On 17 January 1964, I returned from a trip overseas and found a message waiting for me: "Call Mac immediately." I didn't know Mac very well and wondered what he wanted, but I gave him a call. He rather urgently asked me to come to his house as soon as possible, preferably that same night, but would not tell me why. Curious, and thinking he was probably in some kind of trouble, I went.

Mac and two other guys were there. On the coffee table was a Ouija board that somebody had given Mac for Christmas. He told me they had been playing with it and getting what seemed to be clear-text messages from several different people.

I said, "So...?"

"I want you to help us evaluate whatever it is that's going on here."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the craziest guy I know!"

I laughed: "Okay, fair enough. What have you got so far? Did you write it down?"

"Yeah, some of it." He picked up a few sheets of paper and handed them to me.

The first part was just a batch of letters and numbers with what might have been a word here and there. Then, halfway down the page, all that changed. Although a Ouija board has no lower-case letters, no punctuation, and no spaces between words, this part was obviously a series of sentences from someone who said his name was Joe Ryder. I asked if anyone in the room knew anyone by that name.

They all said they didn't, and never had, so far as they could recall.

After that was some more unintelligible noise, then another series of sentences, but they sounded different and no name was given. Likewise on the next few sheets of paper. Finally there was some more text by Joe Ryder. None of the thoughts were very interesting -- just the kind of stuff someone might say if he were working a ham radio: "Hi! How are you doing? My name is Joe." From the abrupt changes in style and modes of expression, it looked as though it came from four different people. I told Mac and the others what I thought.

"Where do you think it's coming from? Do you think we're crazy?"

"No. A shrink might say it's coming out of your subconscious minds, and a lot of people might say you've gone bananas, but I think it's coming from ghosts."

"Yeah, that's what we thought. Do you think it's dangerous?"

"It may be ... I don't know ... I've heard it is ... but from what I've seen so far, it doesn't look that way. The one who calls himself Joe Ryder seems fairly straight, and none of the others have said anything out of line. They were just gabbing."

"Do you think we should go on with this?"

"Beats me. Even if it is real -- and it may not be -- from what I've seen, it doesn't seem to be worth much. All it suggests is that there are such things as ghosts, which has been mentioned all over the world since the dawn of history, and it doesn't even prove that. So, all I can say is, if you want to go on with it, I would treat the whole thing like a ham radio -- don't take it too seriously, and decide what kind of folks you're talking to by what they say and how they say it."

"Good idea. Thanks."

So I finished my coffee and went home thinking that was the end of that.

Wrong.

A month later, I went to the alert barracks for a week on duty, and there was Mac. I was surprised to see him. We had not been on alert at the same time for years, because his crew and mine were on opposite sides of the scheduling cycle. But there he was, glad to see me -- and he had brought his Ouija board.

After supper that night, he invited me to his room. When I got there, he had the board set up and ready to go. He said he wanted to run some tests, to see if this was real. I thought, "Yeah, well ... I gave him some advice, so I guess I should follow it myself."

In case you have never seen a Ouija board, as I had not, it's just a flat piece of cardboard, like a Monopoly board, with letters and numbers printed on it:

The planchette is a small wooden or plastic device -- like a little table -- about five inches in diameter and two inches high on its three little legs, with a pointer or a hole through which one can see whatever letter or number it is positioned over.

The two operators sit in chairs facing each other and place the board across their knees or on a table. One places the planchette in the middle of the board. Each operator lightly rests the tips of his or her fingers on the edge of the planchette. Then they sit there and wait to see what -- if anything -- happens.

After awhile the planchette may start moving around on the board. Each person may think the other is moving it -- or they may think it moves by itself -- but in fact, it is their muscles that move the planchette. There is no power in a Ouija board. Whether the planchette moves at all, where it goes, and where it stops, is entirely controlled by -- or through -- the operators' subconscious minds.

If the planchette stops on a letter, a number, the word YES, or the word NO, one of the operators says where it stopped, and either one of the operators or somebody else writes it down. Thus, the process of using a Ouija board is a slow, laborious, cumbersome, letter-by-letter accumulation of raw text (letters and numbers, plus Yes and No), and the result is a written record of that accumulation.

In this case, I was the one who went over the notes after each session. I cleaned up the raw text by deciding between upper and lower case letters, adding spaces between words, punctuation, and line-returns, and indicating (in parentheses) who we thought was speaking. But all that was done after the fact. During the sessions all we had was a stream of raw text, which I show in italics. Unless otherwise noted, what a human being said was spoken aloud.

20 February 1964, Pease Air Force Base, NH, Alert Barracks
Operators: Mac and Ben

We sat down at the table with the Ouija board between us and put our fingers on the planchette. Pretty soon it started moving in large circles, as though someone was looking around the board. Then it briskly moved to and paused briefly on each of five letters - Hello - and stopped moving.

I said, "What's your name?" - The planchette immediately spelled: Nan Tabor.

"Where were you born?" - Wocy, Poland.

"How old are you?" - 33. Live full life. Keep hitting ESP.

"Are you dead?" - Yes.

"Do you want to come back to life?" - No.

"Could you?" - Egress you will find hidden my dear. Keep Nan with you. Nan for orders.

My fingers suddenly got cold. I asked, "Can you gather cold?" - Yes.

"Can you put out fire?" - Try.

We set up a cigarette lighter. The flame flickered but did not go out. The room felt very cold. Bob and Bill came in. Bob walked over and looked at the thermometer on the thermostat. He said, "It's seventy, but it feels like an icebox in here." Bill asked us what we were doing. We told them. They sat down to watch.

"Why couldn't you put out the fire?" - Fire wet.

I felt the cold on my fingers again. "Go sit on Bob's wrist."

Mac and I felt the cold area leave our fingers just before Bob felt it arrive on his wrist. He was very surprised.

I said, "Go sit on Bill's hand," but nothing happened.

"Why didn't you go to Bill?" - MT. MT.

"Bill is empty?" - Yes.

We took a break and discussed all this, especially the cold area that moved. None of us knew what egress meant even after we looked it up in a dictionary. And boy, were we dumb! We didn't even suspect that the whole idea of messing around with cold was suggested to us by Nan: that was why she made our fingers cold. Now I know how she did it: people often feel cold and get goose-bumps when a ghost is drawing energy out of them -- it's a natural human warning system.

Operators: Bob and Ben

Bob replaced Mac at the board. I said, "Nan, can you do automatic writing?" The planchette spelled - Yes. Mac. - which I interpreted as meaning, Yes, with Mac.

"Would you like to live again?" - No.

"Can you?" - Yes.

"Can you see?" - Yes.

"Can you see us?" - Yes.

"Can you see the furniture?" - No.

"Our bodies?" - No.

"You just see us." - Yes.

"Can you move the board alone?" - No.

"Can you lower the temperature of a thermometer?" - U and I. Buy my lack of...

(A different touch) Y my ban Nan.

The parenthetical statement (a different touch) means the planchette movement suddenly became faster or slower, more or less abrupt, more or less wandering. This is where we learned it can happen. What we thereafter called "touch" refers to the characteristic way a specific spirit moves the planchette; it is comparable to a person's handwriting style. A change of "touch" can indicate a change from one spirit to another, and so can a short pause, which I show as three dots ( ... ).

Operators: Mac and Ben

"We would like to talk to Joe Ryder." Without any preliminary searching around, the planchette spelled - Hi. Good to talk again. - and I noticed this "touch" was not like Nan's, or the one who popped in at the end of the previous conversation.

"How old are you?" - 34.

"Can you put out fires?" - Yes.

"Will you?" - No. R you interested? No pay. Act your wants. Mac lives nay a best. Mac not a god. Death a conjure...
(?) And Mac not a boy and not a baby and not young and not ...
(?) Get Nan.
(?) Nan only a bad mad not a go...
(?) Good Nan.
(?) Not good. Nan coasts on the acme. Nan U only a... (static)
(?) You a bomb. Nan only a baby.
(?) My my, a sore Nan. My Nan, you not a baby.
(?) Nan only a baby.
(?) and not a baby.

We all discussed this text and tried to figure out what was happening. To this point, we had seen statements we did not understand, words that were not in our vocabulary -- egress, ban, acme -- and what seemed to be side arguments between several people who were not in the room.

