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The Channeling Zone: American Spirituality in an Anxious Age
Few expressions of New Age spirituality evoke greater skepticism and derision than does channeling, the practice of serving as a vessel for the voices of ancient or otherworldly beings. Channelers claim to be possessed by angels, aliens, and "ascended masters" who speak through them, offering advice and solace. Intellectuals dismiss them as cranks and charlatans; evangelical Christians accuse them of trafficking with Satanic forces. Meanwhile, the steady spread of channeling from the West Coast to the American heartland fuels the fear that the United States now confronts an epidemic of public irrationality. The Channeling Zone reveals that this controversial practice has deep roots in earlier forms of American spiritualism while manifesting the most current concerns and anxieties of American life at the end of the twentieth century. Basing his analysis on dozens of interviews with practicing channels and extensive participant-observation research in New Age workshops, Michael Brown takes readers into the world of those who find meaning and inspiration--and occasionally a lucrative career--in regular conversations with spectral beings. Drawing on his previous research among Amazonian Indians, he brings a historical and comparative perspective to the study of this flamboyant expression of contemporary spirituality. Neither a debunker nor an advocate, Brown weaves together the opinions and life stories of practicing channels and their clients to bring their world and its assumptions into higher relief. He describes the experiences that lead often highly educated, middle-class Americans to conclude that useful information is filtered through the spirit world. He pursues the nature of the quest--the fears, hopes, and expectations of the seekers--and finds its roots in traditional American notions of individualism and self-perfection. The Channeling Zone is a lively journey into the complex social world of the thousands of Americans who have abandoned mainstream religions in search of direct and improvisational contact with spiritual beings.
- GenresAnthropologyReligion
252 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 23, 2024
AN ‘OUTSIDER/BYSTANDER’ PERSPECTIVE ON CHANNELING
Author Michael F. Brown wrote in the Preface to this 1997 book, “My journey into the world of channeling ultimately encompassed four years of episodic interviewing and approximately eight months of full-time research, including participation in workshops and weekend seminars. All told, I interviewed or observed forty practitioners of channeling and hundreds of ordinary people who attended channeling sessions for enlightenment or entertainment… In the pages that follow, I offer an assessment of channeling that tacks between the views of its advocates and my own first-hand observations at a range of channeling events. The latter presented special difficulties. In intimate workshop settings where it would have been impossible to remain a bystander taking notes in the corner, I face the choice of either pretending to participate or actually throwing myself into the channeling experience as best I could. The second course proved simpler and more forthright…
“After months of involvement in the world of spirit communication, I came to the conclusion that most practitioners of channeling… are sincere in their beliefs and genuinely committed to spiritual growth as they understand it. Their commitment merits analytical approach marked by the same combination of respect and detachment typically brought to research on the religions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.” (Pg. vii-x)
He observes, “In common with spiritualism, channeling is dominated by women who find in communication with spirits a refuge from mainline religions that even today offer little scope for their spiritual aspirations. Not only can female channels achieve the religious authority denied them elsewhere, they are free to embody male spirits or ‘energies’ in ways that many find liberating.” (Pg. 11)
He notes, “some channels … [are] implying that even the wisest spirits have limits. Those who never occupied a physical body, for instance, cannot offer useful advice on human health. Spirits from the distant past cannot be counted for insight into the stock market. (As one channel wryly put it, ‘I found out that none of my spirit guides knows about bankruptcy laws in California.’) Beings from one plane might provide messages that focus on issues regarding emotions, whereas those coming from another may be more philosophical.” (Pg. 23-24)
He explains, “Trance channels, of whom J.Z. Knight is a prominent example, claim to experience a complete separation of their selves from the spirits they channel. Their bodies become empty vessels for spiritual intelligence… Unlike trance channels, conscious channels remain aware of what happens around them while them communicate with spirits.” (Pg 25)
