Greetings, Friends –
An extended blog post to begin delving into channeling and my understanding of it… with the disclaimer that this is a small slice of a large topic. Even though I have been consciously channeling for the last six years, it remains a mysterious and magical phenomenon to both bear witness to & personally experience. Over these years, I have taken classes, read heaps, listened to podcasts, connected with a mentor and a few friends with whom to share and navigate this experience… such that I have an understandable context for my experience that enables me to thrive within it, but I can easily say that my mind still doesn’t ‘understand’ it. My heart does, though, and – thankfully – it has taken over as the driver. My mind is typically resigned to driving from the backseat…always sharing its opinion on the best route to take and looking for evidence to grab the wheel at any moment. Fortunately, my life continues to provide tangible evidence that all parts of myself are doing better now that my heart is in charge. SO – my intention is to speak up and out about channeling to help bring this topic out of the taboo-ed closet and into everyday discussions… as it offers a powerful pathway to heart-centered living (which I strongly believe we need more of in this world).
A few things to start:
- Some definitions that resonate with me…John Klimo defines channeling as ‘the communication of information (or energy) to or through a human being from a source that exists on some other level or dimension of reality than the physical as we know it – and that is not from the normal mind (or self) of the channel’. Helane Wahbeh, who wrote The Science of Channeling, refines the definition to include that ‘channeling is the process of revealing information and energy not limited by our conventional notions of space and time‘. And my 2 cents.. while there are many entities one could channel, the one that we each are inherently wired to access is that of our Highest Self… our own heart.
- Channeling is more of an umbrella term for a wide range of ways in which intuitive insights and info can be experienced or received… in theory, as many ways as there are people on this planet…because (a) most people have an inherent capacity to channel and (b) we all have unique ways of being which means our ways of engaging with / expressing / experiencing our intuitive insights are likely to vary. The most common ways of channeling include some combination of clairaudience (clear seeing), claircognizance (clear knowing, for example ‘gut instincts’), clairsentience (clear feeling), and clairvoyance (clear seeing). Most people can likely relate to having a gut feeling, receiving inspired ideas, or experiencing a synchronicity… and then the mind quickly minimizing & brushing it under the rug. Mind’s message to heart, “Shoosh! Be quiet!”
- Again, most people are born with a capacity to channel… similar to how most people are born with a capacity to sing… whether you are born with natural talent, take lessons to improve your skills, and/or can’t carry a tune is another variable altogether. Lubna Kharusi has shared, “that being a channel of Source energy is an integral part of human capacity, but yet through conditioning and mental constructs, we have prevented ourselves from accessing this natural state of connection, limiting ourselves, because of the reinforced beliefs of social-historical constructs of what people interpret and believe to be possible.” Mmhmm.
- There are parameters and guidelines that can be used to support a channeling practice, helping you ‘tune your dial’ to the station / frequency you’re desiring. The guidelines I use involve being grounded and centered, being intentional with whom I am channeling, using discernment (does the info I’m receiving ring true w my heart?), and having clear boundaries. When working with guides, it is important to treat these relationships with respect – just as you would with physical beings – and to remember that you, the human being, is in charge and can set up your channeling in ways that you feel most comfortable.
As I shared in my previous post, I include a bit about my journey into discovering my clairaudience gifts in The Inner Garden’s Preface. It was a traumatic entry – one that I would not wish upon anyone – and is certainly not a requirement for discovering one’s intuitive gifts. Early on, I enrolled in a course that enabled me to shift my self-perception of my clairaudient & clairsentient capabilities from one of being a victim to one of being a self-empowered goddess. A long distance trip between these ways of seeing myself… and, thankfully, it has been a one-way journey… where I only venture on shorter forays…places like ‘self-doubt’ and ‘desire to belong’ on occasion.
One of the blessings that my entry provided was that my channeling practice had to go through psychological bootcamp to earn my trust… developing tools for discernment was integral. Discernment provides the litmus test of ‘does my heart resonate with this information and does it support the thriving of myself and others?’. The mind’s definition of thriving is heavily influenced by considerations of ‘will this decision make me look stupid or worse yet be ostracized to the pointless forest?!’ The heart’s definition of thriving has more to do with ‘will this enable me to joyfully express my authentic self and love myself for who I am?’. Simplification of the mind and heart’s definitions of thriving, Yes.
The tug of war between my heart and mind will likely persist through my days, but thankfully I can readily discern when each is talking.
My channeling practice has evolved over the last 6 years and I anticipate that it will only continue to do so. First & foremost, I have had the support of a mentor and other real human beings with whom to navigate these intangible realms… so critical. Second, central to my process has been the development of trust and knowing how to discern my heart’s guidance from my ego / mind. It has been a bumpy ride, but each bump has given me an opportunity to refine and improve upon my discernment and practice. While my daily practice has taken on different forms over the years, I have consistently maintained a daily practice – one that primarily consists of getting grounded and centered and beginning my day with gratitude. Most of my channeling occurs while I am mindfully writing, asking my heart for input on all sorts of things and inviting my 12 guides to support me with my day. I do know all of my angelic team members by name and have a sense of their role. I do not hear different voices and it ‘sounds’ just like my own inner voice. However, when my guides are communicating with me, it is much kinder and supportive than what my own inner dialogue has typically been… I am pleased that this has also been shifting thanks to the support of my channeling… as I have developed much more compassion for the parts of myself that would have typically made me cringe.
