Channeling - A Witch & A Shaman FAQ

This is a segment called A Witch & A Shaman (W&S) where Jenny C Bell & Granddaughter Crow sit down to answer questions. This question came to us from Our Coven Community, “Can you share more about channeling, your experience and how it works?”

The weirdest moment can be the most revealing: you hear yourself say “we,” you choose words you never use, and afterward you wonder where that message came from. That is the doorway into today’s community Q and A, where we unpack channeling in a grounded way that respects both mystery and personal agency. Jenny C. Bell and I treat channeling as a spectrum, from subtle intuition and divination insights to deeper ritual states where you feel like a vessel for a presence, a deity, or a guiding intelligence.
 
 We also widen the lens beyond witchcraft and shamanism. Channeling can look like creative flow, the muses, and inspiration, the feeling musicians describe when a concert turns spiritual and time disappears. If you have ever been so “in it” that you felt tuned to something bigger than your everyday mind, you already understand the core mechanic. From there, we get practical: we share the metaphors that help us stay in control, like turning a radio dial to a specific station or opening and closing a door on purpose.
 
 Then we get serious about what keeps channeling safe: spiritual protection, clear boundaries, and consent. You get to decide what comes through and what does not. We talk about why inebriation can lower boundaries, how to set sacred space like you are hosting a guest, and why closing the space matters if you do not want to feel exhausted afterward. We also share aftercare essentials, including water, protein, rest, and reintegration time.
 
 If you feel curious, that curiosity might be your signal that you are ready to develop your channeling practice with clarity and respect. Subscribe, share this with a friend who is exploring psychic development, and leave a review, what is your biggest question about channeling right now?

Transcript

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Welcome And Community Questions

GDC 0:01

Welcome to Belief Being and Beyond with your host, Granddaughter Crow. Hi everybody, Granddaughter Crow here with yet another. What? We are gonna do a segment for you guys. We want to engage with you. We want to answer your questions. We want to be in conversation. So here we go. Conversations, FAQs with a witch and a shaman. Jenny C. Bell, introduce yourself.

Jenny 0:35

Hey witches, I'm Jenny C. Bell. I am an author of Spirit Crystals and of Divergent Witchcraft. Third book coming soon. So it'll be announced here first, so keep staying tuned. I am also the host of a place called Our Coven Community, and that's actually where all of our questions have come from. They are community questions. So I'm very excited for us to answer those. Granddaughter Crow, please introduce yourself to everybody.

GDC 1:03

Oh, so Yaat A. They call me Granddaughter Crow. I am born to the Billigana clan for the Taachini clan. I am a member of the Navajo Nation as well as Dutch Heritage. I am here to inspire, to encourage, and to empower you to be your authenticity. Of course, you see I have the podcast, right? I also have books. Check me out www.granddaughtercrow.com. Now on to the show. So, Jenny C. Bell, what are the questions that we have? Read us one.

Jenny 1:40

Okay,

Channeling On A Wide Spectrum

Jenny 1:41

so this one um comes from our coven community, and it says, Can you share more about channeling, your experience, and how it works?

GDC 1:53

Ah. Such a beautiful question because it's it's specific, but yet it's broad. You know, because channeling could be interpreted as, you know, where you get an intuitive thought and all the way, almost like a spectrum, some will use channeling as actually stepping completely out and allowing another entity or deity to come through you. So I see it as a very broad question because of the word. So when we think about the word channeling, you know, there is a spectrum. What I want to do first is kind of describe the spectrum as I see it. When I am in a read in a session, sometimes I'm interpreting the cards, and then all of a sudden I've noticed over the years that when I start going like this, we want you to understand that this and this and this, we want you. When I start referring to myself as we, I don't even notice it, but it it gently comes through almost like a thought, but there'll be words that I utilize that I don't normally use, and maybe sometimes don't even know what the meaning is, and then comes through, and then it gets deeper and deeper and deeper. And then when I'm in ritual space, there are times when I totally move out, something else comes through. So that's the first thing I want to say about channeling, is that there is a wide range, and different people have different interpretations and explanations for what that looks like. So, where should we land with that? What do you think?

Jenny 3:46

Well, let me let me expand on that. So I want to say that channeling is beyond uh divination and spirituality. Because if you listen to Rick Rubin, very famous music producer, he talks about channeling. You listen to several authors still talk about channeling. Tori Amos, in both her memoirs, she's a famous musician, talks about channeling. So it's channeling is like what other people refer to as inspiration, people refer to it as the muses, people refer to it as intuitive hit. Like it is such a spectrum. And I think when someone's really in a creative state or flow, they are channeling. Like if you've ever been, if anybody is like listening or watching has ever been to a really good concert, and then it just seems like the musicians are on another planet, in another world, you feel one, it's just like almost a spiritual experience. I believe that those musicians are channeling. And I think in the movie uh centers, they really show that. There's a scene in the movie Cinners where Sammy is this character and he's playing and he's playing blues, and it gets so good that his ancestors of the past, present, and future all show up and start dancing. And so you see like future musicians and past, and it just shows that this channeling of creativity. So I think channeling is huge, and I think everybody can do it, and I think people do it, and they don't always call it that.

