Q: How did you become a
channel, and what kind of training did you go through? Please be
specific about your training.
It seems like the circumstances in my life guided me to learn
the skills that I needed to learn to become a channel long
before I even knew what channeling was. In 1979 I had a UFO
sighting with my family in New Hampshire. Though I had been
interested in psychic phenomenon before that experience, the UFO
sighting really accelerated my interest in paranormal subjects.
I was in college at the time. Shortly after that I was studying
hypnosis in college and learned to place myself in an altered
state of consciousness, mostly for stress management.
Those early situations (the UFO sighting and learning to put
myself in an altered state of consciousness) helped to lay the
foundation for what happened later.
In 1984 I began to see a channel named Darryl Anka who channels
Bashar. The channelings by Bashar had a very profound impact in
my life. During that time I had a dream in which an entity
materialized and touched all of my chakras. The entity said to
me, "You will be a channel." That experience both scared and
excited me. I immediately went to Bashar and asked him what this
was all about and what I could do to develop my channeling.
Bashar actually recommended a channeling class that he knew of
in Los Angeles that was just beginning. I called the teacher and
it turned out that there was only one opening left. The class
began a month or two after my initial phone call. During the
interim I felt like I wanted to continue to learn about
channeling before the class began.
An exciting process began happening. I began to feel the
presence of other entities and a lot of energy around me. I
would go into that self-hypnotic state that I had taught myself
years before and the spirit guides began teaching me the early
stages of channeling. They would blend their energy with mine,
move my hands and head, and they would exercise my vocal chords
so I could feel what it was like to speak with a new energy in
my vocal chords.
That really got me ready for the class.
Q: So the channeling began even before you took the class?
That is true, yes. I was channeling already before I began the
class, but I felt that I needed some type of formal guidance. It
is a very frightening experience to be opening to something like
channeling without assistance.
I entered the class in January 1985 and I studied with five
other individuals once a week with the teacher for about 4-5
hours. Then we met independently without the teacher once or
twice per week for about 4 hours. The class itself taught a wide
range of approaches to channeling - all of which are very
important aspects of the channeling experience.
One area that was stressed was the area of Personal Growth,
which is what I focus on now when I teach channeling. This
aspect is important because it is what allows a channel to be
clear. If a channel processes his/her own fears, issues, and
blockages, then they become clear as a person and thus will
become clear as a channel.
(A channel who is not clear, loving,
and nonjudgmental in life will not be a clear, loving, and
nonjudgmental channel.)
We also did a lot of work having to do with the subconscious.
There were a lot of guided meditations that were for the purpose
of releasing blocked energy that resides in the subconscious.
This energy is expressed through an archetypal language
understood mostly by the subconscious and unconscious aspects of
ourselves. This includes the areas of fear, love, judgment, and
the integration of polarity (whether it be male/female or
dark/light).
There were many lessons having to do with the blending of
spiritual energy with ourselves in human form and the expression
of that energy through speech, movement, or music (depending
upon the individual channel's talents). A lot of focus was
placed on the Higher Self and how everything we need can be
accessed within us without even having to work with entities
outside of ourselves.
We also did basic work having to do with the development of our
psychic abilities and the stimulation of our chakra (energy
center) energy. We worked on divination using tools such as
tarot cards, runes, etc. Our lessons were comprised of a whole
mixture of teachings designed to shape us into flexible and
clear channels.
Q: So this was some serious study.
Yes. Even late in the year we accelerated our class time and
spent even more time practicing. We were very dedicated.
Q: Eventually you began to work with the entities Germane and
Sasha. Before they appeared, what other entities were guiding
you? Were they with you only to help you learn to channel?
The very first entities I began channeling (who came through
before the class began) were a mixture. The first one I remember
was a Chinese philosopher named Kwan. The entity Ra came through
also. There were quite a few. I don't remember them all. The
first entity that stayed with me and helped me develop as a
channel called herself Raydia. I channeled her for three years.
She was the entity that my Los Angeles clientele knew the most.
I became known first for channeling Raydia. The whole time I
lived in Los Angeles and I was channeling publicly, I was
channeling Raydia, along with several others.
Q: What was Raydia like?
