The Talking Board

Louija board.

Ouija and spirit boards are popular tools both inside and outside the Witch and Pagan Community, as many of y'all already know. They’re often the subject of controversy with the taboo of contacting spirits, the bad experiences people tell of online at our fingertips, and Hollywood making Ouija boards to blame for numerous situations gone awry. But how do we really use that in practice? What’s the protocol here? I’ve taken the time to compile all the information I could from using Ouija boards and spirit boards over the years so that hopefully this will help younglings looking to contact spirits and to help those who are already skilled in it brush up on things they may have forgotten. (Remember, I’m not trying to force you to do these. They’re more guidelines or suggestions.)

👁My first tip isn’t a necessity, but I highly recommend it, and that is to make your own board and planchette. And no, I don’t mean use some cardstock and some fake calligraphy on it. I’m being serious, talking to Spirits is serious business and shouldn’t be taken lightly. The only time I’ve ever used anything other than wood is when I was practicing new Ouija designs comma and even then I used a real stretched canvas and paints that were only made with natural dyes. Use wood for your spirit boards it’s optimal. I suggest wood from a type of tree that grows local to your location, so you may have to do a bit of researching.

👁My second tip for you is to make sure to cleanse your board both before and after using it. if that means taking cleansing supplies around with yourself and your bored two different locations where you plan to use it, so be it! There are several methods to Cleansing items; such as burning an incense such as sage and running the object through the smoke.

👁Tip number three is to go into your spirit board sessions with positive vibes and good intent. The spirits know if your motives are true or false, and they know if you’re lying, so don’t even bother with any of that nonsense.

👁Number four is to ensure that you are in a quiet, peaceful, and at least semi-private location, so that you stay in a calm state and remain focused on your intention and questions.

👁My fifth tip is to make sure your questions and / or statements are short and to the point, especially if you don’t know the spirit you are currently talking to, or if you’re new to using Spirit boards in general. Spirits often prefer to give simple replies because the board is limited, so try not to over-complicate things.

👁Another tip for speaking with the spirit is to never make big demands, such as saying “move something!”, “speak to me/us.”, or “prove you’re here/real!”. For starters, this can anger the spirit. Not only that, it can invite a malevolent spirit that you were merely speaking to into to your home or wherever you’re using the board at, or even worse it could invite the spirit in question out so that it can invite itself into your body, or someone you know. The last thing you want is a possession on your hands.

👁Tip number seven is to never expect a spirit to communicate with you on your first, or even second try. One must remember the Ouija boards or advertised as a game, meaning people think that it’s easier than it actually is. It’s really not. It’s a skill that has to be learned and built up, and needs to be taken seriously.

👁This next to tip should be obvious but I’m going to throw it out here anyway. Don’t use the board if you are super sick or extremely fatigued or tired compared to your normal state. Most likely your session simply won’t work, but you run the risk of meeting a malevolent spirit and if you’re sick or tired you can become susceptible to that.

👁Another tip is one that personally I find a bit controversial, and of course I’ll tell you why in a moment. But that is the tip of not using substances that can impair your judgment beforehand. What I mean by this is drugs or alcohol. They can make you susceptible to mistakes, bad experiences, malevolent spirits, and a harder time using board successfully in the future.

The reason why I believe that this is controversial is I myself am a practicing classical shaman. One thing that shamans do as a part of their spirituality is speaking with spirits, and something that many Shamans also do, for one reason or another in practice, is altering their own mind mind-state through the use of hallucinogens or other drugs, and sometimes alcohol. Someone who’s called to be a shaman but never practiced should never use substances before hand,because shamans have to go through many trials and tribulations before they are skilled enough. One can’t simply decide to become a shaman in order to find the loophole of using drugs and alcohol before speaking with Spirits either, one must be chosen as a shaman, and that’s something that another human doesn’t do for you either. It’s all very very spiritual. Aside from those infected myself, I would stick to the tip of not doing so.

👁My last tip, and suitably so, is to always remember your closing. By that I mean always say goodbye, or whatever it is you’re board says in order to end the session. It’s very important not to leave that path open. Neglecting to close it leaves away open forced Ray spirits to come through, not all of them being friendly.

NEW BOARD. I’ve always wanted this board since forever. I decided it’d make a good Christmas gift to myself. I got this off of eBay and it’s in remarkable condition. It looks like it could be 3 or 4 years old instead of the 20 year I know it’s seen. That brings my board count up to 6.

The Altar In Room 46 (now room 223 or 2x23=46) at the infamous Brookdale Lodge in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

This room is proportedly the most haunted part of the hotel, save the Brook Room. The Brook Room is a large restaurant dining room with a creek flowing through it that has drowned at least one child, who is said by many to still have a presence there. Unfortunately, the Brook Room was being renovated when I went there so I only have these outside shots.