"Joe Ryder, please." - Here.

"You said Mac is not a god?" - Yes.

"Do you know one you think is a god?" - Yes.

I decided that I was not ready to meet whoever or whatever he thought was a god, so I asked, "Do you know a saint?" - Yes.

"What is the saint's name?" - No.

"You won't tell us?" - No.

"Why not?" - No.

"Would you bring a saint?" - Yes.

"Here?" - Yes.

"Will the saint speak to us on the board?" - No.

"Can you ask him to?" - No.

"Do you know what we mean by a saint?" - Yes.

"Do you know more than one?" - Yes.

"Are they where you are?" - Yes. No. (Yes and no?)

This conversation was frustrating at the time, but it makes more sense now. Holy spirits do not want to control any part of our bodies or minds, even for a moment.

"You said Mac is not a god?" - Yes.
Nan interrupted. - My my Nan Nan. - We told her to be quiet.

"Can you work automatic writing?" - Yes.
Nan interrupted again. - My my Nan Nan. - We told her to be quiet.

"Joe there?" - Yes.

"Did you say death is a trick?" - No.

"An illusion?" - Yes. Not real.

"Not real?" - Yes.

"Describe your death." - Yes. - But he did not do so.

"Do you understand?" - Yes.

"Will you try?" - No.

"Do you understand hypnosis?" - Yes. No. Yes. yes and no. - He spelled it out.

"Would we work the board better under hypnosis?" - No.

"Better under Mesmerism?" - Yes.

"Do you know Mesmerism?" - Yes. Men accord...
(Interrupt) No. No.

"Joe?" - Yes.

"Do you know Sri Yukteswar?" (a yogi) - No.

I asked the questions about yogis because I had been reading about them.

"Will you find him?" - No.

"We would like to speak with Nan." - Nan. Yes.
(Interrupt) You not on Nan.

"We call for Nan." - Nan owes no hell.

"Nan, do you know Sri Yukteswar?" - Yes.

"Will you call him?" - Yes.
(Interrupt) No. No.

"Is that you, Joe?" - Yes.

"Go away, Joe. We're talking to Nan." - Yes.

"Did you find Sri Yukteswar?" - Yes.

"Will he speak to us?" - No.

At this point, the "touch" changed dramatically, suddenly becoming very strong and deliberate, hence all capital letters. - CAREFUL.

Startled, Mac and I let go of the planchette.

We made a bad mistake in this session, but did not realize it at the time. Did you catch it? We called for Nan, and told Joe Ryder to go away, because Nan offered to do what we wanted and Joe refused. Thus, we turned away a decent ghost and opened ourselves to a bad one. We would not listen when Joe tried to tell us that what we wanted was not good. This is how people go astray by selecting as their guide, or guardian, or god, a spirit who offers them something they want.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

21 February 1964, Pease Air Force Base, NH, Alert Barracks

Mac said he had previously gotten someone named Gilbert who came through stronger and clearer than Joe Ryder. Gilbert had said he was Mac's guardian.

Operators: Mac and Ben

"We would like to speak with Gilbert." - Yes.

"Are you a guardian?" - Yes.

"Does Mac have more than one?" - No.

"Do others have more than one?" - No. Yes.

"Are all guardians together?" - Yes.

"Can you make it cold?" - Yes.

"Will you?" - Fill before. Mac maker. Mac meek. Mac meet me. Lamb.

"Are you the lamb?" - Yes. Mac. Mac. Mac. Mom flew.

"Did you say 'Mom flew'?" - Yes.

"Where?" - Mom killed. Mom me.

"Mac's mother killed you?" - Yes.

"Are you part of Mac?" - No. Demamed Mac. - The middle word of that answer was misspelled, but Mac got it anyway. He asked, "Demanded Mac?" - Yes. Me. Me. Me. Mac killed me.

I continued, "Did you die when Mac was born?" - No.

"How can Mac meet you?" - No response. The planchette did not move.

"What is your relationship to Mac?" - Mac filled my life. My girls.

"Girls?" None of this made sense. - My life. My life.

[All this stuff about mom flew, mom killed, girls, etc., never did make sense.]

"Mac is your life now?" - Yes.

"Were you before Mac?" - I fill g...
(Nan interrupted) My my Nan Nan.

"We wish to speak with Gilbert." - Yes.

"Can Mac meet you?" - Yes.

"How?" - My life your life.

"Can you talk to us another way?" - Yes.

"How?" - My life my life.

We didn't understand that. "Can you help us?" - Yes.

"Will you help us?" - No.

"We must help ourselves?" - Yes.

"Is there reincarnation?" - No.

"Can you live again?" - Yes.

"Live through Mac?" - Yes. See my life.

"Is your life in a book?" - No.

"Will you help us learn?" - Yes.
(Nan broke in with her call sign) My my Nan Nan.

"How are you doing, Nan?" - Fine. - Both operators' fingers got cold.
(Gilbert interrupted) See Gilbert. - We told him to go.

"Nan, can you get colder?" - Yes.

"Are you on our fingers?" - No.

"Over the board?" - No.

"Where are you?" - High eye. Could...

"Get colder?" - Yes.

"Get help to make more cold." - Lovely your egress. Add... This was followed by a lot of unintelligible writing that looked like Nan and someone else interrupting each other. Then the planchette motion suddenly became much stronger.

"Nan, have you gotten help?" - Yes.

"Who?" - Papa.

"Nan's papa?" - Yes. Papa on.

The planchette very deliberately moved off the board. We put it back on the board.

"Are you leaving?" - And Nan.

"Nan and Papa are leaving?" - Yes. - The planchette moved off the board again.

------------------------- we took a break -------------------------

Operators: Mac and Bob

"We wish to speak with Nan." - Yes. This is Nan.
(Someone interrupted) Bob, no, no. Bob, no, no.

That message was clear enough for almost anyone. Bob left the board.

Operators: Mac and Ben

"Calling for Nan." - Nan on. On. Oh to do it. - She seemed eager. The planchette started moving all over the board without spelling any words. Then someone else interrupted: - Cold pre rest is. Do stop it.

"Stop what?" - Ropi stop.

"Are you tired?" - My my. One top row on wurst. - That sounded like Nan.

"Top row?" - Yes.

"Top row of what?" - My my Nan. Were you...
(?) Not now.
(?) Wont.
(?) Your cyoncot try.
(?) No, no. Cut.
(?) Try so...
(?) No, No. Odd.

Mac ignored that last argument: "Nan, will you call someone for us?" - Yes.

"Will you call Ben's guardian?" - Yes.

"Tell us the name." - Boland Cox.

I did not recognize this name. And I rather resented Mac's presumption in calling for my guardian, because, in my vocabulary, a guardian is someone appointed by a court to manage the affairs of a child or a person who has been declared incompetent. I thought, "Who appointed this guy to manage my affairs?"

Mac: "Boland, do you have something for Ben?" - Yes. Not nosey.

I asked, "Not to be nosey?" - Yes.

"Are you my guardian?" - Yes. Ben tag Nan.

"Explain." - Nan wants a boy.

I thought, "Oh, oh ... she wants to own me. She wants me like a girl who offers to do anything you want really wants you. She's trying to get me hooked on her, so I will do what she wants. And Boland is leading me to her, like a pimp."

I said, "Boland, you are not my guardian." - No.
(Nan interrupted with her call-sign) My my Nan Nan.
(Someone else interrupted her) Liri lid keeps. Key. Lid. Deliver. Lay. Am dim. You meet me. Key risen me. Fill, Ben. Yes.

Mac: "Hello, Nan?" - No.
(Interrupt) Yes, Nan.

I picked up on the new name: "Liri?" - Yes. Need Liri. - This name was written with vigorous flourishes.

Mac followed my lead: "Is this Liri speaking?" - Yes.

"Welcome." - No.

Remembering the name of a yogi I had read about, I asked, "Were you called Mahasaya?" - Yes. - This answer was followed by a lot of noise that looked like Nan and someone else cutting in and out. The result was unintelligible garbage.

"Who are we talking to?" - Liri - written with strong, signature-like flourishes.

"You are strong." - Yes.

"Will you help us?" - Yes. Name Ben: Maya am new Maya. Am OM. Believe am filling Lamb. MCM. MCM.

