Turns out I’ve been using Ouija boards and practicing spirit work for about two years now! So I figured I’d give some tips and info!
Originally, the invention of the ouija board was simply a parlour game; there was never any association with spirits. But during World War One, spiritualists began using the board as a tool to contact the dead, Peal Curran being the one to popularise this use of the board.
Of course, skeptics, scientists and even spiritualists everywhere doubt the abilities of the board. Christians and Occulists alike warn of possession or harm to the inexperienced, though there has never been a recorded posession as a result of the board. The posession scare didn’t really exist before films like The Exorcist (1973) or Witchboard (1986) involved their use. The movements can actually be explained by the scientific phenomenon, ‘the ideomotor effect.’ But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it!
Clearing Up Superstition.
There are all kinds of warnings and rituals associated with the board, and a lot of them are in fact just silly. Let’s clear those up.
• 'Always end with saying goodbye!’ This rule is meant to scare people, by implying that not saying goodbye will get you possessed. It’s out of politeness, really.
• 'Ouija is a portal for demons.’ Wrong again, the board is connecting with what is already around you. No demons are going to come up through the board and get you.
• 'Don’t leave the planchette on the board when not being used.’ This is absolutely a weird one. It makes no difference whatsoever.
• 'Don’t use ouija in your home or in graveyards.’ Again, using it in your home isn’t inviting demons into it. The worst that can happen is you annoy a spirit already there. If you don’t want spirits in your home I suggest cleansing it. As for graveyards, they’re no different to anywhere else. It means you might just have more spirits to talk to.
• 'You have to burn/bury/destroy the board after use!’ I honestly feel like this one is a marketing strategy. It makes no difference whatsoever as no spirit is going to possess the board. If anything, just cleanse it.
• 'Spirits that count/ make an infinity symbol/ go through the alphabet are harmful.’ I have never ever known problems to occur because of these patterns on the board. Ever.
Yeah, a lot of the rules are silly. But, there is some actual advice you should take into account before using a ouija board!
• Don’t use a board if you’re going to lose your cool. Spirits can absolutely thrive off energy given off by people, and if you’re giving out a bunch of scared energy it can make an existing spirit a little more harmful.
• Spirits lie. All the time. They’ll tell you they’re demons, or they’re your dead relatives when they’re not. Always be skeptical of this. If they’re a demon, you’d have known a long time before. If they give the name of a demon, I am 99% sure it’s a spirit toying with you. If this scares you, end the session.
• If you think a spirit is malevolent, saying goodbye isn’t the final solution. Cleanse your house with salt or sage, and get that thing out asap because it’s not coming through the board, it was already there.
• Despite a lot of warnings being bullshit, you can still come across beings that mean you harm. Before using a board, I like to cleanse a space, draw a circle, and ask only spirits with good intentions to interact with me. Sometimes, I might surround the board with crystals to promote positivity.
• You shouldn’t use a ouija board alone, and for a few reasons. Firstly, the spirits need energy to talk through the board in the first place, which requires a few people. Secondly if you start to get scared, you’re not going to want to be alone because you’ll just keep getting more scared. Thirdly, I’ve never known them to work well for only one person!
• If you or anyone gets upset over what the board is telling you, then end the session. If you’re likely to get upset over questions or people you know seemingly talking through the board, don’t ask the board those things. If the spirit taunts you, don’t taunt it back. Just end it right there and take a break.
I’ve never had a run-in with a harmful entity, even after breaking the majority of rules multiple times. So long as you’re confident you won’t freak out and you cleanse your home or yourself after, you’ll be alright. The most important thing is to be wary.
Stay safe guys! And if in doubt, end the session or reach out for advice. Thank you!
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