About Ginger

A person who enables another being to speak to others through them is called a medium or "channel." Galexis' channel is Ginger Chalford Metraux.

Ginger was born in Tennessee to strongly religious parents. Being deeply spiritual but rebellious by nature, she decided to start her journey of self-discovery away from Tennessee and the Christian way. Through the decades of her youth and middle years, Ginger learned about and practiced Surat Shabd Yoga (Yoga of the Divine Sound Current), fasting and high vibration diets, naturopathy and nutrition, transactional analysis (TA), art (commercial and illustrative), music (both classical and pop, performing and writing), NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), the MariEl Healing System, Spiritualism and the occult, applied/psychological kinesiology, and shamanism. 

She has studied with Lazaris through workshops starting in January 1980 and for several years with Dr. Gregory Antyuhin, medical intuitive from Russia, in his Modern Day Mystery School, Boca Raton, Florida. She has received and given psychic healings of various kinds, including shamanic style, Quantum Touch, Reiki, and more. Her interests include writing, shamanic experience, and spending time in nature.

Ginger received her doctorate from Walden University (now Excelsior College) in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1984. Her doctoral case study was on the effects of emotional change on visual acuity. A prominent national astrologer for several years, Ginger spoke as a faculty member at SEAC, AFA, and NCGR conferences. She is the author of two astrological books "The Inner Personalities of the Chart," a study of Transactional Analysis and Astrology, and "Pluto, Planet of Magic and Power," a look into the nature of personal transformation as symbolized by (the now non-planet) Pluto.

Ginger is married to Daniel Metraux, who manages the business side of Galexis. They live on top of the mountain in Topanga, California.

 

From Ginger, About Channeling

The activity of channeling is believed to be one of the strangest things a person can do, although we all channel aspects of ourselves when we have flashes of intuition, greater creativity, or any altered state awarenesses. Channeling occurs when normal consciousness gets out of the way for a while, letting in expanded consciousness that flows through you and expresses itself. All in all, it is a very high frequency activity and feels fabulous. After a Galexis event, I can feel light, happy and “in the flow” for days. This doesn’t make me a space cadet or some woowoo crazy person, but instead I feel connected to my life, my world, and can still do the laundry excellently!

Like others who channel today, I provide an avenue (or channel) for an entity or group to speak through to others. I am a channel. Galexis is the group I channel. Many channels work with only one entity or group, as I do. But there are also many who bring through various beings. There are “Universal Guides,” such as ascended Masters, who speak through Channels around the planet. Examples are Archangel Michael, the Asian Goddess Qwan Yin, or Merlin the magician. Some Universal Guides are part of Galexis, although since benign, loving and powerful beings on the other side have no ego conflicts, they are willing to become One. Then there are other channels that will bring through a client’s personal guides for them.

Galexis is very respectful of my boundaries and needs, and we work together as friends. I am empowered at all times, and never taken by force, as with the mediums of the past. Also, every time I channel Galexis, I receive a healing. This has enabled me over time to recover from some serious health issues, although there have been instances where the energy coming through me was too intense and very difficult to handle. I have had to draw limits on energy expansions until I “catch up” to them. You might think that spirits know everything already but they don’t. Galexis is also learning how to work through me with the physical plane. As time goes on, I can carry on conversations with Galexis in private and receive assistance for my own issues.

Some people  think that channeled entities will take over one’s personal development and spiritual practices of their channels, and give them an easy time. But that is not the case. I am responsible for my reality like anyone else. I happen to have had a great gift bestowed upon me and am learning in an accelerated way every time I channel. When issues arise, I have to work them out like other people, although I have tremendous help from Galexis, reminding me of who I am and how to approach life situations. I am sincerely grateful for this opportunity.

 

Channeling, Mediumship, and Spiritualism

But this comfortable, loving and easy relationship that I have with Galexis is not what most people think about channeling. Many people are “spooked” about channeling and scared of it. That’s generally because of the Hollywood nonsense created about it for entertainment purposes, and also because of religious fears that it is evil, or at least disempowering, somehow. The spooky stuff you see in movies is often based on limited ideas about mediumship as distinct from channeling.  Favorite movie and TV topics focus on evil spirit possession and the trials of exorcism.

