Hi everybody. I got an email the other day with a question I remember having myself when I learned how to channel. I figured this information will be helpful for others so I am passing it along.

Here’s the email: I found your site a few days ago and I just wanted to tell you that I love it. I have been trying to work with my guides for about a month now. I write down a question in my journal and then I try a calm myself down and say a prayer. Then after awhile I start to write what comes to me.

Do you feel different in a good way when you are channeling? I’m still learning to trust myself, is it one of those things that the more you do it the more you learn to trust? Thanks again for your website.

And, my answer: In the beginning you might feel “different” when you are channeling. In fact, many people try to set up some atmosphere that will say to them: this is my channeling time. Like a special notebook, a quiet place in the house or garden. Just something special. After you’ve been doing it for awhile you don’t need anything special and can channel standing on your head. In fact, one of the best places for me to channel when I was learning was in the bathroom. It’s relatively quiet and you’ve got some privacy.

As far as how do you feel later on once you’ve been channeling awhile? You really don’t feel any different than you do normally. It’s like in the beginning you are working with entirely different energies and maybe you get buzzing in your ears or tingling across your forehead. Later on, nothing like that. You just channel. It becomes such a natural part of your life that you even begin taking it for granted.

I will, if I am channeling for someone, close my eyes, take a deep breath to settle myself, reach inwardly for calm and the higher energies. Mostly, I’m chicken, so this is a technique for me to get over self consciousness…then, I open my mouth. It just comes out.

To help in the beginning for verbal channeling what you might do is start it yourself by sounding out a note…or singing…or humming. Then, you pretend. Pretend is very important. Pretend that you are handing over the use of your voice to your guide and whatever comes out is okay, no matter what it is. Specifically, for these early exercises make the silent agreement with your guides (whether you can hear them or not) that what comes out of your mouth can be nonsense. No doom and gloom. No holy messages. Nothing like that. In fact, for the entire first year you are channeling don’t buy into any of that. There’s too much of you in the mix and what it really is, and will always be is a mix of what you want to say, what you want your guides to be saying and what they are trying to say. It’s called wishful channeling.

So, the goal is to be able to allow your guide the room to say something useful. They can’t do it while you are in the way. So, you need to relax. You need to not be self conscious. You must, underline, must make the commitment to pay attention to your own mental and emotional health and take very proactive and necessary steps to address all that. These guides will be pushing your buttons and you can’t be a good channel for either yourself or anybody else if you’re battling depression, sore emotional spots, whatever. Don’t resist growing. Don’t try to make it all go away. You need to be healthy. Make the commitment to do something about it by either seeing a psychotherapist when it seems appropriate, definitely keeping a journal and don’t try to pigeon hole exactly what should be happening as you learn how to channel.

Everybody channels differently. Everybody comes to it differently. Sometimes people see odd bits and pieces throughout their lives but it doesn’t come into this final act of channeling until they are middle-aged. At least, that’s how it was for me.

Biggest thing is there are no rules for it. Play with it. Relax with it. Your guides are wonderful teachers, much respected and will be gentle with you. Stick with them for the first year. Don’t go seeking haunted houses to talk to ghosts. Stick with your teacher for the first year.
Also, don’t go blabbing around the messages they give to you. Remember, for awhile it’s going to be skewed channeling. Even now I don’t trust what I channel about dieting. It’s just too near and dear to my own heart. I will take the guides advice for myself and it has been helpful, but I’m not sure about for other people, so I don’t pass on that info when it comes. Unless I think it is absolutely terrific or funny.

And, they will be funny. Guides can be hilarious.

I’m so glad you wrote and asked such wonderful questions.