What is this mysterious form of writing and why are some so enraptured by it while others find it insidious? The practice of automatic writing (a.k.a. psychography) is a supernatural ability used by many individuals to communicate with spirits.

Often a person will sit in a trance-like state with a small chalkboard and a piece of chalk. While channeling, the individual allows the spirit to communicate through them. The person will transcribe the spirit’s message onto the chalkboard. This can also be done with the use of pen and paper. The individual, through which the spirit is communicating, claims to have no control over what’s being written, claiming that the spirit is in total control.

The mere thought of doing such an act frightens many people because of the idea of spirits entering (even if it’s for a brief period of time) a person’s body. They fear the possibility of a spiritual attachment. The use of a Ouija Board has also been considered a form of automatic writing.

A well-known case of automatic writing comes from the nineteenth century. New York Supreme Court Judge, John Worth Edmonds didn’t express any interest in automatic writing until after the passing of his wife. Even though Judge Edmonds put his career on the line, that didn’t stop him from pursuing communication with the spiritual world. Along with the help from his spiritualist friends, the judge claimed to have communicated with both historic figures, Francis Bacon (who was England’s Lord Chancellor that died in the seventeenth century) and Emanuel Swedenborg (who was an established philosopher from Sweden that died in the eighteenth century). However popular this study is, there still is no scientific evidence that proves such theory.

But just in case such ability does exist, I recommend using extreme caution to anyone who considers performing automatic writing. In my opinion, like with the use of a Ouija Board, it may not be that easily discernible with whom one is communicating. So be careful and know that it is not a game.