Trance Channeling

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Jul 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

buzzbee	15 Jul 2003
I thought I'd trhow this topic into the collective hat before the thread is archived. Maybe others here will share their techniques too. I can only describe trance channeling in terms of sensations that follow desire. The only technique is quieting the mind and focussing the will, & then holding that intention, unceasingly with grinding determination. I’ll try to break it down: There’s no dimming of the lights or special music, but I unhook the phone. Traffic & household noise doesn’t bother me. I like to sit in an upright armchair. Almost certainly, as soon as I begin, I end up with 3 cats materializing from the woodwork & on my lap until an entity arrives, when the cats leave again (unless it’s my Teacher who the cats adore & then they drape themselves like ornaments). There’s always at least one other physical person present to ask questions and take notes. 1.Quiet my thoughts ¢er with deep breathing; gently think only of my breathing until I feel a sinking, settling, slightly “out-of-phase” sensation like that felt just before falling asleep. Notice I did not say I ground. I save that until I’m done & want to come back. 2. Breathing deepens. I might focus on a specific question or go straight for my Teacher. Either way, I focus on mentally asking if someone wishes to “come through” and speak. I desire their presence. This sensation is like thinking of a favorite food and even if you’re not hungry, wanting that taste. I desire the taste of the other’s presence. Just like you can feel a person standing behind you, I’ll feel something in response pressing against my thoughts. It’s never intrusive. 3. I will draw my identity to the rear, being present but not controlling, by deciding to let the other presence speak. Obviously if they’re going to talk, I have to get out of their way. But I’m still aware and still conscious. I have to concentrate my attention on staying out of the way, but not so far away that the mouth won’t operate. I’d describe this as what it’s like when you’re thinking of one thing while idly singing la-la-la-la; the lips are moving but the brain isn’t editing. I have to let their presence get bigger while I get smaller. 4. I have to want them to speak. They are willing, but until I want it too, they can’t. At this point my posture changes & you can usually tell a familiar entity by how they sit, almost like a signature. 5. The presence will usually offer a greeting & take a minute or two getting settled & acquiring my physical form. Then they start talking. My job at this point is only to maintain my distance. My usual Teaching session is between 1 ½ - 2 hours long. A short one is about 45 minutes. 6. There may be more than one speaker at a session – my former living teacher, the medium I’d learned from back in the ‘70’s, died about 4 years ago - & it’s been a real hoot when she’s come through. (Ah – lost myself there for a minute remembering old times!) The switch from one speaker to another is just a repeat of steps 3-5. 7. Closing is more than not wanting to continue. I have to decide to close the mental doors to other presence’s, as well as decide to come back & refocus on myself. It helps to remember the appearance of the room I’d left my body in (because occasionally I take off and leave). I must ground with the same degree of determination that I’d used to stay in the background. I have to taste my own presence. 8. Eat! During trance I expend energy in body heat and when done, I am very, very hungry. BTW, I cannot do trance-speaking at all if I’ve consumed alcohol within 8 hours before a session. Zip. Nada. (They told me to never mix my spirits – they love bad puns.) Anecdote: One time I’d had a bad head cold & was very congested with a sore throat & scratchy ears. As soon as my Teacher got in to talk, all symptoms disappeared & the voice was clear & not nasally. He said he didn’t have a cold and saw no reason to suffer mine. As soon as he was gone – pfft, the cold congestion was back. Shows what the mind can do. Now, when I’m trancing for religious purposes, there are different sensations but the technique is the same on my end. The main difference is my desire and the love that permeates my entire being. Communing doesn’t have to be in words at all. Presence, with a capital “P” is everything. I bask in the glow. Hope this helps anyone wanting more info on trance channeling.

Sayonaran	15 Jul 2003
I don't call it trance mediumship. I really don't call it anything since it's a part of what I do. Sometimes I use my lasen board to get started if I haven't 'channeled' in a while. I usually call on the Winds of the East and West to aid me in finding someone of suitable quality to speak with. Most times the spirits will introduce themselves, but it varies. Either by name, an element, or even a birth sign. Sometimes I assign them a name if they decide to come back and aren't comfortable with giving me their name. The sessions vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours. I'm usually exhausted, but not terribly hungry, and I take a nap afterwards. There was one person I contact often. He went by his zodiac birthsign, Sagittarius. For almost a year, he was my Teacher and helped me find my identity when doing various things. I eventually passed one of his tests and he doens't come back, except when to give me some important advice. The spirits I communicate with don't speak to me in direct voice. I hear them speaking in my mind and I can answer back normally, as if I'm having a one way conversation. I can also see them either standing or sitting on my right side or in front of me. If they don't want to show themselves to me, I instead sense their signature of energy so I can tell who they are. It's rare that I have repeat visits by the same spirit, (except for Sagittarius), but it's surprising on what you find with all these different people. To note, no one's allowed to sit behind me or on my left, or they suffer a good strike by my Guardian who's always present when I do this.

