The Magic Oleander Square

On her drive to Hill House, Eleanor passes an empty grass square, surrounded by majestic oleander trees. It captures her imagination as she wonders what building had been planned and never built in the center of the square. She decides, whimsically, that the square contains an invisible castle. Eleanor thinks that she might break the spell on the castle if she were to walk inside the square. Unwilling to test her theory, Eleanor drives away without allowing herself to walk in this magical space.

The Planchette

Similar to the ouija board, the planchette is a method of communicating with spirits from beyond through the process of automatic writing. A pencil is attached to the triangular or heart-shaped wooden planchette and participants place their fingers on the planchette as they ask questions of the spirits. The planchette has little wheels and glides over a piece...