The Ouija board, seen by some as harmless, is not worth the risk by Christian minister JAIMIE LEE-BARRON, who warns of its potential for emotional and spiritual harm based on historical and personal experiences
The subject of the Ouija board, or talking board, is an extremely emotive one in paranormal circles. Some people believe it is, at best, a useful tool in paranormal investigation and research, and at worst, just a bit of harmless fun in much the same way as playing any other board game. But there is another school of thought, one that regards them as being potentially very dangerous to the user, one that strongly discourages and even condemns their use altogether. Here is why:
While the origins of the Ouija are to be found in antiquity (the Egyptians, Greeks, Israelites, and Chinese all had their own versions), it is really modern history that concerns us here.
The 19th century saw the birth of the spiritualist movement. This was the time of inventors and explorers; the boundaries of science and engineering were expanding, and a world of new possibilities was opening up. This exciting age of the brave and the new provided the backdrop for people yearning to examine more closely the unseen world of the spirit.
After all, such great leaps and bounds were being taken in all other areas, so why not into the field of the unknown? Why not ask the question, “Is there life after death?” and also try to find the answer, to actually prove, once and for all, that we do carry on beyond this mortal coil.
This yearning became especially prevalent after the dreadful loss of life incurred during the American Civil War, with the devastated relatives of the deceased searching desperately to communicate with those they had lost. This gave rise to a veritable plethora of people emerging who called themselves “spiritualists” and/or “mediums” who, for a (not so small) fee, could help ordinary people to reach out and contact the “other side.” Thus, the séance quickly became a staple pastime amongst the more well-to-do of society, with even Queen Victoria herself becoming involved in such practices.
Ouija Boards and Seances
Hiring a medium and organising a séance was an expensive endeavour that most ordinary people simply could not afford. What were they to do? How were they to partake of this fruit? Enter: the Ouija Board! A device that was cheap and didn’t require an expensive medium. What’s more, it could be used over and over again at no extra cost at all!
So it was that the (modern) craze for this spiritual communication device was born towards the end of the 19th century. While its popularity did continue to increase gradually, it was thanks to yet another, much bigger war that they really began to fly off the shelves.
World War One saw the globe engulfed in terrifying conflict, which led to a staggering loss of life on both sides. The old generals, still wanting to fight it out the old way, with high masses of infantry and cavalry charging headlong at each other, never really understood the concept of machine guns and mustard gas until it was too late.
The admirals, believing that their gargantuan battleships would defeat any enemy navy, stood aghast as the U-Boats sank them without them ever even firing a shot. Even those most modern of warriors, the airmen, usually flew and fought by the seat of their pants, with the losses mounting up every single day. Literally millions of dead, with tens of millions of loved ones left behind, trying to understand and wanting answers. It was after the Great War that interest in methods of contacting the dead, and especially Ouija boards, really surged.
While they have remained popular to certain people, there is no doubt that interest in them waned a bit until the New Age movement of the 60s and 70s, which saw a lot of people becoming discontent with organised religions and instead embarking upon a journey of self-discovery to try and find their own answers to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.
Dangers of using a Ouija Board
One of the many problems with Ouija Boards is that, when we are talking about mediums and séances, the worst that can happen is that you end up being scammed and losing some of your hard-earned money along with a little of your self-respect. As irritating as this no doubt is, at least it is nothing more sinister.
However, when a person or persons decide to engage with a Ouija board, they are making a conscious decision to contact the dead all by themselves, so the blame rests solely with them. Although a Ouija Board might be a lot cheaper financially than a medium or psychic, in another, far more spiritual way, they are a lot more costly.
I am a Christian minister, and, as such, I believe that we lay our dead to rest in peace. I do not condone, let alone encourage, any type of attempt to contact the dead. They are with God in everlasting glory, and we would all do well to remember that they are called the “Pearly Gates” and not the “pearly turnstiles.” The dearly departed cannot just come and go as they please, no matter how much we might miss them or how much we might want them to. We must have faith, and that faith should be sufficiently strong for us to know that:
- They are happy dwelling in the presence of Almighty God.
- We shall see them again when our own time to pass on arrives.
- Everything happens in accordance with the Will of God.
