In supernatural or spirit channeling, the goal is to tap into the world of spirits and communicate with them. Practitioners often want to contact deceased relatives or famous historical figures, or otherwise make some contact with the dead. Spirit channeling as we think of it today, with crystal balls and Ouija boards, was extremely popular in intellectual occult circles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Though this kind of for-profit mediumship is widely dismissed by scientific skeptics as an orchestrated con against the often-wealthy participants, spirit channeling has historical roots that extend far beyond the Victorian stereotypes. [3] X Expert Source Jennifer McVey, ChtSpiritual Director Expert Interview. 21 December 2021. Consciousness channeling is a newer phenomenon. In some New Age philosophies, practitioners of channeling will meditate and attempt to visualize archetypal figures that are manifestations of their own subconscious, “past life” figures, or metaphorical representatives of some psychological trauma. This figure will often guide the participant through different interactions and communications with the aim of healing the spirit and learning about the self.
If you’re going to embark on a channeling journey, it’s important to commit to an often-quizzical, mysterious way of interpreting the messages you receive. The better you are at receiving them, the more you’ll get out of the experience. Embrace the mystery of it. Anyone who’s ever cracked open an iChing or tried to learn about Tarot knows that channeling can be a frustrating and complex process. It doesn’t always work like a movie, where a candle flickers and you hear the voice of some long-dead relative. Have a specific inquiry in mind–a specific thing you want to learn–and accept that you might not get the answer you’re looking for. Take it seriously. If your goal is get out a Ouija board and ask a ghost what afterlife farts smell like, you should probably spend your time doing something more constructive. Channeling only works if the participant is fully committed and open to the possibility of learning something about yourself and consciousness that might be hard to believe or understand. [4] X Expert Source Jennifer McVey, ChtSpiritual Director Expert Interview. 21 December 2021. Read up on occult symbology and symbolism. Because the process often involves the interpretation of symbols, it’s important to do a little research before you jump in head-first, to get more out of the experience. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and The Occult by Colin Wilson are excellent primers to the ideas and images you’ll need to be familiar with. James Merrill’s modern verse epic The Changing Light at Sandover chronicles his communications with a spirit named Ephraim.
Make it specific, but not too specific. A question like “Does Bill really hate me when I show up late for work?” is probably better saved for a Magic 8-ball. You want your query to be broad enough to allow for complexity and personal enough to be worthwhile: “How can I be a better person in my work?” is more like it. Let one question lead to another. If you’re concerned about your work persona, let that question spiral into more questions, so you may look for possible answers in your investigation. Who am I when I work? What does my work mean to me? How should I approach my work? What is a worker? These may all be applicable questions that circle around your initial one. Look for the answers to questions you didn’t ask.
Keep a small composition book beside your bed. When you wake from any dream, however boring or uneventful, write down everything you remember from it immediately. What did you see? What did you feel? Who was there? This kind of interpretation and attention to detail will serve you well in your channeling experiments.
Articulate your intentions for this meditation by centering yourself around some mantra like, “I will achieve trance and I will return to normal consciousness with a full memory of what I experienced. I will achieve a deeper and deeper trance state with practice. " You don’t need to sit in the lotus position in the middle of a crossroads at midnight or prostrate yourself in front of a goat skull and candles to channel. Focus on your comfort and achieving the trance-like state, not superficial details from the movies.
Move the relaxation to your left arm, then your right hand, your right arm, and your legs in the same fashion. Spend 30-60 seconds on each part of your body, focusing your full consciousness and attention on relaxation. Wait until you feel that part of your body relax before moving on. After you’ve relaxed your body, give weight to your body. After you’ve relaxed your body, you want to introduce a feeling of heaviness, as if your body were covered in many blankets, or buried in sand. In the same fashion, establish a consciousness connection with your left hand, focusing your energy into it fully. It should still be relaxed. Say, “My left hand is heavy. " Spend 30-60 seconds focusing on each part of your body in the same way. After you’ve given weight to your body, give warmth to your body. In the same way, move around your body giving warmth by saying, “My left hand is warm. " Focus your energy on achieving a state of warmth, as if you were in a warm bath, or had placed a heating pad on each part of your body. Your body should feel extreme comfort, but you should not feel sleepy.
Don’t just jump up and start pacing around–if you’ve been sitting long enough, you might have sleepy limbs and could sprain an ankle. Bad juju for consciousness meditation.
It may be slow going at first, but as you progress, you might notice the previous steps becoming easier and easier. If you focus on warming up your left hand, you may feel your left arm become warm at the same time, or both arms become warm. This is a good sign that your training your mind and body to achieve a trance state more quickly. When you think you’re ready to move on to a deeper state of consciousness, add another step to your trance: feel your forehead grow cool. In many traditions, the “third eye” located on the forehead signifies your connection to the subconscious or the world of the unseen. Isolate that part of your body by saying, “My forehead feels cool. "
Visualize objects and colors. After you’ve cooled your third-eye, let your subconscious suggest a color. Say, “I see blue,” and repeat it until the color settles into your mind and you really see blue. At first, you may see a mishmash of colors, but continue practicing until you can settle and “see” what your mind tells you to see. It may be helpful to give the color an object, like a pen or a car. See the blue pen. Watch it. Feel it’s weight in your hand and try to “use it. " Spend time visualizing many colors and objects before moving on.
