Ouija Boards, What Are They?

Most people seem to have the idea that a Ouija Board is connected with evil spirits, being possessed and such, mainly due to Hollywood horror movies; well, for once, Hollywood isn’t entirely wrong, but it doesn’t have to be that way if it’s treated properly. The Ouija is a board that people use, with themselves as a medium, to try and contact the spirits of the dead, or spirits that have never been alive. The board as all the letters of the alphabet and the numbers 0 to 9 arranged on the board, along with the words, ‘yes’ and ‘no’. There is a sliding pointer which participants rest their fingertips lightly upon, a heart-shaped device with three felt-tipped legs. One person poses a question, and the pointer is then supposed to move to answer the question.

The modern Ouija board is marketed as a game, originally called 'Ouija Talking Board', and was developed in the late 1890s by an American, William Fuld, who sold the patent to the Parker Brothers game company in 1966. But treating the Ouija as a toy can lead to all sorts of problems, it can be a very frightening experience. The board is said to attract lower spirit entities that enjoy playing with the minds of casual users, deliberately spelling out worrying messages to scare them, such as warnings of imminent death or injury. People opposed to the use of Ouija boards say that they can attract malevolent forces pretending to be friendly that invade the bodies of those that use it causing insomnia, panic attacks, headaches, anxiety and nausea.

Having said this, there has never been any real substantial evidence of possessions through the use of a Ouija board, but most psychics still warn against using one. If you still want to go ahead and use one, experts in the field suggest you behave professionally at all times, don’t play with the board at parties, laughing and joking while you are using it can attract unwanted naughty spirits. It is suggested that you, and anyone else taking part, meditate first so that you are thinking clearly and are more receptive to what is happening. If at any time during the session you feel like things are turning bad, or even a little suspicious, say ‘goodbye’ and pack away the Ouija board immediately.

A typical Ouija board session

The board will normally be used by at least two people, placed on a table within easy reach of everyone; the sitters place their fingertips lightly on the edge of the pointer and ask if there are any spirits willing to speak with them, making it clear what they expect to get out of the activity. Keeping everything level and professional in this way reduces the chances of attracting the mischievous spirits. All questions should be asked with a steady, slow voice to avoid any mix-ups. To be sure of authenticity, you can ask questions for which you do not know the answers yourselves but can check up on later via the internet or relatives.

Some people believe the pointer is guided by the spirits through the sitters, while others believe that it’s the sitters themselves that attract certain energies that guide their hands to the right answers. The pointer is designed in such a way that one can tell if it is being pushed deliberately by one of the sitters, if the fingers exert any pressure on the pointer it judders or scrapes instead of gliding easily across the board. Ouija boards became popular during and after World War I, when many people were desperate to communicate with friends and loved ones killed in the fighting.

What does Ouija mean?

The most common explanation for the name Ouija is that it is a combination of the French and German for ‘Yes’; but this is not actually the case at all. The board is thought by some to have been invented by a coffin maker called E C Reiche, others think that in 1891, Elijah J. Bond, Charles W. Kennard, and William H. A. Maupin were granted the first patent for a Ouija board. No one knows if they designed the board or simply copied an existing fad. Regardless, in 1890, Kennard founded the Kennard Novelty Company and produced the first commercial talking boards. He was also the first to call it a Ouija board, claiming that "ouija" (pronounced "wE-ja") was Egyptian for "good luck." While the word doesn't mean "good luck," the name Ouija stuck, and the boards were sometimes called Egyptian luck boards.

If you want to buy one today they are still around in specialist stores. You can also make a simple one by writing the letters, numbers and words on bits of paper and placing them around a table and finding a suitable pointer. It’s not something that should be taken up by the easily influenced though, if you are unsure it is best to leave it well alone.