This article is from the Ghost Stories FAQ, by obiwan obiwan@best.com with numerous contributions by others.
If you consider the Ouija board as just another toy, then there are
no hard and fast rules to follow. Holding on to the pointer helps,
though. :)
If you believe that you are really contacting spirits through the
board, you might want to follow a few basic guidelines. Here are some
that I've gleaned off the net and from other sources:
* Use a silver coin as the planchette (pointer), or wear an article
made of silver. The silver is supposed to protect you from harmful
spirits.
* To improve "reception", use a solid wood board, and work in male-
female pairs.
* Draw a circle around you and the board, or make a circle of candles.
Concentrate on creating a safe, protected place as you do this.
Some people believe that spirits must stay outside this circle.
Also, a well-lit area is said to drive away evil spirits.
* Always say goodbye to the entity you are talking with when you want
to end a session. If you don't say goodbye, and the spirit doesn't
reply in kind, he may be trying to stick around, maybe to make your
life miserable. Additionally, do not explicitly invite the spirit
to enter someplace, since this will make it hard to get rid of him
later.
* It helps to have one additional person (not touching the
planchette) present to transcribe the session. Sometimes the
pointer starts moving too fast for you to read and process the
words it's spelling out. The transcription might also be helpful
later on so you can look back on what happened. Another way to
transcribe is to have someone call out the letters to a tape
recorder.
* Don't take anything the spirit says literally. Ouija boards are
famous for lying or otherwise giving false information.
 
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