I was giving a presentation on the Black Madonna a few weeks ago (a podcast version of it can be found here), and shared some of the messages I received from her while meditating in her sacred places. After the presentation, I realized that it may have seemed perplexing to some — what does she mean by “the Black Madonna told me”? Did the statue start speaking? Did I hear voices? And if not, how could I be so sure this was her voice, and not my own imagination?
This brings me to the topic of channeling, which I can define as relaying messages from Spirit. Can everyone channel, and if yes, how to do it effectively?
Years ago, I used to attend Evangelical Christian meetings, and some people would always say, “God told me…” A friend of mine used to share her skepticism, “God always talks to some people… Well, he never says anything to me!”
I remember at the time, I thought the whole notion of God telling me something was utterly ridiculous. Everything was already written in the Bible! Besides, having God tell someone “don’t worry, I will take care of it” sounds suspiciously like wishful thinking rather than any genuine revelation.
Even if the messages were radically different from what we normally “hear” as our inner dialogue, isn’t this just a part of our subconscious? How can we be so sure of their accuracy? Is it God, or is it me?
I think the turning point in my understanding of channeling was realizing that it can be both.
And that yes, the channeled message is, and always will be, skewed by the perception of the channel. I will even add a very heretical statement here— this is absolutely normal!
After all, the Bible that I was referring to is also a channeled book, betraying the perspectives and biases of each individual author. The Divine as expressed by John the Apostle is very different from the Divine as expressed by St Paul — and yet both were referring to what they saw as absolute and unshakable word of God. The word that they, in effect, channeled. What is more, my own understanding of the Bible has evolved, and while I now look at this book critically, I still refer to it in my spiritual practice.
Our perspectives and biases will always color our messages from Spirit, just as they will color our artistic expression (also a form of channeling). There can be no other way, because we are Divinity expressing itself through human form, seeing the world through human eyes, describing the world through human language, limiting itself in order to create, to express, to transform.
Honoring our limitations is, in fact, honoring the Divine. If you are looking for “the burning bush” experience, because you think this is how the Spirit will communicate with you, you may very well be waiting forever.
While an experience of God(ess) as something greater than ourselves, bigger than ourselves, more powerful than ourselves is very valid and helpful, let us not forget that each and every one of us is a part of God(ess). The Spirit talks to us every day — the only challenge is to get out of our own way.
But what does it mean in practice? And if this were so easy, why are some messages completely “off”?
In my experience, the greatest obstacle to channeling is actually doubt, and not lack of personal perfection (however we may define “perfection”). This being said, I believe it’s important to strive for the purity of our channel. This regards especially the purity of the mind. Mental chatter, worry, information overload or obsessive thoughts will most likely block your perception.
To channel effectively, we need to first and foremost limit distractions to a minimum, creating an energetic container by first emptying the mind of unnecessary clutter, and then allowing higher vibrational frequencies to flow in. This can be done through a combination of meditation, breathing practice, spiritual reading, prayer or creating a sacred space (or, as in the case of my Black Madonna channeling, connecting to a sacred space).
And then, the only thing you need to do is to show up, be present and listen.
How we channel is very individual. Some people perceive intuitive information in the form of images and symbols. Some, especially academics and people in professions such as doctors or lawyers, as a form of inner knowing, a quick realization that may take a bit of time to unwrap into coherent words. Some people are not really sure what they are receiving until they start writing, and somehow the words just begin to flow. You may have flashes of insight just upon waking up, before you are fully awake. The ways of receiving are endless.
What is important is to pay attention to your intuitive insights, to allow yourself time to pause and clear the mind, to listen and to actually receive. Just like any skill, channeling will take practice. My principle is very simple — if you want the Spirit to talk to you, ask! However, what is very unlikely to happen is for you to start hearing voices or for statues to start speaking.
But you may notice a shift in energy, a sudden memory come up, perhaps a passage from a book, a line from a song… Go with it, allow more to emerge. Don’t sensor or question what is coming up. You can tell the mind that we will sensor and edit later, but for now we are just receiving whatever wants to come.
You may argue that if we are all one, and a part of God, why bother with particular high beings, such as Archangel Michael, Mary Magdalene, or a Black Madonna of Positano versus a Black Madonna of Moiano. In my experience, honoring the individual faces of the Divine, tuning into the difference in energies, is actually a safeguard against the mind’s tendency to abstract and generalize (and, ultimately, to limit your perception of reality).
Spirit will speak to you in the words you understand. Your messages from Spirit will come in images you have seen before, in passages from the books you once read, or in memories of places you once visited. The fact that it was a part of your experience does not mean that the message is invalid! Quite the contrary, this is how the Spirit typically speaks. Remember, do not wait for the burning bush!
In fact, expecting the Spirit to come with thunder and lightening is one of the greatest spiritual dangers (or, at the very least, mistakes), and can be a beginning of a very tricky path into self-deception.
There was a passage in the Bible about prophet Elijah who was in trouble and was desperate for guidance from God. He went up to a mountain (yes — away from distractions, and physically emulating ascent to a higher vibration), and settled in a cave:
And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire a still small voice…
When Elijah heard this voice — in some translations, a mere soft whisper — he immediately got out of the cave and started speaking to God. And I think Elijah’s dialogue with God was not about hearing whispers in a cave.
The voice of the Divine was a whisper because it took some effort to listen to. For most of us, it is a whisper also because we are afraid to channel — what if I hear something I don’t like? A major obstacle to channeling is not that we can’t, but that very often we don’t want to listen.
Start practicing, listening, connecting, and don’t forget to keep asking. This is how things are done here — in order to receive, we need to ask and get out of the way. And you will channel!
