Channeling Skills
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Introduction
What Is Channeling
Two Types Of Channeling
Trance Channeling
High Level Guide Or Low Level Guide?
How Guides Communicate With You
Your Role As Receiver/Translator
Guide's Role As Transmitter
Meeting Your Guide
Guide's Name
Reading For Others
Handling People's Questions
Predictions & Probable Futures
After The Reading
Effects Of Channeling
Activities That That Enhance Or Decrease Channeling Abilities
More About Channeling
Basic Steps To Channeling
Channeled Material Excerpts
Edgar Cayce
Jane Roberts
JZ Knight
Barbara Marciniak
Lee Caroll
Neale Donald Walsch
Pat Rodegast
Sanaya Roman
Duane Packer
Jach Pursel
Esther Hicks
Kevin Ryerson
Benjamin Crème
Patricia Cota-Robles
Barbara Brennan
Christine Breese D.D., Ph.D.
Conclusion
More About Edgar Cayce
Channeling Skills Bibliography
Edgar Cayce Bibliography
Written by Christine Breese, D.D., Ph.D.
Introduction
Channeling is an ancient metaphysical science. Although it enjoyed a peak level of acceptance in the late 1980's in the United States, it has been around longer than the word itself. After the 1980's, channeling practices lost some of their luster after a few people who channeled made predictions that didn't come true, but none-the-less, channeling remains a valuable source of information for those seeking answers to the larger questions in life.
The word channeling is a recent invention compared to the length of time that channeling has been going on by other names. In previous eras it was called "mediumship" (communication with the dead or disembodied entities). The word channeling itself is not in most dictionaries. It is not a mainstream word, yet everyone in metaphysical circles has heard the word and has some idea of what it is about. The word "channel" in Webster's dictionary can give an idea of what the word means. A channel is a conduit through which anything flows or passes, an open passage through a tube or duct. Being a channel for spirit means just that: allowing spirit to flow or pass through you as if you are an empty vessel, or tube, through which spirit can flow.
Being a channel is an honor for anyone who does this as a practice. I have done many channeled sessions in my life and it was always an honor to be part of this process. I felt honored to be a person involved in the endeavor to assist others in their healing and be an open vessel through which spirit could speak. Being a channel is a position of great service to humanity. I believe that becoming a channel is an integral part of anyone's spiritual path. A person might not call it channeling, but that is often exactly what someone is doing when speaking truth to others. Everyone has had that experience where it seems that some wiser being is saying the words coming through, and each of us have found it to be a pleasant surprise. Even musicians, writers and artists have felt that flow that seems to be coming from a higher source rather than the self. It is as if being touched by grace, and that grace touches everyone as it flows out.
Channeling is not limited to the spoken word. Channeling can also be applicable to spiritual healing. Many healers and spiritual practitioners have experienced their guides sending healing energy through them into to the person they are working with on the massage table. Spiritual healing is an unacknowledged form of channeling, but it is channeling in the truest sense.
While science has yet to explore the phenomena of channeling in any great depth, some preliminary experiments have been done with measuring the brainwave activity during meditation itself. Using an EEG (electroencephalograph) machine, a definite pattern of rhythms can be detected when yogis and mystics reached the deepest part of their meditations and altered states of consciousness were present. Channels, as well, have displayed these same patterns when measured with an EEG machine at the Center For Applied Intuition in San Francisco (which is archived but no longer active).
What Is Channeling?
What is channeling and how does it work? This is a question that is hard to answer. Every time I am asked this question I have a hard time answering it. It is difficult to describe what it is like to be a channel. Only direct experience can give a person a true idea of what channeling is and how it works. It is like describing the indescribable. Barbara Brennan says in her book Light Emerging (1993), "It is not the metaphor of reality that you use to describe this phenomenon that is important but the usefulness of the information that is gained through altered states of consciousness. I'm sure, as this phenomenon becomes more understood, we will find better metaphors with which to describe it."
Some things I can say, however, is that channeling is much like a deep sleep in which you are aware of dreams, and you are describing them as these dreams go by. When someone asks a question, visuals, emotions, thoughts, intuitive hits, words, all sorts of information appear and come into awareness. Sometimes there is a delay while the information is being collected on the inner planes. When this happens, there is nothing to do but wait for the information to formulate. Then, once thoughts and ideas are completed and the information is in, it is up to the channel to dispense the information. It is much like translating from one language into another. It feels as if someone else is speaking, and the words flow quite effortlessly. I am not aware of the process of translating, but somehow my vocabulary and knowledge of language is involved in the act of delivering the information.
