When you use a Ouija board correctly and respectfully, chances are your session will go well. However, sometimes even when you've taken every precaution, something happens with the Ouija board that is frightening, discomfiting, or downright dark. Many people have stories about a Ouija board gone wrong; learn from their experiences and then discover what to do when a session goes dark.
A True Tale of Ouija Board Terror
You'll find a lot of stories circulating about negative Ouija board experiences. Some are urban legends, some are embellished, and some are true. For example, a source who wishes to remain anonymous (an employee of a haunted museum) shared this true terrifying negative Ouija board experience.
"When a local funeral home went out of business, they donated some of their antique equipment to our museum. We made a display with it, including an old embalming table. One night after hours at the museum, we got the bright idea that we'd use the embalming table for a Ouija session. We put the board on the table and began asking questions. For about an hour, it answered our questions, and we were getting some great information about the table. Then, I asked whether anyone had ever been embalmed on the table who had been murdered, and the planchette went crazy. It started to slide back and forth rapidly between the letters H and A. It was laughing at us!
"After that, no matter what we asked, the planchette would only slide between H and A, so we gave up. As we were putting the Ouija board away, there was a loud boom from nearby, and the lights started to flash on and off. My co-worker looked up and saw, in the flashing light, a shadow figure standing at the head of the embalming table. We got out. Fast.
"The next day when I came into work, the building felt awful. There was a nasty odor near the embalming table, too. We couldn't figure out what caused it, and even with the windows open, the smell wouldn't go away. Employees and volunteers who were usually so easy going were fighting with one another. What was usually a happy workplace was so full of negativity, I dreaded going to work.
"After about a week, I called a psychic to come and see if she could figure out what was going on. When she walked in, before I had the chance to tell her anything, she said we'd summoned a negative entity with 'something like a séance or a Ouija board.' She told us it was a dark spirit that had come in and was making itself at home, affecting everyone's behavior and the energy of the museum.
"She did an energy cleanse and right away things returned to normal. That awful smell finally went away, and things just somehow felt lighter. I learned a valuable lesson from that. Don't play with a Ouija board on an embalming table--or maybe anywhere else."
Recognize a Negative Ouija Experience
Because Ouija boards are sold in the game aisle in toy stores, many people believe it is just a bit of fun and fail to understand they are using what they believe is just a game to contact the spirit world. And while you may encounter many friendly spirits who just wish to communicate when you're using a Ouija board, just as there are unkind, dark, or evil forces among living humans, so may there be entities with different types of intentions in the spirit realm. When you use a Ouija board, you open yourselves to communicating with all spirits; not just the nice ones. Because of this, when you communicate with a Ouija, you open yourself to negative experiences with entities every time you use it. Therefore, it's important to recognize the signs of a negative experience.
You Feel Uncomfortable
It's natural to feel apprehensive or even frightened when you use a Ouija board, particularly if you are using it for the first time or you are alone. However, if at any time during your questions and answers with the Ouija board, you start to feel a sense of foreboding, fear, or discomfort, it is time to step away. Some signs the session's energy is shifting to something dark include the following:
- You feel unusual uncomfortable physical sensations, such as heaviness, crawling skin, heavy pressure in your ears, burning in your eyes, burning, tingling or pain on your skin, sudden onset aches and pains, or similar.
- You notice weird aromas that shouldn't be there.
- You perceive something just isn't quite right.
- You begin to experience negative emotions or thoughts inconsistent with how you normally feel or inconsistent with what is currently happening in your life.
- You start having negative urges, such as deep rage or the desire to hurt someone.
- You feel oppressive sadness.
- The atmosphere in the room suddenly feels heavy and uncomfortable.
- You get either extremely hot or extremely cold even though you are in a temperature controlled room.
- You notice anyone who is with you in the room suddenly doesn't look and/or act like himself.
- You feel terror.
- Your fight or flight response kicks in.
Someone Asks Dangerous Questions or Behaves Disrespectfully
Some people using a Ouija board see it as a lark, and they may begin to ask questions that are unsafe to ask a Ouija board, or they may make disrespectful statements, challenge the spirits, or become flippant or disparaging. This is never a good idea, especially since you don't know which entities you will contact through the Ouija board. If one of the participants is behaving in such a manner, end the session immediately.
