Hello everyone,
I am interested in making a talking board that don't look like a talking board at first sight.

My wife is 100% against me having one in the house because she believes the boards are real and used to talk to the other side.

Sooooooooooooo I thought why not make a board that look different from the normal ones.

I was thinking of having a box type device (good word to use) that I could place on a table. The box contains my Tarot cards that have letters stenciled on the back. And a mojo bag with items including three weird coins. When ready for a reading/performance, I push the top (lid) over and the box opens flat on the table forming a cool design because of other moveable parts (panels) inside. Of course the open flat box has etching on the outer edges with the very center being smooth with a small face on top and on the bottom. One is smiling and the other not.

Here is where the fun begins. I can play this so many ways....... One way would to tell the story of the coins as I remove them from their hiding place within a side panel. The coins are toss onto the center of the talking board and the person slides ............. Let's just say that I can use Paul Bell's three coin reading system here.

Once the reading of the coin is completed, I can place the cards with stenciled letters or symbols around the weird looking talking board. Here the sitting can select a coin and it is used as a planchette. Once the planchette has been used the selected cards are turn over showing tarot cards. Here another reading can follow.

I am also wanting to have on the outer flaps (lack of a better word) a couple of pendulums charts etched into the wood, because I just happen to have a pendulum in my mojo bag.

I think that the outside of the box would look great having leather glued to the wood and some straps. Looking something like a wild monk/witch might have carried.


Anyway, there are a few ways that this can be used and I am just thinking from the top of my head. I could also have the sitter placed their ring or watch in the center and I can do a little A&Z while using my pendulum.


Any ideas on this?






Ray

The idea of the box falling flat and turning into the board is great--it would be a sort of Celtic cross shape then?
Perhaps it was designed as a childrens board game ? No threat in a children's game, right?
Lots of extra scribbles and drawings and perhaps scratches to be read on the board, alongside the printed game sides-
hmmm-and what is the game called? Good idea Ray!

"Adventure in the Deep Woods" Billy and Annie have gone to the woods to pick berries--but they left the path, and can't find their way home--and it's getting dark! Can YOU help them get home?"

Could have a small pack of cards, for landing on certain squares--"Oh no! Poisen mushrooms! You lose one turn!"
"Caught in brambles! Go back 6 spaces" "A house made of gingerbread! Go ahead, have a bite!...Uh Oh!"

Ok, too far--perhaps a stack of those mini-Tarot cards could be part of the game?

And the game instructions, printed on the inside of the lid--pendulum board?, lots of fun set-ups there--
The little arrow you flick on the spinner (center of the board?) has been lost, must use the pendulum-

Right, gotta sleep sometime..

http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-Ouija-Board-Pink/dp/B001HEKJ2M

This has cards too

Also check etsy - some cool party invitations are designed as boxes and you open the lid and ithe sides fall flat into a pattern with a 3d object in the middle

P.s. yeah, my wife won't let me do any theatrical seances, demon summoning, dimensional summoning etc in the home either - sigh

Hi Balaram
No the box shouldn't look like a Celtic cross when lying flat. There will be other flaps/panels that are inside that will spread open giving the open box a nice shape.

I also see one or more panels that has a sliding inner workings that can be pulled out and used for things. Pulling a inner panel out toward the sitter, may have three areas marked for a three card reading from a tarot deck. To answer an important question you might pull out an inner panel showing a pendulum chart. The main idea is that I don't want the box to just open flat and still look like a box. What fun is in that thinking? LOL

I want a talking board that has an edge to it and that can be used for other things.

Thanks for the PM. LoL




Best
Ray

Are you going to make this yourself?
Sounds like it will need some fairley precise woodworking skills.


As we are talking about talking boards that don't look like talking boards, here's a shameless plug for something I came up with.

http://www.thoughtillusions.com/readingboards.html

Steve

Check out the Museum of Talking Boards.

It might provide some sort of inspiration.