This is the fourth article in a series throughout which I am highlighting the dangers of occultism and the various practices that fall under its banner. In previous articles, we looked at the three major subcategories of the occult: divination, mediumship, and magick (the “k” is used by occultists to differentiate between magic performed by illusionists and magick used by occultists).
In this article, we examine the practice of channeling. Firstly, why do this? What is the benefit in highlighting occult practices? For me, because the use of the occult is becoming increasingly mainstream, I believe it is important for Christians to be aware of it so that we all may exercise discernment in the influences we allow into our daily lives. Counterfeits of divine revelation abound in a fallen world and the enemy is deceiving many through these counterfeit activities. People are attracted to these practices due to the fact they represent a hassle-free religion. They reason that they are able to contact entities for wisdom, help, and healing without having to make a commitment or sacrifice to any form of religion themselves.
When it comes to mediumship and channeling, there are distinct differences. Rather than acting as an intermediary as mediums do, channelers allow spirits to become embodied and speak directly through them. Some channelers may go into a trance state (referred to as “trance channeling”) while others will remain alert as a silent witness while the spirit speaks to the petitioner. When channelers refer to “spirits,” they are referring to a range of false spirits such as nature spirits, animal spirits, spirits from the angelic realm, guardian spirits, alien races and cultures, as well as deities from a variety of religious and spiritual traditions.
In basic terms, channeling is a practice in which someone claims to serve as a channel or conduit for communication from a spiritual being or realm of knowledge. These communications are taken to be special, meaning they are upheld as authoritative and suitable for guidance. Channeling is categorised into three major forms, which I have listed below:
- Trance channeling involves the channeler entering into a deeply altered state of consciousness, often referred to as a “trance state”. In this state, the channeler relinquishes control of their physical body to allow higher-dimensional beings or energies to communicate through them. The messages transmitted may be spoken aloud or recorded for later playback.
- Conscious channeling involves the channeler maintaining awareness and control of their physical body while receiving messages from higher-dimensional sources. Unlike trance channeling, the channeler remains fully conscious and may engage in a dialogue with the beings or energies being channeled.
- Automatic writing, also known as spirit writing or psychography, is a form of channeling where the channeler allows the messages to flow through their hand and onto paper or a digital device without conscious intervention. The channeler may enter a meditative state to facilitate the process and may not be fully aware of the content of the messages until they review them afterwards.
Although many people who practice and support channeling will claim that channeling achieves positive outcomes, those who have studied it objectively rightly point out that the “spirits” who speak through channelers are not the benign entities they claim to be. The entire history of the influence that these beings have had upon humanity suggests this. Many occultists, such as channelers, shamans, psychics, mediums, and gurus, have testified that the “spirits” at times have deceived them. These occultists say the “spirits” first imitate good spirits but actually proceed to trick, lie to, or injure their hosts.
Since the Bible clearly tells us that evil spirits do exist and since occultists admit that the spirits are deceivers, why do channelers claim to know for sure the real motive and nature of any channeled spirit? Some objective standard must be found by which to test them, which the Bible gives us. Unfortunately, channelers themselves admit they do not have any such objective standard (because they reject the truth of the Bible) and therefore, their trust in the spirits is blind. The bitter irony is that people who would never trust a stranger are trusting strange spirits by the thousands!
Edgar Cayce (1877 – 1945) was one of the most highly regarded and prolific channelers, relying on trance channeling. Although he claimed to be a devout Christian, as you will see, his actions and beliefs had much more in common with New Age metaphysics and occult philosophy than with biblical Christianity. In fact, he was the recognised forerunner for the New Age movement which would infect the US in the 1960s. He was often referred to as the “Sleeping Prophet,” and provided thousands (some say up to 14,000) of documented psychic readings while in a trance-like state. He is even said to have delivered psychic readings to well-known celebrities and political figures.
Another of his celebrated skills was the ability to perform medical diagnoses through sleep-talking. In fact, Cayce (who lacked formal education past the 8th grade) became known in the newspapers as the “illiterate man [who] becomes a doctor when hypnotized”. In fairness, he was not illiterate. Nevertheless, they described Cayce as a “psychic diagnostician,” who would begin by taking off his coat, collar, and tie before reclining, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. Moments later, his eyes would open, filled with a dreamy quality as if in a trance, and he would start reciting diagnoses, cures, and even predictions. Bizarrely, his first patient would be himself. When he was around 15 years old a baseball struck him in the spine, after which he appeared to enter a trance state, diagnosed his injury and prescribed a suitable treatment.
When asked about the source of his information, Edgar Cayce replied that there were essentially two. The first was the subconscious mind of the individual for whom he was giving the reading and the second was the Akashic Records, sometimes referred to as “The Book of Life”. In case you were wondering, yes, Cayce (and many others) believed that the Book of Life mentioned in the Bible and the Akashic Records are synonymous. Those who believe in the existence of the Akashic Records claim that they are the central storehouse of all information for every individual who has ever lived upon the earth. These records supposedly contain our every thought, deed, word, feeling and intent. Think of them as the cosmic database for the occult. But what is the search engine? Well, that would be the channeler. According to Cayce, the Akashic Records of the mental world might be compared to a movie theater of the physical world. This movie could be replayed through the channeler in an effort to understand what had occurred in an individual’s experience in any period, at any time, or while in any place in history.
When it comes to the practice of channeling, there are generally two explanations (three if you count possible mental dysfunction). One, the person is a fraud and deceives people for financial gain or two, the person is in contact with the demonic realm. Since Satan is a liar and the prince of demons, both explanations originate with him. As I said earlier, all occult practices are counterfeits of divine revelation, designed to convince mankind to trust wholly in them rather than God. After all, let’s not forget Satan’s own declaration was to be like the Most High. Therefore, he must offer counterfeits of divine revelation if he is to fool the masses into turning away from God. In fact, one person claimed that the Akashic Records can give you access to the highest level of divine guidance! She went on to say: “The Record Keepers will always give you clarity, hope and support so you can make informed decisions before you take your next step.” Her statement reminds me of 2 Corinthians 11:14 wherein it is revealed to us that Satan is able to transform himself into an angel of light.
Many years ago, a true prophet named Jeremiah was instructed to warn God’s people of false revelations. In Jeremiah 29:8-9 we read: “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the LORD.”
False prophets were telling the exiled Israelites what they earnestly wanted to hear – that they would return speedily to the land. Yet, it was not so. God’s appointed time had to run its course. False prophets then and now prey upon those who desperately seek solutions to problems outside of the will of God. As long as there remains a market for such questions, the enemy has a plentiful supply of impostors to continue to deceive them with the wrong answers.
