authorities might believe, psychic intuition had absolutely nothing to do with the discovery of Smith’s body.

How do I know this? Because psychics don’t exist. Psychic powers are not a real thing. A psychic cannot help a detective solve a crime, because there is no such thing as a legitimate psychic. And it’s dangerous and wrong to report otherwise. Pretending that mystics and "intuitives" have something real to offer criminal investigations gives false hope to desperate people, and it’ll just end up wasting time and resources that would’ve been better spent on actual investigative techniques.