She is a female version of the guide I work with now named
Germane. Just before I left Los Angeles [in 1988] and moved to
Arizona she did her last channeling. She said to the group, "You
will never see me in this form again." I had no idea what that
meant. Eventually she integrated herself into Germane. Like
Germane, she was a collective consciousness, but had a strong
affiliation with the star Arcturus. Germane has many different
aspects to him, but Raydia was very heart-centered and strongly
affiliated with Arcturus.
I also channeled an entity called "the One" at that time, who
had a strong connection to the energy being worshipped by
Ahkenaton in his attempt to introduce monotheism in Egypt.
Q: You mentioned an entity named "Ra". Was that the same entity
mentioned by the Egyptians?
It is not the same entity as the one discussed in the later
dynasties of Egypt. The original Ra evolved into something else
later in the mind of the later Egyptians. Ra was another
collective.
Once I moved to Arizona, everything changed. Surprisingly, I
began to channel Merlin. He was very enigmatic and kept telling
us that he was just a temporary guide and that he was getting me
prepared for a new frequency. About six months later, Germane
appeared. He was very hard to channel at first, and had a
bothersome accent. I begged him to work with me so that the
accent could be dropped.
He said the accent had something to do
with the way his energy interfaced with my speech centers. It
took a few years, but eventually the accent was lessened. Now it
is just slightly perceptible. For people who have listened to my
tapes since 1989, they will notice that the accent diminishes
after about 4 years. This is indeed a long process!
Q: Could you tell us how contemporary channeling developed in
America?
In the late 1800s the spiritualist movement in both Europe and
America increased. The interest in mediumship strengthened. Back
then, it mostly focused on channeling the entities who had died
- deceased spirits who return to give information. In the 1950s
there was a surge of channeling from supposed extraterrestrial
sources. One channel named George Van Tassel was a real pioneer
in terms of ET channeling. At that time, it was very simplistic
channeling but quite profound for the listeners.
I would say that the main influence for many of today's
contemporary channels would have to be
Jane Roberts who
channeled Seth. She began channeling in the 1960s but her
material wasn't well known until the 70s and then it experienced
another surge in the 1980s. Her material is very intellectual
and deals with the nature of reality as well as our connection
with God, reincarnation, etc. It comes from a very well-balanced
and well-rounded perspective. I feel she is the pioneer of
modern day channeling in America.
In the 1980s another channel influenced channeling called J.Z.
Knight who channels Ramtha. Unfortunately, her channeling style
is very dramatic and there has been controversy around her. So,
when channeling became popular in the 1980s and the media got a
hold of it, J.Z. Knight was the one everyone focused on. The
media portrayed her in a very bad light which influenced the way
the world perceived channeling. Shirley Maclaine wrote about her
as well. Channeling was distorted by the media immensely in the
1980s. Even J.Z. Knight's material was distorted by the media.
Another channel that influenced us in the 1980s was Kevin
Ryerson who was also popularized by Shirley Maclaine. But, he
did not get as much negative press as J.Z. Knight.
Right now, everyone involved in metaphysics or self-help pretty
much knows what channeling is (but their true understanding of
it is most likely inaccurate). Therapists are now using
channeling in their practices. However, I still find that unless
someone has experienced channeling firsthand and have had a good
experience, they still do not understand what it is and judge it
from a place of being misinformed.
Q: Isn't Edgar Cayce well known as well? Is he considered a
channel also?
I forgot to mention him! I'm sorry about that.
Edgar Cayce
influenced American channeling a bit, but he is extremely
unique. His material could be corroborated and often was
validated, whether it was prophecy or medical remedies. His
channeling wasn't known necessarily for philosophy and
spirituality as it was for practical, down-to-earth information.
He has done a wonderful service for channeling.
Q: Is there a hierarchy among the entities who are channeled?
You will get a different answer to this question depending upon
who you ask.
I will preface this by saying that this is my
opinion, but I do believe it is true. For those of us in the
physical plane, reality is linear. We always need to put things
in a hierarchy in order to understand them. This is even
reflected in our corporate structure. From the spiritual realms,
the entities tell me that there is no hierarchy. The entities
all view each other as equal, but perhaps with different areas
of expertise.
So the most common labels for the different types
of entities channeled in America would be the following:
I have
found that channels who are very good and clear do not channel
about the concept of hierarchy. Some channels who are not as
clear or developed might tend to focus on the idea of a
hierarchy or on forms of separation. Each entity has their area
of expertise that is reflected in the type of information that
they bring through.