He points out, “Skeptics find the linguistic quirks of channels… o be irresistible targets for their debunking efforts. A linguist who studied the performances of several channels found that when they claim to be speaking in the voice of someone from another epoch, their speech is larded with anachronistic words or expressions. A more obvious problem is an inconsistent vocabulary. At one moment a spirit may struggle to find a common English word, as if to show unfamiliarity with the language (that place of the dead that you call---is it a cemetery?’), and the next it will drop an obscure colloquialism, usually for comic effect (‘Tell me the truth; I’ll know if you’re fibbing’). (Pg. 31)
He acknowledges, “discussions of morality are remarkably rare at channeling events, and it takes considerable probing to discover what channels and their clients think about such matters. When pushed, most channels reject formal systems of morality, arguing that they are inevitably supported by fear, which spawns violence and insensitivity… Fixed notions of right and wrong are thought to stunt our spiritual growth by fostering a sense of separation.” (Pg. 57-58)
He recounts, “During his Omega Institute workshop, Kevin Ryerson was so anxious to avoid looking like someone who promoted specific beliefs that he invited potential skeptics to interpret channeling as a poetic phenomenon rather than as a poetic phenomenon rather than as something real.” (Pg. 80)
He states, “The balance and symmetry sought by women is seldom fully realized in men’s channeling practice; there are few men who regularly channel female spirits, although some predicted that this will become more common as society moves toward gender balance. At present, however, most men consider the act of channeling to be feminizing enough in itself.” (Pg. 102-103)
He comments, “it is worth noting that the Library of Congress recognizes spirits as independent authors. The library’s catalog has assigned primary authorship to Lazaris and several other spirits, while granting only a supporting role to their channels. As Ted Bernstein, an Arizona channel, learned several years ago, however, the government’s recognition of spirits’ authorship stops short of willingness to protect their intellectual property. Bernstein reported that his attempt to secure a copyright in the name of his entity was politely rejected on the grounds that current law prevents the assignment of copyright to spirits.” (Pg. 161)
He observes, “The history of alternative religious movements in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century America suggests that many survive by avoiding a direct confrontation with mainstream religions, occupying instead a different social niche: that of therapy. Channeling and related practices have clearly moved in this direction, as a glance at any regional New Age magazine will confirm.” (Pg. 173)
This book is a reasonably objective and balanced assessment of channeling, that will be of interest to anyone studying the topic.
Author Michael F. Brown wrote in the Preface to this 1997 book, “My journey into the world of channeling ultimately encompassed four years of episodic interviewing and approximately eight months of full-time research, including participation in workshops and weekend seminars. All told, I interviewed or observed forty practitioners of channeling and hundreds of ordinary people who attended channeling sessions for enlightenment or entertainment… In the pages that follow, I offer an assessment of channeling that tacks between the views of its advocates and my own first-hand observations at a range of channeling events. The latter presented special difficulties. In intimate workshop settings where it would have been impossible to remain a bystander taking notes in the corner, I face the choice of either pretending to participate or actually throwing myself into the channeling experience as best I could. The second course proved simpler and more forthright…
“After months of involvement in the world of spirit communication, I came to the conclusion that most practitioners of channeling… are sincere in their beliefs and genuinely committed to spiritual growth as they understand it. Their commitment merits analytical approach marked by the same combination of respect and detachment typically brought to research on the religions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.” (Pg. vii-x)
He observes, “In common with spiritualism, channeling is dominated by women who find in communication with spirits a refuge from mainline religions that even today offer little scope for their spiritual aspirations. Not only can female channels achieve the religious authority denied them elsewhere, they are free to embody male spirits or ‘energies’ in ways that many find liberating.” (Pg. 11)
