How To Use a Ouija Board

You’ve seen the movies, read the books or someone has told you about the existence of Ouija Boards. At first you wonder, then you get curious and at some point, you may even get the heebie-jeebies before you tell yourself, “No way, it’s not true.” Well, is it?

It all depends. If you believe it is, then it most certainly is. If you don’t, then it’s not. Some people tend to use it as a fun game and some use it as a means of divination. How you use it, is up to you.

What Is a Ouija Board?

A Ouija Board is a flat surface, usually made of wood, which includes all the letters of the alphabet from A to Z, the numbers from 0 to 9, and a “Yes” and “No” sign on either side, along with “Hello” and “Goodbye” usually featured on the lower half of the board.

It also includes a dial or “planchette,” which is the tool that moves toward the letters or words. This is the basic structure of a Ouija Board and depending on where you get it, it may have more intricate symbols and characteristics.

What Is the Ouija Board Used For?

Many people have the belief that a Ouija Board is a method of communicating with those who have passed and are currently in the spirit world. The Ouija Board can be seen as a symbol of divination and it isn’t usually well regarded by organized religions. In fact, some warn against the use of a Ouija Board.

Where Does the Ouija Board Come from?

While we cannot find one specific country that claims the conception of the Ouija Board, we know that various forms of calling in the divine have been used for a long time. The human desire to know answers to the perplexing questions about existence have plagued our minds.

From the Incas to the early Greeks, and to the ancient Chinese, we’ve been trying to communicate with “the other side”, not only to find out about them, but to figure out our own lives.

Does the Ouija Board Really Tap into the Departed?

This is open to what you believe. Some people would argue that it taps into our unconscious, not into the spiritual realm. Nothing about how the Ouija Board moves has been scientifically proven as of yet.

How to Use a Ouija Board

Even though they are portrayed in media as horrifying, you shouldn’t be anymore terrified of a Ouija board as you would be any other form of spiritual communication, like a pendulum or even tarot.

I’d have to say that I’ve had a lot of experience with Ouija boards and although spooky, I have never had a bad experience. You just have to believe that if you project positive energy, positivity will also come your way.

First let’s set some ground rules…

I’m just going to list a few points that I need to make before I get into it:

1. Although the Ouija board is considered a board game, never play the game if you don’t want to. And don’t force your friends to play with you. You will never have a good experience without good energy.
2. A Ouija board, or a talking board, is something that you can use to communicate with your unconscious, spirits, or other entities. Some believe the board to be a portal, yet in my opinion it is not.
3. There is no specific time or place where the board will work best. Just pick a place and time, and do it! If you get responses then that’s awesome! If you don’t, well, maybe try again later.

Anyone can put their fingers on the planchette.

But not everyone can get it to spell out a name. I’m going to give you 3 simple steps on how to use a Ouija board.

Step One – Set the Mood

I usually wait to play with the board until dark for the perfect ambiance. But out of pure superstition, I don’t play the board anytime near 3 am. I’ve never had any personal evidence that 3 am is a bad time, but I still get uncomfortable dabbling in the occult arts too late. Maybe I’m just a weenie.

Once you find your time and place, grab your supplies: a board, a group of willing friends, a candle, a table, and a pen and notebook. When I am ready to start, I place the board on the table, and everyone sits around the board. You have to make sure that everyone can comfortably sit and read the board. Now light your candles for ambiance and get ready for step two on how to use a Ouija board!

Step Two – Designate Roles

I like to have at least 2 other people playing with me. Since I am usually the most experienced, I fill the speaker role. Then, I designate the 2nd most experienced or willing person to be the scribe. The last person is usually just there to have fun, experience the game, and provide energy.

• speaker: the main person who communicates with the board and asks most of the questions
• scribe: the person who writes down every question and each answer exactly as it is spelled (no paraphrasing) and usually only has one hand on the planchette

Step Three – Talk to the Dead

When I begin, I do two things first: warm up the board and lay down the group’s intentions.

To warm up the board, all you need to do is place your collective finger tips on the planchette and push it around in a circle. That’s about it. It’s best to have the entire participating group push collectively, to mix everyone’s energy. (But if you have a skeptic in your midst, it might be fun to show them what it feels like when someone is forcing the planchette.)

Then, as the speaker, I specify the group’s intentions. I usually say something along the lines of “we are here, surrounded by light, to made positive communication and seek positive energy”. By stating exactly what kind of energy you’re providing and looking for, you’re most likely to find it.

After I warm up the board, I basically just start. I begin asking my questions, waiting for the planchette to move. This game is all about patience, but when something happens it’s totally worth it!

