Reverse Engineering Chan Thomas' Oija Board

Good afternoon ATS,

I’ve recently fallen down a rabbit hole researching the mysterious author of The Adam and Eve Story, Chan Thomas. That book is a whole post/can of worms in and of itself but it also led me to his other interesting work “Body 2”. To put the whole book in a nutshell, he argues that in addition to our physical bodies, we also have a second non-physical body made up of infinitesimally small particles. It’s through this “Body 2” that our spirit exists, persists after death, and can be used to communicate telepathically.

He argues that by synching up with one’s own Body 2, we can communicate with other Body 2’s, of the living, the dead, and even those that live on distant planets and dimensions. While he never uses the phrase “Oija board” he describes having developed a “ a chart with simple expressions on it”.

The most common line of logic used to “debunk” spirit/talking boards, is that the movements are either a hoax or in the more “genuine”, they’re an instance of ideomotor phenomenon.

Simply put, ideomotor phenomenon is an occurrence where a person makes incredibly small movements of their muscles subconsciously. These movements can be so subtle that a person may be fully convinced that they have no part in them whatsoever. This explanation does explain the talking board phenomenon for those that believe a “genuine” board would be physically pulled by an external spirit, but Dr. Thomas argues that ideomotor response is the exact mechanism that “Body 2’s” can use to communicate. He argues that through the semi-circular canals, a series of tubes in our inner ears that we derive equilibrium from, Body 2’s can manipulate subtle gravitational waves, we pick them up with our SCCs, and then our ideomotor response operates the chart accordingly. This line of logic seems plausible enough given that our true understanding of gravity is very limited.

Anyway, this chart he describes ends up sounding a lot like a Oija board, but not quite the same. Given that this book came out long after Spiritualism and the patenting of the Oija board by Hasbro, he had no doubt heard of it.
This is where I’d like to request some help.
If anyone has heard anything about this book or any additional resources on Chan Thomas’ methods, I’d love to know about them. Otherwise, I’ve been trying to reverse engineer the board from his description. I’ll include the relevant passages here:

“Remember that the equilibrium nervous system is connected to every muscle in the body, and that the equilibrium loops sense gravity fields as a stable reference for every muscle’s action.

Our minds and bodies are trained to pay attention to the stable reference. That’s really all we need for normal living.

However, suppose there were a very small portion of that stable reference signal which is intelligent information, mixed in at an extremely low level of modulation? It would certainly escape our attention, wouldn’t it. If we are going to communicate “mind-to-mind”--in reality Body 2 to Body 2—it is these low-level modulations (we receive them through the equilibrium system’s sensing of gravitational signals) which we must find ways of detecting, using the equilibrium system’s control over body movements.

Suppose you could find a means of making your arm and hand obey the equilibrium system signals in such a way that both the stable reference for normal equilibrium and the information content of the stable reference were honored by your arm. If we had some kind of chart, the eyes could be made to look at that portion of the chart which expressed the information in the equilibrium system. Or, if the muscles indeed follow the instructions of the brain and nerve system, while based on the references provided by gravity through the equilibrium system, perhaps the information content of the reference signal could be used as instructions for the motor system. You could move your arm so that a finger could point at the information as displayed on a chart.

To us the next question was “what kind of chart?” We constructed a chart with simple expressions on it; with numbers; and with these groups surrounded by the alphabet in an elliptical shape. Months of experimentation led to the final form of this chart.

To simplify the work of the motor system, we could limit the action required by the arm movements to two dimensions by providing a sliding transparent object which the finger would bear on ever so slightly. One of the main principles of the chart is to have the sliding indicator cover one—and only one-- symbol or expression at a time, and have the symbol or expression completely visible while covered, or being covered or uncovered.
The sliding indicator should take up to four hands on it; should resist tipping over; and slide easily with the slightest push.

There also should be a space in the center of the chart for no communications, where the sliding indicator can pause during a communication or stop between communications.

If the concept worked, we would be providing Body 1 and visible linkage to Body 2. Thus an external link would be provided as a substitute for the internal one severed during childhood.”

