How Does One Channel?

I was recently asked to teach someone else how to "channel". I don’t know how to explain how to channel, because I think that the process is a little different for everyone. I also believe that people receive spiritual guidance in an infinite number of ways. I know there are books and classes that purport to teach channeling, but I have never had any personal experience with them. I understand that these books and classes do work for some people.

What I can share is how I began to channel, in hopes that it might be helpful to others seeking to do so. My awakening to my spiritual abilities began when I had a “near death” experience. My heart apparently had to be “jump-started” in a hospital ER. I cannot say precisely how this altered me or my perceptions; perhaps it activated a previously dormant part of my brain. What I can say for certain is that my spiritual abilities began to manifest shortly thereafter. I do not mean to imply that one needs to undergo some sort of near death experience in order to be able to channel. Most people do not. But I do believe that it was instrumental for me.

My exposure to channeling occurred soon after when I witnessed a spiritual counselor of mine engaging in it. She would actually speak in different voices, and with different accents (!). Because I knew this woman very well, I knew that what she was doing was authentic – that she wasn’t putting me on. (Had I witnessed a stranger doing this, I might have burst out laughing.) Around the same time, I started asking a simple question prior to meditating each day. During the meditations, I began hearing one or two word answers to these questions in my "mind’s ear"…like a voice whispering to me. I began to trust these as messages from spirit. They grew into clearer, more lengthy communications.

In the meantime, I was in the fortunate position of being able to spend almost every waking moment (no pun intended) working solely on my spiritual development. I was addressing many of my core issues from a spiritual perspective – which was very new for me - and working to raise my vibration.

It also helped me to read a lot of channeled information. A book that was pivotal for me in developing my abilities was "We the Arcturians", channeled by Dr. Norma J. Milanovich. The book is not specifically about how to channel; but reading it somehow opened up my frequencies in ways that I cannot explain. Also, for me, witnessing other people channeling, or even watching it on the internet, would often cause me to start channeling as well. For example, just watching the VirtualLight broadcast at www.lightworker.com sometimes has that effect on me.

Another choice I made which greatly enhanced my channeling abilities was the decision to become a vegetarian. Once I stopped eating meat, it felt as if I were a hot air balloon, and someone had just dumped a dozen sandbags of my ballast overboard. It was one of the most dramatic upshifts in vibration I have ever experienced.

Other things I did to help create a space for channeling included quieting my mind, lighting a candle, burning incense, or playing some gentle, spiritual music. Going to the beach or out into nature are other ways I encouraged this type of communication. Basically, anything that helped raise my vibration served to increase my ability to connect with spiritual guidance.

At this point in my life, however, I find that setting up this space is no longer always necessary. When light beings want to communicate with me, they sort of "tap me on the shoulder" wherever I am - whatever I'm doing. Fortunately, this usually happens at convenient times.