Thinking About – The Ouija

Thinking About – The Ouija

Original_ouija_boardI wondered how my ghosts article would be received and was delighted by the response which led me to ponder a little more.

This topic can be seen as a continuation from that article and deals with one of the ways we have used to contact those who have passed over. I’m talking about the Ouija board. Mention that word and the response is always polarised between those who see the device as a harmless, positive tool, to those who would never go near one.

The name is a combination of the word yes in French and German. So it’s really a yes yes board. Although automatic writing, and contacting the dead via a planchette can be traced to around the 1100s in China, the board as we know it today, in fact the name Ouija itself, is a trademark of Hasbro Inc, the toy and board game company, who registered the trademark, and indeed patented the idea, back in the late 1800s, producing the Ouija board as a quaint parlour game. It was immediately popular and could be seen everywhere from a regular household, to spiritualist churches, with the highest usage seen between the 1920s to the 1960s. Of course they created quite a stir in Christian circles, many of whom condemned them as instruments of the Devil, saying that the only spirits that would ever be contacted would be demons. That contact with the dead is the realm of God alone, and therefore people using them would come to harm.

I wonder how many of you readers have used one? Some may well use one regularly as part of your spiritual practice. Others, like me, used one back when they were teenagers and probably that’s enough, and leave them alone now. During my training in the Occult Church Society back in the early 80s a good deal of time was spent learning the safe use of the Ouija. I remember the way it was described quite clearly. It went like this –

Imagine the darkest black you can think of. So dark that you cannot see a thing. You can’t tell if your eyes are open or shut. Then imagine the brightest white you can imagine. So white it’s blinding. Between these two realms is a thin membrane, but it’s enough that no light bleeds into the dark space. When we use the Ouija we do the equivalent of taking a tiny pin, and perching the membrane. That tiny white dot will shine out in that other space and whatever, or whoever, is nearby, will be curious, and will take a look.

I have to say that is was stressed that the use of black and white was not in reference to any good or evil ideas we might associate with them but purely as the way they interact with each other in this instance with light and shadow.

This explanation suggests that, when we all sit in a circle at a seance and ask to speak to Great Auntie Maud, it’s highly unlikely that Great Auntie Maud will be the spirit who turns up, but rather a random, and curious, spirit who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Another example used was to suggest getting a phone book, opening it in a random page, then tapping a name, and inviting them around to your house for dinner. So it suggests that in some Occult circles there is a strong element of randomness to the resulting contact.

I’ve had two experiences with the Ouija, both from my late teens. Each one revolved around the band I was in at the time. The other members had been playing with the Ouija for a few weeks, and although I was curious, I had a healthy scepticism and concern about it. We were having a band rehearsal and for some reason they decided it would be fun to do a Ouija session. I reluctantly agreed. We set out the alphabet in little pieces of paper around the edge of a table, Then added the numbers 1-9 with a zero too. We had the words YES and NO on a further two pieces of paper. And GOODBYE. Once that was set up we placed a glass in the centre. I didn’t put my finger on the glass. I just watched.

“Is there anybody there?”

Within seconds the glass was moving in circles. Then it went to YES. We asked who it was. It didn’t say. Where are you? “In Limbo”, was the reply. In truth we asked some pretty deep questions of this spirit, who was very friendly and forthcoming. Then one of my friends asked “Can you have sex in Limbo?” Well, we were teenage boys… “NO” came the answer. There was much booing from the teenage boys in the room, of course.

“Who makes the rules in Limbo?” we asked.

“God”, came the reply.

I have to say I wasn’t prepared for that one.

“Where are you?” we asked.

“Behind Dave,” came the reply.

“Can you prove you are real?”

“Come or touch.”

Ok. There was no way I wanted to see the spirit, so I asked if I could touch it. I held out my arm and moved it slowly behind me. About 12 inches wide it felt like I had my hand in a deep freeze. Every now and then my leg would go cold. “Are you touching me?” I asked. “YES”, came the reply.

