Planchette

This article is about the triangular board used in paranormal activities. For the coin blank, see Planchet.

A planchette ( /plænˈʃɛt/ plan-shet), from the French for "little plank", is a small, usually heart-shaped flat piece of wood that one moves around on a board to spell out messages or answer questions. Paranormal advocates believe that the planchette is moved by some extra-normal force. The motion is allegedly due to the ideomotor effect. In occult usage, a pencil would be attached to the planchette, writing letters or other designs on paper to be later interpreted by a medium.

The most common use of the planchette is with a Ouija or spirit board. In this instance, it is sometimes referred to as an "indicator" or "pointer" to show where something is etc., like a Dowsing board. Used since the beginning of the Spiritualism movement of the mid-nineteenth century, planchettes predate the invention of spirit boards.

See also

• Ouija
• Fuji (planchette writing)
• Automatic writing

External links

• Planchettes at the Museum of Talking Boards