About Channelling with the Council of Nine
Books > Only Planet of Choice
The Nine Communications
ABOUT DEEP CHANNELLING
By the late Sir John Whitmore BT
Channelling or mediumship is neither a new nor an uncommon occurrence. It can be found in every culture and in a variety of forms, such as automatic writing or artwork, and voice communication where the channel appears to speak for another mind than her own. (The majority of channels in our culture are women so I will use the feminine gender throughout.) This may occur in light trance, where the channel is aware of what she is saying, or in deep trance, of which the channel will have no recall whatsoever. In deep trance the channel may use speech, language patterns and tone that are completely different from those of her normal voice. Even foreign languages totally removed from the channel’s experience are not uncommon.
That some people have never heard of channelling, and many more would not give it a second thought, is because, on the surface, it is easy to dismiss it as an act or hoax, consciously perpetrated by the channel. Hoaxers however have to have a motive. Could there really be so many hoaxers, in so many cultures, whose only reward is often physical and psychological pain and, at least in our modern societies, a fair amount of ridicule? The payoff for manipulating people in channelling is not significant enough to attract widespread hoaxing. However, institutional psychology is incapable of producing an explanation of channelling that fits within current scientific orthodoxy, and therefore it ignores the subject. Channelling is anathema to the very assumptions on which our society is based – individuality and the ego are sacrosanct. The thought that larger influences can come through an individual draws in many other major questions, such as those of reincarnation, the soul, the transpersonal roots of the psyche and the meaning of life.
Channelling has been going through a resurgence in recent years, particularly in America, where sittings with channels have to a degree replaced the psychiatrist’s couch. As with any phenomenon or fad that grows to popular proportions, the quality of what is available is likely to decline and greater discrimination is required by those who wish to avail themselves of channelled guidance.
Some of the aspects and pitfalls of channelling are addressed here. Many of the statements that follow refer to the particular case of the channelling of the Nine by Phyllis Schlemmer and do not necessarily apply to other practitioners of the art.
GENE: If people can accept the reality of channelling, they are then faced with all the problems of interference in channelling, and in receiving these messages, coming as they do from a different dimension. Can you comment on the possibility of how much of the messages we are receiving from you are garbled by static and interference, and whether or not it is possible that we occasionally are receiving misinformation because of difficulties in communication?
TOM: Misinformation would be in the interpretation, and in limitations within the mind of the channel – in the usage of words, of which we do not have sufficient in the mind of the channel. There is not within the minds of humans the language to even attempt to explain our knowledge or the knowledge of other civilisations. But the channel is in our control.
GENE: Can Phyllis be unconsciously affecting any of the communications from her own inner self? How certain can we be that our method of communication avoids all thoughts and needs and so on, that Phyllis herself has?
TOM: Do you understand that our Being is not in the body at the time of communication?
GENE: I didn’t understand that, but I understand what you’re saying.
TOM: Do you understand that the functions of the body in most areas are in a state of stoppage? Do you understand that the heart and the circulatory system is kept to a minimum of function? We are in complete maintenance and control. There is not a word in your language to explain, except that we totally possess the body.
If our Being, or others, did not give, to us or the higher civilisations, total permission to take control without creating difficulty or objecting to us, we could not completely control our Being – for the sake of non-interference of free will. Our Being’s mind, her soul, is not in the body at the time we are communicating.
Our Being had great objections to computerisation. That was the original plan, but out of the fear of being controlled by a computer, she created great difficulty for us, for herself and for the civilisation of Altea, that was attempting to communicate in that manner. We would not be communicating in this manner if our Being had given herself in completeness to a computer.
This sounds rather daunting or sci-fi, but to the Council and the Alteans, it is a normal technical problem. During the time of this communication, in 1975, Tom indicated that, in the universe, there are intelligent computers which are almost like beings, except they lack soul, and they are controlled by users such as the Alteans or the Zeneels. These computers are consciousnesses with remarkable intelligence, rather than being physical hardware like mainframes or PCs. Nevertheless, Phyllis had an aversion to such computers, and insisted on direct contact.
TOM: In many thousands of years of communication from other planes of dimension with beings upon the physical planet Earth, there has always been great difficulty. There have been but few that we would call perfect communicators – if anyone possibly could be perfect upon your planet. The reason being that there have been but few that would permit complete control.
