OUIJA BOARD

A little history and some insight on the making of, and proper, safe use of the

TALKING BOARD

*As taken from a typical "Occult Dictionary":

"The Ouija, as an instrument for contacting spirits, is quite old. It was in use as early as 540 B.C. by ancient Greeks and also in China before the birth of Confucius. The Romans used Ouija type devices as early as the 3rd century A.D. Symbol tablets that were unearthed in caves near ancient Tartary suggest that Ouija may be as old as man himself........"

This is a much disputed statement and we really are not going tp concern ourselves with that argument. Let it just suffice to say that mans curiosity with spirits on "the other side" has always been and always will be, along with his desire to communicate with them ........ and man's fascination with the "TALKING BOARD" has held fast to this day. In about 1890, a "Talking Board" was first introduced by Charles Kinnard then later improved upon and marketed by William Fuld. It was an amalgam of the "Dial Plate" and Planchette, a tool originally used by Mediums in the 1860's. William Fuld's is still marketed today by Parker Brothers.

So, now with that brief history let's move on......

LET'S GET SOME FACTS STRAIGHT FIRST

PSYCHONAMANCY: it is the form of a diviners CONCSIOUSLY attempting to contact spirits. (There are many ways for this to be done and the OUIJA is but one.) This means, that the operators are not in trance, are not channeling. They are fully conscious throughout whole divination

HEED THESE WARNINGS

Communicating with Spirits is not something to enter lightly. As we all know, there are good and bad people, well, the same applies to spirits. Nine times out of ten, if they weren't nice in life they are still not nice after death. There are tricksters, liars and I could go on and on, let's just say YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHO AND WHAT YOU INVOKE. AS IN ANY TOOLS OF MAGIC YOU ARE OPENING AN PORTAL TO OTHER REALMS AND YOU MUST PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ANY HARM THAT MAY ENTER!!!! Just as in casting spells, words of power are just that. Beware of your wordings and your surroundings. I strongly urge a protection circle cast for any readings of the board or any communications with unknown spirits. You are opening a door so always be sure to close it when you are through....or in most OUIJA sessions, they are through. I have included a list of tips of working with the OUIJA and urge that you should keep these in mind. I did not come up with these tips, but compiled them from my research and kept the ones that were repeated my studies.

1) You should never "PLAY" alone. (You can take or leave this one, but it was repeated. I feel if you have protected yourself you will be fine.)

2) Never use the Board in a weakened or ill condition as it makes you more vulnerable to any Spirit that's looking to have some fun.

3) Never let the Spirits go continual through the numbers or the alphabet, as this is a way of escape for them.

4) If the planchette goes to all 4 corners , you have contacted an malevolent Entity/ Spirit.

5) Never let the planchette fall from the board in a session, as this is another escape route for the spirit.

6) If the planchette continuously makes a circle 8, a malevolent Entities/Spirits are in control of the board.( In my opinion, a figure eight is fine. Eights are considered unlucky after "Wild Bill" Hickcoks's death hand of "aces and eights". Somehow this superstition has found its way into the OUIJA lore. I wouldn't worry about it unless you're a cowboy living in the town of Deadwood.)

7) If you get a malevolent Entity, quickly turn the planchette upside down and use it that way on the board.

8) The board MUST be closed properly. Again, closing the portal to this realm thus eliminating the risk of a bunch of unwanted poltergeists roaming around your house!

9) BEWARE: The Spirit of OUIJA creates "WINS" for the user, this causes the user to become more and more dependent on the Board. This is called PROGRESSIVE ENTRAPMENT.

10) The proper way to dispose of board is to tear/break in 7 pieces, sprinkle with *holy water and bury it. (NEVER burn it. 'Tis said if burned, the Spirit OUIJA will scream and those who hear the scream have less than 36 hours to live.) **holy water-salt is water blessed and consecrated to be pure. You may also use simple melted snow which is a natural holy water sacred to the Mother Goddess, in this instance no blessing and consecration is needed.

Just some nice exhibits of the artistry that has been done with the OUIJA ...............

THE ART OF KIPLING WEST

MAKING OF A OUIJA BOARD

It is highly recommended that you make your own board and planchette. Therefore it is of you and only your energy. Always bless your board as you would any of your tools. I suggest if you buy a board that you cleanse and then Bless before you use it.

