spiritual traps / channelling

[ethereal]

I personally don't have much experience with channeling, but I have read several channelled works, and this article really surprised me because I never realized these things about spirit guides/psychics and channeling. Perhaps spirituality and psychic phenomena aren't as safe as we believe it is?

Are You Seeking the Light or Just Dancing with the Dark?♥ A Guide to Spiritual Discernment by Peter Newton

would love to hear some comments, and possibly discussion on which channeled sources are really positive and which may be dark. im not sure if my spiritual discernment is clear enough to tell, especially since i resonate with almost everything i read and that 1-5% might not be enough to raise any alarms.

[Reyv]

I've been reading parts of the book, and I have to say it's a very good read. Thanks for posting the link.

At first, I was going to discount it as just another source of fear, uncertainty, and doubt, but having gone past my initial apprehension of being wrong, I'm going to say that it's at the very least quite thought-stimulating.

Anyone want to try and make the argument that Abraham is a being of the Dark?

[TheColonel]

This needs a bump..

[AndyMartin]

Interesting read...I wonder if he's 95-99% correct?

I definitely agree that there seems to be a threshold where discernment becomes very difficult, and naturally it seems to be around critical points, like the source of any given information. That has been something I have struggled with for a long time, realizing a number of years ago that my mind is capable of creating or re-creating any sort of spiritual experience or insight I'm looking for. And it takes some serious Buddha mojo to completely extricate your mind and ego from any intuitive practice. Plus a number of prayer traditions and new age practices seem to suggest communication is like talking on the phone, whereas I'm concluding it's more like a CB. Anyone can answer and there's no obvious way to tell who's on the other end or selectively block anyone.

I've been experimenting with challenging with mixed results. The part about conviction playing a role rings true, but at the same time I wonder, is the "other team" following an honor code that they leave because you commanded it? If they're a powerful entity, I imagine they're going to have strength against positive vibes/love, just like stronger good entities can withstand greater -- not lesser -- amounts of negative influence. So I think a negative entity will plant themselves until you find some way to get them to leave.

My current theory is that all of the confusion enters at the origin of thought and speech, and knowing occurs prior to either of those (when it occurs at all). Any idea that originates in thought or word is immediately suspect because a) it could have come from any source, and b) it has passed through the ego and could have been distorted along the way. So the second we apply interpretation or articulation to any experience, we raise the risk of interference. But if we operate from the place of silent knowing, I think we can be sure that this is coming from our true inner awareness and is reliable.

Then what happens is those interfering influences (including ego), having "planted themselves," see you're not paying attention to them and start beating you up for it. But I've found right next to the place of knowing is the place of power, so there seems to be inner resources for dealing with that as well.

So having opened my mouth, 95-99% is probably the most right I can ever be, assuming a perfectly accurate interpretation of perfectly reliable information.

[TheColonel]

If what this guy says is correct, the current Spirituality movement needs to stop and take a close look at things.

Think about the syllabus/canon right now - from Abraham-Hicks to Coversations with God, much of what New AGe/Personal Development/Spirituality...whatever you want to call it.... is the result of connecting with 'channelled beings.'

Newton makes some good arguments and observations, but like you said Andy, I don't understand why a 'dark' being would go away just because he was challenged. Seems to me, at least in some cases, that 'challenging' them would just give them more power.

But for the most part, I think the article is congruent and believable. Not very fashionable right now, but it definitely gives you a lot to think about.

Do you realize how many people are able to channel??? It's unreal. They're cropping up everywhere. Why is this?

[skydust]

interesting read. he definetily has a point that it is possible to channel so called 'dark' beings, however if you clearly state that you want a guide that serves light to work with you this is not supposed to happen.

i would also have liked if he clarified on what he means by serving self and serving others. if all is one then there is no others, or self (if self refers to ego). serving others to me implies that you are not true to yourself because you have to sacrifice your happiness for others well being which i dont believe is necessary. if eveyone stayed true to themselves (not ego but Self) then the world would have much more integrity. perhaps what he is trying to say is ego vs higher self, in a not so clear manner.

about his saying that evil exists, to me that is like reinforcing polarization. i thought the point was to just accept what is and see things as they are without needing to label them as good or bad. if we hold on to that evil exists, wont that lead us to live in fear and reinforce polarization? yes, perhaps there are beings that have alterior motives, such as power over others etc, which could be interpreted as evil. but this is not necessarily evil, its just another choice of being and is no less valid than any other.

i am confused.