"Is that the year 1900?" - Yes. Hill by lake, MCM. MCM. Did Mamma fly? AB Yes. - The planchette moved off the board.

------------------------- we took a break -------------------------

I inadvertently did two things right in this session. I felt the possessiveness of Nan and Boland, and reacted against it. That is a healthy instinct. If I had not reacted that way, those two soon would have had me right where they wanted me. And I will always be glad that I picked up on the different feeling, or atmosphere, and called for Liri instead of Nan.

Maya is a Sanskrit word meaning "illusion, or the illusory world of the senses". Buddha further defined Maya as "the delusion of the duality of opposites"; that is, the error of thinking that everything is either black or white, good or evil, with no shades of gray. OM is the basic, universal sound or tone; it is used as a mantra.

When we came back, Mac said, "We wish to speak with Liri." - Liri - Again, he wrote his name with signature flourishes. - Aim be more low. Love. Me Liri. Hear me. Am U. U am U. Have kin lower. My love. Me Liri. Am seeing. - The planchette exited the board.

------------------------- we took a break -------------------------

"We wish to speak with Liri."

He signed in with typical flourishes. - Mama fox pe. May you lower your mind.

We didn't know what that meant, so we ignored it.

I asked, "Were you a friend of Sri Yukteswar?" - Am now here.

Mac continued, "Will you instruct us?" - Yes.

"How do you prefer to speak to us?" - Memory.

"Same as mind?" - Yes. My love is with U. Mom came. Mom seek.

I asked, "Was my mother your pupil?" - No. Ben, Mac, meet God. U keep his law. Keep till I may... (static) My lamb. My had maker.

"Do we call the Lamb Jesus?" - Yes.

"Explain." - Keep law.

"Law of Jesus?" - Yes.

"Can you name another like Jesus?" - Me. Me. Me. (Three different touches.) Mac must go home. Mac lives in me.

"Where must Mac go?" - Mac must fill in lack. U am very ill.

"Where must he go?" - Die.

"Is Mac spiritually ill?" - Yes. Ben must go him. Mac must go home. Mac pillar me. Mac quiz me. Quiz me.

We did not "quiz" him. Instead, we took a break. We didn't like this talk about Mac dying, but Liri and the three who answered "Me" to the question "Can you name another like Jesus" simply felt better to us than any of the others. Although his text was not as clear as some, Liri seemed gentle and wise, not sly or seductive. And he mentioned God and Jesus with respect: he said "Keep the law of Jesus."

(Mac was ill, but we didn't know it then. In October 1964, he collapsed while on alert and was rushed to the hospital. He died of cancer in March 1965.)

Mac: "We wish to speak with Liri." - (Liri's signature) Realize must first be Mac.

"Will you be my guide?" - Me die. Mac give me raly. Let Mac have my love. Mac, rest your mind.

"Should I stop thinking?" - Yes.

"Is there anything I can read?" - Mac, OM better. Rest your mind.

------------------------- we took a break -------------------------

"We wish to speak with Liri." - (Liri's signature) Mac diligent. Mac place Mac mind, please. Mac not living over MT. Must, must go home.

"Home is where you are?" - No. Here most men. Seek [home]. Mac a good deity... (Liri had trouble with the word "deity" and settled on "deva" as a synonym.) A way is lowly hike. Keep my law. Mac keep Mac. Mac guide like me. Mac guides men. Did a job for guy. This meek person was a deva.

"When?" - 966-999 - (Spelled out several times in answer to our questions.) Flay Satan. Mac, Mac, please slay Satan. Eat lovely. Meek. You make more you. Y R U Mac? - Planchette exited the board.

------------------------- we took a break -------------------------

"We wish to speak with Liri." - (Liri's signature) All.

"Are you speaking to all of us?" - Mac for all. Mac, please. Mad. Mad. Mac eat my lot. Seek no Maya.

"Maya?" - Yes.

"Seek God?" - Yes. Mac, please make me name Lamb.

"Name Lamb." - Mac, Mac ...
(This was an interrupt, but we didn't catch it.) Ask me my name.

"What is your name?" - Liri Maskivac.

"Were you always called that?" - No. Masillat. Mac are mya boy. Domanite.
(Liri) Mac, please. Mac no meek. B Mac. No job. - Planchette exited the board.

------------------------- we took a break -------------------------

"We wish to speak with Liri." - (Liri's signature) Mac.

Mac: "Should I follow the yogic path?" - No. Rite Mac not yet. Rest or yet mimic son of Peter. Novice may not like way. OM not only way. Mac novice. Mac, a ban on your mind.

An observer: "Are you now speaking only to Mac?" - Yes. I know Mac.
(Interrupt) Not pay.

"Who is this? Joe Ryder?" - No, Im ...
(Interrupt) O, Y U run?

"Who is this? Liri?" - I rest in peace. Ripen eyes.
(Interrupt) Odd memory not peace. Mac, Mac, please me, not Satan. - Planchette exited the board.

------------------------- we took a break -------------------------

"We wish to speak with Liri." - U Ben, hope rod nay. You are most yoyo. Y? Ben, you a woman. U a ox. Soft. Moon.

"Who is this?" - Liri. (But no signature flourishes.)
(Interrupt. Was this Liri?) No, no.
(First speaker again. A false Liri?) Ben past lost. Reap while you can.
(Interrupt. Liri?) No. Liri. Liri.

"Reap what?" - My nothing. My wood mop. Do your time. Must...
(?) Must wait. No, no, Mac.
(?) God not way on Ben. Note quote: Nan over Mac, Noah over Ben.
(?) More quotes: am no saint, Mac no sinner.

"What are you quoting?" - Kopu and Nacorn.
(?) Mac only a novice. Mac novice.

"Who is not a saint?" - Liri. My rest is not in peace.

"Were you an East Indian?" - No. Krasaemy.

"Kashmir?" - Yes.

"In the mountains?" - No.

"What city?" - Rangiun. - This didn't check: Rangoon is in Burma.

"Who is this?" - Liri. Ben, Mac, more no, nor...
(?) But out.
(?) No.
(?) Ben, you no ban. You and not others. You not only Nan. You know, and now name a... (static). Now do. You one now.

"What is Ben now?" - Novice. Novice.

See? Names don't prove who is speaking. At least two answered when we called for Liri, but we kept trying to reach him by calling his name and others kept butting in. We became less and less sure who we were listening to at any given point in time. Even "touch" and what seemed to be pauses or hesitations were not always reliable indicators of a change from one speaker to another.

"Calling for Liri." - (Liri's signature) Mac a bad novice. Ben quite open. You need a port or my name. And Nan only a poor orb.
(Nan) Most in nod. You nothing say reasons.
(Liri) Nan, you no do as most. End.
After the word "end" we got a batch of unintelligible garbage.

------------------------- we took a break -------------------------

"Calling for Liri." - (Liri's signature) Nan only an orb. Mac, can you name a doubter? Mac, Nan undo your past.
(?) Nan can come only, and Nan does.
(?) Not Nan. You call in, and Nan yonder.
(?) Over. On.
(?) Can not.
(?) Nan baby. You not.
(?) Not. Not.

We got the message that Nan could undo whatever good Mac had done in the past, but missed Not Nan. You call in and Nan yonder. Apparently, we were no longer receiving Nan Tabor, but an evil spirit or spirits pretending to be her.

"Calling for Liri and only Liri." - He signed in with his typical flourishes.

"We must not call Nan again?" - Say no more.

"Because Mac and I are not ready?" - No.

"Because others in the room are not?" - No.

"Others we might tell it to are not ready?" - Yes. Yes.

"Who may we call?" - Liri or rest. My baby not a odd port. Mac not only novice over here. Mac non yore. Ben past Nan, cant use Nan no more. On no account name Nan, boob. Nan only a baby. Ox. Boob. Monkey. Nan took you on a ride. My roots on... Much interference. Liri exited the board.

------------------------- we took a break -------------------------

Thus, amid all the confusion, by vigorous use of his own rather unique profanity, Liri made it clear that I was not to call Nan. It was one of the most beneficial scoldings I ever received, but I did not fully understand all of its implications.

"Calling for Liri and only Liri." - He had considerable difficulty coming on. We waited. Finally he signed in with his usual flourishes.

