Talking Board Symbolism - "Of the Moon and Stars"

Kennard Ouija and Planchette Image Courtesy TBHS board member Andrew Vespia’s collection. Talking Board Historical Society's photo.

Ever wonder why the original Ouija Board manufacturers used the Sun, Moon and Stars as decorations on their early boards? The answer may not be as simple as you might think, and illustrates the powerful influence of symbols within the human psyche. It is not surprising that the Symbolism Movement began in 1880, during the Victorian Era wherein symbols and their meanings held an important place in society as a whole. The Victorian Era culture was a particularly sentimental one, and placed value and often deeper meanings upon objects by associations with different iconography. For example, grave markers adorned by a Lamb, which represents innocence, were used primarily on an infant's or a child's gravestone. Whereas a broken bud or branch signifies an untimely death of a younger person, the appearance of an Oak leaf indicates that a long life was enjoyed by the deceased.

It is with this understanding of the importance of symbolism in this time period, that we observe the seemingly simplistic graphics for the original Kennard Novelty Company Talking Board, produced in 1890. A large black circle adorns the upper left hand corner of the board, and a black Crescent Moon shape and five pointed star appear in the upper right hand corner. Note that unlike the Ouija Boards that William Fuld produced in the late 1910's, the circle is opaque, and does not have the facial features of Fuld's later version. Two matching star shapes sit rather unremarkably in the lower corners of the board as well. In order to decipher the original symbolic meanings as illustrated on the Ouija board, we first turn to the common meanings as understood by the late era Victorians. In looking at the board with a modern eye, we automatically associate the black circle with the Sun. And we would be wrong to do so. For you see, the original manufacturers hadn't designed a Solar element to decorate the board, the black circle was intended to represents the Full Moon, and not the Sun at all, according to the patent that Elijah Bond submitted for the device. The Moon in its full aspect is commonly understood to represent illumination of the hidden, mysterious and of esoteric knowledge, and shining in its Crescent form, rebirth, and regeneration. The seemingly inadequate Stars are known to represent the idea of navigation. Since ancient times, humankind has used the stars to guide them on their journeys, thus it is only natural that we would look to them to guide us through the afterlife, and perhaps with our conversations with those beyond the veil.

In the case of its application to the original Kennard Ouija, We know that the originators of the device - Elijah Bond, Charles Kennard and Washington Bowie were Masons, so it is with this knowledge that we look to the Freemasons for hints as to what these symbols could have meant to them specifically. Upon further research we find that the Moon in Masonic History and Lore is a very important one, and has long been associated with the Craft and its origins. In Masonry, the symbol of the Moon has a strong association with navigation as well. For the early 19th Century Mason, walking home several miles after a late night lodge meeting, a full Moon's light would be a welcome companion to guide them home. It is for this reason, that the Mason's adopted the custom of having their meetings on the week of the full Moon, and thus these lodges were often referred to as "Moon Lodges".

So it is with the aforementioned in mind that one could draw the conclusion that the originators of the graphics for the Ouija Board had intended its users to recognize the symbols as guides, and to illicit and illustrate the idea that the Ouija Board was a Mysterious and Magical Device that could navigate communications with the unknown.

Kennard Ouija Board and Planchette Image courtesy TBHS Director Andrew Vespia Collection