[delta]

yes i see what you say and from what the other members have said and i feel that there are not many who can channel to the degree that we need to see from spirit as true proof.Now dont get me wrong i have been a medium for 4 years and it does not suit all who try it and it can be very tireing on you.But if you can relax and go deep engouh for them to get through with out you interfering then all the better, the only advice i can give to anyone that i would teach is do what you feel is right for you and wht you are most comfortable with.
I hpoe in some way this helps my freind

[Richful]

Originally Posted by skydust

interesting read. he definetily has a point that it is possible to channel so called 'dark' beings, however if you clearly state that you want a guide that serves light to work with you this is not supposed to happen.

Hi skydust, what do you mean by this is not supposed to happen? There may not be any rules involved. Any channeled being may have information for us but that doesn't make them trustworthy, nor right. I see them like people, a wide variety and all different. The spirit realm is like the wild west, beings will do whatever they can.

I think it's very plausible to channel dark beings. Being a spirit/4dimensional is no qualification to give advice. The concepts of service-to-self and service-to-others are familiar to me, it may reinforce duality to a degree but life is like that. It's a part of being an emotional creature. I don't like to see harm come to my loved ones. A dark being by it's name is one who seeks to harm. Without judgement that is just an event. But being who I am I won't stand by while people are being harmed intentionally, especially through flawed intelligence about the nature of life.

Even if you can verify the information given by such a being you need to verify their motives. I don't intend to advocate fear of such beings but discenment. Know thy Self.

[ethereal]

thanks for all the replies, this has been weighing on my mind for awhile and everyone's responses and intentions have been clearing it up for me

i'm currently reading the Law of One material advocated in the article (L/L Research Frame Page - under "library") and it explains the Service-to-Self and Service-to-Others in more detail (long but good read). I'm also kind of confused about the phrasing of this and I agree with skydust that working on yourself IS helping others. david hawkins said that the best thing you can do for the world is raise your own level of consciousness, it radiates outward in the metaphysical realm and raises the whole world's consciousness level. all changes stem from within; as gandhi said, "be the change you wish to see in the world." whatever it takes to do it, whether it's service to your higher self or service to others. I personally just had an experience like that a couple days ago, where I had a period of being in unconditional love, and all anger and distrust melted away all around me without me having to do anything!

as for polarization, i'm reminded of david hawkin's work again in his explanations of non-duality; "you don't have to hate chocolate in order to like vanilla". we need to keep in perspective that evil and good both need to exist in order for Creation to unfold and for us to be able to choose, and that we are helping the Dark evolve in their own choices and that they are helping us evolve in our own choices.

i've been noticing a lot of New Age spirituality focused on manifesting all your desires, and while it talks a lot about how to manifest abundance and make your dream wo/man love you, there was almost nothing on how to increase the abundance of love in the world or addressing other people's free will.

maybe this is just one of these things where when people are ready for finer spiritual discernment, they'll attract and find articles like these, and when they're not they won't find it anyway. all we can do is be directed by the divine Presence within and allow higher possibilities for people to find spiritual truth and love when they need it. perhaps everything is unfolding as it should

[AndyMartin]

Yeah, I think the assertion here is that "light" and "dark," "good" and "evil" are just names that we come up with based on our own values. "Evil" is anyone who wants to harm me or thinks that I am evil, right?

The interesting possibility this opens up is that in the cosmological view of things, "service to self" and "service to others" are equally valid approaches, with radically different outcomes. "God" would seem to recommend one approach, but never to interfere with the agency of either to grow and act.

Makes you think about what your choices really mean. Is choosing to do "good" out of fear really choosing "service to others?" Or is it mistakenly choosing the fear/domination ethos? Does it really matter if your facts are "correct" if they don't lead to the outcome you desire?

Channeling is difficult this way because you can't remove ego from the connection, and you have no objective way to determine the source. In other words, you can only trust your Self. That means the ancient traditions of Self-realization are critical to develop discernment. Everything true that we learn -- regardless of the source -- is good learning, so long as we can discern the falsehood. I think channeling is just a signpost that reminds us that there is a deeper source of knowing inside us; the only source we can fully trust. And we should not rely on channeled books, however old or new, or the words of any other. Including this guy, and including myself.

[skydust]

Richful,

I am saying that semi-doubting it myself, as i read it in the book 'opening to channel'. it is also a book that was channeled and its about how to connect with your guides. It sais that :

"Guides will not deceive you if you ask them where they are from. if you ask them if they are from the light they will not say 'yes' if they aren't. Ask for a high guide and one will be there."

However having read the article, it cleverly points out that being from the light isnt the same as serving it. That makes me wonder if the beings are dark, why wouldnt they lie and say they are serving the light?

I do however feel thar fear will just make it worse, and as an IM practitioner i choose to believe fully that i connect with a guide that serves the light regardless of all these details.

