Some Observations about 'Channeling'

 These photos of 'channelers' are from a 1989 Time-Life book: (clockwise from top) Jach Pursel, Diana Hoerig; Taryn Krivé; JZ Knight; Kevin Ryerson; Neville Rowe.

 

In recent decades, 'channeling' has brought a renewed manner of spiritual dispensation to our world although evidently misunderstood, unknown or ignored by a multitude of people.  Upon investigating a particular channeler for the first time, the nature and complexity of the communication may be challenging to place in perspective.  Fear may be an initial response to the evidence of an unseen spiritual power influencing our lives and cause you to look away; however, the circumstances of your life have not changed — the only thing different is you've become more metaphysically aware.

One contemporary mainstream media figure who has helped expand public awareness about channeling is Oprah Winfrey with her reports about Brazilian trance healer John of God — see Links Index of channeling articles and videos.  In the Index, names of channelers appear under three classifications.  Some channelers could have been placed in more than one category; for example Paulina Peavy was not only a trance channeler for transcendental communication, she was also a trance painter.  The 'universal beings' who spoke through her said during a 1958 radio interview: "Together, we have painted many thousands of paintings in her — several hundred, probably near a thousand for the purpose of introducing ourselves to you in the way that we desire to be introduced."

A 1989 book with some photos and brief articles about channeling is Spirit Summoning of the Time-Life Books series Mysteries of the Unknown.  Among the six photos shown above, it is noticeable that JZ Knight is the only 'channeler' with eyes usually open during a channeling interlude as the self-professed "enigma" known as 'Ramtha' speaks through her.  In the UK, the condition of the eyes being open or closed during channeling sessions was explained by 'Paul' communicating after a 'total takeover' of Ray Brown (as reported in the blog article "Raymond's Other Guides").

There are many parallels between the transcendental communication of channeling in comparison with recordings and transcripts of Direct Voice Phenomena (disembodied speech).

This is an infrared photograph showing an ectoplasmic voice box emanating in front of Flint. (The Leslie Flint Educational Trust photos)

 
As mentioned in a previous article, Leslie Flint was the Direct Voice medium whose 'control' 'Mickey' may be heard attempting to explain the nature of the communication in the recording entitled “Mickey 4 - 7632K - 41 minutes - recorded 1972”  / “mediumship, animals and life force.”  Mickey was asked about what was going on at this moment on his side.  This is part of the response:

. . . all around and about you tiered are many many souls, many peoples from different environments, different vibrations, different evolutional — condition of evolution — and they’re all sort of gathering around.  And they’re conjuring the fact that things are going on in the middle — and that there is a possibility of making some contact or communication.  And they’re all trying to tune in — and be conscious and aware of what’s going on.  And most of them to some extent are — but they’re not always able themselves to enter into the arena that I call the middle and they can only sort of be bystanders and transmit.  And sometimes we have to pick up their thoughts and hand it out to you.  And sometimes on rare occasions — very rare occasions — we speak in the first person for them.  A lot depends on the individual. If they overshadow us or come very close to us we are taking on something from them and transmitting to you.  We prefer them to do it personally but occasionally they will use one of us to transmit and then we take on something of them and their personality and we lose our own identity temporarily.

A Spirit Summonings introductory page reported: ". . . to believers, channelers are among the heralds of the New Age, a dawning day of cosmic harmony and terrestrial peace."  Although the articles are brief and subjects are sometimes approached from a denialist perspective, among the topics of the book are Spiritualism, Andrew Jackson Davis, 'physical' or materialization mediumship including Brazilian medium Carlos Mirabelli, the discovery of 'Cross-Correspondences' by members of the Society for Psychical Research, and the research of Klaus Schreiber (concerning phenomena today categorized as Instrumental Transcommunication).  The range of these articles remind the reader that a gamut of information is readily available about diverse forms of 'unexplained phenomena.' 

The 1988 primetime ABC News report telecast about JZ Knight and Ramtha on "20/20" entitled "The Voice from Beyond" presented previously recorded video footage as the manifesting spiritual Force wouldn't cooperate by allowing the production team any new channeling footage (as explained in a previous article).  The ABC editors selected brief video excerpts from a Denver exhibition.  Some other of this footage can be seen in a three and a half minute video uploaded to YouTube in 2015 with a snidely derogatory title (now defunct).  There is one scene featured in both the "20/20" segment and the short video where 'Ramtha' sits down beside an audience member as some others laugh.  While myself attending a Ramtha lecture, I couldn't help but notice the giddy demeanor of some audience members.  I could only deduce that they were conditioned to seek amusement from incessant TV show and movie viewing.  During lectures, Ramtha often speaks drolly (as can even be seen even in this short video) and this trait is common in channeling cases.