Does anyone have any insight as to what I might be looking for here? Otherwise I suppose it’ll just be trial and error. And if there’s any interest I could throw together posts on Body 2 and his other book as well. This one has just been keeping me up at night.

a reply to: EventideExpanse
I really enjoyed his Adam and Eve story, so bought Body 2 when it became available. To be honest, I was extremely disappointed. It seemed to be a regurgitation of many esoterical beliefs rolled into one, while also leaving out some valuable knowledge.

TBH, I think he makes the whole subject far more complex than it really is. If he had todays' knowledge at hand, I think he would have written something entirely different.

I can't offer any helpful information because I think Chan was off on his ideas concerning how things interconnect and work, especially his version of the Ouija board.

Alphabet lights, photon interference array, emf detector, and thermal camera are all more useful than a ouija board that's just your basic dowsing apparatus.

a reply to: EventideExpanse
I think you got that one wrong and I will explain to you why I think that.

Reading that text stroke a lot of similarities but I come from a different angle. What is described there reads awfully a lot like descriptions in old Pagan, Norse and Germanic texts about what is today seen as "magic". It also has references in Chinese scriptures and there it is called CHI.

I will not quote the parts, not to rip apart your op but to show you what I mean.

Suppose you could find a means of making your arm and hand obey the equilibrium system signals in such a way that both the stable reference for normal equilibrium and the information content of the stable reference were honored by your arm.

This is what is know as collecting and controlling your CHI. If you master it, you can send it around in your body without activating the muscle groups at will or not. This is how the famous one inch punch works for example. The student has to learn to collect the chi, the body energy and dump it all simultaneous. It is also what is utilized in Biu Tze as you work these energetic connection points in the nerve system.

This has to do with body awareness and is also useful for meditation, where you connect with your inner self, similar to the description throughout the text.

Now, why I think you made the Ouja connection:
The Ouja board, I don't practice this but hear me out, is not a magical object in itself. The pure shape or form of it plays no role. Absolutely not. This is important to learn about most things concerned with this topic. The symbolism itself isn't important even.

So, intention and attention is key here and these symbols help focusing on this. I wrote this recently somewhere else (or it might have drowned in a open tab that got closed). For example in meditation if you direct your chi and want something to manifest, these symbols are used for trance induction. Similar to the "ohm" sound, or drums (..of war even) or prayers in a Church.

It is to manifest the will and attention, that's the secret. The Oujia board itself is just a piece of wood with human made symbols. It's a object to use for focusing attention and intent.

And that leads me to the trickery of the Ouja board because it works on equilibrium of the forces in the fingers on the glass of the partipicians. Anyone with bad intent can put focus on the result and manipulate it.

Like you can subconsciously manipulate a pendulum in blind tests. Make it swing or circle, it's miniscule movements in the hand that manipulates it. Now... the explanation is that it is the subconscious mind or soul, to use your term "body 2" does that controlling. Always some explanation I guess

a reply to: EventideExpanse

I don't believe in the Body 2 concept, but I do believe we have a non-human consciousness present in us. I've seen it in action and it is not necessarily friendly.

There is no such thing as reverse engineering, you are the idiot, a rabbit doesn't live in a hole.

originally posted by: EventideExpanse
[...] “Body 2”. To put the whole book in a nutshell, he argues that in addition to our physical bodies, we also have a second non-physical body made up of infinitesimally small particles. It’s through this “Body 2” that our spirit exists, persists after death, and can be used to communicate telepathically.

"Body 2" sounds a whole lot like "midi-chlorians" from Star Wars:

.starwars.fandom.com...

a reply to: EventideExpanse

Perhaps it should be thought of as embracing the madness tighter than previously doing so?

A climb out of the proverbial rabbit hole will see that even very experienced meditators spend many more years patiently resolving such effects that are produced by karma it is said that to have good karma or what resolves it is becoming free from it as much as possible by observation of as many of the precepts as possible the rules for what get termed as monks and nuns are not training rules other than training each other to live in a communal setting with as much peace between them as possible but as what gets termed as laity or householder the precepts are enough. Traditionally only on the day of the full moon any more than that was seen as excessive.

