Board games as ceremonial Magic

There are three board-game movies that come to my mind when I think about this, Zathura (2005), Jumanji (1995), and Family Pack (2024).

Essentially, the theme or plot of the movies are that some people play a board game that alters reality and they can’t leave until some conditions are met (they all ‘lose’) or the game is won. In some cases, losing might mean being trapped in the ‘shadow realm’ or ‘alternate dimension’ or ‘death’.

If you compare the overarching ‘rules’ to the board game to that of a ceremonial magic ritual then you can see parallels. For instance- the movie A Dark Song (2016) the main character attempts to try a ritual for her own reasons, enlists the aide of an occultist, and have to follow strict rules, to completion, for the ritual.

Essentially, Ceremonial magic works on the frame work of following a set of rules to completion, and there are risks and consequences for not completing it. Some games or rituals do allow you to quit halfway, other games are rather nefarious and require total commitment. There may or may not be consequences for quitting halfway.

When you complete the ceremonial magic, you may receive what you are looking for, or what you’re actually looking for based on the desire or intent before hand.

Of course, the results are subject to a lot of things. Casting spells and casting spells effectively is the difference between the intention and result. It’s one thing to want or desire a specific outcome, it is another thing to have achieved it. The Efficacy of spell work is wide and open to subjective interpretation.

I think it’s important to note that ceremonial magic can range from fun and charming to austere and serious. The same can be said with games, when playing the Organ musically or playing war games as a General or even Russian roulette, these game aren’t necessarily fun (Some might think it fun) and the stakes can be high resulting in death.

Worth mentioning Ouija boards

A lot of people have played with Ouija Boards, and the general consensus is that it’s a board game with affixed rules for opening and closing spirit portals for communication. That’s the quick and easy explanation, with some extra stipulations that you can look into if you’re curious.

Back when Toy’s R Us was a thing, this board game was being sold on store shelves to children;

Typically, though, people get ‘freaked out’ and don’t properly close their Ouija boards and there are all types of stories about hauntings and whatnot. That’s part of the rules when performing a ceremonial magic or ritual.

When you play board games, they come with fixed rules and if you don’t set them (the rules) then they’ll default to what all players typically agree to. In some cases, the rules may default to what the manufacturer or the scroll or script or ‘instructions’ that comes with the board game, regardless if you have the rule book in hand or not.

As an example; If you don’t know how to play chess but you sit at a chess board across from someone who does, then the results will be interesting. Some possibilities; they’ll teach you, quit, win, or get upset at you for not making proper moves.

Of course, this is an example of something with light consequences as Chess, now imagine if the consequences were more severe like Zathura or a Ouija board.

Point being, if you play a board game with someone that is in spirit form that knows how to play, then they’ll default to the rules they know especially if you don’t know any. Worse, if you don’t set rules, then it’s basically the wild west, (unless there are manufacturer’s instructions). Surely the ‘goodbye’ on the Ouija board isn’t merely for show.

If you start playing chess the wrong way, you can’t blame the other chess player for you being dumb.

Here’s a few words from someone on the internet to help lighten the mood;

If we venture into a mix

Of realities. Then theoretically any board game, to include dungeons and dragons, could amplify the bending of our psychology. In turn, our psychology impacts our perceptions of reality and arguably bends reality after the fact. The fact being the experience of playing.

See, the thing is, when you imagine savory foods and smells or even a lemon, your body may salivate even though there’s nothing there. Likewise, if I just talk about nails on a chalkboard, for those that have heard it, it can bring up memories from that experience. Words spoken and read can bring up and illicit experiences that we’ve had and memories and trauma causing our bodies to have real reactions to our thoughts.

As such, when we roleplay into a familiar setting and put ourselves in the shoes of our characters, be it a board game or another form of meta-reality, then we can impact on ourselves a feeling or experience even though we have not physically left the room. Our mind is in a sort of focused meditative state, and this can affect the body as well as our perceptions of reality.

I’m not saying Dungeons and Dragons the table top board game is ceremonial magic. I am saying that if you’re deeply engrossed into the game, that your psyche will be somehow altered for the better or worse.

I’m sure there’s probably some experiences where players worked through their own personal trauma or even gained empowerment and confidence by merely playing Dungeons and Dragons. That a part of us in our subconscious is awakened and seeds are planted from the experience. Arguably, you could do shadow work and have therapeutic-like experiences by playing the game.

The altering of our psyche (or our soul as “psyche” originates from the Greek word “psuche” (ψυχή), which directly translates to “soul”, “mind”, or “spirit”) can happen and is true for many sort of ‘experiences’, like watching a movie, playing a game, or reading a book. The person who you were before the experience is different from the person who you are after the experience, and the degree of difference is subject to a multiplicity of various factors.

This is also true for sky diving and eating foods and all sorts of other experiences or ‘achievements’. Also climbing a mountain or crossing a river.

I’m not saying that you’ll be physically transported into another world and be absorbed by the medium you’re partaking in, sort of magic. No, I mean you’ll be mentally and psychically absorbed in the experience and be transformed by it, sort of magic.

Side note, I once saw the black and white movie of ‘To kill a mocking bird’ and I was so absorbed that I forgot myself. I forgot I was Asian and that I was neither of the two colors being represented in a racial divide on screen. When I snapped back to reality, it felt surreal, and I was like “I’m Asian” -Lmao.

If you haven’t had any profoundly positive mystical experiences and transformations by viewing any media, art, literature, or etcetera, I implore you to live life more.

I also caution, that you can also have profoundly negative and traumatic experiences to work through or with depending on which risky endeavor or experience you take. -But I’m a glass half full kind of guy and I’d enjoy (and have enjoyed) some hard lesson plans to help fill my cup, if you know what I mean.

Epilogue

Hey, you don’t have to take anything I’ve written above seriously. Treat it as conjecture. -And if you’re only stepping foot in one realm of reality, then I’d ask you to broaden your horizons. Your perspective can open new worlds.

The whole;
“Before experience, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers;
During experience, mountains are no longer mountains and rivers are no longer rivers;
After experience, mountains are once again mountains and rivers once again rivers.”

I’m not saying ceremonial magic is good or bad, in fact, most of society partakes in it, and I have some whims of a plan to dive deep into that in some future. The short and simple is that anytime you go to any ceremony, whether it’s a wedding, or a graduation, or a play/performance, or even a birthday, you partake in a form of ceremonial magic.

Also, most major religions are by definition partaking in ceremonial rites and therefore ceremonial magic. If the religion isn’t magical, then it lacks spirit and is therefore a secular and dead experience, which makes it not much of a religion.

The general rule of thumb is, if you’re wearing wizard robes or if other people are, there’s probably something magicky going on. Be it a College or a Cathedral or even in the Court Room. (arguably this applies broadly to any form of uniforms too).

I am broadly exploring the liberal use of ceremonial magic and board games. I am broadly exploring the liberal use of these words and drawing connections. This is partly the benefit you gain (that may help broaden your horizons) when you realize that;

Words Mean Things