Crossing the Threshold:

Channeling as a Healing Modality

Joan Furman, MSN, RN, HNC

I have been interested in channeling for many years. I have worked with the well-known channeled being “Lazaris” and with another, “Galexis.” Until June 2000, I never thought channeling was something I was interested in doing. I was in England indulging in one of my favorite pastimes: visiting ancient stone circles and sacred sites such as the Holy Tor in Avalon (Glastonbury). I was often deeply affected by the resonance there. I have made such pilgrimages before, but this time upon returning from England, my meditations were filled with light, color, deeper awareness of my life processes and finally a vision of a being that identified herself as Margaret. I assumed Margaret would be another of the loving guides with whom I relate on a spiritual level, but she quickly let me know that she wanted to channel through me and that she would assist me in learning to get my ego out of the way.

Upon returning home, I read up on channeling and asked for help from Galexis and Margaret, so that I could have a reliable procedure by which to access Margaret. This procedure includes a meditative trance, during which I ask that my ego be put aside, so that I may channel only the highest levels of light and love. By mutual agreement, my conscious self is so completely separate from the process that I am unaware of the information and have no memory of it afterwards. After following several mental steps, Margaret comes through and it seems like a short time later, I awaken. In actuality, an hour or two may have elapsed.

My experience at a physical level is quite interesting. I close my eyes and drift quickly into a trance. After that, I feel a presence surging into my body. Observers say they see a physical change in my face, and a strong ever-present smile. On tape, I have heard dramatic changes in my voice, not only in the accent and cadence of speech, but also in the choice of vocabulary and sentence structure. The most striking change is Margaret’s comments during her counseling of the client. The information is different from anything I could possibly know at a conscious level or even develop as a theory. My job is to remain clear and continue my own personal and spiritual growth.

After a session of channeling, there is evidence that I have been perspiring, when I am normally quite tolerant of heat. I also have a full bladder, when only an hour has passed. Mentally, I feel as though I’ve just awakened from a deep sleep and require a minute to reorient myself. Often, when Margaret has just spoken with a group, the members will have had a deep emotional reaction or an awareness of healing. They may have been crying or laughing. Having just regained my ego consciousness I am unaware of the cause of their reactions.

Who is Margaret? Margaret is a loving being who speaks for a group of about five spiritual beings. The channeled information may vary according to whom Margaret is speaking. She has never been in the physical body although some in the group may have been. Margaret has chosen to be available to help us find our spiritual connection and to access our own higher selves and our spiritual helpers. She is not interested in changing people or in collecting followers. She is here to be our friend and has been quite an insightful counselor for all who speak with her.

Margaret comes to us with respect, wisdom, love and integrity. She honors all religious and spiritual backgrounds. She teaches, counsels and helps us to be more mindful on our life’s journey. As in any nursing interaction, all consultations with Margaret are confidential. I tape record sessions since it is difficult for the client to remember so much information and later, the taped review is helpful.

It is a pleasure to augment my practice with the kind of wisdom that helps my clients gain awareness rapidly. It is a privilege to allow this beautiful and wise being to work through me. It seems that my clients trust what Margaret says more than they might trust any living person. They can then make solid plans and have a process to follow in their growth. For instance, in my work with the dying and in the months leading to the dying time, individuals are often in a deepened state of spiritual awareness. One in particular, whom I will call Sam, was distraught about unfinished business in relationships over which he had no control or opportunity for input. Margaret worked with him to discover causes of the demise of these relationships. She encouraged him to take responsibility for his current life situations, but occasionally would make an association with a previous life in which an issue or pattern, such as shame or dread, transcended into this lifetime. He was able to realize the destruction he had caused to others and came to an understanding of how past life experiences had influenced his behavior. More than just good therapy, Margaret’s wisdom was immediate, profound and brought together more pieces of his life’s story than a traditional therapist could hope to do in months of therapy. In one hour, Sam found peace and felt enlightened and empowered to make amends so that he could continue his therapy and go quietly into his dying time two months later.

