Growing up I never understood how to play the game dominoes. All I saw were rectangles with dots lying next to each other. When I thought of dominoes, I imagined the winding patterns made when standing dominoes up, and trying to knock them all down by pushing the first domino over. Today, I still do not really know how to play the dominoes game, and I still think of the winding patterns. But now I also see them as a ghost hunting tool.

Last week I was thinking of new, inexpensive, everyday items to use ghost hunting. Many times the best items paranormal investigators can use are objects we pass every day. Those are the items I have been keeping an eye out for. The way that I find items is by holding up common objects and asking how I could use them while investigating. That is when a way to use dominoes popped into my head.

The fact that there are two sides to dominoes, one blank and the other with the dots make them a valuable asset. I realized that because of the two sides, investigators could lay dominoes on a floor, table or other flat area with all of the blank sides showing. The dominoes could be left alone while the investigators move to another area of the location. Upon returning, if any of the dominoes flipped over or moved, that is an obvious sign someone moved the pieces.

Whether or not it was a spirit or person will be up to the investigators to prove. But that is the only disputable fact about the dominoes flipping over. There is no natural explanation as to how a domino could flip over on its own. Something would have to physically pick the domino up. This is not the only way to use dominoes.

Another method would be to lay the pieces out as if about to begin a game, and see if a spirit will make the first or second move. Since dominoes have been around since at least the 1700’s, there will be a good chance that spirits in a location will recognize dominoes. The material used to make the dominoes may have changed over time, but the general shape has not changed.

The third way to use dominoes while investigating, although I do not recommend it, is to create a pattern with the pieces standing up and see if they knock over while the room is empty. The reason why I do not recommend this is because there are too many outside factors that could knock the domino over. Outside factors could include a strong draft, vibrations on the surface, or even an uneven edge on the domino causing gravity to knock it over. It is not that I am saying not to even bother trying it, just keep these factors in mind.

I will be anxious to try using dominos during the next investigation I attend. I will be sure to post any results here as a follow up. In the mean time, try out using dominoes for yourself! Did the methods listed here work? Did you find alternative ways to use dominoes? Feedback in the comment section will be much appreciated, and as always, happy investigating!