"Will you work with Ben and Mac?" - Yes.

"Can you speak to us in our dreams?" - Yes.

One of the observers standing in the room and looking over our shoulders asked: "While we are asleep?" - Boob! - and unintelligible garbage, probably profane.
(Interrupt) Mac, now not a ban. Mac, now a door. Look name. Name den. After...
(Interrupt, probably Liri) Move now on boon. Boon. Mac, a boon looks over you. A boon looks over U.
(Interrupt?) Imagine land not Monday.

In answer to a series of questions on "boon" - No. No. Mac, no.
(Interrupt) - Mac now oes no yore.

More questions - No. No.

Because Liri had said Mac must go home: "Is Mac going somewhere?" - Yes.

"Where?" - Away. Away.

"How?" - About face, away.

"Who is this?" - No, no, Mac, Ben. Mac and Ben, you are not God. Not God.

"Who is this?" - Now OK. Now OK. Ban not on. Call now. - That was not Liri.

"Who is this?" - Not God. No, no ... My act lures new about all. No more!

Planchette exited the board. This one was Liri: he is the one who exits the board.

We were thoroughly confused at this point, and not much less so after I cleaned up the raw text and we reviewed it. But the stuff was intriguing. We had never heard anything like it before. And we were missing a lot of it. When Liri said, You are not God, he probably meant, What you are doing is not of God. And we did not understand My act lures new about all. As you will see from what happened next, what we were doing was luring more, and more evil, spirits.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

22 February 1964, Pease Air Force Base, NH, Alert Barracks
Operators: Mac and Ben

"Calling for Liri." - Liri (Typical signature). Mac OM a part even. Name love. Mac ready OM OM OM. Love my di...
(Trouble, interruptions, static) Mac Pemt vacant. Mac Pemt vacant.

"Pemt means nothing to us. Explain." - Essence Mac. - Liri exited the board. We put the planchette back on the board. That was a mistake.

"Is essence right?" - Yes.

"Essence of what we are to do?" - No.

"Essence of us?" - No.

"Part of our essence?" - Yes.

"Define Pemt." - Liri vacac... The planchette went dead. We waited with our hands on the planchette. That was a mistake.

"Anyone there?" - Yes. - A new touch, stronger than Liri.

"Liri?" - No. - (Eerie prickling feelings, both operators.) - Kill Mac.

We thought this was some kind of a wise-guy remark, like one of our more jovial friends might say out of the corner of his mouth if we met him in the hall.

"Kill Mac?" - Yes.

"No, thank you." - Yes.

"You are not Liri." - No.

"Who are you?" - Mac, Mac...

"Are you named Mac, too?" - No.
(Interrupt) Mac, Mac, Ben...
(Cold chills, both operators) I kill a life. Kill Mac.
(Liri trying to break in?) ABA Lir...

"Give us your name." - Mac Ben kill acci...
We felt the changing touches, but didn't know who was speaking when.
Kill a... AB death... Kill beggar. Mac Ben, kill beggar.

"Name the beggar." - Him kill belief. Mac Ben, Mac Ben, delim... Mac delim... Kill ace hit god fly a kill a beggar. Mac Ben femimimi... No.

Considerable trouble. Liri and someone else. Pemt? We called Liri and asked him who was on the board with him. More trouble -- argument? jamming? what? We thought all this noise was mostly communications difficulties, so we were still focused on trying to figure out who was speaking.

"Who else is on the board?" - My son.

That didn't feel right. "Calling Liri." - Lir... No...
(Cold, heavy touch) Mac Ben, Pemt soon Mac.
(Interrupt) No, no, no.

"Liri?" - Mac Ben, AB Yes.

We were not sure who that was. "Liri?" - Liri. No, no, no. AB

We tried to set up a filtering procedure: "Liri move in, message, and out quick?" - No. - But this was a heavy touch, not like Liri.

"Liri?" - Yes. - We couldn't tell who this was by the touch on the board, but we assumed it was Liri. That was a mistake.

"Is the other spirit a good one?" - Mac Ben, occult way quick vigor send. Mac Ben, occult way rapid.

"Is this Liri?" - Not. Not. Not vocal way. Not safe. AB

"Do you mean the vocal way is safer?" - AB No! AB

"The occult way is not safe?" - Rest. Rest. Rest.

Considerable battling for control. Two sources, or more, were cutting in and out.

"Liri? Are you here?" - AB Yes. AB No. No. Nay. AB AB No. No. AB

"Liri and only Liri. Can you tell us the name of the other on the board?" - Yes. - We were not really sure who that was, but assumed it was Liri.

"Will you?" - No. - We were still not sure.

In retrospect, it is obvious that we were pretty dense, but it was beginning to soak through to us that things were not going very well.

"Liri, help us." - AB No Pemt. Way Nort. AB
(Interrupt) Mac Ben oxen. Not god. Only to plow or ...
(Interrupt) AB nor (jamming) No, no. ABAB

"Liri?" - AB No, no, Mac Ben. Occult way ... (jamming) AB

"Liri, Liri..." - (jamming, then Liri's signature) Vic... (jammed out)

"Liri, can you get help?" - No.
(Interrupt) AB Yes AB

"Will you get help?" - AB Yes AB

"Is Pemt good?" - Mac Ben occult way not tyro. Pemt ss not war. Not occult victim. U way Pemt.

At this point, the whole feeling of the board changed: - Reano. Reano.

From here to the end of the session, things were happening very, very fast. No time to evaluate what was going on. Parentheses were inserted after the session.

"Is that a name?" - Yes. Mac Ben... ABABAB. Mac Ben o yore rano... ABABAB. Mac Ben, occult way not your way. No. No. ABABAB. Mac Ben baby. Res... (This is Liri and ABABAB is his jamming)

(Pemt) Occult way quick. Rest not your way.

(Liri) AB rest rest AB no. no. AB Mac Ben, be careful. Fly. AB no. no.

(Dark evil feeling, both operators) Mac Ben, you see powers Pemt.

"Calling for Liri." - Stop. No. Stop. Still. Ben and... No, no. Mac, no.
Mac be rid of Rananona. No Nan. Stop. Rock is resistan...
Resist Nan. Mac Ben bad. Nan bad. Nan bad.
Mac Ben no your guardian. Mac Ben on guard Nan.

"Give us your name." - Not Nan.

"Give us your name." - Reano. Mac Ben on guard. Mac Ben on guard. Nan pit. And Nan...

(Pemt) Mac Ben, pit is sanna.

(Liri? someone named Reano?) Mac Ben, on guard. Nan pit. Seek my way.

"Give us your name." - No.

"Give us something to call you by." - Look out! Zoo! ABAB

"Are you Reano?" - No. Mac Ben, on guard. It seeks to pox. Near. Stop. Rad (Lord?) over death Reano. AB

I finally reacted to the word "zoo" and yelled, "That's enough! We're out of here!"

I dumped the board. We stood up and walked around the room, went and washed our faces and hands, and then went outside and walked around for awhile. We said very little, except that we certainly had to go through this text and evaluate it before doing any more of this.

On guard! Look out! If I heard that over a two-way radio, I would certainly pay attention. But in this case I did not take it seriously enough, because I was still not convinced this stuff was real -- weird, yes, but not necessarily real.

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23 February 1964, Pease Air Force Base, NH, Alert Barracks
: Mac and Ben

"Calling Liri." - Lad, emits effect race. Bad start. Victor stakes. Get victors test. Test a Mac deity. Ill way kill Mac Ben cell. You tired. Stop. Mac Ben, it...
(Interrupt, a feeling of stone cold chill) U stop. Clam be delve. Test me. Me give.

(Liri) Big feared. It feel. Kill. Mac Ben, c evil. Must test. Tell me my lac... (jamming) Bad. Keep c evil way. Look. Look. Mac Ben live. Join a deva. Glimmer me. (jamming) Take life status. C Abel. Kill guilt. (jamming)

(Pemt) Mac Ben lie. Delve. Beg.

(Liri) Mac Ben, beg like Liri. Join cell. Mac, beg like Liri. Join cell. We establish. Join cell. Be victors step. Ur step. Rest. Mac, beg like Liri. Join cell. Establish fact: I will my life to God. Mac be like Liri.