He notes, “some channels … [are] implying that even the wisest spirits have limits. Those who never occupied a physical body, for instance, cannot offer useful advice on human health. Spirits from the distant past cannot be counted for insight into the stock market. (As one channel wryly put it, ‘I found out that none of my spirit guides knows about bankruptcy laws in California.’) Beings from one plane might provide messages that focus on issues regarding emotions, whereas those coming from another may be more philosophical.” (Pg. 23-24)
He explains, “Trance channels, of whom J.Z. Knight is a prominent example, claim to experience a complete separation of their selves from the spirits they channel. Their bodies become empty vessels for spiritual intelligence… Unlike trance channels, conscious channels remain aware of what happens around them while them communicate with spirits.” (Pg 25)
He points out, “Skeptics find the linguistic quirks of channels… o be irresistible targets for their debunking efforts. A linguist who studied the performances of several channels found that when they claim to be speaking in the voice of someone from another epoch, their speech is larded with anachronistic words or expressions. A more obvious problem is an inconsistent vocabulary. At one moment a spirit may struggle to find a common English word, as if to show unfamiliarity with the language (that place of the dead that you call---is it a cemetery?’), and the next it will drop an obscure colloquialism, usually for comic effect (‘Tell me the truth; I’ll know if you’re fibbing’). (Pg. 31)
He acknowledges, “discussions of morality are remarkably rare at channeling events, and it takes considerable probing to discover what channels and their clients think about such matters. When pushed, most channels reject formal systems of morality, arguing that they are inevitably supported by fear, which spawns violence and insensitivity… Fixed notions of right and wrong are thought to stunt our spiritual growth by fostering a sense of separation.” (Pg. 57-58)
He recounts, “During his Omega Institute workshop, Kevin Ryerson was so anxious to avoid looking like someone who promoted specific beliefs that he invited potential skeptics to interpret channeling as a poetic phenomenon rather than as a poetic phenomenon rather than as something real.” (Pg. 80)
He states, “The balance and symmetry sought by women is seldom fully realized in men’s channeling practice; there are few men who regularly channel female spirits, although some predicted that this will become more common as society moves toward gender balance. At present, however, most men consider the act of channeling to be feminizing enough in itself.” (Pg. 102-103)
He comments, “it is worth noting that the Library of Congress recognizes spirits as independent authors. The library’s catalog has assigned primary authorship to Lazaris and several other spirits, while granting only a supporting role to their channels. As Ted Bernstein, an Arizona channel, learned several years ago, however, the government’s recognition of spirits’ authorship stops short of willingness to protect their intellectual property. Bernstein reported that his attempt to secure a copyright in the name of his entity was politely rejected on the grounds that current law prevents the assignment of copyright to spirits.” (Pg. 161)
He observes, “The history of alternative religious movements in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century America suggests that many survive by avoiding a direct confrontation with mainstream religions, occupying instead a different social niche: that of therapy. Channeling and related practices have clearly moved in this direction, as a glance at any regional New Age magazine will confirm.” (Pg. 173)
This book is a reasonably objective and balanced assessment of channeling, that will be of interest to anyone studying the topic.
November 4, 2021
A review of channeling practices that arose in tandem with the New Age movements in the 70s and 80s. I appreciated this book as a 'Salvation on Sand Mountain' Lite, in that it was, similarly, a sociologist journeying into and amongst his subjects—unlike in 'Salvation,' however, Brown never ends up becoming a channel himself, and the channels remain at arm's length throughout despite the occasional sense of personal temptation that one feels in Brown's narrative. Of the books that I've assessed for a course on cults that I'm teaching, this was easily one of the most readable—it's not super germane to what I hope to discuss, but I really enjoyed it.
March 18, 2016
A sympathetic discussion of channeling. It feels like the sociological approach can only go so far. It's easy to agree with the author's conclusions about overlapping interests between the large number of people interviewed, but maybe that's because the conclusions are fairly meager and leave a lot to individual opinion. I recommend instead Rene Guenon's "The Spiritist Fallacy".
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April 3, 2008A glimpse into the world of channeling, one aspect of the New Age spirituality movement. Quite fascinating, if for no other reason than that some of the stuff is so kooky.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews