Channeling

According to Webster's Dictionary: the practice of professedly entering a meditative or trancelike state in order to convey messages from a spiritual guide.

In the New Age movement, channeling is the claimed receipt of information or commands by a person functioning as a medium or channel for an unknown or divine source, much as a radio receives a signal from a transmitter. Although the term was coined in the 20th century, the concept is quite old and widespread.

Channeling is often believed to entail spiritual possession, where a spiritual being takes control of the receiving person's body. This mode is central to Spiritualist religions, such as Kardecism. It may also refer to other psychic phenomena where the patient loses only part of his control on his body, as in certain forms of dowsing, or merely acquires new information or ability, as in clairvoyance and telepathy.

1 Books about the process
2 Other texts
3 Channeling in fiction
4 Reference
5 External links

Books about the process

Several notable books describe earthly people who go into a trance state to allow a spirit guide to come to them, whereupon the guide conveys messages from other spirit men to listeners (see seance). Thus, two intermediaries are needed, one on each side of the "heavenly divide" for a conversation between a living person and a dead one.

In Unknown But Known, the author describes seances he conducted for several different groups of people. He would sit in a chair or lie down to enter a trance. A spirit man known as "Fletcher" would come and speak through him. Those for whom the seance was being conducted would then typically ask Fletcher to put them into contact with departed loved ones or perhaps famous people.

Interestingly, the chapter entitled "The Sun Myung Moon Sittings" was removed from the book in editions printed after Rev. Moon gained notoriety. Perhaps the publishers felt inclusion would hurt sales of the book, or expose the publishing company to ridicule or boycotts.

The seances conducted for Rev. Moon and his disciples included strong testimonies from several spirit men, including Fletcher himself, all but averring that Rev. Moon was the Messiah.

Other texts

Books and texts which allegedly resulted from channeling include:

Brazilian psychic surgeons, such as José Arigó, claim to work as channels for deceased surgeons.

Channeling in fiction

In fantasy literature, the term channeling is sometimes used in other ways, particularly to describe a person's ability to draw on some form of magical power. For example, the Wheel of Time series uses the term extensively (although it is by no means the only work to do so).

Reference

Klimo, John (1987). Channeling: Investigations on Receiving Information from Paranormal Sources. St. Martins Press. ISBN 0874774314.

External links

Categories: New Age | New religious movements | Occult