Its history and invention discribed it as a tool used to communicate with the other side. In the late 1800's Reiche, Bond & Kennard called it a parlor game. Parker Brothers labeled it a 'toy'.

I was reading stories about people who have used the board and many swear they will never use it again, while others have had no success with it at all. One girl and her friends used it in a cemetery and said they didn't have time to 'close ' the board. I've never heard of that, how do you 'close' a board? Another person claims to have spoken with a dog? Then there's the legend of the 'Bye Bye' man who comes through the board every now and then. Never heard of him. I used the board once a long time ago and one of the girls who was with us had a bad expierience with it, although I can't say whether she was making it up or not?
Has anyone ever had a bad expirience with the Ouija board? And would you call it a toy?

Nope, not a toy -- and I feel pretty strongly as it being marketed as such.

I'm of the school of thought that compares the ouija board to leaving your front door unlocked -- you may invite something in that you might not want.

In my early teens, I bought one of the things because I thought it might be fun, and I wanted to see if it was really the pulse in our fingertips moving it, or something more mysterious. I think I found my answer.

One incident involved two other girls, one I still know well. We were goofing around, asking questions that kids do about which boys liked us, etc...After a while, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change, the girls were across from me and looked up suddenly at me and started screaming. They claimed to have seen a girl directly behind me that looked a lot like me, but had clothing from the 1800's. I never saw anything, but like I said, the change in the atmosphere of the room I well remember and this is twenty years later. The woman that I still know who was there that day, sticks to the story all these years later, but doesn't like to talk about it.

This other incident, I never connected until fairly recently. Around that same time, I was sick, and staying home from school. My grandmother, who lived with us, had a bedroom near the front of the house, and mine was at the back. To be able to hear me during the day, my mother had me resting in my grandmother's room during the day. I had taken the ouija board in there and was goofing around with it by myself. The board started acting oddly, at first saying it was the spirit of a young man who had died in a car wreck in the 1950's; then, things took a different turn and the board started spelling out curse words. A little unnerved, I slid it under my grandmother's bed, thinking I would just get it away from me.

Nothing happened until a week or so later -- we were awakened by my grandmother screaming, having what we assumed was a night terror. At the time, she was in her late 70's, and was as sharp as a tack. She was a believer in the paranormal, but not one to be overly imaginative. Anyway, she was wide awake when my parents and I showed up in her room, claiming that a man had been at the foot of her bed. He had long, scraggly hair and a beard and was very angry. She insisted we look for a prowler, which of course, we did not find. At the time, we all chalked it up to being a bad dream, but in later years, I suspect it might have somehow been connected to the ouija board.

I don't remember ever playing with it after that incident with the curse words. It survived a couple of moves, but around the time I finished college, I was doing some major cleaning out of all my childhood belongings and came across it. Needless to say, it went in the garbage.

I've heard numerous stories of similar things, and I'm sure there are some references to other posts about it in the archives section of SK. As a mother, I've got to say, if my child comes to me around that age and requests buying one, I'll be turning her down and explaining what happened to me years ago. I wouldn't have one in my house, and I know I wouldn't have it in the hands of a kid -- or anyone else for that matter.

There are a lot of folks who disagree and claim that you have to "know what you are doing". I respect their opinions, but I don't agree. In the first place, I'm always skeptical about people who call themselves "experts" at anything; secondly, given the nature of the board, you can't pick and choose what spirit might come your way. Anything could come through -- and does.

I've said it before many times and it is posted all over this board. Not a toy. Carrie's anology is very apt.
There are those that say it is OK to use. And I also will not argue with them. That is their choice. But it is a foolish thing to play with. What will you get from one that you really need to have? Nothing. It's like turning on a light in a vast darkness. You attract all kinds of spirits. And the ones who most want to get in touch with you are the ones you least want to be in contact with.
It doesn't open a channel to your loved ones. They moved on. It opens a channel to basically the closest level to ours. Where lost people hide out for a while. People with problems.
It doesn't mean you will not contact someone with good intentions as it is possible but it is not probable.

Just one story. I did use the board several times. Always with great results. One time I contacted this very unkindly spirit that followed me for at least a couple of years. I like to think he's gone but I can't be sure.

I would strongly suggest to anyone not to do it.

