does a ouija board really work?

The short answer is yes it does. The ouija board is a tool just like any other, the users are putting their intention and therefore their energy into the board and so there will be a response of sorts.
The problem with the ouija board and any other prop or tool used, is who it is used by. The ouija in particular tends to attract young people who have perhaps had alcohol, have the wrong intention for its use and know nothing about the spirit world. The combination of these conditions can lead to dangerous results.
I used a ouija board when I was younger along with 3 other friends. We made our board, laid out the cards then turned a glass upside down and placed our index fingers on it. We didn't know what we were doing.
At our first question the glass began to move, we were all shocked but continued asking questions. The glass hurtled around the cards spelling out the answers to our questions. We used the ouija board a further 3 times before we began to get a bad feeling about it and became frightened of it. One of our group spoke briefly of a terrifying nighttime experience where he was attacked by a dark human shape, full of hate and violence.  was convinced that the board had allowed them through and never wanted to use it again and our activities on it stopped.
Knowing what I know now and with all that I have learnt during my years developing and practising my mediumship I realise where we went wrong. Our intention at the time was to see if the ouija board worked and no thought was given to how it worked or who made it work.
The board, as any other way of contacting the spirits, is an open door, it is merely your intention to break through the veil so there must be a form of protection put in place to stop any negative entities from coming through.
It sounds easy to do but what if you don't believe in a higher power? Then this will be your weakness.
You cannot use the word of God in prayer or as a form of protection if you do not believe. You cannot use the statement of protection from the source of all that is, if you do not believe in that source. You cannot use your own power if you don't believe you have any.
It takes mental strength and stamina to become a medium. It takes study and great understanding of all that comes your way, every little event must be analysed so that you don't miss anything that can be learnt. As with most things the learning comes about through mistakes.
When you pursue spiritual activities your energy field becomes brighter, you become like a beacon in the night and like moths all onlookers can see your light and gravitate towards it. When your energy is glowing and calling out you have no control over who comes to observe you just as you have no control over who knocks at your front door. Knowing who to let in comes with experience and knowledge.
As usual I would say that if you don't know enough about the subject then leave it alone until you do. A bad experience with a ouija board can leave people frightened for the rest of their lives, they can develop phobias and fears that are grounded more in imagination than in fact and if you allow 1 spirit through the board then you could allow 100, 1000, 1000,000, where does it end?
I am reminded of someone who recently shrugged off the idea that the ouija board worked at all but when I asked them if they had tried it I received the usual answer of "no". I will never understand people who claim to know all about my subject but have never had any experience of it, never explored it, never researched it, fear it and don't want to have it around them. Psychic and spiritual research are sciences that deserve a serious investigation with tests conducted under proper conditions.
The ouija board can be used in such tests but a prayer or statement of protection must be made by all the users, no alcohol can be drunk when doing any spiritual work, the weak link is the person who does not take the possibility of the spirit world seriously. As always respect and love should be shown at all times. These rules apply if you are dowsing, pulling tarot cards, giving a psychic reading, healing or any other kind of work that involves the subtle senses and the help of the unseen. To stay safe you must use discipline, educate yourself, be humble and know your limits.