My teenage mind filled the world with these spirits. In the park, on the swings, walking in the high street, existing in the exact same space as us, yet in some different dimension. It really was quite a life-changing and positive experience for me. We said goodbye and got back to the music.

My next experience was somewhat more challenging. I hopped on my old Yamaha FS1E and made my way over to my friends house. When I got their his entire family was around their kitchen table holding a seance. I walked into the kitchen and heard my friend’s Dad say “C*nt? Who’s a c*nt?”

I won’t say too much more here but the spirit continued to insult me. Whoever it was hated me and used the most foul language. When it was about to go it spelt out FOLLOW HOME. Well, that was it. I was terrified. As I rode home I wondered if this foul-mouthed spirit was sitting on the back on my bike. But nothing happened. I need not have been worried. But that was the last time I was ever in the vicinity of the Ouija. I’m very happy that I had that first experience, but the second only reinforced the idea broached by the Occult Church that you just never know who or what you are going to get.

It is a polarising tool. Some of you will love it, others will not. Some might be quite angry about the idea. Either way it’s good to discuss these things. Have you had an experience with the Ouija? Was it beneficial or not? Would you do it again? Do you see it as a harmless tool, or as something that we cannot understand, and therefore should leave well alone?

20 responses to “Thinking About – The Ouija”

  1. Some friends and I used a Ouiji board in out teens. Mostly it was for fun and we never took it seriously, but one experience shook me so bad I never touched the thing again. My two friends were using the board and I was off to the side. Whoever came to the board claimed to be a friend of mine who had died a couple of years before. Some of the messages that came thru were things the girls using the board could not have known. Scared me so bad I had to get out of the house and I was nervous for almost a day. Never want to feel like that again.

  2. I’ve always been worried about what might be released by Ouija sessions. People think they’re ‘fun’ but I’ve seen too many times when unpleasant experiences like your second one have happened. I stay well away from them these days.

  3. There’s a theory that if an entity does not give it’s name it will be a demon, because they don’t have names. It’s generally assumed that if you get a name, it’s a good sign! Still not trying it. Very curious, but nope!

  4. Wow, the second experience sounds frightening to say the least!. I also took part in a session. I was only around 13/14 but the glass smashed, I don’t k le if somebody pushed it into the floor, I can say I didn’t see. It was also samhain, so the atmosphere was set anyway, and one teenage idiot then proceeded to put his masked face up against the window!. I legged it, never touched one since lol!. Although it was probably being an inexperienced teenager ona night set up with frights…….

  5. Yes, as teenagers we thought it was exciting. But one day we were all sitting around in my sisters and I downstairs bedroom playing with it, the whole atmosphere changed. My leg was partially under my bed and I had on shorts. I felt a sharp smack and pulled my leg out. There was fingerprints and actual welts rising up just above my knee. I totally freaked!! That was the last time I played with it. Our house never seemed to be the same after that. Always seeing things out of the corner of my eyes. Shadows and just an oppressive air. Not a good environment to live in.

  6. I had a board when I was a teenager and my friends and I would consult it a lot. I must say that we never had any bad experiences with it but then we always began our sessions by making it clear that we only wanted good spirits to come through. Not sure if that is why we never had a bad experience but it did seem to work.

  7. The dangerous thing about the board is that it is presented by the game company as a toy. It is not a toy! It is a direct line to the other-side. The spirit world. It should only be used by practitioners that are trained in communicating with the other world entities. Using the proper protections and precautions. I have personally helped a friend banish an evil entity that had been let lose by her because she had used the board without using proper protections or precautions. I also know people who have had evil/ malevolent spirits come into their homes because they, in essence, used the board and opened up a portal to the other side and didn’t know how to close the portal after it was open. I know that it sounds like a bad Hollywood horror movie but these things do happen in real life and I personally will never have one of those boards in my home and I think that the toy company should discontinue selling it.

