SPIRITS

The Ouija board, the summoning of spirits, and the Witch of Endor from the Book of Samuel

The Ouija Board, Spirit Summoning, and the Witch of Endor: A Biblical and Spiritual Deep Dive

1. The Ancient Fascination with the Unseen

Since humanity’s earliest days, people have sought contact with the unseen world. From Mesopotamian necromancy tablets to Greco-Roman oracles, the human longing to pierce the veil between life and death has remained constant. In every age, the methods differ—but the motivation is the same: to receive knowledge, power, or comfort from beyond.

In the modern era, this curiosity found new form through the Ouija board—a tool marketed as a “talking board” but often associated with occult practices and the summoning of spirits.

2. The Ouija Board: Origins and Illusion

The Ouija board emerged during the 19th-century spiritualist movement in America. Spiritualism, popularized in the 1840s by the Fox sisters, taught that the dead could communicate with the living through mediums, knocks, or written messages. The Ouija board was patented in 1891 as a parlor game—its name supposedly derived from the Egyptian word for “good luck” (a myth), or more likely from the French and German words for “yes” (“oui” and “ja”).

A typical board features the alphabet, numbers 0–9, and the words “yes,” “no,” and “goodbye.” Participants rest their fingers on a planchette, which seems to move autonomously to spell out messages. Scientists attribute this movement to the ideomotor effect—unconscious muscular action influenced by suggestion and expectation.
However, countless users describe experiences far beyond psychology: voices, possession, unclean presences, and accurate predictions that defy natural explanation.

What began as a “game” quickly gained a sinister reputation among Christian and occult communities alike.

3. The Biblical View of Spirit Summoning

In Scripture, any attempt to contact the dead—or to seek knowledge through mediums, necromancers, or familiar spirits—is strictly forbidden.
God’s Word declares:

> “There shall not be found among you anyone who… practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead.”
— Deuteronomy 18:10–11 (ESV)

The reason is not merely moral but spiritual: such practices open doors to deception by unclean spirits masquerading as the dead. Satan’s purpose has always been to counterfeit divine truth, offering forbidden knowledge in exchange for allegiance or curiosity. These encounters, rather than reaching deceased loved ones, often invite demonic impersonators.

4. The Witch of Endor: A Case Study in Forbidden Contact

The most striking biblical example of necromancy appears in 1 Samuel 28. After God’s prophet Samuel dies, King Saul faces the Philistine army. Having been rejected by God for his disobedience, Saul finds that the Lord no longer answers him by dreams, prophets, or Urim (sacred lots). Desperate for guidance, he disguises himself and visits a medium in Endor—the “Witch of Endor.”

Saul asks her to summon Samuel’s spirit. The woman complies reluctantly, and to her shock, “she saw Samuel” rising from the earth, wrapped in a robe. The prophet’s message is grim: he confirms Saul’s doom, declaring that the kingdom will fall and Saul and his sons will die in battle.

The most profound part of this story is the woman, (although she claimed to have authority over spirits) was completely taken by surprise and terrified when it happened.

Interpretation and Debate

Theologians debate whether the apparition was truly Samuel or a demonic impersonation permitted by God. The text presents it ambiguously but emphasizes the forbidden nature of the act.
The larger moral is clear: Saul’s downfall stems not only from disobedience but from turning to forbidden spiritual sources after God’s silence. His act of necromancy seals his spiritual ruin.

5. Modern Parallels: The Ouija as a Digital Witch of Endor

The Ouija board functions as a modern equivalent to the Witch of Endor’s séance—a device through which the curious seek voices from the unseen realm. Both involve:

A desire for guidance apart from God.

Invocation of unknown spiritual entities.

Illusions of control over powers that ultimately deceive the practitioner.

While the Witch of Endor scene ends in tragedy, many modern Ouija users similarly report psychological torment, hauntings, and oppression following their sessions. The pattern mirrors Saul’s story—seeking truth in darkness when divine silence seems unbearable.

6. Spiritual Discernment: Light vs. Shadows

From a biblical worldview, all spirit communication falls into one of two categories:

1. Divine revelation, through God’s Spirit and His Word.

2. Deceptive imitation, through spirits of falsehood seeking to lead astray.

The Holy Spirit offers wisdom, conviction, and truth grounded in Scripture. The spirits contacted through occult means, by contrast, offer fascination, confusion, and fear. As Paul warns:

> “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14

Thus, while the Ouija board may appear harmless or entertaining, it represents a portal of spiritual disobedience—a reenactment of Saul’s tragic choice to consult the forbidden.

7. The True Source of Revelation

In contrast to the deceptive whispers of spirits, Jesus Christ stands as the true mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). He conquered death itself, rendering communication with the dead unnecessary and dangerous.
Where Saul sought Samuel, the believer seeks the Holy Spirit, who speaks not from the grave but from heaven.

Christ’s victory at the cross exposes the futility of necromancy and all occult pursuits:

> “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” — Colossians 2:15

8. Conclusion: The Warning of Endor

The Witch of Endor stands as a solemn warning to every generation. Whether through ancient necromancers or modern “talking boards,” the temptation to reach beyond God’s boundaries endures. The Ouija board, like Endor’s ritual, is not a toy—it is an invitation to spiritual deception.

Saul’s tragedy reveals that when God’s silence tests our faith, the faithful must wait upon His light, not seek counsel from shadows. The line between curiosity and corruption is thin—and across it waits a realm eager to answer, but never to save.