Why do I choose to include channeling as part of my healing work? Admittedly, channeling isn’t something I would have thought compatible with nursing and in most settings it would be inappropriate. In fact, in the hands of a channeler who has not worked on their own personal recovery and codependency, I would be very wary of it. It would be quite easy to contaminate the channeling with one’s own ego needs to be needed and one’s personal agenda. But channeling, cautiously offered, with boundaries prudently guarded, can be a healing modality for spiritual health, healing not only the body and mind but relationships as well. Because Margaret is wise and loves so deeply, I cannot imagine not making her available to my interested clients. She is not a psychic and she does not predict the future. She is a counselor for those whose emotional and spiritual growth is a priority. I have many clients who, I believe, would not be open to such a practice and I do not expose them to it. This work, at least at this time in our history, involves discretion and good judgment. I offer group channeling called “Mondays with Margaret” and individual consultations either in person or by phone.

A personal message from Margaret to Nurses: (this part is channeled material)

“And we are here, and welcome. We are Margaret and we come to you in this time in your history of your planet to speak with you about healing. We do not presume that you are unaware of the dire condition of your world, in the midst of war, in the midst of a crisis of consciousness and its resulting disease and conditions of poverty and international slavery. As healers, as nurses, you do have the capacity to heal your world. You do have the capacity to address each and every issue, each ailment, and each condition of long neglect of the feminine whether you are woman or man. This feminine principle is sorely needed. The energy of being with, the consciousness of loving, of accepting without judgment, the ability to conceive and perceive new solutions, to create with new minds and hearts. Nurses, today’s ancient healers, are in a unique position to have impact politically, personally, globally, spiritually and intimately. We are aware of those of you already involved in such endeavors. Some of you are very public, some quietly working the magic in the privacy of your spiritual meditation time. Some are working with energetic healing. Some, seemingly in traditional settings performing traditional nursing tasks, do it with such love and compassion, with such presence that the recipient of your care is changed for life. With a touch, a smile, a soft tone, or just breathing in synchrony with the suffering or dying of a human being. Whatever way you have chosen to have impact on your world, it awaits you. We have said we are not here to save your world. You are here to do that. And you are so very capable. You have the ability to love your world into healing. You are the magicians of your time. Not all of you. Only the ones who find themselves reading this. Or who will. We do love you so. We are here and whenever you are ready, we are ready to speak with you. Until we meet again, we do surround you with our love and our light. Margaret.

Bibliography

Furman, J. and McNabb, D. (1997). The Dying Time: Practical Wisdom for the Dying and Their Caregivers. Crown.

Hastings, A. (1991). Tongues of Men and Angels: a Study of Channeling, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Roman, S. (1987). Opening to Channel: How to Connect with Your Guide, HJ Kramer.

Joan Furman has a BA in psychology from the University of Tennessee, and an MSN in nursing from Vanderbilt University. She is an advanced practice holistic nurse and has served on the national certification review board. In addition to channeling, she includes techniques such as counseling, experiential therapy, Reiki and other healing touch therapies, guided imagery and various approaches to conscious living and dying.

Joan has served on the Board of Nashville Psychotherapy Institute and as faculty at Vanderbilt University and Tennessee State University Schools of Nursing. She works with clients who are interested in creating a healthful mind/body relationship, regardless of their status of health or illness. She has published extensively in journals, newspapers, magazines, and books and is the author of The Dying Time: Practical Wisdom for the Dying and Their Caregivers, (Crown, 1997).

Joan has served on the boards of community-based agencies, organizations and foundations at the local, state, national and international levels. She has coordinated several statewide advisory committees for the governor of Tennessee, including the AIDS Advisory Committee. Joan was the founding director of the first hospital-based integrative healing center in the state.

Information about scheduling a phone appointment with Margaret is at www.bridgelight.net