Throughout history, people have claimed that they've received information from "the other side." In Biblical times, prophets talked with God and passed the messages to the rest of us. Bibles and holy books sprouted from those seeds. Entities from the higher realms still communicate with us today, but they use different means like inspiration, channeling, walk-ins, and others. Inspiration is the most common. People who are inspired, especially writers and those in the arts and sciences, will often admit that their ideas came from outside themselves. They are amazed by their own insights. In mythology, nine goddesses known as the Muses provide these insights.

Channeling is a less common but more obvious form of this communication. Unconscious channeling happens when a person (the host) slips into a trance and a non-corporal being projects its consciousness into him or her. The entity then speaks through the host. More recently, conscious channeling has become popular in the New Age movement. Here, the host remains conscious during the exchange. The unconscious method might be superior because it subdues the ego more, but a conscious channel has the advantage of hearing what the entity is saying.

The walk-in phenomenon is an extension of the conscious method. It happens when an entity lives in the host for an extended time, possibly for years. Besides being channeled entities themselves, walk-ins can channel other entities while living in the host. There's also a grab bag of equally esoteric, other-plane unions, like soul braiding and soul switching.

Open channeling can happen to anyone, even if they don't believe in metaphysics. Like everything, the results can turn out either positive or negative. With this style of communication, the host is often unaware that he or she is channeling.

On the down side, a negative entity can slip through unnoticed during a fit of anger. It expresses itself through that emotion and often adds an astral "poison" to it. This is where "bad vibes" come from, and the negative energy that it projects can linger in the victim's aura for days. The host usually thinks that he or she is behaving righteously and is "telling the truth" or "setting things straight." But the truth is, he is simply not himself. He is involved in a mini-possession. For some, channeling like this becomes a habit. The sense of power addicts them, so they stay open to it and may even welcome it. Eventually, though, the poison affects them as well and they turn bitter.

Conversely, others develop the habit of allowing positive entities to use them. When a person hosts a divine entity, grace enters the soul like incense filling a room. These are "good vibes." Spiritual practices and the will to serve others can promote this. Gurus and saints — holy people — are examples and represent the highest form of channeling. Usually, they change seamlessly from one state to the other. They are multidimensional pathways on which Heaven cascades to Earth.

Miscellaneous Means
Many other avenues of higher-plane communication exist. We have personal appearances of other-plane entities, astral travel, visions, divine embodiments, and divination. Angels and deities don't materialize too often these days, although some news outlets occasionally report that Mary has appeared somewhere. When you astral travel, you can meet all kinds of fantastic characters. A Near Death Experience is similar to astral travel, but is obviously more intense. Visions are symbolic pictures and may include certain kinds of dreams. They usually reveal the future. John's Revelations in the New Testament is probably the West's most famous (and troubling) vision. More on this later. . . .

The Pope is another example who many believe is infallible because he receives messages directly from God. In ancient Greece, Phidias received instructions from Zeus on how to design the god's statue. His work became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Earlier, Moses spoke with Yahweh on Mt. Sinai and that conversation produced the Ten Commandments. Then there's the Dalai Lama who many believe is a god incarnate (although he denies it). Talk with him, and you talk with a god. There's also Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, and Krishna. Every day, billions talk and pray to them. These beings are not exclusive — you don't need to be, say, a Hindu to talk with Krishna.