The Ouija Board has been used both as a toy and as a means of receiving messages or answers to questions.
A great deal of discussion has taken place as to whether or not the messages and answers are authentic communications from the spirits of the dead. Many Spiritualists and investigators into the occult have held that the board is a means for making direct contact with the dead and that the messages which are spelled out are from the dead.
Others have held that the messages are not true messages, but are the result of muscular tension and unconscious direction of the hand.
Whether or not either group is correct, the Ouija Board is a source of much enjoyment and the messages can cause much merriment when a group is assembled for a pleasant evening.
The Ouija Board consists of a flat board approximately eighteen inches wide and thirty inches long, with a very smooth surface. On the surface the letters of the alphabet are printed, beginning on the left with "A" and running in two arched rows across the board. At the bottom of the board is the sentence, "Good Bye." More complicated boards may have other sentences in addition to the one suggested.
There is also a small planchette or three-legged table about one-inch high and shaped in the form of a heart about six inches long. Near the tip of the planchette is a round hole about the size of a silver dollar and covered with transparent material. In the center of this hole is an opening through which a pin is suspended. The table is equipped with felt pads on each leg to make movement as easy as possible.
To use the board, two people sit facing each other and rest the board on their knees. Then each puts the tips of the fingers of both hands on the planchette. To make the board work most accurately, there must be complete quiet. Further, the party asking the question must concentrate on the question he wishes to ask. Do not tell your question to anyone. You may write it down on a piece of paper and hide the paper where no one will see it. The other party working with you should not know the question.
Usually you will have to sit quiet and concentrate for about five minutes. Do not consciously push or pull the planchette. Permit it to move of its own accord. After a while it will begin to move over the letters on the board and will stop every now and then directly over a letter. The letter indicated will be directly under the pin in the planchette. As it moves it will spell out the answer to your question.
It is not well for one to work for more than half an hour with a Ouija Board, since the concentration necessary may cause a headache or other physical discomfort.