    • We accidentally opened a portal too, and I had no idea how to close it, but I was savvy enough to tell my mom I thought we should get rid of the board. She took my word for it and to this day I still don’t know why, since she was a very skeptical person. I wish I could say that was enough to close the portal but looking back at more than forty years’ family history, it’s safe to say *something* got through that day.

      • my nephew and some friends of his used one in a graveyard once and brought something(s) dark through that attached itself to several of them for quite some time. i cannot recall how we got rid of it, this was years ago, but he was so scared he came to me for help because he knew i would believe him and i was a practicing witch at the time. he was tormented for months by this thing before he finally asked for my help.

  8. I used a Ouija board many times with various friends in my teens and early 20s.

    After an experience where I mentally predicted something it was going to say, they stopped working for me. It got to the point where if others were using one and I entered the room, it would stop mid-sentence and just rotate the planchette around the board until I left.

    I haven’t used one since, as they no longer work for me and I lack the desire.

  9. I have used one, but only within a casted Circle, and the results have been largely positive but mostly just mixed. Just like any other form of divination I might be trying for the first time, I find the results are only as good as the effort put in. I use the Druid sticks mostly, I have made my own sticks cast them hundreds if not thousands of times and so they speak to me very clearly. I do think the lesson you learned from the Occult Church Society about Ouija board is one of the best I’ve ever heard. Thanks’ for sharing. I guess bottom line for me is that the Ouija just does not hold any interest for me. I’m not sure why exactly, I have many oracle decks and tarot cards Ogham runes pendulums etc. and even a crystal ball each method hold some interest for me but the “board” holds none. But perhaps it is because it seems a little “Christian” to me, all this talk of the devil and demons… Christian Gods not mine.

  10. I have never used one, and I don’t intend to. They scare me. Because you never do know what you may unleash.
    A friend of mine uses one, and she has some pretty dark entities in her house. Many people have encountered a dark mass in one of the bedrooms, including my daughter and her husband. I don’t like to dabble into things that I have a bad feeling about, nor does my daughter. She tried it once, and she won’t again.

  11. Like any other experience in the spiritual realm, it’s important to approach with intention; set boundaries, set protections and invite who you would like to meet, for example, positive guides, people passed on that you know, angels, etc. Just like when you open a circle. If you approach it frivolously, inviting in any spirit with no boundaries, watch out! Some of the spirits are hard to get rid of once you’ve invited them in….. I don’t use a board, but I’ve seen kids do it and get some scary results. I’m currently working with a moon mirror and I use the same process as opening a circle while specifying the type of spirits I’m inviting. I don’t see any difference between using a board and just reaching out for spirits or using other tools,…….. it’s a tool like any other and should be respected as such.

  12. When you say that glass moved, are you saying it moved on its own or it moved in the sense that you were all moving it while being guided to move it in a certain direction? I did read in a book on how the brain works somewhere an explanation on what the brain is doing when people use a Ouija board. I don’t remember the details of what the book said but it made sense at the time. And if people have had strange experiences when using one, then being careful is still a good idea! Blessings!