So lets, get creative... throughout I have given a few designs of boards from the past and the present... mainly for ideas for your own board.

Boards can be made with just about anything you can imagine. Canvas, glass, plexiglass, cardboard, wood planks, on old tables or even walls. (I am not suggesting you go out and spray paint your local 7-11 but a private wall in your own home would not only be functional, but, would only add to your decor!!!) Another few suggestions are that you go to your local thrift store or garage sale etc..... and find old maps and serving trays. They do not have to be rectangular, as you have seen in the pictures. (These work wonderfully and are the least expensive way to start). For those who are inquiring for another (the "sitter"), I have also read of those who has used 26 cards from the Tarot deck, inscribing the numbers and letters on the back, laid out into two semi-circles. As a planchette a borrowed item from the "sitter" is used... thus receiving messages for the "sitter". The really cool thing is, that after the session the Diviner may then flip the cards over and gives a Tarot reading. Two results for the efforts of one action!!!

As you can see, you are limited only by your imagination and creative skills. If your tastes are more traditional, you are going to want to make your talking board out of wood. This isn't as difficult as it seems and can be a great weekend art project. Choose a wood with an attractive grain like birch, oak or mahogany. A good board size is fifteen by twenty inches and at least a quarter of an inch thick to resist warping. Sand, stain and letter your board and then coat it with clear lacquer, enamel or polyurethane. If going for more professional look and your lettering skills aren't the greatest, search out a talented friend or you may want to your take your design ideas to a sign painter and have it done professionally. If you plan to make more than one board, you might want to experiment with silk screens. Who knows, you may become the next William Fuld. Feel free to adorn your board with images of suns, moons, stars, swamis, or whatever tickles your fancy. There are no rules that you need to follow.

So there you have it. I hope you have enough information to get you started. After you have finished your masterpiece, take a picture and send to the community...we would love to have it in our archives!!!! Also, you should know that there really are people out there that are collectors of both, manufactured and hand made boards.

SIMPLE MAINTENANCE OF YOUR BOARD

Maintain your board by cleaning and polishing it with a dry cloth. A little light furniture wax used sparingly on wood boards will make them really slick. Don't use wax on cardboard or paper boards. With these I suggest you seal it with a jigsaw puzzle saver, which is available at any craft store and very easy to use. For maintenance on these never use wet cloth or polish, just wipe with dry cloth. If you use canvas look for canvas preserver.

THE PLANCHETTE

Make your planchette out of wood, clear plastic or any other lightweight material. Some like to follow the time-honored tradition of using a wine glass, small teacup, lucky coin or antique brooch. This, too, is up to your imagination. Whatever you decide to use always put felt pads on the bottom of your message indicator, it will help it to glide smoothly across the surface of the board.

