Damian Speaks…
Ouija Boards

My experience with ouija boards is limited to two years of my teenage life. From the age of 14 to 16, I was obsessed with ouija, and I “played” with many different groups of people in many different parents’ basements. We used spirit boards every chance we got, and would use them for hours at a time, or at least until someone very negative and evil got a hold of our planchette. This could happen in minutes or hours, but it happened every time. In the spring of 1994, we wanted to talk to Kurt Cobain, of course. He had just died, and my friends and I (and teenage girls everywhere) spoke to his spirit briefly through the board. He told us that his favorite composition was “About a Girl,” and – I shit you not – the next day my best friend and I heard that song played in several different stores five times throughout the day. That was when I first got into ouija, but most times after that we ended up speaking to Damian or Demon or Demian or D-whatever the evil spirit called itself at the time, thrusting the planchette at one of us, telling us it hated us or her or everyone. One night, my friend and I decided to use ouija, so we made a board (as we always did; only one of my friends actually owned a real one, usually they were cardboard), sat down in her empty house with wine and candles, and within 10 minutes were so scared we flipped the board and planchette and swore off ouija then and there. I have never touched a board since. But now I have found a treasure trove of beautiful handmade ouija/spirit boards on Etsy! They are carved, varnished, painted and sculpted by hand and some are truly lovely to behold. I am sure if they are used correctly they are a great way to connect with spirits, but as a teenage girl we didn’t have the respect or experience to use them correctly. I have picked some of my favorite I have found on Etsy, from craftspeople like PereplutCW, SpiritBoard, Midnight Crossroads, Magic Craft Shop, Lord Mock Designs, Graven NY and Hollow Wares. After the jump, check out a selection of handmade spirit boards…but watch out for Damian!