Is It Safe To Use A Ouija Board?

I have been asked over the years if it is safe to use the Ouija Board as a spiritual or divinatory tool. This is a simple question with a complex answer, as it depends very much on who will be using the Ouija, as well as the intended purpose or goal.

To simply say yes or no would be the same as saying someone should or should not use tarot cards, runes, crystal balls, or scrying mirrors, as they all involve communication with the spirit realm.

While I personally do not use Ouija as a mediumship or divination tool, it certainly should not be used as a toy, especially by people who are simply curious and unfamiliar with working with the spirit realm.

I do not know of anyone who has been physically harmed by contacting spirit via Ouija, but I have worked in the past with a client whose mental health and emotional well-being were severely affected by it.

I’ve also heard from a fellow psychic involved in paranormal investigations that she was called in to deal with disturbing paranormal activity in someone’s home that was triggered by a botched amateur séance.

Contrary to popular belief, the Ouija board was originally created as a fun family board game that seemed to have nothing to do with spiritualism or the occult. The truth is that the concept actually has spiritual origins. There is evidence, for example, of a planchette-like device used for divination in ancient China around 1100 A.D., and it is a historical fact that the commercial Ouija Board “game” actually has its roots in spiritualism.

Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it ~ Baltasar Gracián

With the growing interest in spiritualism in the 19th century, the planchette, a small heart-shaped board with two wheels and a pencil attached, was introduced in France in 1853. It was soon adopted by many spiritualists as a trendy new tool for communicating with spirit. In the mid-1880s, spiritualists in Ohio were also using a “talking board” similar to the Ouija board at spiritualist camps and séances.

In 1890, American lawyer and inventor Elijah Bond saw the commercial potential of this concept and patented the Ouija board as we know it today. His designs were based on the board spiritualists were using in Ohio. The origin of the name “Ouija” remains a mystery. It is said that the name may be a combination of the French word for “yes” (oui) and the German word for “yes” (ja). However, this may be a myth.

The most widely accepted explanation is that it came from a session with the board itself. The name was given to inventor Elijah Bond during a séance with his sister-in-law, Helen Peters. Peters, who was a spiritual medium, is said to have asked the board what it should be called. The planchette then spelled out the word “Ouija”. When she asked what the word meant, the answer was “good luck.”

Two decades later, another spiritualist medium, Pearl Curran, popularized the use of the Ouija board during World War I. She used the board to communicate with the spirits of soldiers who had passed away in the war. She also reportedly contacted the spirit of Patience Worth, a New England Puritan who then proceeded to dictate many successful poems, books, and plays to Curran via the Ouija board. This further popularized Ouija as a divining tool. Ghostwriter, indeed!

Over the years I have talked to many people who have had very different experiences with the Ouija Board. My husband, for example, who is very scientifically-minded, told me that many years ago he and some friends made their own “Ouija Board” by cutting out letters and numbers from magazines and placing them on the table for a makeshift séance experiment, using a glass tumbler as the planchette. Sure enough, they made contact with a spirit entity.

A little knowledge of the occult is dangerous. Unless it’s used for good, disaster will follow its wake. That is Cosmic Law ~ Clarence Upson Young

They asked the spirit who would be the first man to land on the moon, and the glass began to move! It spelled out a name, but it was not Neil Armstrong, the man who eventually set foot on the moon in 1969. After this experience, my husband skeptically concluded that the glass simply moved because of what he calls “unconscious mass effect.”

A friend once told me that when she was in high school, she and her friends played with a real Ouija board. They asked it questions during lunch in the gym locker room. Again, spirit contact was made. Then one of the girls stood up and said, “If this is real and you are really here, show yourself.” To their shock and horror, it did.

My friend says that the spirit appeared briefly as a translucent apparition in human form for all to see. Then it disappeared. She says she has never been so scared in her life and will definitely never touch a Ouija board again!

There is also the case of a relative of mine who bought a Ouija board and then became somewhat obsessed with it. She started asking it questions every day. Apparently it told her that her house was going to catch fire, and it did, but fortunately it was a small fire that caused very little damage and no one was hurt.

Also, a colleague once told me that her brother and some of his friends were asking the Ouija many questions one night when the board suddenly levitated up from the table.

I would strongly advise against the use of the Ouija… Most often the spirits whom are contacted through the Ouija are those whom reside on ‘the lower astral plane’ ~ Dale Kaczmarek

With such negative reports, should one be afraid of Ouija? In my opinion, there is no need to fear it, but it should definitely be treated with respect! The Ouija, like all other divination and occult tools, must be used appropriately and safely. Spirit communication is certainly not a game or a party trick.

Anyone who wants to start using the Ouija for the purpose of spirit communication should carefully research the proper procedure and proceed with caution. In my professional opinion, a Ouija séance should certainly not be attempted by anyone who is not spiritually educated and fully empowered. And unless you are a spiritual professional, it is also not a practice you should attempt on your own, much less in the company of people who you do not know and trust.

Therefore, the simple answer to whether one should or should not consult the Ouija: if there is any hesitation, uncertaintly or fear about consulting the Ouija, then it may be best to just stay away from it.