Not a Game: What a Ouija Board Taught Me

It was during a hot summer when a friend of mine asked if I wanted to learn something about a Ouija board.

At the time, I had never even heard of such a thing.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’ll tell you your future,” he replied.

Well, I was about twenty years old and game for almost anything, so we went to his house. He pulled out a board and laid it on the kitchen table. It somewhat resembled a checkerboard, except it contained letters, numbers, and the words YES and NO.

Then he pulled out what I would later learn was called a planchette—a small instrument that rested on the board. He placed his fingers on one side, and I placed mine on the other. He explained that we would ask the Ouija board questions, and the planchette would move across the board to spell out answers using letters, numbers, or simply “yes” or “no.” I was skeptical but decided to give it a try.

As we began, I assumed my friend Benson was moving the planchette. I knew I certainly wasn't moving it. My fingers were merely resting on it.Interestingly, whenever he asked the board a question about himself, the planchette moved and gave an answer. But whenever we asked about me, it refused to move.

Finally, Benson asked:

“Ouija board, Ouija board, don’t you like Toni?”

The planchette began moving.

U-N-T-I-L N-O-W I C-O-U-L-D N-O-T S-T-A-N-D H-I-M.

Until now, I could not stand him.

Benson and I looked at each other, astonished.

The questioning continued. Finally, Benson asked, “Ouija board, Ouija board, what will I be when I graduate from college?”

The board spelled:

A  L-A-W-Y-E-R.

That was interesting because Benson was attending Wilberforce University, and law was his field of interest. I was convinced that he was moving the planchette.

Benson then asked about me. “Well, Ouija board, Ouija board, what will Toni be?”

There was a pause. Then the planchette slowly began moving and spelled out:

A  N-O-B-O-D-Y.

A nobody.

Benson and I stared at each other. Not one to take a hit lying down, I decided to insult the Ouija board by talking about its mama. There is an old African American tradition called “playing the dozens,” where people trade outrageous insults about one another’s mothers: “Your mama’s so big, her belt is the equator!” “Your mama’s so stupid, she got a D- in lunch and flunked recess!”“Ouija Board, Ouija Board, your mama don’t wear no drawers! She shops at Robert Hall!”

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.

The planchette began moving forcefully, circling around the board as though it were angry. Then it began spelling:

 "A  F-O-O-L  I-S  Y-O-U-R  A-$-$."

It made several more furious circles—and flew off the board in a huff! Benson and I looked at each other. Nobody was laughing now. At that moment, I knew something else was involved. I knew I had not moved that planchette—and I no longer believed Benson was moving it either. That night, I went home deeply disturbed and though I was not a Christian at the time, I prayed and repented. I told God that if He would forgive me, I would never participate in anything like that again. And I meant it.

A Promise Put to the Test

Later that summer, I returned to the University of California, Irvine, a week before classes began. I had been selected to serve as a Resident Assistant—an RA.

Only twenty-four of us were chosen from well over a hundred applicants. We arrived early for training: CPR, campus procedures, conflict resolution scenarios, our responsibilities toward students, emergency protocols, and all the things necessary to oversee a dormitory. As pay, we received free room and board.

It was also a wonderful opportunity to get acquainted. There was plenty of laughter, games, learning—and plenty of good food. Each evening had a theme. That Friday was “Spook Night.”

People began sharing stories about paranormal experiences. Naturally, I told them about my encounter with the Ouija board. When I got to the part about insulting the Ouija board’s mama, everybody was rolling on the floor laughing. Then someone said something that immediately changed my mood: “That’s interesting, because that’s what we’re going to do tonight. We have a Ouija board.”

I became serious.

“Don't do it. That thing is evil.”

I warned them sternly. I believe I persuaded some not to participate, but six of them decided they were going to do it anyway. I made one thing very clear: “You will not do it in my dorm. I made God a promise, and I’m not breaking it!” So, they went somewhere else.The next morning, one of the young women approached me.

“You know what, Toni? You were right. Something isn’t right with that thing.”

She told me that while they were using the board, one of the girls—Sherry—went into what they described as a trance and began behaving in a deeply disturbing way.

I did not ask for details.I didn't need them. They also told me that during their session, the Ouija board predicted that three of the twenty-four RAs would not make it through the first six weeks of school. And strangely enough, three of us did not. Among them was Sherry. Her family eventually came to campus, packed her belongings, removed her from the dorm, and, as it was reported to me at the time, took her for inpatient mental-health treatment. I have never forgotten it.

The Ouija Board Is Not a Game; it’s a portal into the dark realm.

My warning is simple: Stay away from Ouija boards.

Believers should exercise serious biblical discernment concerning peering into the spiritual realm independent of the Holy Ghost. And my warning extends beyond Ouija boards. Steer clear of tarot cards, psychics, automatic handwriting, mediums, astrology, numerology, séance, astra projection, crystals used for spiritual power or guidance, New Age mysticism, sage burning, yoga, divination, angel cards, palmistry, hypnosis, ancestral worship, and other occult practices.

Scripture repeatedly warns God's people against seeking supernatural knowledge through forbidden spiritual sources:

“There shall not be found among you any one... that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch... or a consulter with familiar spirits...”
— Deuteronomy 18:10–11  Isaiah 8:19  and Leviticus 19:31.

What begins as curiosity can become a door you never intended to open. I was twenty years old. I thought I was playing a game. I laughed. I joked. I even talked about the Ouija board’s mama. But by the end of that evening, I wasn't laughing anymore.

This Halloween season, while the culture makes entertainment out of the occult, remember:

You do not have to experience everything to know enough to stay away from it. Some doors are better left closed.

A Prayer of Repentance and Renunciation

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I repent for every involvement I have had with the occult, whether knowingly, ignorantly, or out of curiosity. Forgive me for seeking spiritual knowledge, power, protection, or guidance outside of You.

I renounce every occult practice I have participated in and every ungodly spiritual connection associated with it. I also renounce every occult practice, dedication, covenant, or pattern passed through my family or ancestral bloodline. I declare that my spiritual inheritance and identity are now in Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, cleanse me by Your blood. I surrender my life completely to You and receive You as my only source of spiritual truth, guidance, and protection. Holy Spirit, fill me, lead me into truth, and give me discernment to recognize and reject deception.

I belong to Jesus Christ—spirit, soul, and body. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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