Now there really are some special people with psychic powers who are able to see amazing details about events and people that enable police to find lost people or missing evidence. In movies, the one with the psychic ability or the medium/channel is possessed by spirit and has no say about it. They are also often seen as suffering from the “gift” as well. This is simply not true, at least not any more. The “possession” idea was taken from westerners with Judeo-Christian background observing African spirit or religious rituals, ethnic shamanic practices (witch doctors), and various pagan activities, and is influenced unduly from prejudice against or misunderstandings of these other cultures.

The term mediumship has evolved from a religious tradition, derivative of Christianity, known as Spiritualism. At the beginning of the Spiritualist movement in the mid to later 1800’s, people ritualistically called upon deceased spirits or ghosts at séances, who rapped on the table or lifted it magically. Most of these séances were attempts to communicate with the dead, or one’s spirit guides, and very little useful information was able to come through. This may have been due to the lack of psychic ability on the part of those running the séance or to limited understandings about spirits. It has been said that the beginning of the séances, in 1844, signaled the transition from the Piscean Age to the Aquarian Age.

Mediums and ministers sometimes had to communicate with noisy ghosts, also known as poltergeists, that haunted a place, in order to do exorcisms. Exorcisms were done through threats, damnation, psychic fighting and domination of the entity, rather than negotiating with it, educating it and allowing it to leave in peace (the preferred and more elegant solution nowadays). Of course, a quick, peaceful resolution of a troubling ghost is not dramatic enough for Hollywood and does not entertain the public.

Churches, fearful of ghosts and spirits in general, condemn mediums or anyone who works with spirit as evil, although a mean, dark spirit is very rare. Most people have no idea or clue about spirit or anything “on the other side.” Ignorance and fear has fanned the flames of hatred in the past, causing authorities to persecute, torture, and kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people as evil, women as witches or even children as mediums.

In Spiritualistic churches, a very well developed medium, a minister of the church, may still hold séances to bring through deceased beings or ghosts to give messages to family members and friends. These ghosts can use ectoplasm, or etheric substance, borrowed from the séance attendees to manifest in shadowy forms while the medium is placed out of sight in a “cabinet.” Various personal spirit guides can also come in to speak to their respective people and to train metaphysical students. Sometimes, the beings who come through are deceased teachers and healers, known as Ascended Masters.

Séances are held rarely now, and the Spiritualist Church, once popular (celebrities of the day were members), has fallen into disfavor. The Christian church and “rational” science has associated mediums with witches, primitive witch doctors, voodoo priestesses and the like, which they consider threatening or simply crazy. More often than not, Spiritualist Ministers today have no large church and do private psychic readings. Those who have churches may convey spirit messages, speak about the other side, or bring through tokens, known as apports, from guest entities, as part of the service. Spiritualism’s main mission has been to prove that there is an “other side,” that death is not the end of everything, and that it is natural for people to be in communication with beings who are non-physical. After all, what are angels? For the most part, Spiritualism has indeed succeeded and for the most part, there is no longer any doubt about the reality of non-physical beings.

What is being left behind is the relationship between the medium and the entity or entities, and this is a good thing. In the old Spiritualist tradition and in other parts of the world as well, people who wished or felt compelled to be mediums, were expected to give up their conscious interests and life preferences to a being (or beings) who had no body and who wished to speak through them. Mediums often felt they had to be in total service to others, with little to say about how they lived their daily lives. If someone showed up with an emergency, mediums were obligated to give up their time for “the Work,” often without pay. A famous early 20th Century example was Edgar Cayce, who simply could not have a normal life without major financial and health problems unless he was in service, going unconscious and allowing spirit to speak through him.

This service was often stressful on the medium’s body. Even now, there are some mediums who can easily be overburdened by the urgent needs of others and cannot turn anyone away.  Many mediums also felt obligated to be poor. They charged little or nothing for their work, seeing themselves as humble instruments of greater light. Many mediums today are financially disadvantaged, which reduces their social status even more.

