Ultimate Ouija

You gather a small group of people together for a séance. Upon the table you have a ouija board and a few candles. You explain that the conventional way to operate the ouija is to have all the members place a finger on the planchette. Once contact with a spirit has been established the planchette will move to spell out answers to questions asked.

This ouija operates a little differently! At no point does anyone touch the board or planchette!

You place the planchette on the board, the lights are dimmed, a candle is lit, all those present join hands and the séance begins.

“Our beloved spirit, we ask that you commune with us and move among us”

Nothing happens, you wait……

“If you are with us please make yourself known”

Again nothing, but then suddenly by an unseen force the planchette moves slightly, then stops…….

“We thank you for joining us, will you answer our questions?

The planchette points to ‘yes’ and the séance begins………..

In turn, those present begin to ask questions:

“When did you die?”

The planchett in turn slowly points to 1, 7, 2 and 1

“1721?”

It points to ‘yes’

Hand in hand you feel the perspiration on the palms of your audience, someone breaks the circle, and the spirit departs.

Preparation

When I was in the US on holiday I was surprised to find that you could buy ouija boards in toy stores such as Toys ‘R’ Us and Toymaster. You can find them on EBay but they tend to be expensive so it works out cheaper to order one online from the states. Mine cost me $19 but it’s just as easy to make your own.

Any type of board can be used but the most important item you require is the planchette or pointer. These are lightweight plastic pointers which stand on three legs. You are supplied with three sticky backed felt feet that you attach to the legs so that the pointer moves smoothly across the board. Before you attach the felt feet you just insert a few small neodymium magnets into the hollow leg at the apex of the point.

Magnet Felt feet

This size of neodymium magnet will set you back about 17p; I used two stuck together for added magnetic strength.

Place the magnet strap on your leg at the beginning of the evening and make sure it is not visible through your trousers. If it is a casual meeting I usually wear combat style trousers, for a more formal event suit trousers are sufficiently baggy.

The most important thing you need to check prior to the séance is the thickness of the table at which you will be sitting. If it is too thick the magnet will not be able to move the planchette. The best thing to do is experiment. The board I use is 3mm thick so I know that the maximum table thickness I can use is about 3.5cm to 5cm. Most modern tables fall within this thickness range. It is obvious not to use a metal table useless you want to be stuck to it for the rest of the evening! You could also bring your own card table if you wish but I find it better to be minimalist and make do with what you have. If the table in the dining room is too thick suggest the table in the living room. If asked why say that you feel there is more energy in that part of the house.

Routine

Séances are generally conducted with three or more people, and some sources say that the number of participants should be divisible by three. I strongly recommend that children do not take part as the whole experience could be traumatizing and don’t invite more guests than you can fit around the table.

Invite the guests into the room and ask them to sit around the table. On the table you have your ouija board with gimmicked planchette and a few candles. The board is placed in front of you so that your lowered knee wearing the magnet is within range. It is important to keep your knee lowered or off to the side, you don’t want the planchette to move before the séance starts as it could ruin the whole event.

range.

Select a medium if you wish, it doesn’t always have to be you unless you are building your reputation as a medium. There may be a member who has been to a séance or is particularly in tune with their sixth sense. Believe me, they will be more than surprised when a ‘spirit’ comes through! Once a medium is established, let him/her lead the group.

A séance should be held in an orderly fashion, without random participants yelling out,

"When will I get married?" as soon as the spirit arrives. Make sure this is clear to everyone before proceeding. You are now ready to begin.

Depending on your religious beliefs, you (or the medium) might want to say a short invocation or divine blessing before going further, just in case! Then the medium should lead everyone in a deep breathing exercise by instructing them to breathe in slowly through the nose . . . and out slowly through the mouth, while trying to keep their minds blank. The goal is to get everyone calm, comfortable, and in touch with their senses.

After a few minutes of this, the medium should ask everyone to say these words together:

"Our beloved spirit, we ask that you commune with us and move among us." Repeat the chant until there is a response.

Nothing happens, you wait and the medium asks:

“If you are with us please make yourself known”

and the planchette will begin to move.

After receiving confirmation that you are, indeed, communicating with a spirit initially establish a ‘yes’ ’no’ system.

“We thank you for joining us, will you answer our questions?

Move your leg so that the planchette points to ‘yes’

The sitting may now in turn ask the ‘spirit’ a question. This is the part of the séance where you can make it as bizarre, frightening or subtle as you want. For authenticity you may want to research a particular character from the past, no one too famous such as Henry VIII but someone local that can be traced historically. If you are at a well known location a quick Google search might give you that snippet of information you need to turn your séance into a factually accurate experience.

After you're done with all your questioning, end the séance by thanking the spirit for its time and telling it to go in peace. Although this is a mediumistic stunt it uses real séance protocol and procedures. For this reason you may not need the magnet. It may actually work!

Once the ‘spirit’ has departed the circle may be broken and the lights turned back on.

You’ll be surprised that you don’t get the usual post magic trick comments such as “how do you do that?” People may ask to look at the board which is fine but I can guarantee that no one will figure it out!

Effect 6 –Magneto

Use your psychokinetic powers to make the needle of a compass spin and point to things using just the power of your mind!

Preparation

All you require for this simple effect is a compass. You can wear the magnet on either your leg or wrist depending whether you are standing or sitting.

Routine

Place the compass on a table or in the palm of your hand (the opposite of which is wearing the magnet). The compass will then move once the magnet is bought into range.

Adopt a serious composure and concentrate on the compass. You’ll be able to make it spin by moving your hands a few inches away from it.

This trick is more effective if the compass is controlled using the magnet on your leg from underneath a table. This was you can control it to point in certain directions or follow another person around the room!