  13. I live on a farm that’s been in my family for 170 years. Nearly 600 acres. Some of it’s open fields, but a lot of it is woodland, with some stretches generally left alone for the past 60 years. Odd things tend to happen around here, things I’ve just gotten used to now, but when you’re just 14 years old and almost no one acknowledges something’s up, other than to say it’s the devil’s work and seeing those things means your soul is at risk of eternal damnation, well…
    A friend suggested trying Ouija to try and figure out what was going on. There was a man that kept appearing in my dreams at the time, showing me paths and trails through the woods that, when I’d go out to explore during my waking hours, would prove to be real deer trails through brush and briers, trails I hadn’t seen before. But they’d get me to where I wanted to go quicker than other ways, and some of them have become common routes for me when I go out to write and be alone for a while. My friend felt that Ouija could possibly get me in touch with this guy, and if he knew about different paths, maybe he could tell me more. I was skeptical, but shrugged and decided to try it.
    I knew my family would completely freak if they saw me trying with anything that looked like a true board, and since I lived far out of town and had no way to easily do it elsewhere, I decided to give my best shot at what seemed a more discreet way – cutting up scraps of paper with the letters of the alphabet scrawled on them, with multiple scraps for each letter, and then one piece for “yes” and one piece for “no”. Then I simply threw all the scraps in a wooden box I had handy, asked questions as I shook, and then opened the box and let the scraps fly free.
    I only got through two questions before I decided to throw the scraps away. First, the simple question “Am I alone?” There were a few letters that landed face up, but the closest scrap was the “no” piece. Starting to feel silly for thinking anything would work, I asked a second question – “What’s my name?”
    It didn’t spell out my given name. However, only five scraps landed letter side up and they did spell a name I’d used for two years as an online alias – Sarah. It’s a name that, until I met a very close friend with that name, I’ve held closer to me than my given name, and still hold fairly close to me. Close enough I decided right then that I wasn’t messing with those scraps of paper again and promptly tossed them in the trash.

  14. I’m with you char, I think these things shouldn’t be meddled with, I already live in a house full of visitors, (I don’t call them ghosts) they are mostly pleasant but occasionally you get a not so nice one, so you can see I don’t need anymore visitors and using the board without caution is dangerous to my mind, I have seen the results of playing with one while I was at college, I didn’t take part in it but I had to help clear up the fall our of a session. My friend and I went into the college loo’s and found a young student with an empty bottle of pills shouting that she wanted to die because of what the board had said, my friend had been there the night before when several students had decided to see what happened and apparently she was told some pretty frightening things about her future, thankfully she did survive as we called and ambulance and they pumped her stomach out and she lived to fight another day but had dreadful nightmares for many years to come. As far as we know nothing said that this session came to pass, but it just goes to show how vulnerable some people are to these things.

  15. I’ve had too many sinister experiences with the things & now flat refuse to use them. I’ve been known to walk out of places where a board is simply sitting, not being used. During the first year of our marriage, my former husband & I “played” with one. Whoever/whatever was driving the pointer threatened to kill my husband at a later date. We immediately got rid of the thing. Fast forward, two years ago my ex died from liver complications. There was no medical reason for it. Nothing.

  16. I’ve used a Oija board with some success, but noticed that the more I used it the less useful — and more unpleasant — the messages became. As a friend once said of contacting the dead, “Just because someone’s dead doesn’t mean they’re wise. Or kind.” I tend to think the sorts of spirits likely to be contacted in seances & by Oilja boards are still hanging around in the lower levels for a damn good reason. I wish them safe passage Beyond but have no wish to speak with them.

  17. I’ve never had any luck contacting spirits with the Ouija board. It was mostly us pushing the pointer around trying to scare each other. No matter how many times we used the thing nothing happened unless we actually moved the pointer. My view is it depends on who is using it and their intentions whether they are conscious or unconscious intentions. So it’s just a board until the people using it make it into something else. I’ve had better results contacting spirits using other ways than an Ouija board.

  18. In my teens, a friend & I cut out squares of paper with the alphabet & Y & N & with a glass decided to try & make contact with the spirits. Nothing happened at first then then the glass moved & spelt out the word SATAN I thought my friend was playing the fool & said to stop it. My friend denied it. Then the dog started to whimper & I saw a shadow pass the door ( no one else was in the house at the time ) We stopped immediately we were frightened, but tried to laugh it off. When I left to walk home I kept feeling that something was following me. My friend was also frightened & we eventually decided to approach someone we knew to ask if they could rid us of this malevolence. They did & gave us a stern warning about dabbling with things we knew nothing about. I’ve never used a Ouija since. However I still get feelings of spirits both good & bad, but I can now deal with this & don’t feel the fear that I did all these years ago.

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