But what is being spoken of as powers are both real and illusion at the same time and best to be abandoned altogether as they lead the 2nd body you speak of also into bondage in the same way as the physical is but on a spiritual level so how much more ensnared do you want or desire to be? The Buddha of the current age often spoken of as historical said his path only points the way to freedom and nothing more. The hunter and monkey speaks of the senses being ensnared in a tar trap where at first it is one foot then reaching a hand trying to pull it out it also gets stuck then the other hand and then the other foot in trying to leap and finally it resorts to biting at it like a baby monkey being held by a parent desiring freedom leaving its mouth ensnared as well as soon as it goes limp the sharp skewer goes right on through it and off goes the hunter with the monkey doing whatever he likes with it having known it's proclivity to ensnare itself in such a manner.

In other words it is all about guarding one's senses and knowing the range of them falling into the rabbit hole is the hunters tar trap trying to find what fruit the monkey(you) likes to ensnare it.

The seventh consciousness is infinite it is also known as the bhavana and even skill abbots have known to fall into such things termed as a thicket of views the cure is the one taste being salt or freedom it may look like salt but when it tastes sweet RUN! Best to cut off the tumor before it starts the seventh consciousness being mind... wandering all over mind looking for mind is mindlessness not even recognizing it... recognizing the parts one likes and gathering it up takes thousands of arms thousands of feet sitting in the carcass of the past others think one is attached to and hate is no different than a spider weaving a web the same as a child keeps coloring the sky blue once told that what it is and what color it is and look up and see the color and get crazy enough to call even the one at night sky um yeah can I get me some of that sky black? It typically isn't even thought about moments later as soon as another christmas present is withdrawn out from under the giving tree the taking one not even seen as the new is continually grabbed like a meme and yet eventually seeing the task as unwrapping the question would be is this my job how am i supporting you are you the wrapper?

Hiding the truth well yeah that's supposedly the parents job to keep as much mystery as yet to be revealed to prolong the magic and awe and of course someone kills Santa Claus as fast as possible... then it just becomes tradition and going through the motions and well happy birthday Saint Nicholas? When it's supposed to be that of Jesus... Oh don't worry those that are considered the most devout have have not stopped asking questions if anything perhaps just to keep seeing how absurd the answers get... remember that part of consciousness is infinite? In other words a fool's errand to arrive at since it is ever present or else it could not be cognized.

Chasing the dragon around is just that feeling no matter who what or where it comes from and that only leads to more birth there in the illusion and delusions others that came before have created and taking a little from here and a little from there like it is a mental buffet gets called the or a self. Looking closer there never was any existing self in it just expectations just habitual forming traps to designate, separate, and segregate the knower out of really knowing.

Is such a thing noble? Only if you get to a point realizing from the beginning nodding at licking at and eating the tar without the hunter wasting good fruit is the way to being a better monkey... otherwise stuck even deeper or just the same as the other monkeys. Some do that and it is called placation... like yay you found a path that resonates and gets you and it from head to toe and now are being a publicist for it.

But hey don't mind me Buddha carried me as far as death then dropped me to suffer through and experience it, that's what a good samyaksambuddha does after all resolved to not be a Buddha or anything else is my true goal just suffering here and not ashamed of it however it is not the haha thanks for training me like a monkey I caught myself caring about the nonsense you people made up again. There is a point past that and it can't be easily reached if the Buddha reincarnated like people expect Christ to do? I'd be like sorry yo followed your path so far that I started living it as if I were you and that's not cool but there is no way I can teach you your path... you have to rediscover it and follow it yourself... and honestly how is that not in the same boat as everyone else starting out in delusion that others have taught as truth even when it isn't but it is such a world wide delusion and such persistent over time one it gets a pass when everyone has without fail questioned it and seen it as insane and the cause of so many problems.

"There's safety in numbers." is a cliff and it is such a nice little maxium that seems to please everyone regardless of class caste or creed that it could be called the maitreya everyone has been waiting for that becomes cause for human unity that paves the way into the future... maybe it's not the "form" people would expect as "a savior" but it's the best I've got and it isn't anything new... and looking into its depths from perspectives not one's own isn't dangerous or threatening to any of the one's already held for whatever reason... or the hole that's not a hole and safe to explore.