After first learning to channel in 1974, Carla discovered she had an incredible aptitude for the art and embarked on a decades-long journey of practicing, refining, and improving her processes to become a better channel. Among the most meaningful refinements were those that focused on improving the balance and will of the instrument, including the ideas of tuning and challenging.
Much like a musical instrument must be tuned and maintained in order for it to play a song with accuracy and harmony, so it is with an instrument wishing to be a channel for information from sources outside of the self. Tuning may be seen to be a long-term process of maintaining one’s balance and dedication through spiritual practices, embodying one’s principles, conducting one’s self ethically, continuing to serve others, etc.. This would be akin to the everyday maintenance of a quality musical instrument.
More specifically, tuning is also a process done immediately prior to channeling that Carla developed, helping the instrument to enter a clear and balanced state of mind for the service they are about to engage in. This would be akin to the tuning of the musical instrument before it is played. (The support group also harmonizes together and tunes itself before the contact.)
Once an instrument is tuned and receptive to contact, Carla also found that challenging that contact was essential to ensure the integrity of the entity being channeled. This involves an initial process of self-discovery, coming to know unequivocally who you are, what you believe in and stand for, and what you love and would die for. For Carla, as a mystical Christian, this was Jesus Christ. For others, it might be unconditional love, service to others, or any spiritual ideal that reaches to the depths of one’s heart of service. Once an instrument has discovered this within themselves, it can be used to “challenge” the entity making contact with the instrument, three times, in order to establish a field of protection and intention for the instrument and the contact.
Through these practices, the instrument and the support group can ensure that they are tuning the figurative radio dial to receive the desired positive frequency or source of love and light and safeguard against negative sources of information.
These methods, and the theory behind them, are not shared universally by all experienced instruments. But we believe that these processes developed by Carla are a large reason for the consistent quality and focus of message of L/L Research’s channeling for almost fifty years.