GDC 5:16

I 100% agree. And I it is, it's kind of like when that which is outside of you as the origin of self comes through you, and I also think of it because sometimes I'm like channeling like the English channel, like is it a gate where you know, the metaphor of okay, I'm gonna close my door, I'm not gonna allow anything to come through, and then you get to decide when it opens up, and or you know, I'm Gen X. Um, is it when you click the channel to tune into KJO Y? Yeah, you know, and and you align with like a radio station. So for me, I would almost respond to the question with another question and kind of ask people to visualize what do they see or conceptualize what do they think of when they ask the word channel? Is it this doorway or is it tuning in? And not there's no wrong answer. It's how you're you're understanding it at the time, and then you are able to dial it in and hone that instrument because you have that visualization andor conception or or or uh concept in your mind, make a concept and define what it is individually that you know you as a listener think is channeling and then play with that.

Protection Boundaries And Saying No

GDC 6:50

Because I also want to say with channeling, you also have to have healthy boundaries. Yes, you get to say no, not everything gets to come through you, and if you drink certain libations or sm take part in certain edibles or pipes, you are automatically going to be channeling easier to a certain degree. I'm not saying do that and don't do that. I am just saying that if you're gonna go to a Christmas party and you're trying not to be psychic because, you know, whatever's, and you start partaking of the champagne or a little glass of wine, you better start kind of, okay, I need to do my protection because you don't want to start channeling. What do you what do you think about that? And I totally forgot the question, so you're gonna have to repeat it again after after you respond to what I said. What do you think about that, Danny?

Jenny 7:45

It always comes back to spiritual protection for me. Like you know me, and I talk about it, talk about it, it's the hill I'll die on. That everybody should be doing it, whether you consider yourself psychic or gifted or any of that, you know, it's always comes back to that. And yeah, any kind of inebriation lowers the boundary automatically. And you can suddenly be channeling and talking to you know, people's ghosts and whatever, when you didn't mean to. So, yes, always always spiritual protection. So the question was to get us back on track. Can you share more about channeling, which I think we just did? Your experience, we didn't touch on that, and how we think it works. Oh. Oh, experience. Maybe do experience first.

GDC 8:34

Yeah.

Ritual Channeling And Aftercare

GDC 8:36

You know, kind of I alluded to it a little bit when I was like, when I'm in a session, some of my signals are we want you to know that it's okay. We want you guys, check it out. Listen to yourself when you started. You I didn't know that until somebody recorded me because they wanted to record the session, and they're like, This is when I knew you were doing that. And I was like, We? I'm like, who is we? You know, I'm just like, but so it it happens. I also have experienced being sanctifying myself. You heard that right, sanctifying myself and dedicating myself to specifically be a channel at, like, for example, Sawin. I went ahead and put um, you know, cloaking on, and I didn't look at the person, and I allowed a certain individual, a certain entity, a certain deity not to be open to all. And I stepped outside of myself and allowed it to work with my body to be able to do that. And when that happens, there's a couple of notes that I will say. One, you need to be okay with not knowing what you just said. You need to be okay with not understanding how much time just uh went. So you need to have all of those securities in place, and you need protein and water afterward, you and you a good nap because protein will bring you back into your body, feed your body so that you can re-enter, and then always a lot of time for afterward to reintegrate yourself. So it's kind of like I am a vessel at that point, and the spirit comes through and then it leaves, and you can feel it, you don't always feel it as much when it comes through, but I feel it when it departs because then I'm like, oh, hello, what time is it? I start thinking in my you know, forefrontal lobe, and so that's a little bit about my experience. However, that's only on special occasions. I don't walk around and do that because we are talking to granddaughter crow right now. We are talking to granddaughter crow, and I kind of was raised to kind of do kind of this weird stuff. Um, but it it really, really, really is interesting because I would say that how to do it would be set sacred space.

Jenny 11:23

Yes.

GDC 11:24

Set boundaries, yes declare who you are going to allow in you basically think about it like you are about ready to have a nice little dinner party and you're inviting in a guest, and it is the great guest. You send out an invitation, you make sure your house is clean, you set the table, you have already aligned stuff to make sure that it is safe and sacred. They come through the door and talk with you, then you say thank you and goodbye, and they leave, and then you take time to clean up. I think that's the best way, irregardless of what level you're doing it. Think of yourself as I am inviting in a guest.

Jenny 12:10

You're the house.

GDC 12:11

I am the house. Yes. Yeah. I am the host.

