Channeling is the practice of bringing a spirit through you to give you insight and guidance, most often performed by a psychic medium.
Invariably, someone is going to ask me if I believe in channeling. I do believe in channeling, but I do not see it like some people would. Remember in “Amityville Horror” when the new-age chick wanted to see the haunted house and suddenly some dark voice was coming out of her body? Nope.
The process of channeling is really a form of psychic reading. I read the dead very often, but I don’t necessarily believe that their soul is showing and telling me things. I also have had past life dreams that are extremely detailed, waking up speaking a foreign language fluently. But, as a psychic, I know what a reading is like. For whatever unexplained reason, we occasionally run into information that is out there in the universe and we read it if we’re psychic and some folks just feel it in the form of déjà vu or other sensations. Because I’m reading a past life, it seems as if it were my own, but that is not true. I am simply remotely jumping inside of the life and looking around, feeling, having memories, and seeing things through someone who once existed’s life.
So, as far as channeling goes, I believe we can link onto information about a person and read it from their point of view, but I do not in any way believe that the spirit of the person is actually in the body of the channeler or taking over the controllers like the man in Wizard of Oz behind the curtain.
On a superficial level, we channel every day and don’t realize it. Did you ever watch a reality show and then later on find yourself sassing back at someone with a phrase you heard on it? If I go to visit relatives in West Virginia, I start having a drawl. Ever hear a song and it gets stuck in your mind like an “ear worm” you can’t get rid of? How about the most famous one of all, when you find yourself telling your kids, “because I said so!”
On a more biological level, we channel all those ancestors before us who contributed to our gene pool, from our preferences for colors and mates to talents and intelligence. Occasionally, I see my son use my mother's hand gestures and he had no contact with except when he was a baby. I also hear him phrase things the way my father did. All of these things are at a very basic level in our gene pool, distributed and shared to continue traits that perhaps helped our survival and breeding choices.
On a spiritual level, ministers, counselors, parents, friends all have an effect on our way of approaching life so that we are channeling the lessons they have taught us by words or example. Sometimes, we pick someone we believe was a good example. For some it might be Jesus, for others Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. As well, psychic mediums “channel” the spirits of the dead and spirit guides to assist us in finding answers we seek.
On a social level, we channel by acting as one of the crowd. You see this playing out at sporting events when the entire crowd mimics each other’s cheers and boo's. You also see it in gangs and clichés in school; they channel a “collective” of what their leader says they should or should not do. This power can create some horrifying results, such as Jonestown Massacre and the Waco Compound event. It can also produce some beautiful moments like those scenes in New York when residents were standing along the roadways feeding the workers at Ground Zero.
On an artistic level, I have done oil paintings in which I put on an album and listened to it while painting and found myself painting something I would never normally paint in a style I would never attempt. I become so focused that I am completely lost in the process and, in fact, without that album on, I cannot finish the intent of the painting. Many artists believe that at some point in the process of creation, something takes over that is calmer, wiser, less judgmental and picky. This aspect creates something that when they look back they wonder “how did I do that?” I find that a lot in my writing. I look back and think “I wrote that???”
Channeling is perhaps not as mystical as we think but as you can see it is very prevalent. We may not be aware of it when bits of information and psychic thread run through us during the day, but every now and then we channel without the least bit of realization we’re doing it. It’s like being a radio picking up stray signals and tuning in for a brief second only to change the frequency and lose the path…
There are bits of influence from modern-day life, biology and spirituality that create little buds of channeling that can "take" when we are receptive. I believe this is much like psychic information. I recently did a reading on something that was not alive and not associated with a living person. I simply did a read on the area around which this object had existed. Some may say I was channeling this object's perspective--even though the object has no eyes or ears. No matter what people say about psychic skills and it being new age or woo-woo or spiritual or God-given, to me it's simply a matter of biological function that we all have, we all use, and we either realize it's there and utilize it or give it no name and ignore it, but either way--we're all wired for it and thus wired for channeling.
In essence, we are all channelers.
After reading this I couldn't help but think of Judy Zebra Knight. I am very skeptical of her. Although, if historians uncover a Ramtha I might rethink my opinions of JZ Knight.
ReplyDeleteBarry;
ReplyDeleteI admit to being highly skeptical of any psychics with theatrics. It drives me nuts. Nothing like the feigned overwhelming terror and chest clutching. A real psychic with any talent and cajones does not have issues with seeing anything horrible. I, myself, have jumped into killer's minds and danced around for a time and I never once felt horrified or overwhelmed. Mastering psychic skills means also mastering the mind and emotions. As I am a believer that your thoughts create your emotions, I go into it with logical thoughts and thus logical feelings. I can separate self from event, so a murder scene does not freak me out in the least. One of the reasons I wouldn't ask a psychic on a hunt is the way the team can wander around, become dependent on what they say and get all worked up when the psychic says "I can't go in that room! Oh my God, no!" (I want to shove her through the door and lock it) hee hee I have no patience for theatrics.