Some general rules we’ve found useful are:

• Say hello by moving the planchette to “Hello,” if there is one on your board. Just like you wouldn’t walk into anyone’s house without greeting them, so it goes with a Ouija Board. If there’s no “Hello,” you can spell it out or say it aloud.
• Announce at this time that only positive entities are welcome to this séance.
• Ask your questions one at a time.
• Be patient in waiting for the answer.
• When they answer, don’t press too hard on the planchette. Let them guide it, but don’t let them take control. Find the balance.
• Let them know you’re thankful for their answer. They’ve shown up because you called.
• Repeat the process above.
• When you’re ready to end, thank them for being there, say goodbye by going to “Goodbye,” and remove your hands from the board.

Ouija Board Rules

Ready to start? Here are some rules we found are useful when using a Ouija Board:

• Using the Ouija Board is best with two or more people in attendance. Be sure not everyone speaks at once, however. We recommend one person be assigned as the speaker or “medium” of communication. You don’t want to confuse the entity who’s answering. Anyone can be the medium and there’s no special qualification.
• Get in the mindset: Whether you believe the Ouija Board will respond or not, the board may actually move on you. Know that this is a possibility and don’t be surprised when it does.
• Make sure you’re in an appropriate setting. It’s best to do this in a calm space, where the energy is peaceful and respectful. Light some candles and a little incense if you’d like to set even more of a special mood.
• We recommend not accessing the board while intoxicated. It can only exacerbate emotions when the board starts to answer.
• Place your fingers on the board and move the planchette purposefully. This way, you can get used to what it feels like when you move it, versus when “they” move it.
• Because Ouija Boards are used to connect with the beyond, be careful who you’re connecting to. Make it an absolute rule that only spirits of love and positivity can come into the room with you. Nothing or no one negative is welcome.
• Get comfortable. If you’re truly tapping into another realm, it’s likely the other side will notice your discomfort and won’t want to get close. We recommend sitting down on a comfortable chair, couch or pillow.
• Be sure you come up with good-natured questions. Keep them positive and be open to the response.
• Make having fun with this a priority. If you get a less-than-desired response from the board, don’t take it to heart and even (appropriately) close the séance if you get uncomfortable. Remember: Only you can create your reality and your life.

What to Ask a Ouija Board

The best recommendation we can give you is to keep it light and respectful. If you’re asking questions about when you’re going to die, or whether someone who’s really ill is going to make it, be careful. The human mind is susceptible to believing what we see.

Because of this, when the planchette moves to either the yes or no position and you don’t like the answer, you’ll get stuck on that answer. What’s worse, even if that’s not what’s going to happen, you’ll make it your reality by being stuck on it.

List of Questions to Ask a Ouija Board

Start by asking questions about them, one by one. For example:

• How many of you are in the room?
• Are you always with me?
• Did I know you while you were living?
• Were you alive during this century?

Start simply so that you can establish a certain trust. Then, move on to what you wanted to ask, which you most certainly already have in mind. However, beware. We recommend staying away from the following questions:

• Am I going to die before I’m 17?
• Am I going to be killed?
• Are my kids going to be OK?
• Is Sally going to die from her Cancer?

Again, the human mind will construe anything we want to hear. If the rumor out there is true and the Ouija Board is tied to our own unconscious, then it might just be us answering from our own fear or expectation.

Another recommendation we have is to keep it personal to you. Asking about someone else, especially something about death, crosses a boundary of privacy with that other person and their spiritual guides. Prying about someone else is no different with the living or with the departed. It’s not very polite and we stay away from it.

It’s important to know when to quit

To “quit” talking to a spirit, force the planchette to “GoodBye”. Then everyone take your hands off the planchette to break the energy bond. Be careful. Breaking the energy bond before you are ready to quit will probably make you lose the communication, and you won’t get to finish talking. I have only had a spirit move the planchette to “GoodBye” one time, and it was after a great conversation. But I stop playing when I meet a spirit who makes me uncomfortable for a number of reasons:

• The spirit move the planchette aimlessly without trying to spell anything. I’ve had spirits who spell incorrectly or who don’t have enough energy to finish a word. These entities I try to stick with, but when the planchette is just jumping around the board or going in spirals, I end it.
• When the spirit moves the planchette through the alphabet or numbers, backwards or forwards. Or does any other type of noticeable patterns, I end it.
• When a spirit talks back to me, but isn’t actually participating in the conversation, I become uncomfortable and end it. This says to me that the spirit has too much energy and can possibly take too much control of the planchette.
• Or just when a spirit just stops responding or moving the planchette. Also when I have any other inklings that the room is empty of energy. This just means that the game is over–you probably won’t get any more contact and might as well end it formally.

There is nothing wrong with ending the game early, or not receiving any contact at all. The point is to have fun with it! If it doesn’t work where you are, go somewhere else!