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 Confucious. 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 to 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 mans facination 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 a amalgam of the "Dial Plate" and Planchette, a tool originally used by Mediums in the 1860's. William Fuld's is still marketted today by Parker Brothers.
So, now with that brief history let's move on......
LET'S GET SOME FACTS STRAIGHT
PSYCHONAMANCY: it is the form of a diviners CONSCIOUSLY 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 besure to close it when you are through....or in most OUIJA sessions, until 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 plachette goes to all 4 corners , you have contacted an maleviolent Entity/ Spirit.
5) Never let the plachette fall from the board in a session, as this is another escape route for the spirit.
6) If the plachette continously makes a circle 8, a maleviolent Entities/Spirits are in control of the board.( In my opion, a figure eight is fine. Eights are considered unlucky after "Wild Bill" Hickcoks's death hand of "aces and eights. Somehow this 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 an maleviolent Entity, quickly turn the plachette 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 elimanating the risk of a bunch of unwanted poltergiests 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.
MAKING OF A OUIJA BOARD
It is highly recommended that you make your own board and plachette. 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 Bless before you use it.
So lets get creative.....
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 or even a floor in your home would not only be functional, but, would 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 have used 26 cards from the Tarot deck, inscribing the numbers and letters on the back, layed out into two semi-circles. As a plachette a borrowed item fron 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 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 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.
OUIJA Mfg: William Fuld Design on wood 1902
(William Fuld's first Ouija board was almost a carbon copy of the Kennard design)
(Press Below For Page 2)
this page courtesy of §håðów Ôƒ Thë wîtçh
Kålím㤧†ár¤ƒír餧Ôtw~2001~
~ 2001 Indigo Bridge Cooperative~
This page may be used for religious education by nonprofit groups providing information content, copyrights and credits are not altered and/or deleted. Layout, graphics and design may be changed to suit individual needs.
