The Most Dangerous Games: Purple Hearts

Previously: The Letter Ritual.

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I had never heard of the ritual game Purple Hearts until it showed up in my search analytics recently. It bears some similarities to a few other games we’ve looked at here at TGIMM over the years; like Concentrate, for example, Purple Hearts seems to be largely the provenance of sleepovers and the playground, although the actual gameplay is closer to that of Doors Of Your Mind/Red Door, Yellow Door/Black Door, White Door/the Game of Seven Doors.  

But there’s quite a severe lack of information available about Purple Hearts. I’m not even sure how long it’s been around, as I’ve only found a handful of mentions of it online. The oldest version I’ve spotted is dated 2011; however, the most complete version — with enough details about the writer to allow us to attempt to date the game — was published on 2014. The writer of the 2014 version noted in her blog’s first entry, which went live in 2011, that she was married with kids at the time, and states in a later post that her wedding was in 2011. Her post about the game itself also suggests that she played it when she was a kid — which, in turn, suggests that it’s been around for quite some time (at least since the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, I’d estimate).

[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]

But the fact remains that I’d never heard of it until a few weeks ago — meaning I have no personal experience of it during my own childhood years of the ‘80s and ‘90s — and, since the small handful of other sources I’ve found don’t include enough information for me to attempt putting a date to the game, that’s all just one big guess on my part.

In any event, what separates Purple Hearts from the Doors Of Your Mind is that it’s more of a hypnosis game than a meditation one — although I suppose you could make the argument that meditation and hypnosis are close neighbors, if not straight-up versions of each other. They’re both relatively safe to play, but as always…

…Play at your own risk.

Players:

• One principal (the “Sleeper”).
• One partner (the “Guide”).
• Bystanders (optional, but recommended).

Requirements:

• A quiet, dark room.
• A pillow (optional).
• Candles (optional).
• Matches or a lighter (optional).
• An audio recording device (optional).

Instructions:

Sleeping:

1. Begin at any time.
2. Bring all participants and any supplies being utilized to the dark, quiet room. Close the door behind you.
3. Close the curtains, if any.
4. Dim the lights, if any. If using the candles, set them up around the perimeter of the room, light them using the matches or lighter, and, instead of dimming the lights, turn them off entirely.
5. Seat the Guide cross-legged on the floor. If using the pillow, place it on the Guide’s lap.
6. Position the Sleeper such that they are lying down on the floor, face up, eyes closed, and with their head resting on the Guide’s lap.
7. If Bystanders are present, seat them comfortably and quietly in a circle around the Sleeper and the Guide.
8. If using the audio recording device, turn it on and begin recording.
9. If you are the Guide, place your fingertips on the Sleeper’s temples and begin to rub them in a slow, circular motion.
10. If you are the Sleeper, relax your body, keep your eyes closed, and concentrate on your breathing. Allow your thoughts to drift. When the moment seems right, begin counting backwards from 100 to one.
11. Once the Sleeper begins counting, the Guide and any Bystanders present should begin chanting the phrase “Purple hearts,” quietly, rhythmically, and repeatedly.
12. Sleeper: Keep counting.
13. Guide and Bystanders: Keep chanting.
    • If the Sleeper falters or falls silent before reaching the count of one: The ritual has succeeded. Guide and Bystanders, cease your chant. You may proceed.
    • If the Sleeper reaches the count of one: The ritual may or may not have succeeded. Guide and Bystanders, cease your chant. Before proceeding, have the Guide ask the Sleeper if they are asleep.
      1. If the Sleeper answers no: The ritual has likely not succeeded. Guide and Bystanders, cease your chant. Examine the Sleeper’s behavior carefully for confirmation.
         • If they open their eyes, sit upright, or otherwise behave as they normally do while awake, the ritual has not succeeded. Do not proceed. Extinguish the candles, open the curtains, turn on the lights, and disband the group of participants. You may try again another time.
         • However, if the Sleeper’s behavior is odd or uncharacteristic in any way, they may, in fact, be asleep, despite answering otherwise. Further questioning may be required from the Guide in order to determine the Sleeper’s true state. Suggested questions include, but are not limited to, inquiries about what they are, if they are not asleep; where they believe themself to be; and/or what they believe themself to be doing right at that particular moment.
         • Sleeper: If you are NOT asleep, DO NOT PRETEND to be asleep. Answer honestly if you are still awake.
      2. If the Sleeper answers yes: The ritual has succeeded. Guide and Bystanders, cease your chant.  You may proceed.

Dreaming:

1. If you are the Guide, now is the time to live up to your title: Guide the Sleeper through their dream.
2. Ask them where they are.
3. Instruct them to describe anything they see, hear, smell, taste, or feel, or otherwise experience.
4. Have them narrate what they are doing and/or whatever is happening around them.
5. Encourage them with verbal prompts when necessary — but also, listen. Listen to what they tell you.
6. Pay attention.
7. When the Sleeper begins to describe seeing purple hearts: It is time to wake them up. Proceed to Waking, Step 1.

Waking:

1. Guide: To wake the Sleeper, instruct them to reach out their hand and grab the purple heart.
2. Once the Sleeper has grabbed the purple heart in their dream, they should awaken in the physical world. Sleeper: When you have awakened, you may open your eyes and sit up.
3. If using the audio recording device, stop recording and turn it off.
4. Extinguish the candles, if using.
5. Open the curtains.
6. Turn on the lights.
7. Leave the room — everyone.
8. You may listen to the audio recording at your leisure.
9. Note: If Waking does not go as planned, see If Waking Fails.

Additional Notes:

The presence of Bystanders is recommended. The more voices chanting “Purple hearts” during Sleeping, Steps 11 through 13, the better.

During Dreaming, a Bystander may take notes on paper about what the Sleeper describes, if desired. However, any Bystanders present must remain as quiet during this portion of the ritual as possible.

You may perform this ritual as many times as you like — as long as Waking does not fail at any point.

If Waking Fails:

If the Sleeper says they are unable to grab the purple heart, or if they fail to wake after doing so, the Guide should begin describing to the Sleeper a door.

Describe this door in as much detail as possible: Its height, its width, its color, its material, its age, its knob or handle, how it opens, whether it has a knocker — any detail you can provide. Be sure to describe the door as unlocked, easily opened, and smooth on its hinges.

Then, instruct the Sleeper that they may find this door within their current surroundings. Be firm and definite in this assertion: The door will be present, and the Sleeper will be able to access it. If the Sleeper has trouble locating it, help them to find it, describing to them exactly where it is in relation to themself.

Once they have found the door, instruct them to open it and step through it. Upon stepping through the door, the Sleeper should awaken in the physical world.

If the Sleeper is unable to awaken at this point…

…Make them as comfortable as you can.

They might be there for a while.

Purple Hearts: FAQ.

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[Photo via Tama66/Pixabay]