What is channeling?
Channeling is the practice of serving as a conduit for communication from a non-physical source, such as a spirit, a deceased person, a higher self, an angel or a being from another realm. The channeler may speak, write or sometimes simply relay impressions. Believers regard the messages as coming from outside the person, while skeptics see them as products of the channeler’s own mind. No scientific evidence supports an external source.
Channeling and mediumship
The two terms overlap. “Mediumship” is the older word, associated with Spiritualism, and it usually means contact with the spirits of the dead. “Channeling” became popular in the 1970s and 1980s and is typically used for communication with a wider range of entities, including teachers, guides, groups of beings or ascended masters, often with an emphasis on philosophical teaching rather than proof of survival after death.
Historical roots
Reports of people speaking for gods, spirits or the dead appear in many cultures, including oracles and shamanic traditions. The modern Western form stems from Spiritualist trance mediums in the 19th century, and the trance readings of Edgar Cayce in the 20th. Theosophy also contributed through its claims of letters and teachings from hidden Masters.
Well-known channeled works and figures
- The Seth Material. Jane Roberts began channeling an entity named Seth in the 1960s, and books published from her sessions, such as Seth Speaks (1972), found a wide audience.
- A Course in Miracles. Helen Schucman, a psychologist, said she scribed the text from an inner voice that she identified as Jesus. It was published in 1976 and remains widely studied.
- Ramtha. J. Z. Knight began channeling a being called Ramtha in the late 1970s and later founded a school.
- Abraham. Esther Hicks presents teachings from a group of non-physical beings called Abraham, which draw on law-of-attraction ideas related to New Thought.
- Others include Lazaris and Bashar, which show how varied the entities and styles can be.
How it is done
Channelers describe a range of states, from full trance in which they seem unaware of their surroundings, to light inspiration in which they remain conscious. Methods include meditation, automatic writing, speaking aloud in a different voice and using a board or cards. Some groups hold public sessions with an audience.
Explanations
Believers explain channeling as genuine contact with other intelligences. Psychologists offer other explanations, including dissociation, imagination, suggestion, and unconscious processes such as the ideomotor effect, which can make a pointer or pen seem to move on its own. Researchers generally treat the content as a product of the human mind, even when the channeler is sincere. Reports in which entities provide verifiable new facts have not held up under testing.
Cautions
- Be wary of channelers who charge large sums, claim exclusive authority or discourage questions.
- Do not follow channeled advice about health, money or legal matters without independent professional advice.
- A message can be meaningful to you without being proof of its stated source.
For how channeling fits into the wider movement, see New Age Spirituality and the Occult Revival.