Be Careful Not To Communicate With Zozo, The Malevolent Ouija Board Demon Waiting To Wreck Your Life
- Photo: Madeline / via flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
Modern-Day Encounters With Zozo Sound Absurdly Terrifying
Several people claim to have been possessed by Zozo, and the experiences they describe are absolutely nightmarish. Paranormal researcher Darren Evans recounted having a nervous breakdown when Zozo stalked and tormented his daughter until she had to be admitted to a hospital.
The Internet is also rife with spine-chilling tales of meeting Zozo and facing the aftermath of each encounter. According to one witness, Zozo first asked a series of questions about players' families through a spirit board before mysteriously extinguishing a candle and going on to cause a streak of nasty luck for the witness and her friend.
Another witness, who also claimed to have contacted Zozo through a spirit board, allegedly spent some with a friend talking to a spirit named Zozo until her friend began experiencing strange symptoms that started with a headache and culminated with her inexplicable disappearance from the house in the middle of the night.
- Photo: Jean-François Gornet / via flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Whatever It Is, Zozo Is Way Older Than You Think
The first recorded account of a supernatural encounter with an entity calling itself “Zozo” dates back to far before Darren Evans's reports. In the last published edition of Le Dictionnaire Infernal, the same book that contains the symbol that Evans claimed was a representation of Zozo's name, the author documented a case of demonic possession that took place in the village of Teilly in 1816. The case concerned a girl who claimed to be possessed by three demons. Their names were Mimi, Crapoulet... and Zozo.
According to another theory, Zozo is another name for the Mesopotamian demon Pazuzu. If Zozo really is a nickname for Pazuzu, this creature has been terrorizing occultists and party game enthusiasts for at least 2,700 years.
- Photo: ryan / via flickr / CC BY 2.0
Zozo Might Really Be A Demon - Or Just A Mind Trip
Most descriptions of Zozo refer to it as a demon, but the truth is that nobody knows what it is. Zozo's MO is to introduce itself to unwary spirit board users, interact with them through the board for a little while, and then slowly begin to spread its influence over their lives. Though a few connections exist between the name “Zozo” and the identity of a Mesopotamian demon, it's not entirely clear if Zozo calls itself a demon or if reports of its malicious behavior have earned it a demonic reputation.
Zozo may not be just one entity, either - after all, if ghosts exist and we can truly speak to them, there's nothing preventing them from using the name Zozo to scare us. In fact, there might not even be a Zozo - the trademark bizarre planchette movements and negative feelings associated with Zozo could easily be produced subconsciously by anyone familiar with the nasty rumors surrounding its name.
- Photo: Helen Harrop / via flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
If You Contact Zozo, Prepare For Some Hellish Consequences
While not every Zozo story involves ongoing torment at the hands of a mysterious force, even temporary contact with Zozo can be an unsettling experience. People who claim to have encountered Zozo often describe experiencing sudden intense feelings of anger, fear, depression, or suicidal ideation while speaking with the entity through a spirit board.
Some victims even say they've experienced physical symptoms, including headaches, sleepwalking, and in one case, an infection. Inexplicable strings of bad luck have also been attributed to Zozo. To date, there are no confirmed instances of actual deaths caused by Zozo, but the incidents recounted by alleged victims are ghoulish enough to lose sleep over.
- Photo: Darren Evans / Zozo The Ouija Spirit
You Don't Need To Use A Spirit Board To Run Into Zozo
Almost every story of an encounter with Zozo involves a spirit board, but even if you don't pick up the planchette, you might be unlucky enough to attract Zozo's attention. Some have contacted it through pendulum dowsing, a system similar to a spirit board that uses a suspended weight instead of a planchette to indicate answers. Others have reported meeting Zozo through automatic writing sessions or hypnosis.
Researchers have also captured what they claim is EVP audio footage of Zozo. Darren Evans, the most well-known researcher of the Zozo phenomenon, has even taken what he believes to be a photograph of Zozo.