USING YOUR OUIJA BOARD

"Place the board upon the knees of two persons, lady and gentleman preferred, but not necessary. With your planchette upon the board, place the fingers lightly but firmly, without pressure, upon the planchette, so as to allow it to move easily and freely. In from one to five minutes it will commence to move, at first slowly, then faster, and will be then able to talk or answer questions, which it will do rapidly by touching the printed words or the letters necessary to form words and sentences with the foreleg or pointer. If you're an ideomotor theory believer and think you're moving it subconsciously by yourself, the same thing applies. That subconscious of yours might need a little conscious help. Otherwise it may stay un-conscious for quite a long time. So it's certainly OK to give the planchette a little push. In fact, if things don't happen pretty quickly, we recommend that you take the planchette and circle the board with it. You will be underway a whole lot quicker, that we can guarantee."
~~~~ (Taken from the back of a manufactured Ouija Board.) ~~~~

It's important to mention that the success of your session, depends entirely upon your attitude and how seriously you approach the matter. This is as true today as it was when William Fuld cautioned against "asking ridiculous questions and laughing over it," and it bears repeating. Decide what you would like the Ouija board to do for you. Ouija boards have an interesting way of mirroring the mental attitudes of the users. If you want to act wacky, or have it scare your pants off, as apparently many people do, the Ouija will not disappoint. If, however, you are looking for a meaningful experience, the Ouija board can offer

Sit with the board balanced securely on your lap or on the table before you. Make sure you have adequate back support so that you don't topple over at an inopportune moment. Place your fingertips (index and middle) lightly on the planchette. Take a quiet moment to empty your mind of unnecessary thoughts. Relax your body and mind. This is about revelation-not concentration. No need to get all knotted up inside. Spirits don't bite. Much.

Care should be taken that one person only should ask questions at a time, so as to avoid confusion, and the questions should be put plainly and accurately.

To obtain the best results it is important that the persons present should concentrate their minds upon the matter in question and avoid other topics. Have no one at the table who will not sit seriously and respectfully. If you use it in a frivolous spirit, asking ridiculous questions, laughing over it, you naturally get undeveloped influences around you.

Ask the Ouija: "Is anyone there?" or ask an intelligent question out loud. This is more important than it seems. You can't expect whatever entity you are addressing to respond if you don't ask properly. As obvious as this is, you would be surprised at the number of people who sit with the Ouija and just stare at the board. Asking questions of the board is what it's all about. Not asking and expecting an answer is like standing at a neighbor's door and not knocking. Not much will happen and you might get chilly waiting

With your fingers in the proper position, give the planchette a few moments to work by itself. If nothing happens or it seems asleep, very lightly slide it around the board in a circular motion. Now here comes the tricky part, so listen up. As you are circling the Ouija board try to distance yourself mentally from the movement on the board. In other words, try to be a spectator as the planchette moves through the letters. You're supposed to be watching things happen-not making them happen. That "other something" is supposed to kick in right about now and you don't want to be consciously forcing the planchette. It's a conscious-unconscious state that you are trying to achieve and it's going to take a little practice. It's like rubbing your belly and patting your head-you have to learn to do it without thinking, otherwise you'll get all mixed up. And don't over analyze this technique. This isn't some arcane mumbo-jumbo we're talking about here. It's a simple mental skill that's very easy to learn. You probably do it already when you drive your car or peel a potato. You don't think consciously about the details as you're performing every little movement.

Once you've distanced yourself properly, you're going to get the "feeling" that the planchette "wants" to stop at certain letters. This "feeling" isn't a bolt from the blue; rather it's a subtle, intuitive thought that "this is the right place to stop." Let this happen and take a mental note. That is, remember the letters. It's not going to do you any good if you forget them. Remember that we said to glide the planchette "gently." You can't be ham-fisted about this. Use just two fingertips (index and middle) of each hand.

The Ouija board doesn't always use perfect language and may return abbreviated words and phrases. Nonsensical expressions and sentence fragments may have meaning when you think about them later, so pay attention. If the planchette repeatedly cycles to the pictures on the board or returns complete gibberish, traditionally this would mean that the board is not cooperating, "try again later." It also may mean that you as the user are simply not in the right frame of mind or are trying too hard. "Try again later," is what you want to do.

With practice, the planchette will start to spell out coherent messages. When we say, "practice," we mean practice as in "do it over and over." If you give up after twenty minutes, you're not going to have much success with the Ouija, or with anything else for that matter. Try it for thirty minutes a day for two weeks. If it still doesn't work then maybe the Ouija is not for you.

Opening and closing rituals are highly advised and will do nothing but protect and enhance your Ouija experience. Regardless of what you may have heard, there is no "one true way" to ritualize. Your "own true way" is best. Recite poems, speak power words, intone Spirit Invocations or sing songs that are meaningful to you. Surround yourself with candles if you're so inclined. Above all, "personalize" your session. If you want to cover your board with amulets to protect yourself from the "unfriendlies," go ahead and do it. There are no rules to the contrary. Do whatever gets you in the mood. No mind altering chemicals, though! Wear something comfortable yet special to the occasion.

The Ouija is a great mystery, and I do not claim to give exact directions for its management, nor do I claim that at all times and under all circumstances it will work equally well. But I do claim and guarantee that with reasonable patience and judgment it will more than satisfy your greatest expectation.

Spiritualist Séance Invocation

There is a land where we all go,
Whence ne'er the frost nor cold wind blow,
And friends remembered reunite,
And those who hate, forget their spite,
In glow surround these gentle beings,
We call you now to bless our meetings,
Heaven's promise, our spirits thrive,
So now for the living, let the dead come alive.

Greetings spirits, Speak thee to us !

from the Spirits Speaks 1908

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