I never really knew much about channeling and always thought of it as what Shirley MacLaine was into. I enjoyed your in depth post about it and learn some interesting things.
ReplyDeleteHey Julie;
ReplyDeleteYou will never see me take the usual way about things. It's like the ghost issues. I don't just take people's standard explanations of ghosts and their rule book. I question it all. I don't look at channeling like some people do as if it's some kind of possession. I am the same way about being psychic. To me, it's not some kind of weird woo-woo thing. It's just a function of our senses that are developed more, like being good at math. You can study and learn it just like math. All the wiring is there, I believe.
The thing that troubles me about channeling is how do I know that the information that I'm getting is accurate? Am I interpreting it correctly? How do I know for sure who or what I am communicating with.
ReplyDeleteBarry;
ReplyDeleteIt's the old Ouija board dilemma, huh? I have a bunch of (wonderful-har har) fundamentalist Christian relatives (inbreeding?) who seem to think that seeking out ghosts is talking to the devil, never mind that they pray to an invisible God and have a preacher who dunks them in water tanks to baptize them... So long as it's unknown, it's often thought of as evil. I'm sure the first sounds of a voice over a telephone line and people were certain nothing good would come of it. Nope, you don't have protections. In my case, I don't believe in the devil, demons, evil, or any of that religious-based stuff, but for folks who do have that base they're coming from, they will want to be careful. Belief is an amazing thing. Just look at the fools who dance with snakes... The way I see channeling in everyday life is kind of like walking through the water. You're wading in a stream and debris and fish float around you, bump into you. When you go through the world during the day you go through lots of signals of a sort that are out there, past lives, people who were just standing in that spot, lingering emotions and events...and they give you deja vu and a sudden craving for a BLT or a song stuck in your head for no good reason that you haven't heard for years... That's the currents of life, the broth of discovery. It's why we're so creative and so dynamic--riding the tides of a world that has been lived in by many and therefore lots of "debris" in our "soup." Hahaha
Its very hard to believe anybody that claims to channel things. Only if one can do it themselves would they have a real understanding of it.
ReplyDeleteGabriel, I readily admit I'm skeptical about the traditional channeling route. The concept makes no sense and it's very over-the-top and always involves the exchange of cash. I can tell you all sorts of shit for cash and do it quite dramatically, but that don't make it real...
ReplyDeleteAs for spirits, I can think of King Saul who with the witch of Endor called up the spirit of Saul. Joseph had a scrying cup. Read about the Urim and Thummim for fundie goodness, Daniel was a supervisor "of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers". etc, etc.
ReplyDeleteGathering the info is one thing; but, is it valid info? What does one do to validate info?
Even if you got a name, date of birth, and other info, and it checked out, is that proof?
I guess what I am really digging at ... what do you do to prevent deception?
Barry;
ReplyDeleteSo far as deception, it's a hard one to call. People who generally go to see someone who channels are already believers. They are looking for answers from someone they see as being an elder or wise one. So, you're not going to be a good consumer. There is a real issue with mentalists out there and they are very good at what they do. I wrote this post and it might be helpful to define a fake when you encounter one:
http://autumnforestghosthunter.blogspot.com/2009/09/cold-readings-is-your-psychic-mentalist.html
An interesting question. How does anyone ever prevent deception, misleading information or poor interpretation among the information we are bombarded with in our daily lives?
ReplyDeleteSome of that must come with experience. We are more likely to accurately filter information than a youngster, who is just now reading his/her first issue of Weekly World News in slack-jawed wonder.
It is something I have always wondered when I've witnessed theatrical shenanigans of these sorts on TV. Particularly because their take on places always seem very similar.
Thats not really what I am wondering about. I'm thinking more along the lines of the source of the information.
ReplyDeleteMaybe its just me, but I can't believe that all spirits are benevolent beings who want to help us. There has got to be some nasty jokers out there who would love nothing more than to crap in your wheaties.
Thats what I am wondering about when it comes to deception.
Pangs;
ReplyDeleteBright and insightful. You always have a good take on things. Or, as I like to say "good horse sense." As hilarious as it may seem, I am highly highly skeptical with regards to anyone trying to peddle me anything. I'm a highly cautious consumer that way. I look at what they really want me to do and then I know where they're coming from. Do they want me to buy something? Believe something? Do they want in my pants? What is their motive??? It drives people close to me mad sometimes because I tend to say "well, what proof do you have of that statement" when they tell me something and expect me to swallow it. Not that I don't trust they believe it, but where did they get the info???
