SPIRITUAL CHANNEL SURFING

During a late-night dinner party, my college roommate suggested we hold a séance to talk to Elvis. The commercial ouija board (made by Parker Brothers) didn’t seem so intimidating, until we lit a few candles and it kept answering “No” to every question. When we asked the entity it’s name, it rapidly spelled out ZYGOTE and a chill gust of wind blew out the candles and ended our game. Less than two months later my roommate discovered she was pregnant.

My first attempt at channeling struck me as scary and strange, thus dimming my interest for some time. Even the word “channeling” conjured images of possessions, witches and exorcisms. Some years later, I happened upon a book on Automatic Writing. As an avid journal writer, who’s often tapped into wisdom beyond my conscious knowledge, I couldn’t help but explore further. With time and practice, I’ve re-defined my impressions of channeling and want to share my insights.

The term channeling usually refers to the process of receiving messages or inspiration from invisible beings or spirits. Mediums or psychics have been known to commune with angels, aliens, animals guides, dead people, or disembodied entities. (A wonderful cross-section of people demonstrating such gifts can be experienced at the Whole Being Weekend festival.)

Channeling is not a new phenomenon. Aboriginal cultures have been conducting rituals to induce ancestral or spiritual guidance since before recorded history. In 1875 Helena Petrovna Blavatsky founded Theosophy based on the information she received from masters in the Himalayas. In the 1920s Alice Bailey channeled 25 books under the guidance of Tibetan master Djwhal Khal. Edgar Cayce was recognized widely for channeling valuable healing information in the 1930’s. The New-Age channeling movement gained international popularity after the best selling book, Seth Speaks, was penned by Jane Roberts in the 70’s.

Ester Hicks is an example of a widely known and accepted channel in American today. She dialogs with a group of spiritual teachers who call themselves Abraham. They speak about the laws of attraction and focused manifestation. The last time they drove their Monster Bus to San Diego, I sat before them and admitted that I am feverishly working on my first Novel. I wanted to know how to harness my channeling ability to aid in the successful creation of this book. His/Her response was that channeling is not so much “harnessing” as an act of “matching.” S/he instructed me to raise my vibration through meditation before I write, in order to naturally attract higher levels of inspiration. This advice not only produced amazing results in my writing, but transformed my view of channeling.

The skeptical mind might argue that the afore mentioned examples illustrate the human tendency for the dramatic. Perhaps such gifts are faked for money or attention. Maybe some mediums are psychological savants who have latent gifts in a part of their brain which is only accessed in a state of relaxation. Or it might be a function of a suppressed alter ego or multiple personality. These are all valid interpretations however, I choose to believe that everyone can access higher states of consciousness which increases their aptitude for tapping into the collective unconscious and drawing forth more creative contributions.

From this perspective, everything on the material plane first existed in the un-manifest and has been brought to us through some physical channel. Great masters throughout history brought amazing works to society through the process of channeling. Regardless of whether you call it inspired, gifted, guided, or simply tapped in, these artists are connecting with a higher source. Musicians such as Mozart, Bach, the Beatles channeled music. Artists such as DaVinci, Van Gogh, and Picasso channeled images. Sculptors channel form; mathematicians channel formulas. And inventors channel new ideas. I see it as a natural creative process to be cultivated, not to be feared.

My nearly completed novel entitled: Don’t drink the Punch: an Adventure in Tantra, takes place at an ashram in India where the devotees channel a disembodied guru named Das. The majority of my book has been written through a process of Automatic Writing. For instructions on automatic writing, to read sample chapters, or to purchase a pre-publication copy of my book, please visit: www.partnerplayshop.com

Enjoy the Gift,
Kamala Devi