Question:
Can I use a talking board by myself?
Response:
This is a great question that I am asked often. Many ask this question because they really want to work with this tool, but do not know any others in their local vicinity with whom they can work. Let’s face it; it’s not a common invitation to ask another to work the Board with you, especially with all of the superstitions and fearful hype many have, unfortunately, associated with the Ouija Board. However, when one feels called to using such a tool, a way will present itself.
In the beginning stages of working with a Board, ideally, I recommend that two people operate it together. Technically, it works best with two people when you are new to using this tool. Coherent and intelligent messages come through more freely and easily when the two operators work in unison, while learning the subtle movements of the planchette. This is because when the planchette moves, and you know that you are not moving it, you learn to follow the movements. When you work the planchette by yourself, it’s a little harder to distinguish your own ideomotor responses (subtle movements created by the brain) versus external energies making it move, so you may constantly question if the movement is self-induced or not. The messages are more readily received with the energy of two people, as their energies come together, creating a circuit-like dynamic energy, which the spirits utilize in order to communicate.
When a person who is new to this tool works alone, they have to sort through the beginning stages of questioning the movements of the planchette, such as, “Am I subconsciously pushing it?” or “What should the movement feel like?” With another operator there, you can work through these questions, while having the planchette start to move and spell more consistently each session. It typically, takes much longer to receive consistent communications when working alone.
From a spiritual standpoint, I find that when a talking board beginner works alone, it is all too easy to become over zealous about using this tool. I have seen this too many times. One may want to rely on the Board too much and become obsessed with this type of communication, but when their are two operators, there are also two varying schedules that need to be negotiated before they can sit together in a session. Also, when one is not use to doing this type of work (entering into other dimensions), the novice could find himself traversing within negative and possibly “scary,” earth-bound spirit communication. Having another person there, doing the work together, helps maintain a force of checks and balances. This means that the two together can be more objective about the messages coming through and can stay grounded as they explore the meaning of the messages from both of their viewpoints.
After having said all of that, you can learn to use this tool alone. This tool is not unlike many other divination tools out there that you would use alone. One such tool is automatic writing with a pen or keyboard or through the use of an automatic writer, which looks like a planchette with a writing utensil attached to it. Many people have experienced incredible communications while performing automatic writing. A question to ask yourself, “Am I comfortable using a Board by myself?” That’s the question you will need to answer before you go down this solo path.
The most positive, influential step you can take to working the Board solo, is to have a solid spiritual practice in place that teaches you to be grounded, centered, trusting of your own inner truths and your connection with Source. In fact, this holds true for anyone who uses the Board, solo or with another. With such a practice, you can learn to use this tool by yourself in a healthy, positive and life-affirming manner. Your spiritual practice outside of your Board work will assist you to develop a strong inner core that will raise your vibrations and thus, raise your vibrations for Board communication with all energies you contact on the Board and beyond.
Now, you will need to assess where you are with your own spirituality, your practice and the strength of your inner core, as only you truly know this relationship within. The important tactic to take when using a Board is to ALWAYS trust yourself first and never do or take what a spirit might say to you at face value. It takes a lot of time with anyone, let alone a spirit, to build up trust and solid communications. Always mull the messages around inside. If something doesn’t feel right, reject it! It is through your heart (which I call the feeling center) where you hold all of the answers to your personal life, not through an external spirit. Your Higher Self truly knows. You must just find ways to hear this knowing part of yourself, to really listen to it and strive to follow it.
If you do decide to go down this path of working solo on the Board, please strive to develop a strong relationship with your Center (your Higher Self) primarily and then, with your spirit friends secondarily. As always, remember that it takes many miles on the planchette–much patience–for the communications to come through legibly, relevantly and consistently.
Happy Boarding…
Karen A. Dahlman ©
Author of: The Spirits of Ouija: Four Decades of Communication
Is a Publishing House providing writings, audios & videos that inspire readers to follow their hearts, their Higher Selves and expand into their infinite possibilities of expression!
Me and a friend used to use my Quija almost every night. Then we found it worked very well in a very old cemetery in the woods. The Cemetary was all graves from the late 1700s to early and mid 1800s. I ended up getting where I could use the Quija alone very easily. I moved back to Michigan and a friend up here wanted to try it. He had never done it and thought they were a bunch of bull. Well that night I found out I could get it to work with just his hand on the planchette. It scared him because he was laying back and just had his arm reaching over to touch the pointer. I was just writing down the answers. When he looked up and saw I wasn’t even touching it and it was spelling pretty fast. He freaked out. That conversation from the board that night did something to it, because after that night I was never able to get that board to work at all.
