Tabula Mortem Spirit Board

A rune styled symbol system. The board communicates through Knight's set of cave rune inspired symbols, a different reading experience from letter boards.

A dual purpose planchette. The pointer also works as a pendulum, giving the set two modes of practice.

An 84 page guidebook. History of talking boards plus practical instructions for this board's system, by the designer.

• Contents: Tabula Mortem board, planchette (usable as a pendulum), 84 page guidebook
• Designer: Judas Knight; publisher: U.S. Games Systems
• SKU: DTABMOR

Talking boards belong to the modern history of divination, a tradition running from the nineteenth century parlor to the present, and practitioners have always disagreed, honestly and interestingly, about what moves the planchette: spirit contact, the sitters' own deeper knowing through small unconscious movements, or both at once. We set out that range rather than promise a mechanism, because the practice does not need the promise. What a board offers on any reading of it is a structured way to sit down, quiet the room, ask, and listen. Tabula Mortem's contribution is its symbol system, which trades the familiar alphabet for rune styled signs and makes the reading more interpretive, closer to casting than spelling. The guidebook is genuinely useful here, and we recommend reading it before the first session. As with any divination practice, work when you are grounded and well, close your sessions deliberately, and treat what you receive as material for your own discernment rather than instruction.

1. Read the guidebook first; the symbol system rewards knowing it before you sit down.
2. Cleanse the board and planchette in your preferred dry way, smoke or sound, and settle the space.
3. Open with a clear question, work unhurried, and record the symbols you receive.
4. Close every session deliberately, with thanks, and put the board away rather than leaving it out.
5. Use the planchette alone as a pendulum for quick yes and no work between full sessions.

• Opalite Pendulum, 6-Sided: a dedicated pendulum if the dual use planchette earns a permanent role.
• Tumbled Black Obsidian Stones, 1 lb: the traditional grounding companion for séance style work.
• White Sage Smudge Sticks, Set of 6: to settle the space before and after sessions.
• White Selenite Wand: a cleansing rest for the planchette between sittings.

How is this different from a classic letter board?

Tabula Mortem replaces the alphabet with a system of rune styled symbols, so readings are interpreted rather than spelled out. The included guidebook teaches the system.

What actually moves the planchette?

Practitioners disagree, and we will not pretend otherwise: spirit contact, the sitters' own unconscious movements, or both, depending on whom you ask. The board is a structured way to ask and listen; your discernment does the rest.

Is a spirit board safe to use?

No tool can promise that, and we do not. The sensible practice is the traditional one: work grounded and well, keep sessions deliberate, close them properly, and step away from any practice that stops feeling right.

What comes in the box?

The board, the planchette, which also functions as a pendulum, and the 84 page guidebook by designer Judas Knight, published by U.S. Games Systems.

Do I need experience to start?

No, but read the guidebook first. The symbol system is this board's heart, and knowing it turns a novelty sitting into an actual practice.