I’ve always had a strong interest in the creepy aspects of the world we live in. Ranging from voodooism to unsolved crimes — I like to get a little spooked.

One field I have always been drawn towards is the aspect of spirits. Whether we are covering your average ghost, demon, or even poltergeist, I can’t help but have some sort of amazement towards it.

I got into the paranormal at a pretty young age. I remember in middle school, I would come home and watch Ghost Hunters or My Ghost Story: Caught On Camera for hours. Part of me liked being scared and another part was just so fascinated by ghosts that could be wandering around us at all times.

I never thought about contacting any of these spirits until I was introduced to the Ouija board in high school. I had heard things about it before but it wasn’t until the movie Ouija (2014) came out that I desperately wanted one. I saved some gift cards from Christmas and went out on my birthday to purchase one. I found your usual tan, fake wood, plain one at a game store and purchased it without a second thoug (Fun side note: the security code on the gift card I used was 666).

I played it that night with a group of friends and I had never been more spooked in my life. I forgot the name of the spirit we talked to but it was a child who didn’t speak English. Communication was impossible since it kept spelling things in Spanish but to really see a board in action was insane. I remember my hands shaking and looking at all my friends in such awe. They didn’t believe in these things as I did so one session also had them hook.

Now, don’t worry, I did not go in blind. I spent months researching and watching videos in order to prepare. The last thing I wanted was for a demon to just stroll its way into my life. Heck no.

I learned to say a prayer before starting. Just something nice to ask any being out there to protect you as you do the board. Also, there’s many key questions you should never asked. Such as “when will I die?” or “can you show yourself?”. Nothing that’s too mind boggling to ask and nothing that invites the spirit into your world. This is a portal, after all.

I used the board a lot after that and even ended up bringing it to college with me. My roommates and I regularly chat with the ghosts in our suite. First semester, we had a whole family living in the suite. We had a mother, her brother, her kids, and her husband. We even had an occurrence with odd things happening around the suite like a glass breaking and someone touching my ear.

Second semester, we were greeted by Ed. He’s just a single spirit that likes to hangout. He chit chats with us, knocks on walls, and is even fascinated with cell phones. (Once he even started singing along to Africa by Toto by spelling out the lyrics — I almost lost my mind)

In my time with my board, which has been probably 3 years now, I have found it to be an enlightening experience. It’s not something to be scared of or completely against. If you know how to use it, you might contact someone very kind and sweet.

There’s many success stories but always room to go in with caution. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement and addiction of it but still knows that it is a portal. You can let in things you never wanted in your space. It’s better to go in with positivity and hope so in return you will receive what you put out there.

Bring caution and research with a hint of hope and it should be a nice experience.