Yes, I am only too well aware that the above is much easier said than done, especially when we have only just lost someone we love very much, or that their passing was particularly difficult or seemingly unjust. Love is the strongest of all emotions, and grief is a part of that love. I am human, just like you. And I have suffered loss, just like you. Yet, we must stand firm and remain steadfast in our faith whenever it is tested and seek comfort in this.
I have been asked to include some of my own experiences. As a Reverend, my hands are tied when it comes to discussing specific details regarding what happens during any particular healing ministry of deliverance, as these are sacred and sacrosanct. Such rules also help safeguard the privacy of those involved. However, I am permitted to discuss certain things as long as they do not breach this rule. That said, here we go then:
This case happened years ago, back in the 80s, and concerned a lady who had just lost her beloved husband. Having known me from before, she requested that I visit her. So, one crisp autumn morning, I made my way down from London to her cottage in the West Country. Immediately upon arriving, I was gripped by a deep sense of unease quite unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
It was as though the very soil did not want me there, and I will admit that, had I been there for any other reason, I would have turned around and left. This feeling only got worse the nearer I got to the cottage itself, even though the setting was idyllic: a beautiful little cottage encased by a gorgeous garden, surrounded by nothing but peaceful fields, trees, and hills.
The widow in question, we shall call her Rachel, met me at the garden gate and invited me in. Inside, the cottage was just as pleasing, with surprisingly spacious rooms all tastefully decorated and furnished. I was not the only guest, as her daughter and her husband were also visiting. Rachel, although looking tired and drawn, also seemed to be in a much better state than I had expected.
I had been abroad when her husband died and so had missed the funeral, which made me all the more determined to try and help her now in every way I could. However, I noticed some things that caused me concern, not least of which were the photos of her deceased husband in his coffin! These were close-ups of his face and had obviously been taken by a professional photographer.
Because the spare bedroom was occupied, I made do with the sofa. This was the very sofa on which her poor sick husband had passed away, and I can remember clearly waking up and finding him standing over me, as if challenging me for having taken his seat! That might have been nothing more than a dream or sleep paralysis, but it was an experience that I did make careful note of.
When I got the chance, I had a deep conversation with Rachel and asked her how she thought she was coping with the loss of her husband. She informed me that she felt better since talking to him.
I asked her what exactly she meant by this, and she said that her daughter had brought her a Ouija board as a gift and they had used it. Her daughter was heavily into “alternative belief systems,” which, in her case, included trying to commune with the dead. Rachel said that her husband had “come through” and had told her he was still right by her side, just as long as she wanted him to be.
I then asked her how she reconciled this with her Christian faith, and even in her state of grief, she agreed that it was difficult. I encouraged her to stay in more regular contact with her local church, and also advised her to ring me whenever she wanted. I did tend to move around a lot, and still do to a certain degree. I also asked her to just pray for her husband’s soul rather than using the board again and enquired whether she wanted me to take it away, but she refused point-blank.
After a few days, I had to take my leave and get back to my work in London, taking comfort from the fact that at least Rachel wasn’t on her own. Fast forward a few months, and I get a phone call from her daughter telling me that Rachel had died. It turned out that she had gone to bed and taken a hefty cocktail of pills all washed down with a bottle of vodka.
This had not been a peaceful death, as she had haemorrhaged and had died vomiting blood with no one there to help or comfort her. It must have been horrible. Because this was a remote cottage, she hadn’t been found for a couple of days. In the end, it had been the postman who had alerted the police.
They forced entry, did what had to be done, and informed her daughter, who was the next of kin. Her daughter asked me to travel down and help her with everything, as her husband was a police officer in Belgium (where they lived) and had been unable to get time off to accompany her. Of course, I agreed and got down there the next day. As you would expect, her daughter looked very upset, but she also looked something else: she looked frightened. Terrified, to be exact.
It turned out that a lot of very strange things had been happening in and around the little cottage. The first one I was able to see for myself was that Rachel’s little pet poodle, who was very young and very black, had turned almost white! I found this really shocking, as I didn’t think it was even possible. Other happenings included objects moving or being thrown, footsteps on the stairs, and the occasional horrible moan emanating from the master bedroom where Rachel had met her tragic and painful end.
I asked the daughter about the Ouija board and she said she didn’t know where it was. I asked if she had looked in her mother’s bedroom. She hadn’t and didn’t want me to leave her on her own to look for it.