Without relinquishing the personality of the individual it is not in truth clear communication. We have cautioned many times to be of extreme caution with the conscious mind of those with whom you work, whom you use as a communicator. It is important for you to understand that, in order to communicate, we need an instrument. We will use the term instrument, because the one whom we communicate through is in truth a physical transmitter.
When we use a being it is important for you to understand that we must control that being. We take over the subconscious of the being. It has to be a being that is willing, that becomes passive in order for us to become active. We have never had a difficulty with our Being. That is because our Being removes her individuality. But that is also the reason for her fear of computers. She understands in her subconscious, and has made a commitment, but the fear of a computer is the fear of a loss of soul.
Do you then understand that we must with great effort maintain a balance in the physical body? When taking over the body, at the moment that we are taking it over it is in a sense like a computer. We must cause the body to have its heart operating, its lungs breathing, all of its major organs functioning. That is the reason that many times there is a drain of energy in the two of you [John and Andrija] – it is because we are using your energy maintaining the body in a suspended state.
ANDRIJA: Is this carried out by a computer or is it by a being?
TOM: With our Being it is another being; that is the difficulty. We do not violate the agreement with our Being. She is the only one on your planet who was able to do this, and it was from an earlier agreement that she decided to give completely to the Nine – it was not an agreement with computers. At the time we communicate with you, we do not have a vocal language.
ANDRIJA: You communicate direct, mind-to-mind.
TOM: We communicate with the mind of our Being, which in turn transmits into words. When we maintain our Being, we take a million threads and we weave of these threads together to communicate with you. If there is a situation where she is not physically in condition – if she has difficulty of digestion, or difficulty of elimination, or difficulty in emotions, or if there is a negative vibration within her, or a negative or doubtful vibration within either of you, or an anger in you, or a disturbance – we cannot then use the energy from you because it would cause a breakdown in the threads which we weave with her to communicate. So we communicate at times with great effort, which then in turn causes more of a depletion upon her. Also, when conditions are not proper, it is very difficult to present the images so they may be related to you.
Through thousands of years other civilisations have worked very diligently to perfect and to refine a system of communication, so there would not be the necessity to transmit and to control a being, to relate to other civilisations what we relate to you.
Communications which you receive through other mediums come through a different sort of communication. It is relayed.
The communication process is tricky, and Phyllis puts herself at risk doing it. In the Tibetan tradition, state and other oracles were intensively trained and looked after, to maintain the accuracy and reliability of the signal. Phyllis has to make do with the support that the Nine group can give her. At and around the time of channelling, she always has one of a very few people with her, who can assist on an energy level if needed. Israel Carmel, her husband, a healer, often performs this role.
JOHN: Could you answer one question concerning the means that you use to speak through Phyllis, because the Tibetan [who channelled through Alice Bailey] and some esoteric schools give advice not to pay much attention to deep-trance channelling. It is considered lower psychism, and of course this gives us credibility difficulties with those in those esoteric schools.
TOM: Do they feel that taking a pen in a hand [automatic writing] is higher psychism? What is the difference?
JOHN: Well, I believe that what we do here is a more pure way, because of the lack of interference.
TOM: You are in truth. In this manner there is no mind, there is no consciousness, there is no unconsciousness, lower consciousness or higher consciousness.
JOHN: But why did the Tibetan give that advice? In that case there must have been some reason?
TOM: Remember this: in those times [the earlier 20th Century] there were many that were used by spirits. Those in such schools must change their thinking, for this is a changing universe. It is not static; they are remaining in staticness.
ANDRIJA: Can we discuss again the human problems of some other channels?
TOM: We have difficulty in understanding your nature. We are being educated by others in the way of your beings. It is very difficult for us to understand your physical [sexual] nature. We understand your emotional, and we understand your intellectual, but it is very difficult for us to understand your physical. We are aware of the problems that you are having with some of your beings with their physicalness. We cannot remove this from them. This they must remove from themselves, or refine it.
I will try to explain, but I do not understand that emotion, so I will relate it in the manner that has been given to me. In regard to your physical bodies, the desires that you have in your physical reproductive areas are similar to a safety valve. The conscious mind of others may have desire to use you. We are not saying that you are not allowed to communicate through others; but it would not be direct from us – we want you to be clear of that.
