What's the Difference Between a Medium and a Channel?

A few clients have asked me what the difference is between a medium and a channel. Throw in a question or two about psychics in general and it was time for me to clarify:

I am a medium. Maybe you've heard that before, or maybe you have experienced my work as a medium. But many people don't know what a medium does. And then there's this other word, "channel", that many people have heard but don't understand.

Fair enough. I can understand the confusion, because psychics, mediums (I prefer the proper plural, "media"), and channels are all woo-woo practitioners who deal in the unseen and the metaphysical. AND I have even heard people who ARE these things misuse the terms. So here are my definitions that fit to the very best of my knowledge:

Medium: A living person who communicates in some fashion with the spirits of dead people. A medium may conduct seances or may communicate directly. John Edward is a famous medium whose primary work is communicating with the dead. I am also a medium, although I am not yet as famous as John Edward.

Channel: A person who allows a non-physical entity/ies to enter his/her body for the purpose of communicating with living people. The channel may or may not be conscious of the information coming through him/her. Esther Hicks is a famous channel who channels non-physical energies who call themselves Abraham. I do not channel in this way; however, I do "take cosmic dictation" and channel information from your guides in Mystic Mails. But I don't give my body over. My latest book, Channel One: 137 Messages from the Universe, is comprised entirely of channeled messages.

And what about the psychic? Well, a medium is always a psychic, but a psychic is not necessarily a medium. A psychic is someone who can sense information about others and often predict the future. Sylvia Brown is a famous psychic who also happens to be a medium. I am also a psychic. I personally do not see that a channel necessarily qualifies as a psychic, but channeling definitely requires a special spiritual gift, and it seems likely that a channel might also be psychic in some way.

There, I hope that makes it all clear as mud. If you have any questions about it, you know where to find me!

Susan K. Morrow
www.SusanKMorrow.com
512-257-2737
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sistermystic