Channeling is a natural form of energetic communication that occurs between any two beings. The channeler is able to feel, take in, and assimilate the energetic connection with another being and translate that energy transmission into human words.

Note that the term "being" essentially means anything.  The energy and consciousness of anything can be channeled — rocks, trees, and animals, as well as higher beings and spiritual teachers — and every being has its own wisdom and perspective. When reading or listening to channeled material or connecting directly to a being it's useful to know their perspective; you would treat the communication from a stone from your backyard differently from that of a multi-dimensional higher being.

How channeling helps

It's incredibly useful to receive information from other perspectives and other planes of existence. We are accustomed to the way things operate within reality as we perceive it on the Earth plane. By adding to that the wider "big picture" that higher beings and spiritual teachers have, we are able to more accurately see important things in our lives: our life path, life purpose, agreements with others, relationship issues, and energetic matters. Having this information helps us greatly in making day-to-day choices, which results in a life that flows in closer alignment with True Self and that creates true joy.

History of channeling

Channeling is an ancient practice that has existed for all time. As long as humans have been on the Earth, we have found ways to connect with inner guidance and higher guidance. What we now call channeling has figured importantly throughout history in many forms. For instance, the Egyptians developed a way of communicating with the gods in a highly developed art while the Greeks used Oracles to divine answers. Other religions and cultures had their own ways of communicating with their spiritual leaders.

Divination, using stones, runes, Tarot cards, and the like, is a form of channeling, as is mediumship (communication with the energy associated with the souls of those no longer incarnate).

Art is often channeled, as is music and writing and scientific innovation. All the creative forms of expression lend themselves to connection to the greater wisdom that exists all around us.

Modern channeling

Channeling as we know it today arose from the 19th century Spiritualist movement and has been popularized by the wonderful and useful material coming from entities like Seth, Abraham, Michael, Archangel Michael, Kryon, and Polaris. This teaching from a wider perspective helps people understand their daily lives as well as the workings of the universe.

How channeling works

Channeling is something all of us do all the time. It's really that simple. But having awareness and attention to constant energy transmission is another thing entirely — few of us can manage this for more than a moment at a time, usually in times of either extreme relaxation or extreme stress. When an idea "just pops into your head"? That's channeling. So is the feeling of having known someone before who you've never met, or the feeling of being incredibly connected to nature when out walking among trees.

Channelers choose to connect to a particular energy. There is usually an astral agreement to do so, to receive transmissions and to work together in partnership. Entities can sometimes make themselves known to the channeler in surprising ways, but the typical professional channel has a long-standing association with the teacher they work with.

Modern channels today are primarily conscious channels who retain awareness while channeling and who have control over their bodies and awareness of the the room around them while doing so. There's a misconception that channeling is about the channeler "getting out of the way" and surrendering control so as to let energy in, but this is the exception rather than the norm. Very rarely do channels leave their bodies.

More often, the channeler simply expands into the wider space of the higher being who is being channeled. The channel Karen Murphy reports perceiving this as a big room, a feeling of vastness, that's within her. She maintains awareness of everything around her, but the awareness is from the wider perception of Polaris.

What happens during channeling

When the channeler chooses to connect, there is a shift in vibration to more closely match the vibration of the entity channeled. Often this is done imperceptibly, but there can be visible (and often dramatic) differences in the channel's voice, carriage and demeanor after "merging" with the entity being channeled.

There is also a connection to the recipient of the channeled information. Even before a session, there is connection and energy exchange. Polaris likes to say that a channeling session is a tripartite event, with each member of the triad — channeler, channeled being, and client — being equally responsible for the information that ultimately comes through.

Because there's an exchange of energy among everyone present, there's often a great deal of healing occurring as a result, especially when the client is open to a life shift (this happens often). Often this shift is set up far in advance, with the client accessing inner guidance and signals well beforehand that eventually lead to the channeling session.

Group channeling is much the same: the energies of everyone present add to the overall experience and create a dynamic that is of benefit to everyone present.

Common questions about channeling

Because the art of channeling is less tangible than (but not that different from) picking up a telephone and making a call, fear, curiosity, and misunderstanding can develop.

1. Can a dark entity enter the channel and do harm? Channels always have a choice of which energies and entities to work with. Experienced channels understand that just because an entity is capable of transmitting energy (and therefore information) it doesn't mean that the information is particularly evolved or useful. Some entities are simply playful or enjoy the connection without any particular desire to help.

Above all, trust your instincts: if you feel wonderful in all your being after the channeling, it is good for you.

2. What, exactly, is being channeled? Theoretically anything can be channeled since everything in the universe has a consciousness. But the most common connections made through channeling are:

• Spirit guides. Everyone has them, usually several. They remain with you by mutual agreement, usually through your entire lifetime, assisting and supporting you.
  
• Evolved beings (like Polaris) from higher planes of existence. Also called ascended masters. There are varying levels of perceptual evolution, from higher-astral level beings to causal beings, and this affects the type of information brought forward.
  
• Higher self, or essence. Connecting more with the totality of Who You Are is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

3. How do I know what questions to ask? There are no wrong questions. There is an art to asking questions, though, that will help give you the answers you're really looking for. In general, specific questions yield more specific answers. Asking, "What do I most need to know now?" can yield an answer that doesn't make much sense at the time and doesn't become clear for some time afterward, but does, in the end, prove to be exactly what you most needed to hear.

But in the end, channeling is really just a conversation, and you can direct the conversation however you wish to get the most from the experience.

Forms of Channeling

• Words. This is what we think of most often as channeling — the expressive, intellectual transformation of energy into words that we can hear or read. This is the kind of channeling that appears on the web and is published in books. Many of the channeled entities of this kind come from the causal plane of existence, the plane beyond the astral plane.

• Energy. This comes often in the form of healing through modalities like Reiki and Healing Touch; it's what we think of as "energy work." Polaris sends a large amount of healing energy during channeling sessions, especially when the focus is on channeled energy healing and shifts in life path and direction.
• Intuition. This is the sense of "inner knowingness." We receive constant guidance through our own sense of inner knowledge; connection with this sense is powerful as it brings you into closer connection to Self.
• Emotion. Some channels are incredibly inspirational and radiate a warm feeling of love and hope that conveys naturally to listeners. Words can be an almost secondary focus to the emotion conveyed and bring a feeling of well-being.

Learn to channel

Everyone can channel. A great way to start is by simply being open to the signs and guidance that are already around you. Decide that they really are meaningful to you; this helps you strengthen your connection to your own guidance. As you progress, start listening to the still, small voice inside you. We all have that voice; what is yours saying to you? Journaling your dreams is also effective.

If you're interested in learning more, a good book to start with is "Opening to Channel" by Sanaya Roman.

[If you are interested in guidance, Karen Murphy offers personal, one-on-one sessions and group workshops that will help you learn to connect to your guides, higher self, or other beings.]

Want to read more of what the channeling on this site looks like? Read our extensive library of archived Polaris Channeling.