Possession, Part IV: Mediums and Channelers

Before I begin, I want to make clear that, when talking about mediums and channelers in terms of possession, I am not referring to mediums like Edgar Cayce (who retained his own identity, even in trance), or of any of those who claim to speak with the dead (some of whom may actually do so), or any of the cold-reading charlatans who exploit their audiences/victims in return for fame and/or money (you know who they are).  I am also not speaking about alien contactees, such as George Adamski or the W56 group, who claimed to meet with physical beings from other worlds to receive their wisdom. No, in this context, I’m referring only to those mediums/channelers who seemingly allow a discarnate entity to speak directly through them.

I had originally intended to split these two facets of what I call ‘benign possession’ into two separate columns, but the more I researched, the more I saw similarities between spirit mediums (those that allow the dead to speak through them) and alien channelers (those that allow an ‘alien entity’ to speak through them).

Let’s start with the similarities.  Both mediums and channelers—

• Enter a trance-like altered state, similar to hypnosis
• Allow an outside entity to enter and control their body
• Alter their regular manner of speaking to a different tone/cadence, presumably that of the entity
• Directly speak to the listener from ‘the other side’ or ‘a distant planet’

As we can see, many of the key factors of spirit mediumship and alien channelers are nearly exactly the same.  Both work from a relaxed state that allows their temporary possession by a supposedly benign entity.  Both seem to have access to knowledge previously unknown to the listener (or, as is often the case, the medium).  These similarities suggest to me that the two are merely different facets of the same phenomenon.

And now, some of the differences—

• Mediums give their bodies over to ‘spirit guides’ and receive personal messages for the listener
• Channelers speak in much broader terms, delivering ‘guidance’ for the human race to follow in order to evolve
• Mediums tend to work in very small groups, or private séances focused on the participants’ questions
• Channelers often speak to larger audiences, without much in the way of questioning coming from the audience

One thing I noticed when researching channelers is that the information given tends to be similar across the board.  For example, Daryl Anka channels an alien entity known as ‘Bashar’, who reveals these four fundamental ‘truths’ of the universe:

1. You exist.
2. The One is All and the All are One.
3. What you put out is what you get back.
4. Change is the only constant… Except for the first three laws.

Add in a standard, environmental message like ‘we all must work together to save planet Earth,’ or ‘nuclear war is bad,’ and we have messages that could come from anywhere, and are strikingly similar to the alien contactee messages of the 1950s.

As a wise man once said, ‘the players may change, but the game never does.’

Now for some thoughts—first, while I’m relatively skeptical, I’m not saying that any of these claimants are liars or frauds (certain TV-based mediums excepted).  However, the similarities within their experiences appear to me to have, at the very least, a meaningful correlation. 

If these mediums and channelers are actually experiencing an other-dimensional entity (earth-bound or alien) speaking through their bodies, it’s interesting that the mechanisms by which it occurs are almost exactly alike.  Trance, receptivity, surrender, messages, return. It’s been the same for at least 150 years, when Spiritualist séances began being recorded, and could go back as far as the Oracle at Delphi or even earlier.

My tentative conclusions on the phenomenon of mediumship/channeling is that it’s either a long, profitable, human-based con that changes with the times, or that similar spirits and entities choose to operate in precisely the same manner as each other, whether from 500 light-years away or from two towns over.  This, to me, suggests that, presuming the reality of these experiences, the classification of these entities may as well be one and the same.  They use mediums in the same way in order to advance their own goals, many of which seem to revolve around how we, the listeners, live our lives.

The only substantial physical difference between malignant and benign possession is that, in the latter, the entity leaves of its own free will.  We’ve seen these entities incorporate subjects as varied as religion (demonic possession, but also its opposite number, the loa), world peace (alien channelers) and, presumably, where we left our car keys (mediums).  (That was a joke.—TAF) This wide range of focus, coupled with the similarity of process, indicates to me that it’s likely that these disparate entities are working towards their own ends, whatever those may be.

Come to think of it, it all may very well be a long con–just not on the part of the humans.