 

It would be hard for anyone to reach any conclusions about 'channeling' from these short video clips.  Sometimes referring to himself/themselves with the pronoun 'we,' Ramtha has never been easily predictable in the public presentations (or "assays" as Ramtha sometimes calls them).  It seems certain to me that the most complex 'total takeover' channeling case may well be that of JZ Knight and Ramtha, whose instruction has consistently included the utilization of "verbiage contradiction" and "I will manifest all your fears" philosophizing.  Concerning the 'verbiage contradictions,' one can sometimes perceive how apparently contradictory statements can both be true — based upon circumstances or due to the basis of personal beliefs.

Considering channeled perspectives, the transcendental communicator must speak carefully.  If what is said greatly opposes an individual's beliefs and spiritual understanding, than the manifesting entity could be quickly and harshly judged and lose all relevancy according to individual perception.  At the conclusion of a 2014 Interview (the subject of a previous article), Ramtha commented about his philosophy: "There is an exquisite art of delivery . . . I have been most artful in my delivery."

Here are some transcendental communication transcript excerpts from Spirit Summonings —

JZ Knight/'Ramtha': "When I learned to love myself and embrace the whole of life, I ascended with the wind into forever.   I am now part of an unseen brotherhood who love mankind, greatly."


Kevin Ryerson/'John' the Apostle: "It is, as though, a time wherein, as though individually, individuals are harnessing, as though, their spiritual perspectives, and are bringing about, as though, a collective formulation of the manifestation of that which is called Christ Consciousness.   The Christ Consciousness is, as though, the adherence to the alignment of the mind, the body and the spirit in service, as though, to a greater cause."


Diana Hoerig/'Merlin': "I shall step forward in what you might call the Merlin costume at this time . . . I am simply a symbolic Archetype of a force, a power to manipulate nature."


Neville Rowe/'Cajuba': "I am Cajuba.  Welcome to this interspecies communication between man and dolphin.  We are sending communication as vibration from us to you.  These vibrations are translated into English words within the subconscious mind of this channel."

Previous blog articles have considered the cases of Kevin Ryerson (1, 2, 3) and Jach Pursel (1).  Spirit Summonings includes reports of some channelers who seem comparatively obscure.  Diana Hoerig "leads the Violet Flame Network, a Southern California group whose aim is 'to concentrate energies toward creating truth and integrity in our social and government institutions.'" Taryn Krivé is mentioned in regard to "a seminar held by Taryn Krivé of Los Angeles, a former legal secretary who channels a bevy of otherworldly visitors, including Bell Bell, a giggly voiced six-year-old from fabled Atlantis; Aeffra, a deep-voiced Eastern European; and Barking Tree, a Hopi Indian woman."

Three blog articles in 2016 (1, 2, 3) reported about The Image of An Oracle (1964) by Ira Progoff.  The book presents 12 transcripts of transcendental communication.  Considering the statement that came through Diana Hoerig mentioning "Archetype," I was reminded of an observation by Progoff about the communication involving 'Tahoteh' that came through trance medium Eileen Garrett.  In the chapter "Commentary on Conversation No. 1 with Ramah," Progoff wrote:

Tahoteh is involved in the level of the psyche that Jung would speak of as archetypal, the depth where the universals of existence are experienced and portrayed.  We can indeed understand the fact that Tahoteh describes himself as "the giver of the Word" to indicate that he expresses the symbolic level of experience.  The Word is the Logos, and this is the dimension for meaning in human existence.  Thus Tahoteh speaks as the personification of the transpersonal perception of meaning as this is presented to and in the psyche of Mrs. Garrett.