ANDRIJA: Yes, I’m very clear about that.
TOM: But it is when they wish to use you that they may not speak to you truth. It may be that the civilisation that speaks through them is trying with great difficulty to relate a truth to you, but for them it is an opportunity to use you. We wish you to know that the most destructive element is the ego that controls.
JOHN: Some other channels, here and elsewhere, are producing a lot of cataclysmic predictions, and other sorts of messages that do not seem to coincide directly with yours.
TOM: There are many civilisations that have communication with humans on planet Earth, in which that would be a consideration. We will use a term that is not a term that we like, but perhaps it would give to you understanding. There are those that are in a higher echelon, and those in a lower.
We communicate not through any but that of our Being. Only if our Being is returned to us, would there be a decision to communicate through another. In the civilisations that create chaos within many, they are giving their point of view of seeing.
In relationship to catastrophes, we will not permit catastrophes to completely remove souls from the Earth. What we are attempting to say to you, is that those that communicate in the strictness of negativity are in a realm that is using their emotion, their drama; it is not of the purest. Do you understand what we are saying?
This particular case of confusion, which had arisen within the group in the early days, is recounted here to demonstrate the kinds of trouble that are easy to fall into when exploring a new world such as channelling. Also, it gives some interesting background into the dynamics of some channelling groups that exist today.
Apart from civilisations with lesser knowledge of the whole, there was always the question of whether some non-terrestrial intelligences were deliberately destructive or had evil intent, and whether they could interfere with communications with the Nine.
ANDRIJA: Since there has been so much talk of positive and negative forces, is there any sign or method by which a person could confirm that he or she is dealing with positive forces? Some religious people might be frightened by our communications and insist that they could only be negative.
TOM: By their knowledge, by their benefit to the planet Earth, you will have the understanding. We have explained that there are those civilisations that could create difficulty, but that their power cannot sustain. Within your ear, within your heart, within your mind, if it feels not right in the essence in which they convey to you, then we give to you our assurance, it is not right.
The Nine also warned the group about weaknesses in the channel, physically or psychologically, in combination with a source or civilisation which did not have the best interests of planet Earth at heart.
TOM: There are two ways in which your channels can receive and get into problems in your physical world. One would be when the channel is weakened by lack of rest or illness. The other will be when the channel is willing to be used negatively because of the desire for power.
Our Being was not a willing channel for negativity. In this particular case we may interfere and we help. In a channel willing to channel negativity we may not interfere.
When a channel is willing to be used negatively there are many factors that you must take into account. And because a channel is willing it does not mean that that channel cannot become unwilling.
JOHN: On the subject of being willing, is there a difference between being consciously willing and unconsciously willing?
TOM: There is no difference. An unconscious desire for power is the same as a conscious desire for power.
ANDRIJA: I have a feeling that xxxx has the potential to become a good channel. What is your advice with respect to this possibility?
TOM: This is possible in the future. But she must learn discipline before she may work. When I speak of discipline I mean that she must learn to balance in this physical world. Without the balance in the physical world it is difficult. As you know, for every hundred that come to this planet to do the work, who have chosen for themselves, ninety eight do not make it. It is because of non-discipline in your physical world.
You must be extremely careful with whom you deal. I mean contacts that you make with sources from other civilisations or the spirit realms. Not all contacts valid, true and honest. Because a contact is made, it does not mean it is a true contact. When I say this I mean a contact that says it is working for us.
JOHN: Be careful because there are all degrees of spirits. Is that what you’re trying to say?
TOM: This is correct. We are not a spirit, and this is what we speak of. We do not wish to be involved with the spirits. The spirits are those who have passed on in this world and are hanging around this planet Earth. We are not spirits. Spirits of your world that are in the atmosphere and around the bands of your world, are as confused as the physical beings on this planet Earth.
There are those that are evolved but most are not. We are not spirits. We are trying to save this planet Earth so that these spirit beings also may be released and be evolved. Be careful whence you work.
Remember this: most of the groups and most of the organisations using channelling are working with the spirits. As I said there are those that are evolved but there are those that are also confused. When they left this planet Earth they also took their desires with them, and one of the desires that manifest on this planet Earth is the desire to control.