Q: Channeling has existed for centuries but has taken on
different styles. Why do you think that the popularity of
channeling has risen in conjunction with the growth of the New
Age movement?
I think there are several reasons.
One has to do with species
evolution. If you look at human history there is always a
resurgence of paranormal interest at the end of a millennium.
This is both positive and negative. The negative is that there
is a resurgence in apocalyptic prophecy. The positive is that
there is a spiritual revival in one way or another. The boom of
the New Age movement at the end of the 20th century falls in
line with historical trends.
Also, we are living in an increasingly technological world that
is leading us away from nature and our connection to the
universe. I think people are trying to fill a need to feel
connected again. Connection is our natural state of existence!
People are looking for any activity or philosophy that can make
them feel that connection.
Channeling is providing a service,
but it is certainly not the only way for people to make that
connection.
Q: Do you think also that this resurgence in channeling is
connected to the transition that many people feel we are now
experiencing?
I think it is connected with the transition. If what is being
channeled is true - that the vibration or energy of the planet is
accelerating and that we are transforming ourselves in response
to this acceleration - then it seems only natural that we will
make use of the brain's capacity more than we have in the past.
There is now some research about what happens in the brain to
one who is channeling. However, this research is not complete.
Channeling is indeed connected to this transformation because
the transformation is causing us to want to reach out and expand
our potential, especially in the areas of thought and
consciousness. Channeling is one way to do that.
Q: It is amazing that no one is doing serious research into
channeling.
I think there has been some research done, especially at UCLA.
The research that I am familiar with was done by Ph.D.s. One
doctor studied the psychological changes in those who are
developing as channels. She wrote a dissertation on her
findings. [The late Dr. Margo Chandley.] There are also brain
wave studies in which channels have been hooked up to EEG
machines. [These are not released to the public yet.]
When
channels go into the channeling state and begin channeling an
entity, all the brain waves peak. For instance, when we are
awake in normal life, only the
beta brain waves peak. It seems
that channeling uses more of the brain because all the brain
waves peak. The brain becomes more active. This is exciting
because it may confirm the idea that, in fact, channeling is
expanding the human potential.
Does this mean that everyone needs to learn to channel to expand
their brain capacity? No, I don't think so. If the theories
about the morphogenetic field are correct, there will only need
to be a certain number of channels to reach critical mass. At
critical mass, the brain evolution will be passed to the
majority of the species, thus creating an evolutionary leap.
Q: From your experience as a channel since 1985, do you find any
similarity in the messages that are being channeled?
There is definitely a similarity in the messages. It seems like
each channel has their own area of expertise, but the overall
message is the same. These basic messages include the following
ideas:
-
We are all the creators of
our own realities, and reality is created through our
thoughts and emotions
-
We are part of a galactic
family of which we are not yet totally conscious. Beings
of immense diversity have visited and
continue to visit us whether in physical form (such as
UFOs) or on the spiritual levels (such as angels)
-
There is a transformation
happening that called different names by different
teachers. This is a real, tangible event
-
We all have our connection
to God within us and need not worship something external
to us. We are all a part of God and
need no one outside of ourselves to serve as a "cosmic
messenger" - no priest, no church, no guru, and
certainly no trance
channel!
Q: You often mention that channeling
is a process of cooperation between the spirit guides and the
channel. What do you mean by that? What determines the quality
of a channel?
In old school mediumship, the mediums were just vehicles for the
spirit's messages. Often the medium would enter a sleep state
and not be present for the relaying of the message. When the
entity would leave, the channel would collapse from exhaustion.
They would then have to recharge themselves. It was a process of
separation between a channel's life and their spiritual work.
In present day, channeling is much more a cooperative effort
between the channels and the entities. Ultimately, I think this
is healthier and a lot better for the growth of the channel.
Most channels now enter a semiconscious state and don't
surrender control to the entity. The entity can't do anything
that is against the moral code of the channel. The channel
enters a receptive state and allows the entity to do the work.
While the channeling happens, the channel benefits also. They
don't just go to sleep. They benefit and grow and the energy
channeled through somehow also transforms the channel on very
deep levels.
The channel is in partnership with the entity, so we as channels
can say,
"Your energy is too strong. Can you please give me
less?"