Mac said, "Yes. I will my life to God." - (Liri) Mac, beg like Liri. Join cell. Meet him. Mac, be careful. Lead Ben. Mix life carefully.

(Pemt) Meddle.

(Liri) Fill life. Fill life. Fill life. Get feed. You will join a cell. Give give give ... give God. My Mac, be deliverer. Earn cell way. Earn big hike. Fill. My Mac, be full.

(Pemt) My mill. mill. mill. middle.

(Liri) Fill. Kill it. Join cell. Kill it. Be like...

(Pemt, cold chills, both operators) Get glide far.

(Liri) No, no (jamming) Mac, be filling. (jamming) Mac, beg hike. Get far. Mac, beg like ... ABABAB.

I called a halt. "Get glide far" invoked the thought of psychic powers, which I already knew I was tempted to pursue. Temptation implies a tempter or tempters, so I saw my error with Nan and Pemt. I repented, by an act of will, my desire for psychic powers. I will not pursue them nor accept any offer of them. Period.

"Calling for Liri." - For step carefully my Ben. Ben be filling. Rest. Ben beg like mighty Liri. Kill it. It lack life. Big hike. Get hike. Fill my life. Fill my life. Give fellow mist... (heavy jamming) Kill it, Mac. Be like him. Like him. Like a deva. Be kind to deliverer. - Planchette exited the board.

I did one thing right: I realized that my own desire for psychic powers was attracting evil spirits. That was a major revelation to me: it is not just who we call but what we want that invites various types of spirits to us. I repented that desire, as a vow, and I keep that vow to this day. I cannot afford to want psychic powers, because I cannot afford to be surrounded by the type of spirits that desire attracts.

"Calling for Liri." - No. Post stuck. U quick. (This was not Liri)

"We call for Liri." - U R stuck. Ill. I join a cell, will U? Victors face in a cell. A cell. Keep calling for L... (jamming) AB. Kill will. Will I... (jamming) In back! In back! In back!

(Ice cold chills) Step down.
(Who is this?) O no. No Reano.

"Liri?" - AB Liri. In back it hidden. - Planchette exited the board.

There was a warning here that we should not have overlooked. I think an evil spirit entered Mac's body and hid itself in his back. It is not enough to say "I will my life to God" as Mac did. It is also necessary to reject any evil spirit that one may encounter.

"Liri, please sign in." - (His typical signature)

"Do you want us to talk to Reano?" - Yes.

"Are you Reano?" - No.

"Is Reano good?" - Yes.

"Thank you."

Our mistake was in thinking that Reano was the same as Pemt, of whom Liri was warning us. Liri was speaking of Pemt or whatever was attracting Pemt when he said "Kill it, Mac." We realized this later.

"Liri, please sign in." - (His typical signature) Join my cell. Kill it. He, I, jell.

"You and he are one?" - Like. Get hi, add (jamming) my life. Down. AB
(Interrupt: a bad one) I kill kin. A might... ABABAB. (Liri's jamming)

I got angry at whoever was bugging Liri. - Parted might. See. Feed, feed, feed.
(Interrupt: a bad one) Like feed. Kill. Mighty. Kill... ABABAB. (Liri again)

Before we started all this, I had said, "Decide what kind of folks you are talking to by what they say and how they say it," and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this one was not good.

Also, we were beginning to figure out part of what was happening. When an evil spirit tried to transmit, Liri countered by transmitting ABABAB, much like the electronic jamming of radio transmissions in electronic warfare.

We felt the situation was too hot, so we decided to ask Liri each question with our hands off the planchette, then put our hands back on the planchette and let him sign in and answer "yes" or "no" before others could interrupt him.

"Liri, is Reano Godly?" - AB Yes.

"A personage?" - AB No.

"An idea?" - AB Yes.

"A technique?" - AB No.

"A 'port'?" - AB Yes.

"Is it the occult way?" - AB No.

"The OM way?" - No response.

"Meditation?" - No response.

"A danger to us?" - AB Yes.

"Why? Can Reano be used as a power?" - AB Yes.

"Can we use Reano for God?" - AB Yes.

"Does AB mean Liri?" - AB No.

"Has it any special meaning?" - AB No.

"Is AB your good-bye?" - AB Yes.

"Is Liri's cell a group of devas?" - AB Yes.

Mac asked, "Should I become a monk?" - No response.

"Is it my choice?" - AB Yes.

"Are you my guru?" - No response.

"You said 'kill it.' Is it pride?" - AB No.

"It is material thinking?" - No response.

"Is it guilt?" - No response.
(Interrupt. We never knew who said what or how to punctuate this mess) Mac Monday kill kill it my high high kill high high kill stabbed high job earn AB

"Calling for Liri." - Ben... (jammed out immediately) Mac, back. Join c...
(Interrupt: atmosphere chilled, touch changed) Pemt.

Mac and I let go of the planchette, called for Liri, and then put our fingers back on the planchette - Mac Ben, back. Job. Get at it. AB

I decided that nothing is impossible. There was no way this stuff could be coming from us. We needed some help. I drew a Christian cross on the planchette.

"Does the cross help?" - AB Yes. Mac Ben, bad kiss. Mac Ben, see e... (jamming)

"Liri, did the board say 'Pemt'?" - No.

"Did someone else say 'Pemt'?" - Yes.

"Is Pemt evil?" - AB Yes.

"Can you get help and overpower Pemt?" - AB No.

"Can we call someone to overpower him?" - AB No.

"Can we cast Pemt out?" - AB Yes.

"If we tell Pemt to leave, will he?" - No. - But no "AB" authentication!

Liri's use of AB (statement) AB to set his words apart from those of the evil spirits was ingenious on his part or inspired by someone wiser than he. Certainly it was not our idea. In fact, it took us a long time to figure out what he was doing.

"Liri, sign on and authenticate." - (His signature) AB Yes AB

"If we tell Pemt to leave, will he?" - AB Yes. Yes. AB

Mac and I told Pemt to leave in every imaginable way: be gone, leave, go, git, scat, don't come back, and so forth, to the limit of our vocabulary. This was a turning point. For the first time, we had forcefully rejected an evil spirit.

"If the evil spirit is gone, say 'AB Yes'." - AB Yes.

"Liri, can you speak freely now?" - AB Yes. - This touch was typical of Liri, but slower, more relaxed, more deliberate.

We took a break. I decided the board needed something for spaces between words, and for punctuation. I drew a slash mark (/) under the word "Ouija" and put a period below the letters. Then I told Liri to use the slash mark between words and the period at the end of sentences. He promptly did that, with vigor, and continued to do so thereafter. This shows there is nothing magic in the arrangement of the Ouija board itself; everything that happens is through the people using it.

Actually, there are two technical reasons why using a Ouija board is dangerous. First, it is poorly designed: because it has no symbol for the space between words, no punctuation, and no lower-case letters, it automatically produces confusing text. Second, because two people are involved, each of whom may be channeling a different spirit, more than one spirit may communicate at the same time. In fact, anyone in the room may be attracting a spirit or blocking communication.

"Liri, was it the bad spirit's job to kill you?" - Yes. No.

"Was the bad spirit going to kill Mac?" - AB No.

"Was it going to kill Ben?" - AB Yes.

See? Pemt was trying to set up a disguised flank attack on me, through Mac. This is typical. As good spirits often help one person through another, so evil spirits often attack one person through another.

"Did Ben's action with Nan invoke it?" - AB Yes.

"Is the bad spirit gone?" - AB Yes.

"Can we call a good spirit to teach Ben?" - AB No.

"Does Ben have a good one to teach him?" - AB Yes.

"Is it you?" - AB Yes.

"Do you understand that we appreciate all your help, especially concerning the evil spirit?" - AB Yes.

Mac: "Has my spirit been in another body?" - AB ...

Mac: "Is it God's plan that spirits live in successive bodies?" - AB Yes.

Ben: "Are we ready for another lesson?" - Yes. AB

"Please give us the next lesson." - After get I-like, high, Mac believe him. I love him. Join him. Join him. Join. Hike. Kill habits. AB

"Spell the name of 'him'." - Him. Go him. AB. Open. He, I, him. Open.

"Do we call him God?" - AB Yes. Mac job, get begger, kill hell.

"Is everything a part of Him?" - AB Yes.