 

The Rise of Channeling

This disempowerment was part of the culture, not a condition for mediumship. They didn’t know they could negotiate with spirit and work together in teamwork. Hence, with the 60’s and the rise of the “New Age” personally empowered approach, the term medium gave way to the term channel. Channels bring through spirit or non-physical entities, but can also simply be bringing through intuitive awareness from their own greater self. A basic underlying philosophy of the New Age movement is that one creates his or her own reality. Therefore, channels are no longer expected to sacrifice and martyr themselves, but instead work with their entity or spirits as willing and equal partners.

This is the way I work, as explained above.

 

Trance Levels

In order to channel anyone, the person who takes the role of channel must go into a quiet altered state known as a trance. In a trance, the conscious mind takes a back seat and allows the greater information available from spirit who has an expanded point of view. It also allows access to the wealth of information in the subconscious and unconscious minds (such as what Edgar Cayce had), and most importantly, the collective mind.

There are several levels or depths of trance that one can experience while channeling. Those who go into a light trance can convey the messages they receive from spirit guides or helpers to others, speaking in their normal voices. They can also be called “mental channels” or psychics, because they often tell people who is telling them what. These channels are usually recognized through their own names, not that of the entity(s) they channel. If the trance is light enough, it is experienced as “intuition” or “hunches.” Everyone is psychic and capable of a light trance. Good psychics sometimes don’t even think they go into a trance, but they do. It’s just a shift of awareness into an altered state where they can receive and share useful information from their subconscious minds as well as their entity friends.

Many channels go into a medium trance level when they channel, as I do. Esther Hicks is a good famous example of a medium trance channel when she brings forth Abraham. When I channel, I first go into a meditative state, and my conscious mind awareness slips away. I feel I “lift” to sit slightly behind and above myself in a chaise lounge, and listen passively. It’s as if I am listening casually and passively to a conversation nearby. I cannot participate in it or interact with it. I float pleasantly in a dreamy state.

I am aware of what is being said by Galexis. I can feel the energy of Galexis coming through me like a light beam penetrating my head. I can feel the love and caring they, the group of Galexis, have for those they speak to. I often get a “show” of light and color if Galexis “scans” anyone’s energy field or aura. When Galexis mentions another lifetime of someone, I can see details of his or her other lifetime like a full color movie.

When I come “out” of trance, I can remember for a while what Galexis has said, but only if I deliberately think about it or talk about it. Galexis, however, will make sure that I remember specific things that apply to my personal situation so I can continue my personal and spiritual development. After a particularly applicable reading, I will take notes for myself, or if Daniel asks me questions while in trance with Galexis, we will both discuss material about me afterwards. Anything I don’t bring to awareness in my conscious mind can disappear by the next morning, or even quickly like the memory of a dream.

Clients or workshop attendees will come to hear Galexis, for example, but not to hear me speak about what I know or what I get through my intuition. At a workshop, people come expecting to see and hear Galexis. All eyes are on me as I sit before them in a chair and close my eyes. When I first did this, it was unnerving. After all, who knows what potentially embarrassing thing could happen while I’m “away?” But with practice and over time, I have learned to go into a light meditation that brings me into my trance. There I make special ritualized requests of Galexis who then sets the frequencies at a high level.

In the old Spiritualist days, long supplications, prayers, and hymns set the frequency, and could take up to twenty minutes. Now, I’m “in” in about 15 seconds. As the familiar energy of Galexis floods my crown chakra and descends into me, I easily let myself be lifted and drift. Then Galexis comes through with their introductory phrase “All right, we are here,” and we’re off and running for yet another consciousness adventure! Once in trance and with Galexis coming through, I forget about myself and simply listen and passively float along.

Some channels go into very deep trance states – so deep that they appear to be totally unconscious during the channeling. Many of them discovered their gift, at one point, by seemingly falling asleep. But then, dramatically, a person or people around them heard a strange voice came through and speak to them! This level of trance requires total disappearance of self’s awareness to the process and is often arranged prior to coming into the physical plane between the soul of the channel and the entity that comes through.