My understanding of my guides is that they are an extension of me while simultaneously being unique entities with unique skill sets – that ultimately are supporting me in fulfilling my higher purpose / soul purpose for this lifetime. That before I came into this physical form of this particular physical life, some agreements were made about these guides being on my team to support the human form of me in actualizing my Higher Self’s goals for this lifetime. Still with me?! (Andrea Gibson is reminding me at this moment that vulnerability enhances evolution and to keep on sharing). I think of my guides as my personal cheering squad that support me in living in alignment with my heart & Highest Self… with the additional and phenomenal perks of sharing high-vibrational information to support my thriving. My gift of clairaudience enables me to capture this information in ways so that it can be shared… and that those who desire it can benefit from as well.
Braving the Wilderness: Relatable Excerpts On Belonging
I recently read Brené Brown’s book, “Braving the Wilderness,” which gave me a great deal of fodder to better understand my own journey of discovering and nurturing my channeling capabilities. In the book, Brené grapples with one of Maya Angelou’s quotes, “You only are free when you realize you belong no place – you belong every place – no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.“ This quote reinforces the value of belonging to yourself, first & foremost. Using my own lens, the price of not being understood by friends and family has been extremely high… and heartbreaking. However, the rewards of being able to better know and love myself, feel better in my own body, create plant medicines, write The Inner Garden, and more… is profoundly rewarding.
Brené ultimately gifts us this definition on true belonging:
“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.“
I know the world will experience more joy, peace, love, compassion, creativity, and expressed inspiration when more people show up each day as who they really are… not what they think they ‘should’ be. Can you imagine? The elevated experience offered to the world when more people are at home in their own person? To pull back the masks of fitting in, to excavate your true, heart-inspired convictions and feelings… and then act on them are truly courageous acts.
This sentiment is reinforced by Jen Hatmaker, also quoted in Brené‘s book:
“I won’t sugarcoat this: Standing on the precipice of the wilderness is bone-chilling. Because belonging is so primal, so necessary, the threat of losing your tribe or going alone feels so terrifying as to keep most of us distanced from the wilderness our whole lives. Human approval is one of our most treasured idols, and the offering we must lay at its hungry feet is keeping others comfortable. I’m convinced that discomfort is the great deterrent of our generation. Protecting the status quo against our internal convictions is obviously a luxury of the privileged, because the underdogs and outliers and marginalized have no choice but to experience the daily wilderness. But choosing the wily outpost over the security of the city gates takes a true act of courage. That first step will take your breath away.
Speaking against power structures that keep some inside and others outside has a cost, and the currency most often drafted from my account is belonging. Consequently, the wilderness sometimes feels very lonely and punishing, which is a powerful disincentive. But I’ve discovered something beautiful; the loneliest steps are the ones between the city walls and the heart of the wilderness, where safety is in the rearview mirror, new territory remains to be seen, and the path out to the unknown seems empty.
But put one foot in front of the other enough times, stay the course long enough to actually tunnel into the wilderness, and you’ll be shocked how many people already live out there—thriving, dancing, creating, celebrating, belonging. It is not a barren wasteland. It is not unprotected territory. It is not void of human flourishing. The wilderness is where all the creatives and prophets and system-buckers and risk-takers have always lived, and it is stunningly vibrant. The walk out there is hard, but the authenticity out there is life.”
I strongly believe that we can quickly turn this very large boat of humanity – that is crashing through stormy seas with a great deal of momentum – into calmer waters… through the collective and courageous individual acts of finding our hearts, living in line with our heart’s truths, and supporting others in doing the same (just hang out with Andrea Gibson’s presence to be led to this place):
I am still finding my own voice, navigating how best to share my experience of bringing forth channeled guidance…to know that everyone has intuitive, ‘magical’ capacities (albeit likely expressed in different ways)…but that you likely have to experience it to believe it possible. Feels like a Catch 22. I hope that by sharing my experience, more individuals will be more open to this possibility… I mean, wouldn’t you like to know what your unique ways (rather, superpowers) of accessing your heart’s guidance are?! To know how to be and to be your best-feeling person…and then, by default, reinforce this permission to others?! “The price is high. The reward is great.“
I’m probably breaking literary rules about how many quotes one is allowed to use in a certain amount of space, but by writing ‘excerpts’ in the heading I am giving myself permission to do so. I am grateful for the words that others have spoken or written that enable me to better understand my own feelings…and make it easier at this time to share them with you.
The topic of channeling is a vast ocean to cross – my wish is to encourage discussions that offer masks & snorkels… so we can more readily put our faces into the water and explore expanded realms of well-being.
May we each hear our heart’s whispers within our own sounds of silence… and have the courage to act on them!
Best, Megan
P.S. This post brought to you by Simon & Garfunkel’s, “The Sound of Silence” and by Rob Rey’s original art entitled, “The Galaxy Within II”.
P.P.S. Celebrating the life and afterlife of Andrea Gibson who left this earthly plane earlier this week…gifting us so many ways to remember how to lovingly show up in this life.