Two Types Of Channeling
There are two types of channeling. The first type of channeling is called conscious channeling. The second type is called unconscious channeling. In conscious channeling, the channel remains conscious of everything that is said and receives pictures, vibrations, feelings, images, concepts, and directions. A conscious channel maintains a separate line of consciousness alongside that of the guide. A conscious channel can also keep tabs on the guide and regulate information if it is needed. The difficulty with conscious channeling is staying out of the way with the personality. There is a very fine line for the conscious channel which is important to understand. To be a truly clear channel, the personality must stay out of the way and not to regulate information. This is the disadvantage of conscious channeling. The beauty of conscious channeling is that the channeler's personality has a chance to bask in the divine light of the guides being channeled. This can be very enhancing to spiritual growth and a direct understanding of the mysteries of the universe. When one is a conscious channel, a tour of the universe and how it works is one of the benefits that goes along with being a conscious channeler. The conscious channeler becomes wise beyond human understanding, and can become educated in the ways of spirit more quickly. It is healthy for the human personality to experience the vastness and truth of its being.
The second type of channeling is called unconscious channeling. This is where the channeler "goes to sleep" and then wakes up, having no recollection of what was said or what transpired. Edgar Cayce was a famous unconscious channeler. The beauty of being an unconscious channeler is that the personality cannot get in the way of the information. The information comes through unadulterated, unaltered, and exactly the way the guide wants to say it. The unconscious channeler is truly in service to the guide, and the message remains quite clear. The disadvantage of being an unconscious channeler is that there is no recall of what was said, there is no education about the mysteries of the universe, and the channeler must read a transcript of what was said, or listen to a tape, so that he or she can also benefit from the teachings.
It is not uncommon for beginners to become unconscious channelers. However, as their skills grow and their ability to maintain deep meditative states for prolonged periods of time while staying alert, they soon become conscious channelers. I like to encourage people to become conscious channelers. Conscious channeling is the faster route for spiritual growth and understanding the nature of reality. Conscious channeling brings great wisdom to the human mind and personality, more so than unconscious channeling.
Trance Channeling
Many have heard the term "trance channeling." It is interchangeable with the term "channeling." This means that a person is in a trance while channeling. A trance is nothing more than a deep, meditative state. When you are in a trance, the book writes itself for you, music writes itself, art paints itself, and whatever you do is effortless. Effortlessness is the essence of being in trance. The way to know if you are in a trance is that you will suddenly feel as if you have become very wise. There will be a shift, or a clicking of gears in your consciousness. You will feel relaxed yet very alert. There will most likely be an absence of physical sensations, or physical sensations will at least be very vague. You might feel a tingle in the neck, the top of the forehead, or the spine. You might even feel tightness around the forehead or crown chakra. The rhythm and tone of your voice may be different, and you will be aware of expansion and/or contraction of consciousness. Sometimes, a particular entity will even have an accent or dialect unlike your own.
Here are a couple descriptions from other channels about their experience, from William H. Kautz and Melanie Branon's book Channeling: The Intuitive Connection (1987):
Jon Fox describes channeling: "As I go into trance, a warm sensation flows from my lower back up through my spine. Sound changes frequency and I feel a slight pressure inside my head. As Hilarion enters, I clearly sense an altered space. When the transition is complete, I become less aware of any sensations."
Penney Peirce describes channeling: "When I enter an intuitive state, I diffuse my personality. I become softer and softer until I become very large. In that largeness I have access to a wealth of fine information that somehow conveys itself back through my memory patterns to my conscious mind, where I'm ready to grasp it with words and describe it."
The signal I use to know that I am in trance and ready for channeling is rather unusual. First I feel a contraction as if I am becoming very small. Then there is an explosion of expansion, sort of like an atomic bomb going off in my consciousness. I feel as if suddenly I spread out far and wide, and my consciousness is flat and thin as paper spreading across the universe. Immediately following this is a slight headache for a moment that moves from my forehead to the back of my head and neck. Then it is gone. What is left is empty space that holds nothing but consciousness. This is when I know I am ready for channeling and the connection has been made. Each person will have their own unique signal that will let them know when they are ready to channel. As you practice with channeling you will find your own personal signal that lets you know when you have made the connection and are ready to speak as your guide.