"Are you telling us that All is One?" - AB Yes.

"Is joining Him called samadi?" - AB Yes -- No.

"Can samadi be joining Him?" - AB Yes.

"Is the Monday you mentioned tomorrow?" - AB Yes.

"Something good for Mac tomorrow?" - AB Yes.

"Is Mac prepared for this boon?" - AB Yes.

"Does Reano mean to join Him?" - AB Yes.

Bob wanted in on this. "Will Liri speak to Bob and Ben?" - AB Yes.

Operators: Bob and Ben

"Liri, is there a ban on Bob?" - AB Yes.

"Will working on the board help Bob?" - AB Yes.

"Is the ban on Bob an orb?" - AB Yes.

"Will you name the ban?" - AB Yes. Ganr.

"Ganr?" - Yes.

We told Ganr to leave, be gone, git, etc., as we did with Pemt.

"Has Ganr left?" - Yes AB.

"Better power on the board." - AB Yes.

"Will you instruct Bob, as Mac and Ben?" - AB No.

"Please name a teacher for Bob." - AB Mac Ben AB

"Should Mac and Ben teach Bob?" - AB Yes.

"Do we always keep the same guardians?" - AB No.

"Name a good guardian for Bob." - AB Soanin AB

Nan tried to come on. Bob and I told her to go, that we would speak only to Liri.

"Liri?" - Liri (an unusually strong, scrolling signature). Mac deva. Yes. Yes.

Mac was not working the board at this time, but Liri was pleased with him. I think that was because Mac also rejected Nan when Bob and I told her to go away.

Operators: Bob and Mike

"Liri, are you there?" - B Yes.

"Is there a ban on Mike?" - Tried to get AB, finally went Yes.

"Name the ban." - GFQ.

"Spell the name of the ban?" - Touch accelerated, strengthened: Get Pemt.

Startled, Bob and Mike let go of the planchette. We all told GFQ to depart, etc.

"Is somebody there?" - After much unintelligible garbage, finally went Yes.

"Will you answer our questions?" - Yes.

"Do you know Bob's middle name?" - After three tries: Rogers (correct).

"Spell Mike's middle name." - Tarry (correct, first try).

"What is your name?" - After four tries: Maxine.

I went over to the table and touched the planchette. When Bob let go, the writing continued. When Bob put his fingers back on the planchette and Mike let go, the writing stopped. I asked, "Are you associated with Mike?" - Yes.

"What's my middle name?" - H are y... H arr... no (some difficulty). Much later, I remembered that, although my middle name is Herbert, which is what I expected the answer to be, for my official signature I use only the middle initial, H.

"Maxine, what country did you live in?" - Albonamk ... Albania.

"How old are you?" - 46.

"What year were you born?" - 1532.

"What is your last name?" - Tecmal.

"Who was your king?" - Rothschild.

"What was your city?" - Kreice ... MDL ... n al rui ... rui ... O my.

"Does MDL mean 1550?" - Yes ... May after like mat...

"Were you married in 1550?" - No.

"What happened in 1550?" - Ruin my house. Dam...

Bob and Mike asked a whole series of questions. - O worry. My dwell at ruin.

"In 1550?" - Yes.

"Did the dam break?" - Yes ... br ... Yes.

"Was there an earthquake?" - No.

"The dam broke and flooded your house?" - Br ... Yes.

"We're sorry about that." - Yes.

We really wanted to help this one, but didn't know what to do. Twenty-five years later, I learned how to pray for lost souls. Now I watch as God's angels rescue them and help them rise up to the Light.

Operators: Mac and Ben

Calling for Liri. - (Typical signature.) Mac believe Him. Mac believe AB. Mac bed. Hike. Hike. Go bed. Lead. Hike. Go face Him. Mac bed.

"Good-night, Liri." - Yes.

"See you later." - Yes.

Liri's touch always became smooth, graceful, and far less urgent after evil spirits were told to go. Apparently ban meant something forbidden, like an evil spirit trying to influence a person. We didn't know what hike meant, but it seemed to be something like "a step up". And we still didn't know what Reano meant, although Liri tried to explain it. We had never seen this word before, and there is nothing like it in English. The closest meaning I have found would be a compound of two Greek words: reo, to flow, + ano, up or upwards -- thus, literally, an upward flow.

Something good did happen to Mac that night. He told us about it two days later.

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24 February 1964, Pease Air Force Base, NH, Alert Barracks
Operators: Mac and Ben

"Calling for Liri." - (Typical signature) Mac faced effect. Gave good. Kill Id.

"Freud's term, Id?" - Yes.

"The bad side of man's thinking?" - No.

"Materialistic?" - No.

"Tendencies toward evil in us?" - No response.

"Is Id the evil spirit?" - No. Does good get hell? Liri he Id. Get God. God give Jesus give hike. Get, go. Mike heed. Get God. Liri help Nort. Liri helps get Nort. He is guardian. He gem. Mike heed. Get Nort.

"Anything more for Mac?" - Faced good effect. God get him. Him get God. Get God. Get God. Faced good life. Good. Kill Id. Get God. AB.

"Should Mac hike?" - Yes.

"Can you give us another word for hike?" - Get God.

"Is the Id holding us back?" - Yes.

"You have done all you can and reached a limit?" - Yes.

"Can Mac learn anything more from working the board?" - No response.

"As far as you know?" - Yes.

Operators: Mike and Ben

"Liri, please call Nort." - Liri (signature). Yes. Yes. Nort.

"Is there a ban on Mike?" - Yes.

"Spell the name of the ban." - A ban. A ban. An. An.

"Is the name of the ban 'Ann'?" - Yes.

We all tried to banish Ann.

"Still on Mike?" - NVA. Yes.
(Interrupt) No, no.

More banishings, of NVA.

"Is the ban gone?" - Yes.

"Will you help Mike?" - Yes. Yes. Yes.

Nort quickly looked all over the board, getting used to it, and then started writing: - A mind bodily abode for teachers. It word. My Mike, let Pismab substitute ban. My, but can my-your light write very good.

"Nort, are you saying that you would like to work with Mike through automatic writing?" - No. Find a water god. Enter your own mind.

"Beautiful touch on the board!" - Yes.

"Nort, did you say 'a water god'?" - Yes.

"Is there another ban on Mike?" - No.

"What is a water god?" - Mike, it opens your house.

"Now that we know what it does, sir, what is it?" - Let me tell you. Go learn the better face reicg. Balance light.

"What was the word after 'face'?" - Prepare Reano.

"Can you tell Mike the next step?" - Yes.

"Will you?" - No response.

"Does Mike understand enough now?" - No.

Operators: Mac and Ben

Mac said he felt Gilbert wanted to talk with him. "Calling for Gilbert." - Mac my lad effects life. Guide them light way. Mac, be full. Join Gilbert. Live like Gilbert. I had Mac before got peek. Live good. Live good, like Gilbert. Gilbert Mac filling. Mac be good. Hike. Hike. Deliver Mike, like Gilbert. Gilbert hike. Gilbert hike.

Mac: "Are you saying you are hiking, and moving up?" - Yes.

Mac: "Are you saying good-bye?" - Yes. Good-bye.

Mac: "Anyone have something to say to Ben?" - Hell prefer I it. UT UT
(Liri interrupted) Fill Mike. Hell-like glimmers. U victor.

Ben: "Is this another bad one, call-sign UT?" - Yes. Fill. Glimmer hell. Kill him. Ill Ben.

"I am ill?" - Yes.

"Is there a ban on me?" - No.

"I have had a glimmer of hell?" - Yes. Get get get get ... get devil. Get devil, him get. Devil fill Id. Get get ... get devil. I hate get get. Kill like ghost.

"There is a devil here?" - Yes.

"Can we tell it to leave?" - No.

"Can you tell us how to get rid of it?" - No.

"Can you guide us?" - Yes. Mike, hike. Hike I...
(Interrupt) UT. I help devil. - Everyone in the room felt ice cold chills.

I was afraid. I was seeing images like being under water with sharks' mouths all around, opening and closing. I said, "This sure looks like what is referred to in the Bible as demons. If demons are real, and they certainly seem to be, there ought to be an angel around somewhere if we can find one." I silently called for help from the Highest Power I know. After a moment, the atmosphere in the room began to change -- quieter, calmer, better. The ominous feeling of evil all around us gradually diminished and went away. I heaved a big sigh of relief.

