Beginner Tips for Using a Ouija Board

A little background….

Spirit boards, Ouija boards, or talking boards, whichever your preference,  tend to evoke a fervent belief from some, a reserved caution from others, and complete disbelief from the rest. It is a board with numbers, letters, and some words usually yes, no and goodbye, that is used with a planchette (the wedge that moves along the board). They got their “official” start in 1890 but talking boards were making the papers for spreading across the spiritual communities in Ohio as early as 1886.  The Kennard Novelty Company backed by Elijah Bond, with the help of Bond’s sister in law started selling these boards on a grand scale. Bond’s sister in law was a convincing enough medium to get the US Patent office to grant a patent February 10, 1891 to the newly named, Ouija board.  

One experiment has shown that the Ouija board helps tap the user’s unconscious mind, the ideomotor effect. Participants when given a set of challenging questions to answer or guess and they were correct about half the time without the boards assistance and about 65% with it.  A Ouija board is used as a spiritual tool to communicate with ancestors and those that are beyond the veil or to explore one’s own spiritual connections. So how does one go about using one safely?

Tips:

• It is a good idea to have a quiet place free of any distractions. 

• Practice energy work before hand or at least be familiar with techniques like shielding, grounding, energy channeling. 

• Be as energetically stable as possible, do not be hungry or exhausted before you begin. It can take a toll and you want to be prepared. 

• In my opinion, beginners should never use a Ouija board alone and more advanced practitioners should use caution if practicing alone

• When practicing with others, know who will be asking questions ahead of time and communicate clearly with each other during the session

• Cleanse, the board, the participants, and the space. I recommend before and after but definitely before. 

• Be prepared, have questions in mind but start with close ended, simple yes and no questions. For example, instead of “Who are you?” start with “ Are you my spirit guide?” or “ Are you a woman?”

• Use common sense, do not believe everything conveyed by the board

• When you are finished, it's a good idea to not leave the board out with the planchette on it.

• Research, know about the space you are using the board in. You may not always find a ton of information but it never hurts to look. 

• Always end the session politely and respectfully by announcing you are ending the conversation, thank them for visiting and say goodbye.

These tips are strictly my opinions and not intended to serve as a guide, and as always trust your intuition.  Let us know about your experiences using a Ouija board.

• Sources

  DescriptioCassie, R. (n.d.). Not Dead Yet. Retrieved from Baltimore Magazine: https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/the-dark-and-fascinating-history-of-the-ouija-board-baltimore-origins/n text goes here