The Planchette Responds in Strange Ways
Sometimes during a Ouija session, the planchette may be responding to questions by spelling out answers, when suddenly it begins to behave strangely. Some strange ways the planchette might behave in a negative Ouija session include:
- Cycling through the alphabet either forwards or backward
- Counting down from 9 to 0 or counting upward from 0 to 9
- Swinging back and forth between any two letters
- Sliding back and forth between Z and any vowel, spelling something like zozo, zaza, zuzu, zizi, or zeze
- Making a figure 8
- Moving from corner to corner on the board
- Moving in circles
- Spelling in Latin or another foreign language
- Drawing symbols instead of spelling words
- Flying of the board
The Board Stops Responding
In some cases, the board may stop responding altogether (or it may never respond in the first place). In either of these cases, end the session and try again another time. Do not provoke to get the board to respond.
What to Do When a Ouija Session Goes Wrong
If you recognize any of the signs of a negative Ouija session, stop. Stop immediately. Don't ask any more questions. Don't try to interact further. End the session correctly and put the board away appropriately. Then, cleanse the Ouija board, the space, and all participants by burning sage or palo santo, finishing with a chant or prayer of protection. Have each participant take a bath with sea salt or Himalayan pink salt in the bath water as soon as they can.
The Right Way to End a Ouija Board Session
Regardless of whether a Ouija session is positive or negative, you should always end the session the same way. Never skip this process.
- Thank all entities present and announce the session is ending saying something such as, "Thank you for communicating with us. We are going to close communication now."
- State the intent all entities will return to where they came from, and all session participants are breaking any energetic connections with all spirits. This might sound something like this, "For all entities present, we are breaking off the energetic ties between you and everyone who has participated in or is present for this communication. All entities will return to their realm, and all participants and observers of this communication will now remain separate. If anyone wishes to communicate with you again, we will contact you through this board with another session. After we close, there will be no communication or contact between any spirit or entity and anyone here who is observing or participating in this communication."
- Slide the planchette to "goodbye." Once you've done this, lift the planchette and turn it over, placing it on the surface below the board with the solid surface of the planchette on the table and the feet facing towards the ceiling. If the planchette has flown off the board, pick it up and place it back on the board so you can slide it to "good-bye" and immediately end the session. Many people are tempted to try to continue communication when these events occur. This is never a good idea, as you may be opening everyone to something they are unable to control or understand. Always err on the side of caution.
- Ask everyone present to put a protective bubble around themselves, pushing it out from their core, and to state silently their intent to move forward with the energetic links between themselves and any entities that were present severed.
- Put the board away with the planchette wrapped in cloth or paper so the board and planchette aren't touching each other in storage.
How to Dispose of a Ouija Board
Sometimes someone has such a traumatic experience with a Ouija board they feel they must destroy it or get rid of it. The safest way to dispose of a Ouija board is the following:
- Make sure you have closed the final Ouija board session appropriately as noted above.
- Store it properly with the planchette wrapped in something so it is not touching the board.
- Put the board away in a cupboard or closet and leave it there.
- If you feel you need a more permanent form of disposal, bury the board with the printed side facing down. You can sprinkle black tourmaline crystals or sea salt above and around the board in the hole for added protection if you wish.
Some more tips for disposing of a Ouija:
- Do not burn the board.
- Never sell the board to someone.
- If you gift the board to someone, make sure they know its true history and why you have decided to dispose of it. Many people collect Ouija boards or similar objects and are aware of any risks associated with them, but it is still important you honestly share the board's history so they are aware of any attachments that may accompany the board.
Use Caution With a Ouija Board Gone Wrong
Ouija boards don't have to be scary, and chances are you'll never wind up with a negative attachment unless you work with the board incorrectly or fail to shut down your sessions and engage in personal protection rituals. However, when you are working with a Ouija board, you are communicating with spirits and opening yourself up to all entities that exist within the spirit realm. Therefore, it's essential to recognize the signs of an unsafe Ouija board session and know how to protect yourself effectively along with the spaces in which you hold your Ouija sessions and anyone who is present for the communication. By being prepared, you are far less likely to experience any negative effects from using your Ouija board.