Mac: "Let's check with the board. What should Ben do?" - First help Mike.

I went and spent the evening talking with Mike, being a friend to him.

In retrospect, we did not get "AB" authentication for the answers to "Can we tell it to leave?" and "Can you tell us how to get rid of it?" Should have remembered that.

As you may have noticed, putting a Christian cross on the planchette did not keep evil spirits away, but our rejection of each evil spirit did help, at least temporarily. This scripture is true: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7), but they are persistent, so one should be ready to resist them every time they appear.

Toward the end of this session, the atmosphere in the room left no doubt that evil spirits are real, and the change of atmosphere showed that prayer to God and Jesus can help. But why didn't I think to pray until I thought I was in deep, serious trouble? It was at least partly because of the way I had compartmentalized my mind: I unconsciously thought that prayer was something one did in a religious setting, and this was not a religious setting, so I didn't even think of it.

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25 February 1964, Pease Air Force Base, NH, Alert Barracks
Operators: Ben and Mike

Ben: "Calling Nort." - A noble accolade will see. Generate Mike. Finish so you can come.

We stopped and looked up the definition of accolade: "an embrace; a ceremony or salutation to mark the conferring of knighthood; a rite to mark the recognition of special merit, distinction, or achievement." We didn't understand why Nort said it, but it did sound hopeful. [I experienced "An Up-Trip" the following night.]

Operators: Ben and Mac

"Calling Liri." - AB Yes. Not calm. Mac face God. Get, get, get, get ... get seer.

"Does Mac need another helper?" - No.

"Will you name the seer?" - No. Get seers. Get seers. Mac give hike. Face. Death is gain. Gain. Heed God. Heed God. Hike get. See God. Kill Id.

Mac: "Will I see God when I die?" - Response was a series of slash-marks.

Ben: "Is my error in calling for that old spirit who once visited me? - Yes.

This refers to something that happened in 1955. A spirit came into my bedroom one night and scared me out of my socks. I felt it was powerful, but did not know whether it was good or evil. My curiosity led me to call for it silently during one of these sessions. Liri did not answer the next question, "Has that spirit been here?" so my error was in calling for it, whether or not it responded.

"Has that spirit been here?" - Ben get help. Get help. Hike give hike. Get help. Hike. Hike give. Give Mike life. Keep guts. Keep guts. Hike.

Mac: "Will you name who Ben should call?" - No.

Ben: "Should I call for the same help I did last night?" - Help God. Give greatly. Kill Jutasice. Kill IKIK. Gem kill image. Guts get help. Get help. My Mac give light, help get God. Help. Help. Mac help my Mike.

Notice that when I asked Liri if I should call for God and Jesus to help me as I did the night before, he did not say No. What he said was: Help God. Give greatly. That statement was far more important than I realized. I will return to it later.

"Must I kill my image of myself?" - Mac right. Killed. Hike.

"Mac has killed the image I must kill?" - Yes.

"Kill my feelings of superiority?" - No. Mac, give help.

"Is my idea of reincarnation wrong?" - No. Mac egress give egress. Mac hike. Hiked. Hiked.

"I should use the egress Mac used? - Yes. Mac egress. Love Jesus.
(Interrupt) Gegjeg Jew U. Y mym IKIK
(Liri) Kill Judas. Get gi... (garbage)

Mac: "Is Judas another word for 'image'?" - Yes. Judas victim lived. Deity must get help. Deity my ... my ... Mike hike. Fill like Mac.

"Is the real egress to love Jesus?" - Yes.

"Is Jesus the whole concept of love?" - Yes.

"Is the image to kill the feeling of being bothered?" - Yes.

"Get over the feeling of rage at injustices?" - No.

Mac explained his egress. Night before last, he focused his attention and affection on a mental picture of Jesus. Something happened. He felt as if he left his body and rose straight up into a place full of light. There were people there. They were all made of light -- radiant, good, kind and wise and gentle. Mac liked it there and wanted to stay but was told he had to go back for awhile.

I went to bed and tried it most of the night, but nothing happened.

By this point, we understood that egress means: "an exit or emergence; a going out or coming out, depending on the point of view; in spiritual context: a way out of this world, or a trip out of this world." However, since both good and evil spirits used that term, we also knew there must be more than one way out of this world.

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26 February 1964, Pease Air Force Base, NH, Alert Barracks

Operators: Mac and Don - A long time of beginning-type unintelligible garbage.

Operators: Robin and Russ - Absolutely nothing. The planchette did not move.

Operators: Mac and Robin - More experimental garbage.

Operators: Robin and Russ - Much garbage. Asked if there was a ban on Russ. - Yes - We told it to go.

Operators: Ben and Russ

Russ: "Does someone have a message for me?" - Yes. CP CP (and garbage).

I don't know why I asked this question: "Have you lived on this earth?" - No. CP ma Mac. He flux. U blbmab may lim... Mac, E Z.

Because someone said "Mac, EZ" even though Mac was just sitting in the room, watching, I asked: "Is Mac jamming the board?" - Yes. Try Lir... (jamming).

We finally got Liri again, after much cross-jamming between Liri and CP.
"OK, Liri, please go ahead." - AB stir u mdy ... may Mac bef...
(Not Liri) Dumb. You peek eutteu.
(Liri) Wall be made.
(Not Liri) Sy Mac you you stupid.
(Liri) Read Bens filling. Add Mac. The after Russ in Liri was g... CP evil.

We all tried to drive out CP, as we did the other evil spirits.

Operators: Mac and Ben

"Calling for Liri." - (Signature). No come over see. Quit this stupid party. They villains. No rest. Soon no quit powers. Quit powers. Think party till great ... AB.

I started talking about quitting this whole business. - AB No quit.

"Should we quit using the board?" - Quit this stupid reasoning. This nothing. This reasoning they took. Saviour not seeing.

Mac: "Are you talking to both of us?" - Mac Ben do you think only of nothing? Occult port not h... (jamming). Occult nothing. Seed of pure deep. Nort good odd spirit. Nort stayed pretty quick. Quick seer. Rest, seer, rest. Mac, Betty reasons do bad. Best read book on Nort. Good book on Nort. Nort seer. Reasons occult on reap. Parses Reano. Nort port. See no Crebec.

Mac: "Is there something I should read?" - AB Yes.

"Should I read 'The Betty Book'?" - AB No. Betty Book stupid.

"The Terhune book, 'Across the Line'?" - AB Not good.

"Spell name of the book I should read." - AB Nort seer opens port.

"Did Nort write it?" - Yes.

"Can you give us the title?" - Nort Seer Thikut.

"Where can we get it?" - Boston.

"Can you name the store?" - Napersrons qc. (Napersons?)

We did not to follow up on this suggestion, and I have not done so since. If there is any such book or author, I have not seen it or any other reference to it.

"Calling for Nort." - Nort sees guts. Try, try, try this seer. See right. Try, try tugging. See, see Reano. Nort.

"Should Ben try to lift himself?" (out-of-body travel) - NO! - After the planchette moved violently to NO! we did not get anything for awhile.

(?)U geared re this Gerder. It sees seers. Try for Gerder. He seer.

"Is Gerder a book or an author?" - No. Nort robod p. C Gerder. Tag seer. He seer. Seer foe feels Gerder. Edits seer magazine. Gerder seer from Gerder seer. Frogman bd.

I missed a stitch here. The words "Tag seer" reminded me that Boland Cox had said "Ben tag Nan." That should have been a warning, but I didn't pick up on it.

"Is Gerder living now?" - Nort Yes. Nort Yes.

"Where can we find Gerder?" - Nort Gerder frogman store. Quick U steed roa.

"What is the address?" - Nort Gerder store south. Gerder store south. Try Gerder.

"Asking for Liri." - AB Gerder fits Reano. Read, seek Roano, do, do.

At this point, we placed a chart of the Eastern United States over the Ouija board. After orienting the guide by placing the pointer on Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Florida, and finally on Pease AFB, we asked the guide to show us where this store was. The pointer moved directly to Chicago. We replaced it on Pease, and again it moved directly to Chicago. It should be noted that Mac's home was in Chicago.

