Rites of divination
The Ouija board
A lettered board with a planchette, patented in 1890 in America, used to ask questions of spirits.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
The Ouija board is a flat board printed with the alphabet, the numbers and the words yes and no. Players rest their fingers on a pointer, the planchette, and ask a question. The pointer moves to letters. Kennard Novelty Company of Baltimore sold it from 1890, and the toy became a mass-market item of the Spiritualist era.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Lettered boardObjectWith alphabet, numbers, yes and no.
- PlanchetteToolA small pointer.
- Fingers of the playersGestureRest lightly on the pointer.
- QuestionsWordAsked aloud.
- Candle or dim roomSpaceOften used for effect.
- Object
- Tool
- Gesture
- Word
- Space
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Gather Players sit round the board and put their fingers on the pointer. Step 2: Speak A question is asked aloud. Step 3: Cast The pointer moves under the players' hands. Step 4: Read Letters are called out and noted. Step 5: Close The players say goodbye, which is considered good manners at the board.
What moves the pointer
Scientists explain the movement with the ideomotor effect: small, unconscious muscle movements by the players. In experiments, players moved the planchette without knowing it. Believers hold that spirits move the pointer.
Fear and fun
Some religious groups warn that the board invites demons, and it has been the subject of horror films. For many people it is a game for a night, and for others a serious tool.
Variants
Similar boards exist elsewhere, such as the Chinese planchette writing called fuji, which is older than the Ouija.
What it is for
- Asking questions of the dead
- Entertainment
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: Ouija (The board.), Ideomotor phenomenon (The scientific explanation.).
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.