ANDRIJA: This constitutes some difficulty for people in distinguishing what is going on when they have inner or psychic experiences. We felt this was happening with the young man that we spoke with today.
TOM: It is of a different nature. Those that exist at this place at this time are in truth with their souls, and have great love for the universe, and their motive is in the highest, so therefore the energy will be used for the benefit of the universe.
Confusion comes from non-experience, but it also comes from a great desire to have… how may we say this to you? As in your world there are those that believe all of the words that are written in your publications.
Similar to the nature of those that accept that all that is written is truth, there are those that have contact with spirits and civilisations that also believe that because they make this contact, it is of the highest and of truth. But often it is not. You understand the nature of the spirits existing upon the planet Earth? You also understand that in other civilisations that have what you would call periods of transition, they would also be spirits?
When I say good spirit I do not mean there are bad spirits. I mean they are just more evolved than others. On this planet there are those spirits that are working very hard and diligently to raise the level of this planet.
We would like to clarify that we are not a spirit, we are spirit in the sense that all beings are spirit, but when we say spirit we mean a physical spirit attached to the Earth.
JOHN: I have another concern. Phyllis’ use of the English article word ‘of’ has increased about ten times from the first to the latest communications. In the earliest communications with you, the language was quite colloquial. Now, in recent communications I find the word ‘of’ being used in many ways, and is now used as many as eight times in a simple declarative sentence. Can you help me with my confusion regarding that?
As mentioned in appendix one, Palden edited out most of these ‘of’ words and similar language flaws, in order to make reading easier. The following paragraph is deliberately not edited, to demonstrate this. The humour of the language of their reply is not lost on us nor, I suspect, on the Nine themselves!
TOM: We will attempt to explain to that of you. In that of working of communications with that of our Being, it is of an adaptation from that of us. In the beginnings of that of the communication with that of our Sir John and that of our Doctor, it became of important for us to have of clarification of that of whom we would speak and of what it would have meant. Perhaps we are not using in that of the terminologies that are of correctness, but it became of more of clarification to us with that of our Doctor Andrija, our Sir John and of that of others, and that of our understanding that we were communicating to that of them. They say I have not clarified of that for you.
ANDRIJA: Could you ask Altea for the linguistic basis for the use of the article ‘of’?
TOM: Yes... It is that of you. It is not for you, it is not to you, it is that of the essence of you, as it is that of the essence of us.
Then it appeared that Phyllis was having some difficulties.
TOM: To answer your question, the physical is deteriorating.
ANDRIJA: Is this a direct consequence of the work, or is it age?
TOM: It is communication. The draining of the physical body causes difficulty. The area of the brain which we may use for the words has been having a lack of energies. Therefore we must be careful not to drain our Being.
This Being was chosen, and chose to do this work, and this may be difficult for you to understand, but in our world she is considered a genius in communication. She can relate and communicate and get across to those that do not understand. But in our miscalculations we erased part of her memory, and it is difficult for her to find and to choose the proper words. Part of the programming that we were doing when we instituted this process in 1963, was with this device that was placed into the brain to translate our language into your language.
Because of this error that we have made we are now having difficulty in translating into the language. If you will please tell our Being to place your dictionary under her pillow. If a dictionary is placed under the pillow, part of the programming then can be programmed in.
This problem was not dire to the extent that Phyllis lost her ability to function in this world or the Nine’s – it slowed the flow of communication with the Nine and made normal memory-activities in daily life a little more difficult, but it has not impaired the quality of the communications, and Phyllis is an excellent communicator with people too. This section has been included to demonstrate how difficulties can arise in this line of work, as in any other. There are joys and rewards connected with such work which more than compensate for the hardships.
The reliability of sources in the field of psychic communications is a crucial question. On various occasions, questioners have drawn out some insights into how to deal with this.
TOM: When you open yourself for communication with other dimensional beings it is of great importance to have understanding of purpose and motive, for there are those who come forward proclaiming one thing and being another, and there may be a slipping through of information that may be truth, but may also be a method of manipulation and control.
ALICE: Then how can it be clarified? How can the channel be cleared so that there is no question?