Like everyone else, channelers themselves must interpret the communication that comes through them.  Some of the difficulties in this perhaps might be ameliorated through the awareness of other cases of transcendental communication with comparisons of the instruction articulated.  For example, among the many short books of channeling session transcripts published by Ryuho Okawa is Spiritual Interview with George Washington: Revealing Donald Trump's Hidden Identity (2016).  The question of reincarnation in relation to the first U.S. President and the current one involves "spiritual identity."  When considering transcripts and recordings of transcendental communication, there are times when an individual must determine if the meaning of a statement should be interpreted literally or figuratively.  As another matter, there are cases where there is photographic evidence suggesting 'individual physical reincarnation' as photographs of contemporary people closely resemble people who lived during previous epochs; sometimes with noticeable parallels among events of the two lifetimes.  Concerning physical resemblance and 'reincarnation' of George Washington, a surprising facet of the transcendental communication canon is the resemblance of clairaudient channel Guy Warren Ballard with George Washington, as mentioned in a previous article.
 
Sometimes a perspective of Ryuho Okawa as "the Savior" is presented in his books; however, regarding a single person as a lone 'savior' to bring enlightenment to people worldwide is to ignore the angelic Force that is the omnipresent Source making all 'channeling' possible.  It is the responsibility of each experiencer of 'divine grace' to make available their knowledge for the benefit of others.
 
As the annals of transcendental communication include perspectives of a 'Second Coming' (1, 2, 3), it is intriguing to consider if the Holy Bible is in some way a divinely inspired albeit redacted work among the holy books of world cultures and religions.  Traditionally with these books holiness and salvation are associated with enlightenment, signifying that an evolved individual is he or she who manifests wisdom through each social interaction.  One biblical prophecy is from Matthew 24:30: ". . . and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven . . ."

 

This depiction of "The Ascension" is by Christian Dalsgaard.

 

When one considers the broad spectrum of channeling, divine or 'angelic' interaction with humanity is given evidence with correlations recognizable throughout diverse aspects of so-called 'unexplained phenomena' as chronicled in books and recordings.

The Spirit Summonings book is one of the few attempts by 'mainstream' publishing companies to investigate channeling.  Something that I hadn't known about before is reported in this book — the magazine Spirit Speaks was published by Glenn and Molli Nickell in Los Angeles for a few years beginning in 1985.  Inexpensive copies of two anthology books and an issue of Spirit Speaks were found upon my conducting an Internet search.

 

In Issue 18, one transcript of 'Dr. Peebles' communicating through William Rainin includes the statement: "I offer my encouragement [to each of you] to work in the upliftment of consciousness for the rekindling of the Golden Age of Aquarius, the rebuilding of the spiritual communities." 

As often noticeable when comparing transcripts of the channeled communication, the 'new Age' theme is articulated by Ramtha channeling through JZ Knight in a video clip released in 2015.  Ramtha is seen declaring: "The world as you know it is coming to an end.  The age of philosophers comes to an end.  And what be a philosopher?  An entity that collects teachings.  Philosophies. Science theories.  Religious possibilities.  They collected under the auspices of philosophy . . . The greatest hidden knowledge that wasn't burned, destroyed or hunted down is a great knowledge.  And the knowledge was that every human being was a divine being and that they have extraordinary powers — and if ever awakened would never be ruled by any kingdom or any religion.  And the acts of power was to dispower."

When one conducts in-depth research of channeling, it seems inevitable that one will come across instances of nondescript channeled wisdom or channeling ostensibly resulting from imitation.  On these occasions, it seems best to go on one's way and give one's attention to the channelers whose work one does find worthwhile.  'Lazaris' channeling through Jach Pursel commented about the rarity of 'objective' channeling in a transcript in the 1987 book The Sacred Journey: You and Your Higher Self —

Jach did not attempt to develop a relationship with us.  We came to him, so to speak.  He did not plan on us, though we planned on him.  We love him grandly and help him immensely, but we are not his Higher Self.


We know there are those who claim to be able to teach you to channel.  Some can.  However, there is channeling and there is channeling.  You must differentiate.

There is subjective channeling.  Each of you can learn to channel FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT — FOR YOUR OWN GROWTH.  Each person who is creative is actually or potentially channeling at least their innate or developed creativity!


Then there is objective channeling which is like the work that we and some others do.  You cannot take a class or even a "home study" course to develop this form of channeling.  Edgar Cayce and Jane Roberts, who were both objective channels like Jach, did not seek to do this work.  On a very deep level they gave permission, of course.  They did not consciously learn how to channel.  They were chosen — it just happened to them.

Subjective channeling — for your own growth — can be taught.  Objective channeling — for the benefit of all those who are touched — cannot be taught.  Hopefully, we make ourselves clear.