Barry;
I see where you're going with that. It is influenced a HUGE amount by your spiritual upbringing. If you were raised a Catholic or fundamentalist, I would tell you that you are probably never going to be comfortable with information from a channeled source. Like I mentioned to Pangs above, you evaluate the information being given to you--is it trying to make you do something? Pay something? Change your beliefs? Or, is it truly helpful with no agenda... that's key--no agenda... Hope that helps.
That's what I thought you meant.
ReplyDeleteI was generally trying to say, we normally can't really tell, other than instinct, experience or whatnot, whether someone is lying to us.
Perhaps their are certain tells from the spirit world akin to touching the face and that sort of thing that we would look for if someone was standing in front of us. I wouldn't guess so, but what do I know.
On the other hand, every time I see one of them on TV saying "this spirit is lying to you!" or some such thing, I am deeply distrustful of that channeler.
Pangs;
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's hard to separate a person's deep wishes and desires to get guidance or speak to the dead from the intentions of the channeler. In general, I would be more comfortable for someone to seek out a real psychic who will give them a session involving reading their past and present. That impresses me more. When I read the dead associated with the living, I do not feel as though I am getting information from the dead, although it's possible I am, but that I am reading the living person and their connection to the dead. It's like when I read an object, I can read many lives that object has had, going back through several owners. I think those who pass on leave an essence behind like that which is readable. Ultimately, if they want you to come back regularly or stop the session without giving you the full answer (with hopes you get another session) or they tell you what to do "do not date him" then I all my natural alarms go off. That little "something ain't right" in your gut--there's a reason for that. We have that sense to protect us from flim-flams and molesters.
autumn, every time i think of "channeling", all i can think of is the scene in "ghost" where ota mae brown channels a ghost, & it got in her in front of a whole room of people!! i LOVE that scene!!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean Pangs.
ReplyDeleteI remember years ago on "Most Haunted" they asked a spirit if it wanted to harm them and according to the medium it answered yes. I couldn't help but wonder if there was some sort of cosmic truth serum in use or was it just a stupid spirit.
If I had been the spirit I would have lied and then when the moment was right ***bang***
eeewwww I'd make a bad spirit.
Assuming the medium was not a fraud, what check and balances does he employ to discern the truth of what he is receiving.
As far as I can tell, it is none.
Libby-Girl; That is the BEST! Her character was awesome! Whenever I see those dramatic psychics, I think of her.
ReplyDeleteBarry;
You're right. A psychic cannot tell the source of their information. Even I cannot tell you how I know what I know. I suppose had it been of evil origin, it would have me doing all kinds of naughty things and, believe me, anything naughty I'm doing is of my own volition :-)
So essentially the only people I'm most likely to "channel" are the nutbags I'm related to? Great, but no thanks. And now you've completely dashed my hopes of a one on one talk with Van Morrison now dammit!
ReplyDeleteAnd if that's all there is to channeling then what the hell are those people who go into haunted places hearing when they say they "hear" shit from "ghosts"? Sure most are frauds but what of the ones who actually DO tell people stuff that's spot on from someone who's dead when that "psychic" was never so much as told about the deceased, even when they aren't in the same place that person died?
And is automatic writing the same thing as channeling?
And if it's all just coming from your subconscious then ain't it a bit moot to use any of these techniques in an "investigation"?
Lot of questions I know, but I'm confused. Nothing new there.
Grim;
ReplyDeleteLet's break it down...
Yes, there are auditory psychics who will hear the voices--whether those are active now or residual, we can't tell. That's why I hunt--to look for evidence of intelligent current interaction. So, yes, psychics can hear the voices that once were there OR might be there now. That's not the same as channeling. When I read an object, I suppose some would say I'm channeling as I can see the memories the object is attached to, but true channeling would be bringing in one representative to speak through you. I'm more like--remote viewing--jumping into their memories, their memories aren't jumping into me...Think of the movie "Dreamscape."
I wouldn't need to be where someone died to read their death. I could, however, read it if I had an object of theirs from their person as they were dying. I might even be able to do it if I had an object from the site. So, you can remotely read, as well. I read the dead a lot and it just takes their living relative there with me to read that dead person. Still, not channeling...
Automatic writing is an intriguing one. I've done it many times with amazing results. I'm too practical to say some spirit was inside me writing. I felt quite normal, just very lucid and open-minded. I believe it is a form of psychic gathering of information. Some folks do it auditory, some visual, and like me--tactile. So, I would say that they are tapping into information that's out there in the universe like insane static and writing it out. They're really in a kind of meditative state like when you're falling asleep and a great idea comes to you--your mind is open. That's why if you want to be psychically sensitive or a powerful shaman or spellbinder, you seriously have to regularly practice meditation. When I'm in a room with another psychic who is probing me, I can make my mind utterly blank, no words, no thoughts, no images. That takes practice.