TOM: In your world we have not known of the existence of any that has not had partial self-involvement, for it is very difficult to clarify. You must continuously search self in your direction, motive and method. In the past there have been many who have communicated portions of great truth and not other portions, spirits of mischief, or thoughts of collective conscience. So it is difficult to categorise or place it in proper perspective. When you are asked to do something which is not compatible with your physical surroundings, or with practical provisions, then it is necessary to detach, to stand apart, and to view it. When your communicator demands or relates that if you do not do something asked for then there will be great difficulty in the world, then it is important to understand that that may be something that is fulfilling a need within you, or it might seek to control you.
JOHN: I’d like to ask about two other channels. One seems to be producing some important communications, but she claims that they come from the Nine. Can you clarify who really this is?
TOM: It is not from us in directness, but from civilisations that are in service. So if she should wish to say it comes from us, it would be correct in one way, but also remember this: there a board of directors, a head who has knowledge of all, and there are those underneath who have departments, and there are those underneath that who carry out production. It is of the same manner here, but that does not mean that it negates what comes, but it is always not in true clarity and in directness, do you understand?
JOHN: Yes. Therefore, she is incorrect to say that it comes from the Nine?
TOM: She would understand this.
JOHN: Okay. The other is one who has had some communications recently, also claiming to be from the Nine. I presume this is a similar situation.
TOM: Yes. As we explained to you on numerous occasions, we come only through our Being. I am Tom, the spokesman for the Nine, I am the only spokesman for the Nine, and I do not speak through any other. That does not mean that what they bring has not value.
The first medium whom John asked about cropped up in a question two years later, by which time the situation had changed.
MIKI: A medium we know who is channelling information which claims to come from the Nine... can you tell us where it comes from?
TOM: Our Sir John asked us that question over two of your years ago. We explained to him then that it was not from us, that it was coming from a lesser civilisation that had not all knowledge. Since that time her ego has become obsessed and it is being used by those that would wish for destruction. It must be understood whom she is with. It came to her in writing, and now she is attempting to channel in a similar way to our Being, but it is not true, it causes discomfort in the world, and it causes us to be appearing as a clown. It is best not always to hide the truth.
MIKI: From which source comes the Seth materials channelled through Jane Roberts?
TOM: Her higher self.
MIKI: I don’t really understand that.
TOM: You have your self, have you not? You have your consciousness, your subconsciousness and your higher consciousness, yes.
MIKI: So, she is not connected to any hierarchy in the universe?
TOM: It comes from the reservoir of knowledge within her higher self. Do you understand?
MIKI: Yes. Most of the material I find is very valuable but still then I find sentences which are contradictory to what you say, especially the information about Jesus. How is this possible?
TOM: You understand that there are streams of reservoirs of knowledge, in what you call collective unconscious? In the seven planes surrounding Earth, that in truth are nine, there are within each a portion of truth. It is when you go into the ninth plane that you find the highest truth, and not all are capable of this in this point of their existence.
JOHN: A person I met is interested in channelling, and I was concerned about his lack of discrimination...
TOM: The singular most important thing to know, which you have a natural instinct for knowing, is the checking of your own internal source. This you must convey to him. There are those who channel that are not the best for humankind, however there are those with great intelligence upon your planet Earth who accept all forms of channelling without discrimination. It is important to continuously check yourself and challenge also. It is permissible, in fact it is important, that there be questioning.
There are many channels that in their hearts believe they are doing the things that are correct, when they are simply being tools of the negative. If they can understand that this is possible, even though they may not accept it, then those that go and utilise this can be brought out. The singular most important thing that may come forth is that you must check your inner source. You know that all of your humankind, no matter what environment brought them forth or what education fulfilled them, have an internal check on the balance within, yes.
Channelling work has been brought into disrepute through a mixture of ill intent and misunderstanding, complicating things for those who are well-motivated or communicating with a genuinely valuable source. Who a source says it is, is secondary to the actual quality of the material which comes through, and discernment is essential. Some sources have a very well-put presentation and picture to portray, which draws people in because it fulfils something which they feel a need to hear or subscribe to.
But the existence of unreliable sources does not detract from the usefulness of reliable sources. We hope that, in reading this book, you have used your discernment in deciding what weight to give to this information. And we hope that it has brought benefit to you as it has done to us.