Fall from a ladder into space. Visualize yourself climbing a ladder in darkness. Your body should be warm and comfortable. Climb the ladder for a while and then let go of the ladder. Feel yourself falling away. If you become dizzy or disoriented, focus on your body consciousness until you regain comfort and warmth. Take an elevator down. Some practitioners find success visualizing an elevator that’s traveling down the wall of an endless rock face. Imagine an elevator with a glass door that allows you to see out: on three sides there is darkness, but on one side there is a rocky cliff with crags and tiny imperfections. Visualize them as closely as possible and continue traveling down ever farther. Personalize your fall. There’s no right way to visualize, so do what feels comfortable for you. Some channelers like to visualize themselves as a falling feather, a ring of smoke, or as climbing down a long rope. [6] X Research source
Different traditions think about this state of being in different ways: if you want to refer to this as “going clear” or “entering the spirit world,” you’re right on all counts. You don’t have to put a name on it, necessarily, but feel free to call it what you want.
In some New Age traditions, it’s suggested that you fill your location with all manner of esoteric crystals and golden cushions, while other traditions may suggest you imagine a mossy wood straight out of Tolkien. Go for it. There’s no right place.
Pay particularly close attention to movements that people make, things they may say, or other imagery. When you emerge from your trance, write these details down immediately. Things that may not “make sense” to you in the moment will probably be often and will require analysis and consideration later. That’s channeling. Again, if you want to think of these figures as “dimensional archetypes” or “angels” or the “voice of your DNA,” that’s fine. Pick the symbolic representation that makes the most sense to you, and listen to what the figures have to say for themselves. It’s not a matter of right or wrong when you’re dealing with the subconscious and the unseen.
Come clean with your intentions. Tell the figure why you’re here and what you’re looking for. Ask the figure if they’ve got your best interest at heart, and if they’re willing to guide you in your investigation. If they cannot, ask the figure to leave and continue your practice. Establish a mutual agreement. Ask them the question or central issue that you’ve been meditating on, or allow them to show you what they wish to show you. Together, decide how you’ll communicate. Let the guide do their job: guiding you. Don’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with, but let the guide take charge of showing you what you want to learn.
If your location is suddenly filled with scuttling lobsters and lions with their heads on backward, unbidden, you may come out of your trance and think, “Whoa, trippy!” But don’t let it drop just there. Lobsters appear on the Tarot card for the Moon, signifying lunar energy and the subconscious, while the lion appears on the card for Strength. Significant? You decide.
Meditate on your specific inquiry or question, articulating your intentions aloud and allowing your contact to get in touch. All parties should place their hands on the planchette at the center of the board, then allow it to move and spell out the answers to your questions.
Capnomancy refers to consulting the patterns of moving smoke to interpret the messages of the spirit world. Burn some sage or jasmine, laurel leaves, or sacred incense, depending on your tradition and interests, and observe the smoke as part of your meditations. Let symbols reveal themselves. Sciomancy is the study of shadows and shades for symbols. Headless shadows are generally interpreted as ominous, though the spookiness shouldn’t keep you away from this communication method. Make a candle a part of your meditation, and observe the shadows cast in the room on the walls, for symbols or messages to appear. Scrying is the technical term for gazing into a crystal ball and looking for prophecies or symbols. You don’t need to have an expensive ball of crystal to practicing scrying, however: it’s also common to gaze into bowls of water, mirrors, or other reflective transparent surfaces.
In trumpet channeling, a phenomenon called “direct voice phenomenon” is the desired result of the consultation. The trumpet is basically a cone made of aluminum, a foot or two long, and used to transmit the ectoplasmic vibrations of the spirit guide. [9] X Research source In electronic voice phenomenon (EVP), you can record on a digital recorder or tape recorder, the white noise of the room, while you ask the questions of your spirit guide that you want to ask. Wait quietly and listen closely to your recording to see if inaudible responses were captured on the tape.
This is an excellent way of getting in touch with your own messages and reinforcing the agency and divinity of the self. You’ve got your own answers and can get in touch with them via automatic writing. It’s also effective to write down all your communications with your spirit guide, after extracting yourself from your trance state. It’s important to keep a record of these communications, to allow yourself to investigate them later for parallels and symbolic echoes.
The Tarot doesn’t require a complicated guidebook or method to start using. Get a deck and spend time analyzing each card, giving it weight. Draw cards and let your initial gut reaction to the card clue you into its symbolic meaning. This can be an excellent way of having your queries addressed. Consult the iChing for anecdotal responses. Using three coins, you can create a hexagram (six broken and unbroken lines) that corresponds to a particular symbol and entry in the iChing, called the “book of changes. " With each hexagram is a brief symbolic anecdote, which can be read as a metaphorical response to the question you’re meditating on.
However you choose to cleanse yourself for your investigations, make sure that you establish a mutual understanding and respect with your spirit guide. It’s extremely important to establish boundaries and articulate your desires.
End each session on a positive note. Thank your guide for their assistance and their guidance, offering respect and appreciation. Try not to end it in frustration or anger.