And, the article above says--subconscious is the superficial form of channeling. That's the things like repeating something someone said earlier in the day or ear worm songs. That's different than the spiritual level and the genetic level and other levels. It's not all subconscious but we often believe our psychic abilities come from subconscious because when the phone rings we think "Frank!" (and we haven't heard from him in 10 years) and then it's Frank! We call that subconscious--but subconscious holds all that shit during the day you don't want to face or deal with but it's there. It's why people think they get a panic attack out of the blue when it's really something tucked into the subconscious they didn't want to deal with. They weren't "actively' thinking about it, but it bit them in the ass anyways cause it's stored like it's on a to-do list. Psychic is different than subconscious--it becomes subconscious when you call on it, but it wasn't there before...
I feel my brain exploding.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so is there more than one (assumed) type of channeling ability? Like the whole picking up an object and reading it versus actually drawing in an "entity"? And what of negative "entities"? Aside from obvious psychosis, when people run into these things are they just picking up on the bad energy of an area or person or is there some other kind of bad juju going on?
Poor "brain stew"....(your blog is great, btw--the first place I check for a entry!)
ReplyDeleteOkay, so here's how it breaks down, sweetie...
Channeling is one of those things that is so vague it's hard to define for most folks. The traditional sense of channeling is like when a medium at a seance lets a spirit use her body to write things or speak. Some mediums "channel" through a guide and they tell you information the spiritual guide knows because it has a kind of collective knowledge of everything.
I'm defining channeling as not something supernatural in that a spirit literally body hops and takes over the controls.
My take on it as a psychic and a person who has done this practice, it is much like past life dreams. They seem as if I were in that girl's body in France during WWII, looking through her eyes and such, but I was really doing a psychic reading and I can get it from many perspectives, an object, the target person or a third person. Now, if a person (psychic) channels, they're getting the information. If they want to act out that information they can. I can get a reading and walk around a room and act out what I'm seeing happening, but it is acting. I am always me, I'm just experiencing the point of view of the victim. Some folks get into dramatics and hysterics about the process, like psychics who clutch their chests and won't go in an "evil" room.
A psychic with her rational sense, would read it very objectively. Even if I read evil intent or malicious personalities, it does not threaten me in the least. I am separate from what I'm witnessing. If you see a cop on TV staying calm while a driver is hysterical about getting a ticket (we all know that famous footage), you know that you can give in to the dramatics or stay in your role. I find it unprofessional to give in to the sensations and act out because it frightens others and makes you no longer an accurate reader. They have trouble believing they are not at threat. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt I am not personally being threatened by evil figures or thoughts or memories in a place or object or person. That is their own shit. A good psychic should not give in to it--like screaming during a horror movie or watching it calmly. But, these are also psychics either getting attention or payment so they give their money's worth.
Just think of a whore getting some cash and they screaming "oh baby, you're the biggest and baddest ever!"
(made you smile while your brains are scrambling)
Yeah, that's what my hooker screams every time we bang so are you telling me I'm just paying her well?!
ReplyDeleteOkay though, I think I'm finally starting to get it and really see why it is you need to publish that damn book. In fact, I'm thinking you're gonna need to write more than one cuz there's about that many topics that need to be clarified. For instance, spirit guides. Please do a post on that just because it's weird and I know squat about it. Do most psychics only have one or does everyone like all the new age nerds say? Exactly what the hell are they? Are they just an expansion of a person's own "self" that helps them to clarify their own thoughts or is it some other BS that continues to baffle me?
Grim;
ReplyDeleteYou are the most inquisitive creature. Yes, I probably will get around to writing that book. Hoping a bit more time in the field will help me. I hope to lay it out with a lot of counseling and "differential diagnoses" so you can sort of answer a set of questions and get to the heart of the problem so you know how to tackle a haunting. I don't do things the normal way, that's for sure, and I'm a rebel in my field, but dammit--someone has to tell everyone the truth from the psychic's POV.
If you do that book, send me one for a book review.
ReplyDeleteBarry
Barry;
ReplyDeleteI have two books in the works right now and Grim has me thinking that writing one about the psychic insight of a ghost hunter might be a damned good one too. Can you buy me more hours in a day? The hug a blogger proposal for the publishers is actually going onto a blog space. I will be advertising that for people to look at as soon as I put the proposal up on the site and see if I can get takers. Hey, Barry, what city are you in? We need another blogger to meet...