The technique I like to use for getting into a trance very quickly, and one I discovered quite by accident is what I call the snoring technique. I am not exactly sure how I learned this, but it is very effective. All you have to do is simulate sleep! Draw the breathing into the nose, pull it into the forehead, snoring, and feel the energy go up over the head and down the back of the neck. I call this the "snoring technique."
High Level Guide Or Low Level Guide?
It is important to work with only high-level guides. These would be beings who are benevolent, kind, and have your well-being in mind. They have a deep caring for humanity, and a sincere desire to assist humanity in raising its consciousness. The same way that you pick your human friends is the way that you will pick your spirit friends. You pick your human friends by how you feel around them. If you feel good around them, enriched, and joyful, they become your friends. If you feel tired, depressed, unhappy, or otherwise negative, these people normally do not become your friends. This is how you can determine whether a guide is right for you or not. The heart always knows what is best, and the mind is not the one to trust when picking spirit friends. Let your emotional response to these spirit guides be your criteria for whether or not they are high-level guides or low level guides.
Another way to be sure that you are choosing a high-level entity rather than a low level entity is by the messages themselves. Do these messages ring true? Only accept messages that ring true to you, and if they do not ring true to you, this is not the guide for you.
One way to be sure you can attract a high level guide is to have integrity yourself. A person who operates from a state of non-purity will attract similar energies. If a person lives a balanced and benevolent life philosophy will attract like energies. Always look at what energies you are resonating with and make adjustments as you see you need to in order to attract higher and higher guides to yourself. Zoe Hagon says in Channeling: The Spiritual Connection (1988), "The most important aspect of channels is that they should have a heart centre that is open and flowing, where the energy is transformed into the power of unconditional love, the Christ Consciousness."
Always remember that you have the power to say no. You do not have to accept any guide that you do not wish to accept. Remember that you are the one who has the body, you are the one who is on the physical plane, and no one can control you unless you let them, not even spiritual beings. There are many levels of spiritual entities who would like to work with people on the earth plane. Some of these entities are more enlightened than others. It is up to you to be discerning about whether or not you would like to work with this guide or that guide. Choose wisely, for you will be that guide's representative on the earth plane, and the messages you deliver will be of the caliber that the guide itself resonates at.
The following are some guidelines to know whether a guide is a high-level guide or low level guide. These are some suggestions from Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer in their book Opening To Channel (1989):
High Level Guide:
- wish for your higher good
- source of love, light, wisdom, direction, clarity
- feel good around them, happy
- don't frighten you
- don't stroke your ego
- encourage you to follow your own discernment, not take everything they say blindly
- express themselves with precision
- speak in positive ways about others
- rarely predict future events unless necessary
- leave you feeling uplifted and supported
- speak through you only with your permission
- come from a higher plane than astral plane
- attempt to help you find your own answers
Low Level Guide:
- might have score to settle on Earth or with you
- source of disharmony
- feel unhappy
- might frighten you
- stroke your ego
- want you to follow their advice blindly without question
- might be disjointed in their expression
- speak in negative ways
- give disastrous predictions with no way out
- leave you feeling worried about your life, depressed, powerless
- have no commitment to your well-being
- not give practical advice you can use
- most likely from astral plane, want to come back to Earth
- don't direct you to find your own answers
These are some guidelines to help you know whether this is a good guide for you to work with or not. However, there is something to know about guides. In the beginning, it is common that a guide comes to you for only a short time. This guide may train you for a while, but then move on and a new guide comes in. It may also be possible that a group of guides speak through you. My first experience with channeling was a group of twelve guides acting as one mind and one heart calling themselves Anwan (meaning In One to me). Later in my experience it seemed that they were a group of 1,000 beings when I was able to hold more energy. Then there came a time when the guides themselves became illusion and there was only the experience of a very vast empty space. They no longer had images or forms. They no longer had names. They became raw consciousness and the vastness of eternal self. I kept the name they gave me just for the sake of having a name for the energy, but my experience of channeling became quite different as my skills grew and time went on. Now I experience channeling as the presence of eternal self rather than individualized guides. I no longer differentiate guides from myself. It seems now that we are all part of the same sea of consciousness. Even the person asking the questions in a channeled session is part of this virtual sea of consciousness. The more I channeled, the more expansive my experience of channeling became. I realized that the idea of guides and spirits is a mental construct that was necessary in the beginning, but as I grew more aware, the need for the mental construct was no longer needed.