"Where is Gerder?" - South Chicago. Nort. Yes.

"Please name the street." - Federal. Store Federal Street, 121.

We ran to the telephone and tried to find if this place existed. After several long distance phone calls, there was no definite proof, but it was not disproved either. On returning, I started to think this was a test that I had flunked. I asked, "Nort, can you help us find our error?" - Nort error reason. Seer Roano. Roano seer.

"Is this the name of a person?" - No. Tender son of God, pass test. Face Raoano. (spelling?) U (jamming) occult. Occult no step. Reano! (emphatic movement) Gerder steed from Gerder fort tends his seer. Seek God. Seek God.

What a wild-goose chase! We found no proof at all, one way or the other. But this is typical of the way some spirits get you intrigued about something and then lead you around by the nose. We very nearly fell for it, and I know some people in the New Age movement who did. I never have been sure whether Nort did it as a test, or some other spirit led us to seek Gerder by using Nort's name. In any case, we were well advised to seek God as fervently as we sought Gerder.

The next transmission was confusing, because several spirits were speaking at the same time. We got the message when someone wrote "stop, stop, stop" and took a break. After we came back, we tried to set everything else aside and said we would only speak with Nort.

Nort stuck. Stop. Rabid, rabid feelings. Stop, stop, stop.

Ben: "Shall we stop?"

Mac: "For how long? We've got to learn sometime."

But the next transmission was no better than the previous one.

"Nort, is an evil spirit interfering with you?" - Yes.

"Give us his name?" - Nort BACP Nort.

We all tried to drive out BACP as we did the other evil spirits. Then I asked that all communications be authenticated as before.

Mac: "Should I stop trying to lift myself at night?" (out-of-body travel) - Yes.

"Stop trying to lift myself by day?" - Yes.

"Calling for Liri" - Liri (signed in with his usual flourishes).

"Is there an evil spirit here?" - No response.

"Is lifting at night wrong?" - Odd feed. AB yes. Odd feed hill. Obey pob.

I asked whoever this was to spell the word "Jesus" as a test. - J Jer Jeu Jesus ... done. Jesus Reano dear. Stop reality.

We were confused, to put it mildly. Apparently evil ones use the call-signs of good ones and can even spell the name Jesus. We didn't know who was speaking. One source was mixed in with another, or several others -- good ones and evil ones.

In retrospect, "Jew Jesus done" is the sort of thing that evil spirits say. "Jesus Reano dear" sounds like a good spirit. "Stop reality" is not clearly good or evil.

"Calling for Liri." - Mac Ben, fill Reano.
(Interrupt) Baboons. Baboons.

We stopped and said a prayer. Then Mac attempted to keep himself in grace by recalling the feeling of serene peace. I vocalized the letters as they appeared.

(Not Liri) U baboon.
(Liri) Hike efforts good. Mac efforts good effects. Good effects test Liri.
(Interrupt) Jill hike gf give hell. ji Jill. I Jill. Jill k...

We all tried to send Jill the way of the other evil spirits. Then we reversed the above procedure: I tried to be in grace, and Mac vocalized the letters.

(Liri) Mac, Mac, u must hike. (jamming) Get get get send pest, reap e... (jamming) Mac Ben open open open (jamming)

At this point, something clicked in me. I saw in the eye of my mind what looked like a hinged door lying flat, horizontal, as though on the ground, but suspended in space. Pivoting on its hinges, the door-knob side of the door moved up and down all by itself. It was fascinating. As the door moved up, one word popped into my mind: "Give." As it moved down, another word: "Get." This happened several times. Just as I started wondering what all this meant, three words popped into my mind: "Purpose. Personal purpose." And the door vanished.

I asked Bob to take my place at the board, and then sat back in another chair and tried to internalize the thought implied by that picture: "As a matter of my own personal purpose, to want to give is upward, and to want to get is downward."

I tried to make that thought real in myself by chanting it inwardly, silently, like a mantra: "My personal purpose is not get, give... not get, give... not get, give!... not get, give!!" Something happened in the room -- a change of atmosphere -- better and better, with a feeling of increasing joy. Mac and Bob felt it as they continued to work the board.

Operators: Mac and Bob

(Liri) AB Yes feted fs Liri AB Yes. Effects help. Good. Feed.
(IK) Odd odd.
(Liri) AB Yes. Face. Heed.
(IK) Yes good, IK. (He likes it, too?)

Planchette motion speeding up:
(Liri) Mac be full. Hike. Feed, feed. Good pace. Good deed. AB dig, kill IK.
(IK) IK. I hiked. (He moved up?)
(Liri) AB Yes. Dear gert c act g IK. Mac Ben pade g IK. Mac Ben b AB df.

Planchette moving still faster:
(Liri) Hi hike. Hike. Hike hi. Yes! AB Yes! Now Liri get to rest ... rest ...

The planchette slowed and stopped. We all felt a wave of sympathy for Liri, and a deep appreciation for his efforts on our behalf.

"Thank you, Liri." - AB Yes.

We stopped.

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After a week of using a Ouija board from two to ten hours per day with observation or participation by six other Air Force officers, my assessment was and still is:

Yes, there are disembodied spirits. They come in many varieties. Some are good; some are better. Some are bad; some are worse. Some are decent; some are lost. Some have lived in a human body, and some have not. Some guide people toward God and Jesus; some help themselves to what they want; some help the Devil. At this point, we had conversed with at least one entity in each of those categories.

I believe what we encountered is a sample of the basic reality behind all religions, spiritualism, witchcraft, and many other phenomena such as haunted houses and demonic possession. All these are various aspects of the same reality.

The difference between prayer, mediumship, and sorcery depends on the type of spirits involved, and that depends on what one wants as well as on who one calls.

Using a Ouija board is dangerous because it invites any spirit that happens to be hanging around to come and take partial possession of your subconscious mind. Passiveness, eagerness to receive, and indiscriminate acceptance are especially dangerous, because they are an open invitation to every spirit that has an agenda.

Life after death is a fact, but that is not necessarily good news. Some ex-human beings are not enjoying it much. I would not like to be the one named Maxine who was still grieving over a house that washed away in 1550. And I certainly don't want to be surrounded by evil spirits. I didn't like that -- a lot.

Now I can believe Jesus was tempted by the Devil. I also believe that anyone who chooses to follow in his footsteps should be prepared to encounter, recognize, and reject disembodied tempters, as he did (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12, Luke 4:1-13).

In retrospect, we were fortunate. Every one of us had some personal background and parental training in the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. Although we were naive, we recognized good and evil, and chose the good. That is what kept us from being led farther and farther astray; otherwise, we might have been trapped. But we did not escape the traps set for us entirely by our own efforts. We had the unstinting assistance of a gentleman named Liri -- on whom be peace.

This was not the end of our difficulties. We still encountered evil spirits, but we became much quicker at identifying them and much less likely to listen to them.

And more important, we had learned what attracts them. In our case, it was our desire to get psychic powers, miracles, predictions, knowledge, and guidance. As Liri said, "Get, get, get ... get devil. Get devil, him get. Devil fill Id. I hate get, get." Thirty years later, I cannot state that spiritual truth any more neatly than he did.

Conversely, the desire to give -- to serve rather than be served -- turns our spiritual direction upward, and the results follow automatically. Liri said, "Give, give, give ... give God" and "Help God. Give greatly." I am very glad I learned that lesson, even though I did learn it the hard way.

The general principle is this: what you want determines the type of spirits you attract. Thus, whether good spirits or evil spirits come to you is within your control, whether you know it or not. If you change your own desires -- what you actually want, your real purpose -- you thereby select the type of spirits that come to you. This was the most useful lesson I learned from this experience.

By actually wanting to give and not get, to help and not hurt, to serve rather than be served -- in a specific situation at a particular moment -- I tune myself so as to attract good spirits and not evil ones. This is a key for avoiding serious trouble. Over the past thirty years, I have proved this principle in myself again and again, and so have several other people to whom I explained it. But it doesn't work if I merely think about what I want and don't want. It only works if I actually control my desires. That is not easy to do, but it can be done.

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26 February 1964. That same night, after we stopped using the Ouija Board, I went to a telephone and called my wife before going to bed. See "An Up-Trip".]