Red Emma	15 Jul 2003
Fascinating! First of all, Saronaran, what is a lasen board? How does it work with your channeling efforts? And Buzzbee, how do you control the kinds of spirits which come through? Do malevolent ones ever appear? If so, how do you deal with it?

buzzbee	15 Jul 2003
Red Em - my guides control who can come in & I have never had a negative presence, even tho in my early years of wide-eyed ignorance I never took any protective precautions - not so much as lite a cande or say a prayer before beginning. I just completely trusted my guides & after 30+ years they've never let me down. Unrelated, I did once "bump into" the out-of-body presence of Charlie Manson (ugh - there's a guy with a screw loose), & I pitched such a hissy fit (like mentally throwing rocks) that he got the H outta my way. When I'm OOB I have a real kick-butt attitude which probably accounts for a lot :) One of the very 1st things my (living) teacher got me started with was the meditation on the heart temple, long before channeling was attempted. This can be found in "Wisdom of the Mystic Masters" by Joseph Weed, still in print. I think that was good preparation. Basically it's visualizing your safe place (a temple was used as the example) with earth, air, fire and water. Then concentrating on controlling the flame in the temple. Sayonaran - it's just what you do. :D I like that. Simple & direct.

Alissa	15 Jul 2003
buzzbee, I *love* that you use "desire" as a means of contacting intuitively. I've been reading quite a bit lately on desire as a holy tool in Tantric training. It is amazing and lovely stuff, very powerful. I was so taken with your method and use of the word in conjunction with my reading, it seemed such a synchronicity to read your post. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your method. I also regularly contact my Inner Teachers, but not through anything as formal as a trance. I see what I do as less "channeling" and more "praying."

buzzbee	15 Jul 2003
Alissa - my teachers like to say that desire, will and belief is all it takes to do anything. That's kinda neat sychronicity-wise.

Sayonaran	15 Jul 2003
It's a form of 'ouija' board that's similar to the one by parker brothers. I don't call it ouija cos it isn't one. It's more detailed than some 26 letters, 9 numbers, and 4 words. Zodiac signs, common words and symbols, elements are just some of the things that are on it.

Dark Inquisitor	16 Jul 2003
This is very interesting buzzbee ! Are you aware of any past lives you've had as a medium? In another thread, a member raised a concern about the ethics of contacting spirits, and obviously the spirits coming to you want to communicate. But do you think there are ethical concerns about using tarot to contact spirits that have not asked to be present? Thanks, Tarotphelia

buzzbee	16 Jul 2003
Hi Tarotphelia. I'm aware of several supposed past lives I may have had (no proof of course) but not any as a medium. There was one as a priestess responsable for the prayers of the dying. I've never used Tarot to contact spirits. I'm not sure what that would entail. I've always thought of Tarot as a mnemonic device of accessing universal truths rather than a means of spirit contact. As for ethics in using Tarot in that manner, I can't see how a card spread would be coercing communication with anyone. Maybe you could clear that up. In mediumship I ask only for those who want to be there, & then of these, accept only the ones my guides have weeded through as ones who mean no harm. You can tie yourself in knots if you weigh everything for its ethical value, but it must not be ignored either. There's a middle-ground you do your best to attain. A forced communication wouldn't be of much value IMO. Does that address your question OK?

Dark Inquisitor	16 Jul 2003
[quote]Originally posted by buzzbee [b] ***I've never used Tarot to contact spirits. I'm not sure what that would entail. __You might do a reading about someone who has passed away, asking them questions, etc. Or you might do a reading on a haunted house & get into a dialog with them, or a fact-finding expriment. ***I've always thought of Tarot as a mnemonic device of accessing universal truths rather than a means of spirit contact. __I think that is the primary focus. But I have recently bought The Path book by Whitley Strieber & he says he used the tarot to communicate with aliens - pretty surprising ! I never thought of that before - I don't think I would want to do that. I have done some readings on hauntings with interesting results. Here is an old thread: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?threadid=10781&highlight=soldier Trance channeling would be much more direct & a better way to do it than that though. *** As for ethics in using Tarot in that manner, I can't see how a card spread would be coercing communication with anyone. Maybe you could clear that up. __I always think about it as making a phone call- the spirit doesn't have to answer if it doesn't want to. It was someone else's thought . Maybe they saw it as being pushy & nosey with dead people who just want to be left alone. ***Does that address your question OK? __Yes, thank you ! Tarotphelia

buzzbee	17 Jul 2003
Hmmm - this I gotta think about. I'd imagine Streiber has other, very direct means of communication with aliens since they mess with his life so much. Of course not having read the book you mentioned, I can't form an opinion. I could see the use of tarot to put you in touch with your inner levels where you may be aware of sub-levels of spirit (or alien) communication. I don't quite get it as a direct line to spirit. That's the part I'll have to give some more thought. Getting back to ethics - your comparison to making a phone call seems a pretty good one. You are the phone.

The Trance Channeling thread was originally posted on 15 Jul 2003 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.