The channel can make requests of the entity and the
entity is more than willing to comply. This is also extremely
important because as we see ourselves as equals to the channeled
entities and work in partnership with them, the idea of
separation is decreased.
Now for the second part of your question. The aspects that
determine the quality of a channel might be surprising to some
people. One of the incorrect belief systems out there is that
all "good" channels must be unconscious while channeling so the
mind does not get in the way. However, I see far too many
unconscious channels who are unclear and their channeled
information is judgmental and, in some ways, hateful.
What seems
to determine the quality of a channel is how much personal
processing they have done in their life. Have they worked on
their fear and resistance, and their fear of victimization? Have
they learned to relinquish judgment? If they have done work to
become self-empowered, can become humble, and are committed to
their personal growth (even if they have to see parts of
themselves that they don't want to see) then they can make very
good, clear channels.
It doesn't matter whether a channel is unconscious,
semiconscious, or conscious. The state of the channel's heart,
mind, and emotions is of utmost importance.
Q: So a channeled entity must use the vocabulary of the channel
and is limited by their humanness?
That is correct. Whatever belief systems or discriminations that
we as humans have, they are encoded in our very cells. If a
human leaves his/her body and lets the entity fully merge into
this reality, the entity still has to use
the channel's brain
and use the coding that is in the channel's cells in order to
speak and express. It is a biochemical process as much as it is
a spiritual one. The coding can act like a distortion mechanism.
If you wear glasses that are coated red, then everything you see
will be tinted red. The coding within us always "tints" or
distorts the energy coming from a spiritual source. Unless we
learn to lessen at distortion, it will always be distorted no
matter whether we are conscious or unconscious as channels.
Q: So that can only be cleansed through the personal work?
For the most part. In the research I've done during the last
decade the answer would have to be yes. The channel must be
willing to commit to their growth and work through their most
challenging issues in order to become clear.
Q: Some people have the conception that once one learns to
channel and can access wisdom from other dimensions, all of
one's problems will be solved. They won't have to do anything
except listen to the advice. This belief isn't really correct,
is it?
No. Believe it or not, many of my students have had that
assumption! Some have believed that if they became channels that
they would never, ever have another problem in their lives! The
entities are not here to stop us from learning and growing. They
are actually here to stimulate our growth. They will always tell
a channel that they are here to be of service but that they are
not here to take away our problems.
We must learn and grow, thus
strengthening ourselves as humans. These human challenges make
us clearer channels. If a student wishes to learn channeling
because of that expectation, they will find the process very
difficult indeed.
Q: As a very public channel since 1985, what do you feel are the
biggest misconceptions about channeling?
There is a lot of discrimination that goes on regarding
channeled material. One of the biggest challenges has to do with
general society. Most of society understands what channeling is
only through how it is portrayed in the media. The media
portrays it in an extremely distorted way. Because the media
likes to promote sensationalism and tabloid journalism, they
focus on the dramatics rather than the actual information and
the beautiful experiences that people have had.
The biggest distortion portrayed by the media is that channels
are in it for the money. I can tell you that I have not gotten
rich off of this, and I could be making more money as a
secretary, which is what I was doing before I was channeling!
Many people also believe that the people who channel are simply
crazy or have personality imbalances. The exact opposite is
true! I've been fortunate to have been very close to the
research of a Ph.D. who studied channels and found that, for the
most part, the healthy ones are very balanced people. These
people usually have higher education and are emotionally stable
as well as having a good relationship with physical reality.
I would say that if people would just take the time to do the
research about what channeling is before they make a judgment,
they would come to understand that it is something very
different from their preconceived notions. Of course, there are
some unhealthy channels out there which, unfortunately, makes it
harder for other channels who are committed to their personal
growth and clarity.
Q: How has channeling changed your life? How has it enriched
your life?
That is a difficult question because since 1984 channeling has
been such an integral part of my life that I don't know what my
life would be like without it. I would say that when I started
to channel, I began to feel more in control of my life. I began
to feel that I created my reality and I had the power to create
a positive reality that I preferred.
Any challenge that comes
up, I have the power to walk through it and learn from it.
Channeling has encouraged me to always learn from everything
that I experience and it has made me a lot more optimistic --
probably more than I ever could have been in this life if I
wasn't a channel.
Q: Do you get to benefit from channeling? How do you ask the
entities questions?
There are several different ways. The easiest is for me to write
the question down and have someone else ask while I am
channeling. The area that I would like to improve in my own
channeling is in answering my own questions.
Sometimes I put the question out there to the universe and
usually very shortly after that I get the answer either through
inspiration or through a life circumstance that shows me the
answer.
At other times, the guidance comes very clearly in the form of a
"thought ball" that seems to drop into my consciousness. Once I
unravel this (like a ball of yarn) the answer presents itself.
I enjoy the process of learning the answer rather than being
told. Several times I have gotten answers to questions easily,
but if I wasn't ready to hear the answer, it usually made no
sense anyway. When you learn for yourself (rather than being
told), it is a lot more profound.
Q: Channels have often said that they made an agreement to work
with their spirit guides before they incarnated in their current
life. Is this true for you?
I don't know if I've made an agreement to do it so publicly, but
I do feel I've made an agreement to channel. One of the entities
that I work with now (Sasha) says she is a physical
extraterrestrial from the Pleiadian star system. When I was a
child, my cousin and I used to make a lot of jokes about being ETs. We used to say we were from both
the Pleiades and Orion.
Even as a child I had this connection and fascination with the
stars -- especially
the Pleiades.
I had an experience when I first started to channel even before
I joined the class. I was in a sauna and I was relaxing. I heard
communication that said to me,
"Are you ready?" It startled me
and I said, "Ready for what?" The voice said, "Are you ready to
do what you've agreed to do?"
I don't know who sent this
communication. It was very clear that they were "calling my
number" and it was time for me to begin the work. It was
frightening because it put a lot of pressure on me!
So yes, I do think I made an agreement before I was born, but I
don't know any of the specifics.
Q: Could you describe the UFO experience you had in 1979 that
was your turning point?
My father's house was in a rural area of New Hampshire. It was
the first snowfall of the season and I looked outside to see how
much snow had fallen. It was dark and I saw a very large ball of
light that looked like a miniature sun. I would say it was about
500 yards away in the forest across the street. Perhaps it was
closer. It was hovering. Every once in a while it would make
some angular movements that no aircraft can make. It was very
overcast because it was snowing, so it had to be something very
close.
When I called my family to the window, they witnessed it as
well. By the time they got to the window it began to release
something that looked like a teardrop of fire from it. It fell
toward the ground. When I opened the door I heard a very unusual
sound like a whine that started low in pitch and then went
higher in pitch and intensity until it disappeared.
I was only 18 at the time and I desperately wanted to go out
into the forest to see it. I had no fear at all. I was so
excited. My father would not let me go to investigate. There was
no noise that would even come close to a conventional aircraft.
The area in which I grew up, in New Hampshire, was known for its
UFO activity. This really left an impact on me.
Q: Do you have any advice for anyone who wishes to develop their
channeling abilities?
The number one thing that channeling will do for you is
accelerate your personal growth. So, be prepared! If you choose
to develop yourself as a channel, you will be transformed and
you will become a different person. The best possible reason to
choose to be a channel is to become a better person. If you
choose that goal and pursue it while using channeling as a tool,
you will become a very clear and good channel.
I would not recommend that people choose channeling in order to
become a professional or to solve all of life's problems, or for
any other reason that is not one of humble service. It must be a
path of the heart. The path becomes difficult for those whose
main focus in not on their own growth. This is because in order
to become a good channel you must be willing to look into the
mirror of your soul and embrace even the most horrific aspects
of self. Not everyone is willing to do this.
Finally, at the risk of sounding like a school teacher... if
you are going to do it, you must practice, practice, practice!
That is the way you become clear. When you practice, you will
have periods of doubt. Continue to practice during those periods
of doubt because the doubt eventually fades. But you have to
have the will to get through those challenging periods.
Q: People also have a misconception that channeling is just a
process of connection with entities and spirit guides. You have
emphasized often however that channeling spirit guides is
actually a byproduct of learning to connect with the Higher
Self, which is actually much more important. Could you elaborate
on this idea?
When you focus on your personal growth and clear your blockages
the natural result is to make a connection with the Higher Self.
Once you make that connection with the Higher Self many doors
will open. The door to your creativity opens along with the door
to many hidden talents that you might not know you had. One of
these talents might be the talent to channel spirit guides. If
you choose to learn to channel spirit guides and focus only on
that and do not focus on your personal growth, it will be a
difficult road. If you choose the path of your Higher Self, then
the door to the universe opens widely before you.
The Higher Self is, simply, the part of us that we all have that
connects with God. It is our own individual Christ/Buddha
consciousness that we possess within us. It also represents the
pinnacle of human potential. That Higher Self exists for all of
us and is the higher point of view of life on Earth. From the
point of view of the Higher Self, our confusing world makes
sense. When you make your own intimate connection with the
Higher Self, your life begins to make sense.
Q: What role does the Higher Self play when you channel other
entities?
Higher Self is like a gatekeeper or a big cosmic switchboard.
The HS knows your path in any given life even when you don't
know it consciously. HS always guides and protects you and makes
sure that you move in the direction you need to move for your
own growth.
When you are channeling another entity, the HS will be the
switchboard that brings in the entity or gives permission to the
entity to come through and communicate.
Q: Is the Higher Self energy then blended with the spirit guide
who is speaking through you?
Yes. The entity's energy is funneled through the Higher Self. I
describe the process as follows: I go into the altered state.
The personality I know of as Lyssa goes to sleep in the back
sleep. My HS is the driver of the car. The entity is a passenger
in the front seat. The HS drives the car and guides the
channeling experience. The entity is the navigator. It is a
cooperative process between the Higher Self and the entity. So,
when the entity comes through, it is blending of both.
Q: What if two different channels channel the same energy? Will
the channeled entity have the same personality?
Yes, but there may be subtle differences. I've channeled Bashar
(who is primarily channeled by Darryl Anka). The Bashar that
comes through me and the Bashar that comes through Darryl are
noticeably the same entity. However, the subtle aspects of the
entity are colored by either my Higher Self or Darryl's. There
have been interesting things that have happened. Darryl and I
have both channeled Bashar and channeled the same information
within the span of a couple of days, not knowing what came
through the other channel. There is indeed a sense of continuity
between us.
Q: Could you describe your unique form of channeling?
I do a form of channeling that I call semiconscious channeling.
This means that I do go into an altered state, but I do not
leave my body. It feels like I am asleep and dreaming. My eyes
are usually closed, and my speech patterns slightly change. When
I awaken, I may or may not remember what was said.
Sometimes I
have my own experiences or teachings given to me while the
guides are speaking to the audience. I usually only remember
about 50% of the material. If I do not discuss it after the
session, it fades from my memory much a like a dream would fade
as we busy ourselves with our daily lives.
Before we close the interview I would like to stress again that
it doesn't matter whether a channel chooses to do conscious,
semiconscious, or unconscious channeling. All forms can produce
clear and profound channelings. The most important key is the
quality of the channel as a person and as a vehicle.
In choosing
a channel, you must ask yourself questions such as the
following:
-
What is the channel's
personal life like? Does the channel walk his talk?
-
How clear is the channel in
his/her waking state? Does he/she create a lot of chaos
in life or is the channel a relatively balanced
individual?
-
Does the channel deal with
the basics of 3D life on Earth easily or is he/she
seeking to escape from this reality?
-
Is the channel or channeled
entity subtly or blatantly telling you that he/she has
the only truth and that you must follow it in order to
be "saved"?
These questions and more will open a
window into the quality of the channel and the channelings. Do
not be afraid to use discernment (rather than judgment) when
looking for a channel who gives clear and useful information.
There are different styles
for everyone. Keep looking until you find the right channel for
you.
If you approach channeling with an open heart and mind it can be
amazingly rewarding. Keep in mind that most channels are not
providing this service to prove anything. Since channeling
cannot be "proven" it is ridiculous to try to use it as a method
of validation. Instead, it is meant to be a spiritual service
that leads an individual back to the God within.
In our distant past, channeling in its many forms was a natural
part of life practiced not only by shamans and spiritual
teachers but by anyone with a sincere desire to connect with the
greater part of themselves. Today's western world has rigid and
dogmatic scientific perspectives that leaves many people feeling
the void of spirituality within them. People in increasing
numbers are turning to their inner selves for guidance.
This
quest will serve to strengthen the individual as a spiritual
being and, when practiced with humility and an open heart, will
always lead the seeker back Home.
