Wisdom can speak through us—if we let it.
By Anthony Talmage
The human mind is an amazing instrument: Not only does it guide us through a lifetime of mundane decision-making, but it is also capable of conjuring works of genius —like a Mozart piano concerto, or Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” or Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Mass in B Minor.” Yes, you might say, but most of us aren’t lucky enough to have that kind of talent. But what if these gifted people were tapping into something outside of themselves and “downloading” their creations? After all, it was Mozart who said, “I don’t know where my music comes from—tunes just walk into my head.”
For centuries people have reported receiving creative inspiration, or wisdom, seemingly from beyond their conscious mind. Welcome to the phenomenon of channeling—one of the most intriguing mysteries of human consciousness. And believe it or not, in our hyper-connected, information-saturated 21st century, when we can Google any fact in seconds, channeling isn’t fading away —it’s thriving.
The phenomenon has a rich history. In 1913, Pearl Curran, an ordinary St. Louis housewife, began receiving messages from an entity calling herself Patience Worth, supposedly a 17th-century Englishwoman. Over 25 years, Mrs. Curran produced millions of words in archaic English so convincing that scholars still puzzle over them today.
Matthew Manning, the British healer, produced drawings and signatures attributed to deceased artists like Picasso and Dürer with startling accuracy. “It simply flowed through me,” he said. And Helen Schucman channeled A Course in Miracles back in the 1970s after hearing an inner voice saying, “This is a course in miracles. Please take notes.”
Fast forward to the 21st century, and channeling has moved from dimly lit séance rooms to packed conference halls and bestseller lists. For instance, Esther Hicks draws thousands to seminars worldwide where she channels a group consciousness called Abraham, a joyful, loving and witty non-physical group consciousness whom Esther calls “infinite intelligence.” Their teachings on the Law of Attraction and emotional guidance have influenced millions.
What’s striking is how many contemporary spiritual authors describe their work as channeled or guided rather than conventionally authored. Rebecca Campbell speaks of “downloading” her books. Kyle Gray describes angelic guidance flowing through his writing.
In our 21st-century world, you might wonder why anyone would turn to channeling when we have therapists, life coaches, and endless self-help resources at our fingertips? The answer is we’re drowning in information but starved of wisdom. We have access to more knowledge than any generation in history, yet many of us struggle to connect with the quiet voice within ourselves.
This is where channeling becomes relevant—not as some mystical parlor trick, but as a bridge to deeper layers of consciousness that our busy, anxious, screen-addicted minds rarely access. Channeling typically requires what our modern world fights hardest against—silence and the willingness to surrender control. It happens when we get out of our own way—when the ego’s grip softens allowing something else to emerge. Some people enter trance states; others describe a gentle “overshadowing.” Some speak aloud; others write or create art.
A word of warning: Not every random thought that pops into our heads is channeled wisdom. True guidance, experienced channelers say, brings a sense of clarity, peace, and upliftment—certainly not fear, confusion, or ego inflation.
Where does the stuff we “download” actually come from? Sceptics point to the subconscious mind—that vast, largely uncharted territory that stores far more than we realize. Or, Carl Jung’s collective unconscious suggests we all have access to a shared reservoir of human knowledge. Others see the brain not as a generator of consciousness but as a receiver—capable of tuning into intelligences beyond our material realm.
Whatever the source, channeling reminds us we are connected to something vast—whether we call it higher self, universal consciousness, or the Infinite Mind. In a world that often feels fragmented and chaotic, that quiet voice of wisdom is more valuable than ever. Not because it has all the answers, but because it reconnects us to the truth that we’re part of something far greater than ourselves.
But if we want to channel, we must learn to listen.
Anthony Talmage is author of five books in his Psychic Mind series: Dowse Your Way to Psychic Power, In Tune with the Infinite Mind, Unlock the Psychic Powers of Your Unconscious Mind, How to Crack the Cosmic Code and Mindfulness and the Pendulum, all available in Kindle, printed and audio versions from Amazon and all good online bookshops. Find Anthony on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthony-talmage.