In the beginning, however, I recommend that you start with inviting one guide, or perhaps a small group, for your first channelings. The later version of my experience with channeling would have burned my body's circuits. This was something I needed to grow into rather than start with. You could liken it to a 110 volt wire holding 220 volts of electricity. A 110 volt wire is the kind of wire coming off your toaster, your TV, or a regular household appliance. A 220 volt wire is the kind that powers your dryer, and carries twice the amount of electricity than a 110 volt wire.
This is how it is with channeling. You will start as a 110 volt wire, and then later you will graduate to a 220 volt wire after you've had some practice and have learned how to carry this much energy. It simply will not work at the physical level in the beginning. You can hurt yourself if you try to do too much too fast. Becoming a 220 volt wire takes time and practice. Adjustments in the mental, emotional and physical bodies are necessary before you can carry 220 volts of spiritual energy. It takes much meditation and self-examination to be able to carry this amount of energy. There will be a certain amount of work on opening your awareness to your true self and becoming who you truly are. So start with 110 and move to 220 as you are able. In this era, you will move to 220 quite quickly, for the nature of reality is changing at lightspeed! Lightworkers, including channelers and helpers to humanity, are in great demand and there is much assistance on the inner planes in helping you become a most efficient lightworker on this plane of reality as quickly as possible.
How Guides Communicate With You
The way the guide communicates with you is very simple. A guide has to step down its energy, while you step up your energy to match. Both of you meet in the middle between your two realities. You live in one universe while the guide lives in another universe. Each of these universes and dimensions resonates at a different frequency. To find a common frequency, you and the guide both make adjustments so that a translation of ideas and concepts can come through into physical reality. It is much like each of you turning a dial on a radio until you find a common frequency you can both resonate at and communicate through.
The guide often gives you a boost of energy when you first go into trance so that you can track the guide's movements and communications. The way the guide communicates with you is through telepathy. The guide sends you messages and you receive them through your own telepathic abilities. Your right and left brain both operate simultaneously in order to synthesize the information.
Your Role As Receiver/Translator
Your role as the receiver/translator is to deliver the information with as much correctness as possible, staying true to the message. You may have some decisions to make as to which is the right word to use in the delivery of various concepts. Sometimes one word will take preference over another that isn't quite the right word. Don't hesitate to take time as you need to in order to find just the right word to convey the meaning of the concept. If you suddenly feel uncomfortable or cannot perceive what is being given to you, simply let go and move into a different direction. If you find that you are getting bored with the information, this is a sign that you have lost the connection and the original impulse is gone. Again, move into a different direction. The richer your experience is, the more the guide has to work with, the more information you will receive and the messages you deliver will be truer.
It is also a requirement, between your channeling sessions, to address your own spiritual homework and continue to work on your personal growth and healing. William H. Kautz and Melanie Branon say in their book Channeling: The Intuitive Connection (1987), "In order to be able to pull in intuitive information, you need to create a tunnel or "channel" from the superconscious mind to the conscious core. To do this, you basically need to "clean out" or "let go of" enough subconscious obstacles, such as anger, jealousy, resentment, inappropriate beliefs, negative attitudes, and other aspects of fear, to allow information to flow from the superconscious to consciousness more clearly and without distortion. Your conscious mind will then grow larger as your awareness expands."
Guide's Role As Transmitter
The guide's role as the transmitter is to be the undercurrent beneath your thoughts and trigger your soul's and knowledge. When questions are asked the guide will trigger certain areas of your mind. The guide will choose the path of least resistance in your mind. The guide also hold the space for you while you are in trance so that you can become as clear as possible and stay that way throughout the session.
Your guide will also communicate with you when you are not in trance or session. This happens when your attention is suddenly brought to a particular book, or a special phrase comes into your mind, or you are told to remember something or take note of something. Your guide becomes an active friend of yours, traveling with you throughout your day and becoming part of your life. Your relationship with the guide you channel is not a static. It continues to grow and develop as time goes on. Eventually, this guide may become your own voice, and represents your eternal identity.
Meeting Your Guide
Meeting your guide is an exquisite experience. You will be quite refreshed and thrilled after your first meeting. You will have much to look forward to for you are beginning a wonderful journey into a friendship with an enlightened being. The first meditation on your CD in this course will assist you in meeting your guide for the first time, the one you will be channeling. You may be tempted to simply just sit in the light of your guide, rather than doing much else. This is fine if this is what you would like to do. It is good to learn how to wear the energy of your guide and get comfortable with holding that much light and love.
What To Expect The First Time
At first you might not notice a difference between yourself and the guide. It may even feel like just a higher vibration of yourself. Guides generally approach gently and softly, and do not want to jolt you or upset you. You may not realize that your guide is there at first. The change may be subtle. You will feel, most certainly, a heightened stage of awareness and well-being.
Some people do notice a huge difference as soon as the guide enters. Some people experience a great infusion of light and love, and can barely hold this level of awareness. If the energy becomes too intense for you, you can ask the guide to temper back the energy a little bit until you get used to it.
There will be some trial and error as the guide figures out how to connect to you and you figure out how to connect to the guide. Be patient with this process. Your translation might not be accurate at first, for the guide will be figuring out how to transmit to you in a way that you can receive information, and you will be figuring out how to receive the information from the guide. It is okay if things don't come out right at first. You must learn to walk before you can run. And of course, practice makes perfect! In a short time this will be easy and effortless for you, and you will understand exactly how it works.
A good experiment to find out if you are actually channeling is to have someone ask you a question when you're not in trance and answer it from your personality point of view, the human perspective. Then go into trance and ask the same question of the guide. You'll notice that the vibration of the answer is higher, and that the answer might be completely different. Notice what the differences are between your human answer and the guide's answer. This will help you develop confidence in your guide's ability to give messages of a higher spiritual nature.
Another good thing to remember is to relax the back of the head and neck. This is a place where the most tension gathers when you are attempting to channel, for much of the channeling energy seems to gather behind the head and neck. Just open to this energy and allow it to flow.
Guide's Name
The guide's name may or may not come in the beginning. It is all right if you don't receive the guide's name right away. This will become evident later. The guides don't really care what you name them, for they are in the understanding of themselves as having many names and yet none at the same time. Sometimes they give you a name just for the sake of having a name, since language requires naming things in order to identify them. Sometimes the guide will let you name them whatever name you like, one that makes you feel comfortable.
If a guide does give you a name, sometimes the name comes in letters at various times. Sometimes the name simply pops into your head while you are doing ordinary tasks during the day. Sometimes you hear syllables one at a time and later realize that this is the guide's name. Sometimes the name they give you is one from a past life when you knew each other well. Some guides never give a name and remain anonymous, especially if they are temporary guides who act as training wheels for a more advanced guide who comes to you later.
Reading For Others
When you are reading for others, it is easiest to read for someone you don't know than it is for you to read for someone you do know. The reason for this is that the personality tends to get in the way and want to answer the question for your friend. It is nearly impossible, even for an advanced channeler, to keep the personality out of the way when channeling for friends about their personal issues. This does not mean that a friend cannot be present and ask you questions about the planet, humanity, or the world in general. However, it may be difficult to help friends with their relationships, issues with family, and other such topics where your personality might want to get more involved.
It is important to read only for people who are receptive. People who are testing you will always find fault. One of the reasons for this is because people who are testing you make things up in order to see how you respond to them. However, if they imagine that they are taking a trip to Europe, even though they do not plan on doing so, and yet ask you about it, it has reality on the inner planes because consciousness cannot always tell the difference between physical reality and imagination. To consciousness, that trip to Europe is actually a reality and it has a probable future. As you become more skilled with channeling your guide will be able to tell how probable that future actually is. The guide may tell the person that the trip to Europe is likely not to happen, but to the person doing the test this is not an acceptable answer. Besides the fact that this will be an unpleasant experience for you, reading for people who are not receptive or taking it seriously will drain you and leave you feeling tired.
Let go of preconceived ideas of how you will answer people's questions. It is best if you go into the reading "blind." If people try to discuss their questions with you before the channeling session has begun, you might want to stop them and tell them that it is best if your personality does not hear the questions or formulate any ideas about them before the session has begun. Most people understand this, and are willing to wait until the session begins. It is best to keep conversation light and off the subject while getting ready for the session. The deepest work can only be done in the session with your guide.
If you receive a fragment of the answer, begin speaking anyway, for the rest comes as you speak. Once the words begin rolling, there is some sort of "automatic pilot" that falls into place. This is the beauty of channeling. You don't have to know the whole answer before you begin answering the question. This is why it is called "reading." You don't know how the sentence is going to end, even though you've started reading. Even if the answer seems obvious to you, say it anyway because it might not be so obvious to that person. It might be a new concept, or might be a needed reminder that the person really needs to hear. Whatever the answer is, the guide knows that this is what the person needs to hear.
If you can't find a loving way to deliver an answer, don't answer the question. This means that there is a distortion in the connection, or that the answer might be veiled from that person's awareness. Sometimes it is not good for a person to know a certain thing at this time in their growth. Sometimes it is best for that person to find these things out on their own. The guide knows when it is important not to tell someone a particular thing. When something is veiled it does not mean that the answer is not there, it just means that the person is not ready to hear this yet, or must find this knowledge on their own. It is important for their spiritual growth that they find their own answers sometimes. When this happens ask the person questions so that he or she can find his or her own answers. Ask the person how he or she feels about this or that, and often the person will find the answers. It is not uncommon for guides to ask people questions and thus they find their own answers right away in the session.
Guides will give the most profound information to those who are true seekers, or advanced on their spiritual path. You will find a difference in every reading, and this difference depends on the seeker. Curiosity seekers and testing types will not be able to receive very much information while those who are serious about their spiritual path will be given vast amounts of information that can be quite useful on their spiritual path. When you're dealing with a person who is not as serious about the spiritual path or is a beginner, you will notice that your reading is simple and perhaps even shorter then normal. When you are working with a serious spiritual seeker, don't be surprised if your reading is very in-depth and longer. The quality of your reading and the level of information that comes through will be quite dependent on the person you are doing the reading for.
When a person asks about another person, realize that guides will not violate the inner privacy of another. Some information will be veiled if the person being asked about does not want to be read on the inner planes. Only information that is appropriate to the situation will be available. This does not mean that the guides will never speak about another person when they are not present, for sometimes it is important for the one asking the question to understand how the other person feels. It is most important to focus the energy on what the seeker who is present needs to shift rather than what the other person needs to shift who is not present. Rather, guides walk people through their options and discuss the possible outcomes. This technique will be described shortly.
The guides do not solve problems for people. Rather, they try to guide people onto higher roads. If someone asks a guide, "What should I do?" sometimes the guide will not give an answer, especially if it seems that this person is trying to get out of making the decision for themselves. Sometimes the guide will give an answer, especially if it has to do with shifting from within. A guide will never tell someone that they must get a divorce, or that they should leave their job, or that they should do this or that. A guide may suggest what will happen if a person makes a particular choice, or give an indication of the shifts that may happen because of that choice, but a guide will not tell a person that he or she must do anything. High level guides tend to err on the side of being too gentle rather than too strong. Guides do not brow-beat or try to convince anyone to see it their way. High level guides have a helpful nature rather than confrontational nature. If you find that your reading is getting too aggressive, trying to convince someone to see it a certain way, you can be sure that your personality has stepped in the way. If this happens, stop, take a breath, regroup, and deepen your connection to your guide.
Handling People's Questions
Often, people don't know what to ask. It helps if you give them a list of questions that your guides like to answer. Or, you can tell people to have a list of their own questions prepared for the reading. What happens, sometimes, is that people get lost in the emotions that the reading brings up and they forget what they wanted to ask in the first place. If they have a list of questions ahead of time, this way they know what to ask next even if they are feeling very emotional in the moment.
Sometimes you will find yourself answering questions that the person you are doing a reading for didn't even ask. You might feel suddenly compelled to say something about a certain choice or discuss a certain concept even though the person didn't ask about it. This may be a nudging from your guidance to tell this person something that he or she needs to know. It might turn out to be quite relevant to the reading. Don't hesitate when you feel these urges during the session.
It is best not to make choices for people. Sometimes people will try to get you to choose for them what to do with their lives or solve particular situations. It is important not to decide the fate of people's futures for them. It is better to teach them how to make these decisions themselves. One technique that works well is taking each choice that they have and walk into the future of it with them to see what the outcome is. The first thing to do is to hold each choice in the consciousness and ask your client how he or she feels about each choice, one by one. Does he or she feel sad, happy, depressed, elated, sick, healthy, negative or positive? What is the essence of making each of these choices. Even if it doesn't make sense to the mind it is important to follow the choice that makes one happy. The choice may not make sense to the mind, and might not even be practical, but it is the right choice in the long run.
Another technique that works is to tell your client to imagine choice number one and walk into the future of having made that choice. Go into it a few months, and ask your client what he or she sees. Have things gone as he or she wants them to go? Was the decision a good one? How does it feel now that he or she has made this decision? Go even further into the future, about one year. How does this choice feel now? Do this with each of the choices no matter how many there are. The choice that feels positive and seems like the best outcome, this is the right choice. Another thing you might want to think about is introducing choices that the person might not have thought of. Create a mystery door! This might actually be the right choice, but it is not time to make the choice because all the information is not in yet.
In this way you have not made the choice for the person. Rather, you have taught him or her a technique for finding answers to his or her own dilemmas in the future. This is most valuable. Sometimes people ask you a question like, "Is my boyfriend faithful to me?" Rather than trying to find out if the boyfriend is faithful, even if that is clear to you on the inner planes, the more pertinent question might be to ask, "Why are you with someone you don't trust?" The idea with the reading is to get to the bottom of why people have situations or continue to create repeating patterns. Helping them solve these repeating patterns is the greatest gift you can give them.
Sometimes a person's question is not clear. Don't be afraid to ask him or her to elaborate on his or her question if it is not clear enough. Also do not be hesitant to take a moment to assimilate information before answering the question. Sometimes there is a delay before you can answer the question because the guides are delivering the information in a way that may take a moment. You might feel like a computer downloading information, and there is a time period while that download takes place.
Below is a list of questions your guides might like to answer. You might like to suggest these to people when constructing their list of questions in preparation ahead of time before the reading:
- hidden beliefs and childhood programming
- lessons and growth opportunities in relationships
- inherent skills and talents that could be developed
- ability to channel
- past lives that might be affecting the present life
- purpose of this lifetime
- journey of the soul since the first incarnation on earth
- looking at growth areas
- looking and patterns, beliefs and decisions around money, relationships and career
Predictions & Probable Futures
The thing to understand about the future is that it is probable and changeable. Nothing is written in stone about the future. There are probable futures, and there are many versions of reality. To the eyes of the guide, time is simultaneous and all probable futures happen to some extent or another. A future does not necessarily have to happen in this version of physical reality. It may have a parallel reality that it happens in, and therefore that probable future does happen, just not in this version of physical reality. Guides see all the paths taken, whether they are imaginary or not. All outcomes happen on some level or another because consciousness wants to know what all those outcomes are. This is why there are multitudes of other versions of the earth reality. Consciousness itself creates them in order to experience them.
There may be a 75% chance that something might happen in this version of reality, but if there are changes made in the present, the future changes as well. It is not unusual to give a reading to someone and based on the reading, he or she made certain changes, thus changing the future as well. The future can be changed in any present moment, and it is especially easy for individuals to change the future by making one change.
Even if the future that your guide sees is likely to happen, the guide might not want to say what will happen for it will interfere with that person choosing for himself or herself what to do, which would interfere with his or her growth. Sometimes it is not best to know what the future brings. Sometimes the information is veiled and you cannot get the future scenario even if you try. If this is so, and there is no information on a probable future, you can tell your client that, and let him or her know that this information is veiled.
It is easier to predict mass events than it is to predict individual events. The reason for this is that future mass events require a choice by many individuals, and mass events are set up far ahead of time. Individual futures can be changed by only one person changing one's mind, whereas with mass events multitudes of people would need to change their minds. It is hard to change the future of mass events because there are karmic contracts involved, and the sheer number of people involved makes changing the future more difficult. The good news is that one person can change one's participation in that mass event by changing something in the present moment.
The guide will signal you if it is appropriate to speak about a person's future or not. You are spiritual counselor, not a fortune teller. Don't feel obligated to give predictions. Only if it feels right should you give predictions at all. You should also make the client aware of how probable futures work and why one is dealing more with percentages of probability than a solid prediction. For instance, someone might ask you if he or she should marry a particular person and will the relationship last. If you say no, the marriage should not take place, you may cause this person to miss an important experience that is needed. Perhaps this is a karmic contract that needs to be carried out, or this is the next variance in growth that is needed. You must be careful not to get in the way of this. Even if the relationship is supposed to end, it might be important for this person to experience the relationship anyway. It may be a steppingstone to a later relationship that will last for a long time. You may or may not feel inclined to tell the person that the relationship will end, but if you do, make sure you give the reasons why and how to overcome them and learn from them.
After The Reading
After the reading you might feel tired or heavy. Sometimes there is a letdown when coming out of trance, for you might not want to come back to physical reality where things are so limited, especially if you experienced a very expansive feeling during the reading. Channeling requires great mental focus and concentration. Even the physical posture of sitting up straight for a long time might be tiring. Channeling can be quite a spiritual workout! If you find that you are tired when you come back, simply take the time to rest.