My now Sister in law and I used the board a lot when we were younger. We were very fortunate that the one spirit we spoke to said he was a little boy and he told us his name was AZOZ. That was all he would spell when we asked him. One day he said that someone was trying to get through to us and that he would protect us with the light. Having no clue what he meant, we walked up to the store. As we walked up the street, the streetlamps would go out and come back on as we walked under them. AZOZ never appeared again. About 2 weeks later, we did reach a spirit that caused a little mischief by moving things around or making the phone ring.

As far as closing the board. I was told that you had to make the spirit say goodbye or the board would remain open. Not sure if it was true or not but, always did it.

We still have my husband's board though it hasn't been used in at least 15 years. It is in the box wrapped in black duct tape. He refuses to throw it away feeling it is bad luck to do so.

As for if they're bad or good, it does depend. Like Carrie said, it's an open door. Though there have been stories of how you can pray and such over one and surround the room and it with white light and so no evil or troublesome spirits can come through.

I don't really believe that, but I do believe bad spirits don't like holy things for some reason.

I myself haven't use a board from fear. My cousin once had one and her daughter's toys would move. Then my very close friend had a scary happening. She talking with one with her friends, then she asked the name. It said satan and the board flew and hit the wall. They got scared and ripped it up and threw it out. But the next morning it was on the foot of the bed. They burned it in the fireplace and it sparked unnaturally. Then that was it.

Normally I'd doubt that, but she knows not to joke around with topics like this so it's legit.

But no, it's not a toy. Unless you wish to call it that I guess. The best thing is to not. I believe that spirits can only see certain ppl. Or at least can contact. It must be sad knowing no one can touch, hear, or see you. Barely anyone that is. So when you use the board, they are attracted to people who can. They are called in a sense because of the board. Then because you made contact, they stick around for a while.

Use one at your own expense ^^

I have one of those boards, i have used it before, but never with any good nor bad results. I am pretty much afraid to use it though lol.

The first Spirit board was created by a fellow (ugh his name escapes me) as a tool to use to make it easier for mediums/psychics to interpret messages that they were recieving from spirits. It was later made into a game and a toy as robbert noted.

Some are adamant about calling it a toy, a piece of cardboard that cannot and does not open communication to spirits, nor can it cause any harm. I partly agree, yes the parker version is made of cardboard and yes it is a toy if you treat it as such. The board itself doesn't hold any powers or have any special abilities, it's the method used and the intentions that make it possible. In my opinion.

I agree with the others who have noted that it is the low energies (those on the 2nd plane - earth being the first) that are often (if not always) the ones who contact is made with. When you open yourself up to contact, it is by your own free will that you allow whoever or whatever is lurking about to now communicate with you. No guarantees that whoever you invite in will leave. They may not like being told, asked or tried to be made to leave. Being uneasy in your own home, being bothered by something unseen, wondering if your mind is playing tricks on you or not, losing sleep and feeling irratable etc etc is not at all pleasant. Harmful doesn't always mean bodily harm, as some make it sound when they say it can't harm you.

The ideometer has been cited as the reason the planchette moves. That may be, but whether a persons fingers are the cause for it moving or not the information is coming from somewhere. You are giving over part of your control to someone else (so to speak) by your own free will. It may also be that one or more of the individuals have a level of psychic ability (whether they recognize it or not) which is why contact can be made, and the info can come through? Perhaps that is why it doesn't work for some, true intention is not there and the level of psi in the person(s) using it is not evident enough?

To me it is like playing russian roulette with a twist. The one bullet is actually the one spirit that is good natured, the empty chambers are those that are not. It is not worth the gamble in my opinion. Besides even if you think you have reached someone benign, what's to say it's not a negative one playing games? I agree with Nakis it's not your loved ones that are waiting for you to open yourself up for contact, they have moved on, plus if or when they do want to reach us they can and do by visiting us in our dreams, or giving us signs in other ways. =)

It has been years since I used a board and I will never touch one again. It is not just a toy.

I agree with Nakis' analagy that it's like leaving your front door open or the keys in your car with the engine running....NO WAY is this thing a toy! My husband, many moons ago thought he would "play with it" alone without balancing the powers, etc. Several days later, a number of weird things started taking place, like random unexplainable knocks on brinck walls, lights coming on by themselves,, a heaviness in the apartment,...... I ended up cleansing the place and throwing the damed thing in the trash after having blessed it and breaking it in half so no one else could use it. Nope, no way..NOT a toy.

My daughter wanted to buy a Ouija board with her Christmas money last year . I told her noway was she bringing that into our home! I don't think most people realize that they are defenitely not toys to just play with! I would be scared to death to mess with one