---

Originally Posted by ethereal

i've been noticing a lot of New Age spirituality focused on manifesting all your desires, and while it talks a lot about how to manifest abundance and make your dream wo/man love you, there was almost nothing on how to increase the abundance of love in the world or addressing other people's free will.

i am glad you brought this up as i have been wondering about that myself. it would clearly interfere with other peoples free will to say, i want so and so to like me, or i want so and so to do this or that. i would like to read more on this, if anyone has any info.

[ethereal]

Taken from the Amazon review for The Law of One (the Ra Material):

"I discovered this material in the early '80s about the time it was released. I was blown away then and still am. I'll never forget the feeling - something similar to having uncovered a profound and precious secret. I remain convinced that other than ACIM, this may be the ONLY channeled material out there that is what it purports to be. Much more recently, I've begun kinesiologically calibrating books, people, spiritual teachers, institutions with the method taught by Dr. David Hawkins. The Law of One books collectively calibrate (or they did with my calibration) at over 800, in fact somewhere in the neighborhood of 850 if I remember correctly. Astounding, considering that Hawkins states that less than 5% of channeled material calibrates over 455."

From Transcending the Control System: Standards of Channeling

"There exists no perfect channeled material since corruption is inevitable. Ego biases, mistranslations, quantum laws interfering with transmission of quantitative data, hacking by negative entities, programming of the channeler through abductions and implants, etc… can all cause degradation in the conduit over time. And of what material is published, perhaps just a few percent fall within the top three levels of standards. So as much as channeling can be a valuable source of inspiration and insight, I advise extreme discernment and a high set of standards when approaching it."

the rabbit hole just gets deeper and deeper...

[Billy]

Originally Posted by ethereal

Taken from the Amazon review for The Law of One (the Ra Material):

"I discovered this material in the early '80s about the time it was released. I was blown away then and still am. I'll never forget the feeling - something similar to having uncovered a profound and precious secret. I remain convinced that other than ACIM, this may be the ONLY channeled material out there that is what it purports to be. Much more recently, I've begun kinesiologically calibrating books, people, spiritual teachers, institutions with the method taught by Dr. David Hawkins. The Law of One books collectively calibrate (or they did with my calibration) at over 800, in fact somewhere in the neighborhood of 850 if I remember correctly. Astounding, considering that Hawkins states that less than 5% of channeled material calibrates over 455."

From Transcending the Control System: Standards of Channeling
[
"There exists no perfect channeled material since corruption is inevitable. Ego biases, mistranslations, quantum laws interfering with transmission of quantitative data, hacking by negative entities, programming of the channeler through abductions and implants, etc… can all cause degradation in the conduit over time. And of what material is published, perhaps just a few percent fall within the top three levels of standards. So as much as channeling can be a valuable source of inspiration and insight, I advise extreme discernment and a high set of standards when approaching it."

the rabbit hole just gets deeper and deeper...

I love it "hacking by negative entities" good choice of words.

[Smokefish]

Originally Posted by ethereal

Are You Seeking the Light or Just Dancing with the Dark?*** A Guide to Spiritual Discernment by Peter Newton

This is very interesting reading... Based on what I've read so far, I think Sylvia Brown has a dark entity assisting her...

[Simmiah]

Ethereal, thanks for your posting of this article! I was thinking about it too!

Anyways, I have never channeled anything but I have read books by some who say they are "channeled."

For example I am reading the workbook from A Course in Miracles right now which was channeled & the entity identified itself as Jesus. However, I'm not so sure of that but nonetheless the book is a great study for me! So you can say I am having a positive experience.

A long time ago on the internet I was searching (I did this often) for spiritual information & came across an e-book of which I no longer have a link. The guy said he was contacted & saw & conversed with an entity which also..called itself Jesus. The thing I got from it which was helpful for me at the time though was the translation of the words of the Bible as Jesus saying "I AM" & not just making God something bigger than himself. That was very helpful for my growth.

So even if something is not of Jesus persay or.. whatnot.. I have gotten positive benefits from some of the channeled stuff. However, I will add on the other side of this story: I have picked up books & wanted to belch from the amount of BS in them. & they are also claimed to be channeled or psychically known & I suspect them to be channeling astral entities of which there is a very negative intention that calibrates very very low.

So if a book has 99% good stuff & 1% not true I'd read it most likely & just chuck out the 1% shruggable stuff. & even if I didn't know I think in time we all know just from experience.

It didn't take Hawkins telling me about how certain things were not as positive as you think they'd be to "know" that but rather my personal experiences with them. I saw what happened to some of the people I knew who got themselves so puffed up they thought they were above being duped by negative entities. Eee. I've got stories I could tell. Such as looking into the eyes of a person & seeing darkness so deep it freaked me out (seriously).

Anyways! Just thought I'd share & thanks for the link!