- Photo: oneworldstudios / via flickr / CC BY 2.0
Keep An Eye Out For Zozo's Freaky Calling Cards
Most encounters with Zozo start off as deceptively benign conversations before they start to turn sinister. However, there are several signs that can tip you off in time for you to disengage before anything truly creepy happens. Here's how you'll know it's time to put the game away:
- The planchette will move in a rainbow pattern from side to side, sometimes pointing to O and Z over and over.
- The planchette will move in repeated figure eight movements.
- The planchette will spell out any version of Zozo's name (watch out for Zozo, Zoso, Zaza, or Mama in particular).
- You might see what look like shadows moving around the area where you're playing.
- You and whoever you're playing with will start to feel scared, uneasy, or upset.
- Photo: Ann Larie Valentine / via flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
You Can Tell Zozo GOODBYE – Just Be Careful
If you suspect you might have made contact with Zozo, the best thing you can do is to stay calm. If Zozo really is a demonic spirit, your fear will just make it stick around. If you're using a spirit board, close the session by moving the planchette to GOODBYE. This will formally end the game, and you won't be able to make contact with Zozo anymore.
If you aren't using a spirit board, end your game or session according to its official rules as quickly and calmly as you can. Even if Zozo is nothing more than a product of the ideomotor effect and an overactive imagination, just removing the source of your fear will help you escape the feeling of being haunted.
- Photo: TinyTall / flickr / CC-BY-ND 2.0
Getting Rid Of Zozo Is Tricky, But It Can Be Done
The easiest way to avoid forming an unwanted connection with Zozo is to stop communicating with it for a while. If you use a spirit board, put it away for a while or use it somewhere besides the place where you believe you've run into Zozo. Cleansing your home (or anywhere in particular where you feel like Zozo is more likely to bother you) is also a pretty reliable way of staving off negative influences and regaining some peace of mind. If you're a spiritual person, go ahead and give your place a cleanse with whatever tools work best for you, such as sage or holy water.
If you're dealing with a run of bad health or cruddy luck, your best course of action is to take care of yourself - remember that what goes down will come up again. Don't ignore your physical or mental health, whether it's creepy spirits or garden-variety health problems that have you worried. And if you're 100% convinced that what you're facing is an actual demonic spirit, you can't go wrong with a good ol' exorcism.
- Photo: Graham C99 / via flickr / CC BY 2.0
Zozo Has Other Names, And They're All Really Weird
Zozo goes by many other names—Zoso, Zaza, Zo, Oz, and even Mama or Abacus. Some sources also associate Zozo with Pazuzu, the Mesopotamian demon king of the southwest wind and the inspiration for the villainous spirit in The Exorcist.
Darren Evans, a paranormal researcher whose reports brought Zozo into the public eye, described encountering Zozo through a Ouija board with a symbol etched into it that could be read as the name “Zozo.” Curiously, this symbol is almost identical to the “Zoso” symbol used to represent Jimmy Page on the inner sleeve of the fourth Led Zeppelin album. While it's not impossible that Page took graphic design advice from a demon, it's more likely that he adapted the symbol from Le Dictionnaire Infernal, an encyclopedia of demons written in 1818.
However, this book lists the symbol as a protective sigil, not a demonic one. This means that Evans, a Zeppelin fan, probably took Zozo's name from the symbol he saw in the album and gave it a demonic origin story—or Zozo just happens to be really into Zeppelin.
- Photo: Braden Kowitz / via flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
A Little Caution Goes A Long Way
There's no guarantee that any given spirit board session will bring you face to face with Zozo - but why leave it up to chance? Before you pick up the planchette, take a minute to set some ground rules for whoever - or whatever - you're hoping to contact. If Zozo does indeed exist, it might think twice before trying to intimidate you if you've shown that you're willing to take control of the encounter. Just dedicate a minute or two before your session to state firmly that you're not interested in talking to anyone who wants to scare or control you, and that if they try, you're going to tell them GOODBYE.
This might not sound like it would do much to deter a demon, but it definitely won't hurt to introduce yourself as someone willing to fight back against any unruly spirits looking for someone to haunt.