Jenny 12:15

Yeah, I'm the best on the house. I like that.

GDC 12:18

Mm-hmm. What do you what would you say about experience?

Jenny 12:22

I love all of that. And I will say for people watching and listening, in Divergent Witchcraft, I have a modern take on drawing down the moon. And drawing down the moon is this kind of concept of inviting the moon goddess energy into your body, your being, regardless of your gender, and allowing it to be allowing yourself to be a channel for that energy, and then doing works of magic from there. So for people who want to try that, that I really lay out the parameters in the book. And working with the moon energy is very like expansive, very safe. It's a good place to start because everybody can see the moon, connect with the moon. Um, and it's not working with a specific ascended master, deity, angel, saint, whatever you want, whoever you want to invite in. So I feel like that's a really good. I like the word vessel, I like the word house. Um, I also like how you talked about the radio dial. So I studied with Kyle Gray, that's how I learned to channel, and he talks about like envisioning like a little radio dial in the back of your head. You're turning it to angels, angel radio, and then you turn it back when you're done. And I think that's what you're talking about is having these priorities, boundars, boundaries, and ritual. Open the space, close the space. Like you don't just like let everybody linger because you will be exhausted, exhausted afterwards if you don't really close things up and close things down like you're supposed to.

GDC 13:52

100%. 100%.

Jenny 13:56

Our mascot, Lil D, is here. Hi, Lil D. Lil D is here.

GDC 14:01

What do you do with channeling? Oh, she's channeling through tuna. Why do I keep seeing tuna fish? Lil D. Don't mind meld me. Yeah.

Consent Agreements And The Mystery

GDC 14:14

But I I do think that it it's as far as how it works, I would say it's an agreement.

Jenny 14:22

Yeah.

GDC 14:23

Make sure that you empower yourself enough to know that you have the right to say no spiritually to any type of entity or spirit that's around that you do not feel comfortable with just because it appears to you doesn't mean that you have to. Oh, it's an agreement, which means I will say yes, I will allow, you also will say yes, and we will merge and then we will depart. So it's it's a it's an agreement of sorts, and how much you allow it to come through you is also a part of that agreement. Back to what I was saying, that part of it, you there is a spectrum, and part of it is just like, well, I'm doing a reading and I'm starting to say we want you to feel loved. That is a form of channeling, but then it also, you know, so it works on all of it if you understand it's an agreement, protection, but also consent, your consent.

Jenny 15:25

Yes, yes. And the last part is how it works. I think we kind of touched on that, but if we want to just kind of I mean, I'm gonna say that part of it is it's a great mystery.

unknown 15:36

Yeah.

Jenny 15:36

But I've always made peace with great mystery. I don't care to know how everything works. Um, I've always been like that. Like um, I don't want to know all the details. I don't want to know why we're here all the way and how we got to be here. I just I make peace with the mystery. Um, so that's for me, you know, how does it work? I think it works because you are a spirit, soul being first, and then you get into a body, you come earth's side, but you're always a spirit and soul being first and foremost. And who you're channeling and connecting with, they're only in spirit, and so it's very easy from spirit to spirit to connect. And that's how I think it really works.

GDC 16:20

I love that. I absolutely love that. I would just add, um if I were a spirit, I would want a human voice to be able to articulate in this realm what I'm saying, and so I agree with that. And then I want to also say if you are curious about channeling set sacred space, protect yourself, know that it's an agreement, know that you can say no, consent, and all of those things, and then actually just breathe and allow it to happen because it's almost like, hey, Granddaughter Crow, how do you use your eyes? Yeah. I I would be like, I don't know, they just kind of see, but it's a phenomenon that happens. Yeah. You know, how do you see that rainbow? I think that it's it's known that you know, we each have our perspective and we each have our own instrument. And so we we will do different things, but the fact that you're curious about it always tells me that maybe you're a channeler then, you know. That's what it says to me.

Jenny 17:33

I agree. I agree. The person who asks this question, they're ready, they're ready to give it a try. Because if you're asking that question, that's part of it, is like the natural curiosity, the wanting to connect, to wanting to go further. And so, yeah, I agree 100%.

GDC 17:49

Curious beings, curious beings. I love it.

Subscribe Share And Send Questions

GDC 17:54

If you would like to join this conversation, write down things below, text the show, email us, email us at beliefbeing beyond at gmail.com. We are here to be in community with you. Thank you for listening to another episode of Belief Being and Beyond. Please subscribe and share with whomever would enjoy this podcast. And please leave us a review. We really, really appreciate that. For more about Granddaughter Crow, GranddaughterCrow.com. There you can learn about her classes, sessions, and all of her books. And for more about Ginny C. Bell, please visit Ginny CBell.com where you can learn about her books, her classes, and her our coven community. Thank you so much for listening.