Several types of psychic channeling exist including conscious channeling, trance channeling and automatic writing. In conscious channeling, the channel remains wide awake throughout the interaction with spirit and retains conscious awareness of any information communicated. During trance channeling, on the other hand, the channel goes into a sleep-like state or trance and retains no conscious awareness of the experience. Trance channeling requires an assistant to take notes or the use of a tape recorder to record what is said during the trance since the channel will not recall it. Automatic writing, a third type of channeling, involves written rather than oral communication from spirit. The channel enters a meditative or reflective state, relaxes his or hers hands and begins to write as directed by spirit. Automatic writing can occur via computer or via pen and paper, and many books have been written utilizing this technique.
During a channeling session, the voice of a conscious or trance channel may change accent, cadence, pitch or tone. Facial expressions of the channel may also change during a session with spirit. These noticeable alterations in the channel's sound or appearance help signal to a client or an audience that the channel is no longer communicating, and another entity is. Information conveyed during the channeling session is typically spiritual in nature. A connection with the higher realms may provide information that leads to increased self-awareness, self acceptance, self love and spiritual growth. Information about a client's previous incarnations, present life relationships and present life lessons and challenges might also come through the channel. High-level guides and beings of light never tell anyone what to do. They only offer insight and guidance about a person's life lessons and point out additional options or ways of viewing a relationship or situation.
A number of psychic channels have achieved fame in the last century. Psychic channeling has produced many popular metaphysical and spiritually-themed books in recent years too. Famous trance channels include Edgar Cayce, who channeled answers to health-related questions as well as prophecies about coming earth changes, and Jane Roberts, who channeled the entity Seth and wrote many books containing his metaphysical teachings. Well known contemporary channels include Sanaya Roman, Lee Carroll and Esther Hicks. Famous automatic writers include author Ruth Montgomery and psychic Jean Dixon.
Some channels enter a trance or meditative state and let the spiritual realm choose the subject of their channeled communications. Other channels allow their audiences to question the entities who speak through them. In addition, different channels specialize in different types of information. Some channels communicate with multidimensional beings that offer answers to questions about the meaning of life or reveal what it's like in other dimensions or the afterlife. Other channels provide messages about spiritual topics like manifesting, forgiveness, or spiritual growth and enlightenment.
Mediumship sometimes involves channeling. For communication with a departed human spirit to qualify as channeling, however, the communicating spirit must utilize the physical body of the channel to conduct the communication. A medium who sees or hears the dead possesses clairvoyant or clairaudient abilities and is not necessarily a channel. If a discarnate entity borrows the medium's body and speaks through the medium's throat and vocal cords, though, the medium is channeling that spirit.
Anyone can learn to channel and, with practice, can gain proficiency in this psychic phenomenon. Success in channeling requires intent, focus and faith. Often the initial messages seem imaginary or sound garbled. As with any new endeavor, though, channeling improves with time. Automatic writing may appear as mere scrawls during the writer's initial attempts. Later, with increased practice and confidence, the writing begins to take on a more legible appearance and produces more intelligible messages. Conscious channels likewise may start out relaying confusing, inaccurate or unintelligible messages. Additional experience brings clearer, more focused and more healing messages. The word channeling often denotes communicating with a spirit guide or other high level being of light, and profound yet intensely personal spiritual guidance can come through during a channeling session. Psychic channels offer a unique and enlightening service.