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I've been fascinated by channeling since being a teenager. Curious. Passionate. Wanting to channel myself, I suppose. I gobbled up as much as I could find: Seth. Emmanuel. Michael. Especially Michael.
So many things are included in what channeling is. We don't say someone was "channeling Mozart" for nothing. An inspired work of art can be channeling, like Wagner's operas, great paintings, a great speech, or even energy work. What we normally call channeling is when there's a focus on bringing forth, usually into words, wisdom and perspective that we don't normally have. Many spiritual works are channeled in their own way, and so this really applies to all of spirituality.
There was something about reading channeled works that inspired me and felt right. Both what was written as well as the expanded view of the universe. Channeling is based on the understanding that there exists essentially an infinite amount of wise and helpful beings who are out there in a universe far bigger than we can ever comprehend. These channeling beings are usually from other planes of existence, such as the causal plane or astral plane, where a lot of our support comes from. They aren't all "enlightened" - some are mischievous or just playful - but if we ask for guidance, we generally get it. There exists beings (such as Seth, Emmanuel and Michael) that seem to us like they're an absolute repository of all wisdom. After all, if they don't know something, they can just look it up in the Akashic Records, right?
And so for much of my life I've had this image of channeling tapping into some absolute authority and wisdom. Something like a guru.
 There is definitely an appeal in Western culture with the idea of a guru of sorts. In Hindu tradition, this is mostly encapsulated in the idea of bhakti yoga and is referred to there as "the quickest path to God". It is the path of complete and unswerving devotion. The negative side of this, often when directed at a guru, is a naive devotion without intellect and skepticism, more about giving your power over to someone else in a blind hope that you will benefit in a miraculous way. In psychological terms, it is like trying to find another parent, a source for knowledge that seems god-like and that should never be questioned. As I posted recently on the forums, this putting the Self aside to allow room for a guru can be a great manifestation of Martyrdom.
Too often, I've seen (and joined in with) a group, whether it be channeling or spiritual in other ways, that has this energy. It's often unacknowledged and even covered with a statement like "questioning is welcome". Questioning is great when it comes to asking for new information from the source, but not if it's questioning the basic answers or authority of the source - even if the questioning arises because something is honestly not working.
So from this positive skepticism, today I'm writing about what is good channeling.
To me, the essence of good channeling and teaching is solely one factor: does it help?
Does it help, really?
Too often this basic question is glossed over. Perhaps the channeling feels good. This can be because it's helping - but it can also be because it's making you feel temporarily better and more "spiritual" than others. (Starseeds, anyone?) This makes you feel better but can hurt in the long run as it disconnects you from all the people you feel better than.
For more famous entities such as Seth and Michael where there was a significant following and the original channels no longer exist, what I've seen before is reasoning such as "does the phrasing and feel of the information sound identical to the original channeling?" This is a complete detour of the question of is it beneficial, and invites trickery; a person that is intelligent and well read in the material can easily speak like the original source and give similar information. In the case of Michael, the original material came through a Ouija board, which made the information terse, direct, and published in ALL CAPS. We don't know if the phrasing would be completely different if it came spoken through a trance channel who was able to get up and look people in the eyes. I'm imagining it would be - after all, the medium is the message. So basing validation solely on phrasing and familiar information seems like folly to me.
What does help? Here's some basic properties of what, to me, feels like good channeling:
- There is new information, such as a new way of looking at things that opens more possibilities in how you live your life. It's contains information that would not have come through other means. (This doesn't mean that much of the information isn't common sense, though!)
- At least some of the information that could not come through any other means is verifiable. In other words, there is some way to find out (and I'm not talking about rigorous scientific standards here, sometimes it's a call to a grounded intuition or inner resonance) if what is channeled has relevance. For instance, if someone channeled that you were "seeded" 100 lifetimes ago from Sirius, there is no way to determine if it's true or not. It's interesting, but not helpful, as it doesn't apply to your present experience. On the other hand, to take a more extreme example, if a channeler says that you had a traumatic previous lifetime in southern Germany and that going there will bring up lots of emotion which might help you release it, then you can verify it by visiting. If there are no emotions and it feels peaceful there, then it is likely not true. (Most things won't need such expense though!) If there is nothing that can be truly verified -at least by your own internal resonance - in an extensive channeling, then it is also likely there is not as much that is helpful.
- Helpful channeling gives a feeling of expansion.
- It helps you appreciate and love yourself and everyone around you, including people you don't like much now.
- It empowers you and helps you access energy you didn't know you had.
- Healing energy is brought in that helps, even in intangible ways. You would notice this by the changes in your body, emotions, and perceptions.
All of these qualities need to be judged at all times, because things change. What helps for you now is different than what will help you 20 minutes from now. That's why it's dangerous to put any person into a guru mode, even when they are channeling a wise, powerful energy. And yes, this definitely applies to Karen as well!
The "Other Side"
On a more humorous, lighthearted side, occasionally I 'channel' a very overweight, lesbian boxer called "Butch". She's incarnate but evidently I either get her essence or just connect when she's asleep. Whenever I get anal and intellectual, become too stuffy, take my growth far too seriously, or generally become a martyr for something, she comes in and says something like:
What the %$#% are you doing? I wipe my ass with guys like you. Yeah, your genius-type chase-your-tail thinking may get you that dream office job with the Rowan Atkinson boss, depressing fluorescent lights and Ricky Gervais coworker puffing you up, but when's the last time you cut loose? Where's the fire in your soul? Take this Friday night and do what I always do. Listen up ...
[I cut out here to keep the young readers].
So is this "quality channeling"? Depends. It's not Seth, that's for sure. But it helps, and that's really all that matters. It makes me approach life differently. Getting stuck in a rut - even if it's rereading something amazingly wonderful for the 30th time, like Seth, Eckhart Tolle, or the Bible - is still a rut. It doesn't help.
There's no hierarchy up there for angels, entities, and lofty infinite souls. Just because Jane Roberts channeled very erudite words with many insights doesn't mean that's all the help you need. Sometimes a loving kick up the arse - figuratively speaking of course - is what creates the most joy. It gets the moving center going.
The truth is that for me - and I think this applies to everyone. What honestly helps me is rarely what I think will help me.
What do you all think is good channeling, or good spiritual material? And what exactly has helped you most?
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I STRONGLY AGREE.
There is a saying about psychic experiences: distrust any information until YOU feel its accuracy and until YOU experience an energy other than your own Self/Essence/Higher.
I've gotten in touch with my dreams. At first I was getting comforting and reassuring dreams that made me feel good. Now I'm just getting "kick-in-da-butt" dreams telling me to loosen up and just have friggin' laugh! And THAT's what really made the difference.