Sometimes you may feel emotionally sensitive. It is not unusual to suddenly feel very insecure and vulnerable. If this is so, simply ask your client to give you a few moments to collect yourself. You might want to sit with your eyes closed for a few moments, after you feel the guides leave, so that you can collect yourself and get grounded before you open your eyes and engage in physical reality conversation again.
It is also not unusual to feel accelerated and rejuvenated after reading. For some people, giving a reading makes them feel as if they have gained a lot of energy. Peace and connectedness is not unusual. As you become a 220 volt wire, this will be how channeling feels. Until then, you may find yourself tired from carrying so much energy. If this is the case, gradually build your abilities until channeling leaves you feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. I always feel very energized afterward. This is ideal.
Effects Of Channeling
The effects of channeling may be welcome, and there will be some effects that may be unwelcome. One of the good things that you can expect from channeling is that you attain the ability to reach deeper spaces and have more compassion than you ever did before. You will find that you can see all sides of a situation, versus seeing only a few or even just one side. You will find yourself more open-minded and willing to accept all different ways of being, and understand people and why they do the things they do better.
One of the unwelcome effects of channeling, but one that is quite necessary, is that your lower selves act out and must be healed. You'll find your growth moving faster, and the pressure for you to grow will be most demanding. It is important to do your homework, and work on your lower nature so that you are a good representative for your guides. It is not that you become perfect. This is not the point. However, you may be required by your guidance to remedy certain behaviors and tendencies. Sometimes it is as simple as improving hygiene or grooming, or it may be as deep as healing childhood wounds that you never addressed. Whatever it is that comes up, be glad that it is brought up so that you can finally free yourself from its influence. Your guides are here to help you with it and don't expect you to do it alone.
Activities That That Enhance Or Decrease Channeling Abilities
It is important to do activities that enhance your ability to channel between the times that you do sessions. Activities that enhance channeling are deep breathing, regular meditation, exercise, clean food, and taking action when it comes to your own growth. Another thing that increases your ability to channel is maintaining a positive mental attitude and positive emotions in your energy field. This makes it easier for guides to reach you and stay in touch with you. Practice the habit of maintaining positive emotions.
The main thing that decreases your channeling abilities is doubting the process and what is happening when you are channeling. Doubts act as circuit breakers and keep you from going too far too fast. For some people this may be a good thing, for it will keep them from carrying 220 voltage too often before they are ready. Another aspect that decreases channeling abilities are strong negative emotions. Negative emotions act like dense clouds around you and make it difficult for the guides to reach you and stay in touch with you.
More About Channeling
Channeling comes from the seventh chakra, the crown chakra. The energy drops in through your crown and finds its way out through the fifth chakra, your voice. It would be good to work on opening your crown chakra as a nightly exercise if you would like to excel at channeling. The difference between channeling and psychic skills is that psychic abilities come from the sixth chakra, the third eye. When you would like to work on your psychic abilities, exercise your sixth chakra.
Sometimes you lose connection with your guides for a while. If this happens it may be for good reason. For instance, if you are ill, it may be too taxing on your system. It may also be because you are ready to be on your own without the guide. Guides know that they are not the end goal for you. They are only here to help you become self-sufficient and self-realized. The opportunities for channeling may appear and disappear, or come and go from your life. Allow this flow to come and go easily. It may later become time for you to speak as if you are the guide itself, and you will no longer be speaking as the guide, but rather as the wise teacher without the need of a guide.
Basic Steps To Channeling
(Given by Penney Peirce in William H. Kautz and Melanie Branon's book Channeling: The Intuitive Connection (1987):
- Relax the body.
- Become aware of feelings and sensations.
- Alignment: align with your divinity, open the heart cents, and become light-filled.
- Attunement: be at peace and know that you are a pure source of love and wisdom.
- Focus on your need: this may be necessary for the client more than the channel.
- Ask the question: client asks the question.
- Release: pose the request to your higher self or guide, have no doubts, and wait in receptivity.
- Allow the inflow" make no judgments about what you receive, don't second guess and don't refine the message with your conscious mind.
- Grant recognition: recognize the answer through whatever form the answer comes in.
- Record the answer: speak the answer, record it, write it down or draw it.
- Express gratitude: give thanks to the various levels of yourself or to your guide.
- Implementation: follow through on what you get. Use the information.