I decided to leave finding the board for now and look after the daughter by calming her down as best I could with the double whammy of prayer and a cup of hot tea. By now, night was falling, and I suggested she go to a hotel for the night while I would stay and look after the place. She could come back and we could sort everything out in the morning. She agreed and was soon on her way in a taxi.
I immediately went to the bedroom but was unable to open the door. Being unable to find the key, I decided that it would just have to wait until the morning. At first, everything seemed peaceful enough, save for the terribly heavy atmosphere. Something was certainly here and was biding its time. I fed and comforted the dog with some food I found in the cupboard and settled down for whatever was to come.
Turned out, I didn’t have to wait long. At about 10pm, the sound and lights of a car caught my attention. This was a remote cottage; no one else lived anywhere near here and for a moment I thought it was the daughter returning. I watched the lights as they drove down the driveway behind the hedge to where the garage was and then disappeared completely with the sound of the engine dying as well.
All was dreadfully silent save for the little poodle that was now jumping up and down like mad, just as though he were ready to welcome Rachel home. Just then, the phone rang and I picked it up a little too fast for my liking. “Has it happened yet?” asked her daughter. “Has what happened?” I countered, still remembering my training. “Mum’s car. Has it arrived yet? This was always the time she used to get back after her yoga lessons in the adjoining village.” Turned out that this had been happening like clockwork the past two nights in exactly the same way.
Without going into too much detail, after I put the phone down I decided to search in earnest for the master bedroom key. When I did, I found the Ouija board placed on a cupboard near the bed and I later disposed of it in the prescribed and proper way. Did any more disturbances happen that night? Yes, lots. I think it has been the longest night of my life up to yet, and I certainly wouldn’t want to go through it again (but I would if the situation demanded).
I learned much that one night in that lonely cottage and it remains a very vivid memory for me to this day. While a lot of what occurred was very disturbing, the worst memory I have is of the terrible stench in that bedroom, and the fact that the mattress was almost jet black from what had happened to poor Rachel.
I still pray for her every day.
So, there you are. One of my very own “experiences,” and there have been many. And far too many that involved the Ouija board!
For those who make the mistake of thinking there is nothing at all to it, please consider the following.
I always say they are somewhat like a spiritual laptop. One that is already logged in to the “Dark Web” where the chat rooms are full of entities waiting to groom you by masquerading as anyone you want them to be and saying whatever you want to hear.
Of course, others will say something different. They might say that they are doorways to our subconscious (and we all know that monsters can live there as well), or that they are completely harmless fun, as they have used one and nothing happened.
My answers to that would be:
- How do you know nothing has happened? It’s not only you who might be the target, it can be something or someone that means a lot to you.
- Just because nothing has happened yet, doesn’t mean something will not happen in the future. After all, these beings are immortal and much prefer to play the long game.
These are only my own opinions based upon my own training and experiences over decades in the field, solidly backed up by others of a similar background.
But, perhaps they are just a harmless game that people play. In which case, there are lots of other games you can purchase and entertain yourself with.
Renewed interest in Ouija Boards
Recently, these boards have experienced yet another upsurge of interest thanks to the many “ghost hunting” shows on TV, some of which actually show these Ouija boards being used. Thanks to these programmes, a lot of people think they can mess around with these things and no harm will come from it. The paranormal should never be approached as being just “a bit of fun”. It is something that is potentially dangerous and needs to be treated accordingly.
As a final note, here is another instance where the dreaded Ouija caused a bit of mayhem (although not in the way you might think).
In March 2017, a certain Stephen Young, a 35-year-old insurance broker of Pembury, England, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of newlyweds Harry and Nicola Fuller at their cottage in Wadhurst, East Sussex. However, he was given a retrial after four jury members disclosed that the night before returning their verdicts, they had used a Ouija board to contact the spirit of murder victim Harry Fuller, who they believe told them to ‘vote guilty’!
The very first thing I was taught when learning about exorcism was to “never enter into dialogue with the spirit.” That means not asking or answering any questions. What’s the first thing people do when they get a Ouija board? Ask, “Is there anybody there?”! Please be warned; nothing good ever comes from messing about with a Ouija board.
Always better to err on the side of caution. Always better to be safe than sorry. 🙏
Tell us your thoughts on Ouija boards in the comments section below!
JAIMIE LEE-BARRON, based in Greater Manchester, is a Christian parapsychologist and ordained minister with specialised training in the healing ministry of Deliverance.
