Many people are fearful or adverse to using an Ouija Board. It is believed to be the work of the devil or a door to another world. People fear that, in using them, you can contact demons or open yourself up for possession. This article aims to educate those who are curious about what a Ouija board is, what they do, how to use it, and the "Do's" and "Don't's" of the board.

I've been curious about the ouija board for a long time and finally went out and bought one. I have used it and my first attempt at it went alright. I had a conversation with a grandfather who passed away when I was young, but I take this experience with a grain of salt.

A bit of what I will summarize comes from this Ouija Wiki. The Ouija board is a form of automatic writing that goes along with a religious belief called Spiritualism, the belief that the living can commune with the dead. Keep in mind not every spiritualist uses a ouija board and it is not strongly associated with the belief system.

Automatic writing first came out of China. In the 1980's, business man Elijah Bond marketed the Ouija board, or the "Yes Yes" board, and it was brought further into production by William Fuld.

An Ouija board is a board that can be cardboard, wood, anything. It contains the full alphabet and numbers 1-9 as well as the words "yes," "no," and "goodbye." It is imperative that you always say goodbye. Some believe that if you do not, you are opening up your home for spirits to take residence.

This is a link to 25 rules that you should keep in mind when using a Ouija board. I will mention the ones that I find most important.

1. Always be polite, even if the spirit who you are talking to is an asshole.

2. Never use the board if you are depressed, bored, afraid, etc.

3. Don't let it spell out the alphabet.

4. Do not burn the board, it's speculated that death will follow.

5. Never ask about God, any other higher power, or when and how you die.

This all seems rather creepy, right? Well, some believe that Ouija boards don't contact spirits. Instead, they work through the ideometer effect, the subconscious movement of the board. Still, if you are still fearful and remain curious, there's a fantastic blogger who might be able to put you at ease like she did for me.