How to Conduct a Séance Using a Spirit Board

Disclaimer: This article DOES reference spiritual paths, but is not solely about religion. Many cultures and spiritual paths have used – and continue to use – spirit boards. The purpose of this article is to discuss one particular view (mine) on how to properly conduct a séance using a spirit board. Anybody who wants to try putting into practice the techniques listed here can do so, regardless of their religious views. I welcome your comments ONLY if they are positive in nature.

**It is my opinion that séances are not evil, nor are they works of the devil. A séance can be done properly (and safely) if it is taken seriously. That said, they can also be a lot of fun!

Intro: Perhaps you came across a Ouija board one day, but had no idea what to do with it? You may have seen kids ‘playing’ it – aged from the very young to the teenage years – and thought it was just another toy for them to use. I am here to tell you, a Ouija board is not a toy! Parker Brothers has marketed it as one, but in fact spirit boards (as they are occasionally called) are much more than this. They have a very long history that is worldwide in scope. Countless cultures have used all types of divination to attempt contact with the other side/heaven/spirit world/astral realm (call this what you choose).

Divination - is the practice of divining information which was previously unknown to you using methods other than the five senses. These include: palmistry, crystal gazing, scrying, tarot readings, pendulums, runes, I-ching, oracle bones and countless other methods. One of the most common is the use of a spirit board.

A spirit board is nothing more than a piece of wood, cardboard, or paper – basically any material you choose, if you decide to make one yourself – which has the letters A-Z, numbers 0-9, YES, NO, and sometimes GOODBYE. A Ouija board has all of these features. A planchette is used as a message indicator. The planchette designed by Parker Brothers is seen BELOW.

It has a window for the letters to be easily seen as the planchette is moving, and soft padded feet so it moves easily on the board surface. If you do not prefer this plastic planchette, you can find wooden ones online, or use a drinking glass flipped upside down. Now you know the components of a spirit board. Let’s get started!

1 –Invite your friends or family over, sometime near dusk if you’d like a mystical atmosphere.

2 –Light lots of candles and incense if you wish. Draw the curtains and turn off any artificial lights in the room (This is not necessary – a séance can be done in a fully lit room, but if done in semi-darkness, you are guaranteed to get yourself - and your guests - in the mood).

3 –Make sure to provide enough lighting to be able to clearly see the board and a pad of paper, for writing out any messages you may receive.

4 –Sit everyone down at a large table, but not so large that the center of the table cannot be reached by everybody seated. This will be important later (see step 12). If you wish, also tape record the séance, placing the device as close as possible to the center of the table (for more on this, see step 20).

5 –If you wish to lead the séance, sit at the head of this table.

6 –Set out your spirit board, planchette or glass, and a pad of paper with a pencil in the center of the table.

7 –Now, designate a guest as a notary of sorts. Give them the pad and pencil and tell them it’s their job to notate any messages as they are received. *This person will not use the board right now, only take notes.* If you choose to do more than one séance, have a different person notate the next time.

8 –Everyone else will participate. Now is a good time for everyone to hold hands and say a prayer, or cast a protective circle if you wish. The point of this step is to guard yourselves against negative energies, mischievous spirits, or harmful entities.

I believe that specific entities - sometimes referred to as demons – do exist, but were never alive in the physical sense as we are. They are actually a separate energy from a place that is unknown to us, so they can be dangerous. Some spiritual paths refer to this place as hell, or the underworld.

9 –NEVER use a spirit board to intentionally contact demons or negative spirits/energies. This is extremely dangerous. This is a main reason why a Ouija/spirit board is NOT a toy!

10 –As you pray, visualize a white light surrounding you and everyone in the room, protecting you from any spirits you don’t want to communicate with, especially harmful or bad entities. These entities CAN use the board like a doorway and enter this level of existence. If you protect yourself beforehand, and remain positive and benevolent in your intent, they cannot harm you! Feel and know you are fully protected.

11 – Open your mind to the possibility of spirit contact. Do not doubt that it can work. Many skeptics have become believers after one session with a spirit board!

12 – Sit comfortably in your chair, relax, place both feet on the floor. Tell your guests to breathe deeply. When all are ready, place hands on the planchette/glass (making sure everyone can reach the board). If there are many people (more than 4) have each person place one finger on the planchette. During the séance, try not to remove your finger from the planchette!

13 – Someone ask a question out loud, such as “Is there anyone present with us in this room?” or, “Does any spirit wish to communicate with us tonight?” If you are patient, serious, and remain focused, you will receive an answer!

14 –The indicator will move slowly and begin to spell out a response to your question. As the letters are indicated, call them out loud one at a time for everyone to hear – and so the notary can write it down! If no questions are posed, the indicator may still move – this is a spirit trying to contact a person (alive) in the room. Call out these responses, too.

15 –Have the notary write down all responses, however ridiculous or misspelled!

It is normal for the guests to have a conversation provoked by the séance. If the information pertains to a specific person in the room, let them say so and ask some questions!

16 –If a specific person has a specific question, such as “What are my initials?”, and the spirit using the board does not answer correctly (especially if it’s several times in a row), say aloud, “You have answered incorrectly, thank you, and goodbye!”

The spirit will leave. In this case, the spirit you contacted was just a wandering spirit unrelated to you in any way. They cannot answer specific questions, because they don’t know everything! They may have passed on, but they are not geniuses! No spirit knows everything.

17 –If you don’t care to learn specific information about your or your guests, talk to whomever you wish. Use caution, however! If a guest becomes uncomfortable by any message, have them step out for a moment, and release the spirit. This spirit was most likely negative!

18 –Continue asking questions. Any guest that wants to contact a specific friend or relative - whom has died - might have better luck if they bring along a picture of that individual to the séance. This will encourage that very spirit to communicate with you.

19 –At the closing of the séance, release all spirits, thank them, and then say a closing prayer (don’t forget to hold hands again).

20 –Then, turn the lights on, and review any information received. Check the notebook to see what kinds of interesting things you may have received!  Turn off the tape recorder. Review recording at a later time.

The purpose of recording the session is twofold: 1) To record all the questions and responses called out by your guests, and 2) To capture any inaudible sounds which the spirits may have tried to communicate to you. The human ear cannot hear these, but a recording device can capture it. This phenomena is known as EVP – Electronic Voice Phenomena.

To learn more about EVP, see my article, How to Understand Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP), posting soon!

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