Hi Matt, your experience using the Board is wonderful–not only being able to use it well with two other friends, but that you also got it to work well for you alone. Many people struggle with using it alone. Being in the ambience of a very old cemetery and using the Board can definitely add to the belief factor to getting this tool to work. That’s what it really entails. You and your friend greatly believed that it would work the best in an old cemetery. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s the fact that the two of you were open, desired and believed being in a place with old history to it would help it work better. Thus, it did.
Now fast forward to your other friend who just lent his hand to the planchette and really didn’t care about what happened; he was just able to let go. I have experienced this same phenomenon with a couple other people, specifically, one of my brothers. He would do the same–just lend his hand to the planchette without care or even much focus at what was going on and it would work like a charm, not unlike it did for your friend. I can only imagine his response when it was moving without your hand on the planchette! That’s too bad it freaked him out because he (and you both) have the channeling abilities already within you, it’s just that the Board became your reason/excuse/pathway to allow these abilities to emerge.
There is nothing your friend (or even a conversations through the Board) can cause your Board to not work anymore. Instead, it is your beliefs about this experience and your new belief about your Board that has changed everything. That is why I mentioned above, while you used to use it in the cemetery it worked so well for you. You both believed it would! It’s not that cemeteries make it better for activity on the Board, as spirit is nonlocal. It’s only because you were the most open within such of an ambience.
So, what I suggest is that you start over with your Board from a new perspective that all of the channeling/mediumship happens because you are awakening your abilities and has nothing to do with your Board or a friend or a past communication through the Board. It happens because you are able to open yourself to these inner abilities. With this new belief, give the Board another whirl and soon you’ll find that you can use the Board anywhere, as long as you are comfortable and ready internally to use it anywhere!
Happy Boarding!
How do you get ready and set protective boundaries before using the ouija board? And conversely, how do shut it down afterwards, correctly. Or rather, your own technique?
Hi Lesley. Great questions. It’s always important to think about the opening and closing of any/all “journeying” type of work. In this case, when we use a Ouija Board, we are basically granting ourselves “permission” to enter and exit the unseen dimensions and make contact. So, to have an opening ritual that takes you out of the mundane and into the profane is just as important as leaving the spiritual and returning to the secular. Personally, I treat this “space” created as sacred and teach others to view it from this vantage point as well.
Guidelines would be to find a way to set the stage for communication by including these various elements within your system: intention, sacred space, reverence, gratitude and respect. Start by establishing the reason for your communication, this includes positive statements, your intentions for doing so and acknowledgement of being “centered” within the seat of your power. This IS protection. Then, you establish your sacred space through these intentions and reverence you hold for this work. The power of the spoken word works, as do any rituals or procedures you like to follow that take you into an empowered place. This may or can include prayers, breathing, meditation and/or incantations. Stating gratitude for the communications goes a long way with the spirits/energies and really for any situation within life! So, express your gratitude. Always remember to instill respect for yourself, your partner, attendees and the energies with whom you contact. You will be met with like energy. Gratitude is a high vibrational frequency. So, aim to stay within this frequency while using this tool.
When you are complete with your session, maintain that level or reverence and respect by letting the energies and all that are present that you are ending the session. Whether the planchette goes to goodbye or not is not important. What is more important is that you exit this sacred space you created and thus, are now complete with by stating this out loud and being clear on these intentions. You “can” say goodbye, which is what I like to do, and then exit this space. You do this by literally and physically moving yourself from the other-worldly and returning to this 3D world again. You can create a ritual or enactment to do so or just end the session and remove yourself from the space you are in and go and sit in another space.
It really can be this simple and since everyone who comes to this tool has their own unique ways of communing, be creative and add your own personal flair to this practice.
Happy Boarding!
This article is amazing. Really connected to everything I might have to be aware of happening. Very unbiased. Thank you for deeper clarity.
Hi Breanna. Thank you kindly and you are welcome. I’m glad you found this article helpful to your own development with this tool and for that matter, any tool you might use when connecting with the unseen dimensions.