While this may seem disempowering, it is not, provided the channel is voluntarily going into trance. Total trance channels know that they will be totally unaware for awhile as if in a deep sleep. Not only will they not know what others are doing, they may have no idea what the entity or entities said while they were out. Since the information coming through a total trance channel can be (but not always) more precise, higher-level and specific, it is fun to get a life reading from a total trance channel. Edgar Cayce was one of the best-known total trance channels of the 20th Century. Currently, Lazaris is an example of a being that comes through a total trance channel, in this case, Jach Pursel.

 

What Channeling Requires; My Personal Experience

It takes quite a lot of practice to learn how to channel well. Unless one is a total trance channel, he or she must be vigilant and diligent about keeping his or her ego out of the experience. Near the beginning of my public channeling work, I made many ego mistakes. I would be afraid that Galexis would not have the answers people asked for, or that they would say something that could get me in trouble somehow! So I sometimes superimposed my agenda, pressuring Galexis to convey information I wanted, rather than what Galexis would give. When a channel’s ego interferes, always an issue in the early days of one’s channeling, the channeling itself becomes inaccurate. One time I insisted that Galexis do a reading for a man as if he were another person I knew in another part of the country. Of course, he never wanted another reading!

Over time, with the deletion of my ego and control agendas, I was able to get more and more out of the way of the transmission. Then Galexis brought forth higher and more precise information. Most people think that the channel has to learn how to work with spirit. I have learned that Spirit also has to learn how to work with the channel. It’s a mutual relationship and always growing. The level of information Galexis brings through now is light years beyond what it was only a couple of years ago!

Channels must always remember that they are the “bottlenecks” or limitations of information. If I am limited or don’t get sufficiently out of the way, then the information I can allow to come through me will also be limited to what I know or believe! This is not good for either the channel or the clients.  For example, I have heard of channels that had tremendous difficulties in their personal relationships give poor quality suggestions to clients concerned about relationship issues when in trance. All superimposing agendas must go, or the truth will be compromised!

Channeling requires intensive and extensive personal work, as I have never been able to go completely “out.”  I actually hear what Galexis says, so this makes my ego surrendering and personal work harder. Galexis doesn’t do my growth work for me, as some people would like to imagine. Galexis sends greater and greater volume of yet higher and higher spiritual energies through me. If I don’t stay focused on my own spiritual development, my body can get overloaded and overwhelmed with the spiritual vibrations. Any blockages I have will then create physical distress.

As the bottleneck in this divine flow of Light and Information, I continuously practice letting go more and more, to allow more to come through. I no longer seem to have that ego issue unless I jump forward or Galexis expands too quickly, and then I must breathe, relax and let go once more.

Some people understandably remain uneasy with Galexis when they realize that I inevitably “listen in” on their readings. They may fear that I could talk about their secret information with other people. I do not do this. I generally forget it all anyway, within hours at the most. Galexis may mention something from one person’s private session with another person if the two are both working on their relationship and are both willing to take responsibility for healing the relationship.

In public workshops, some people are too shy to expose themselves by asking questions in front of others. However, these fears are usually soon put to rest, as Galexis maintains a loving, accepting, non-judgmental energy and acknowledges that everyone has issues and that is okay, nothing to feel humiliated about. Of all the intentions Galexis holds, the healing of shame, embarrassment, humiliation, feelings of inadequacy and all the rest of the shame spectrum of feelings in paramount. Galexis says that the belief in shame puts one the farthest away from the Divine as one can get. Our spiritual journey is to heal this shame and accept our divine self, completing our personal mission.

 

The Future of Channeling

It is my opinion that in the future, there will no longer be channels, as everyone will have the means, the tools, and the ability to access greater sources of information, energy, and love as I have. Those of us who channel now are the harbingers of that future. We are the template makers, the trail blazers for the awakening of inner gifts and the development of spiritual access as natural to people, normal people! Rather than being scared that my financial life could suffer, I expect that I will no longer experience the ritual of channeling as it is practiced today, and look forward to whatever grander adventure I’ll be exploring then!

Galexis has told me that channeling is not my ultimate destiny work. I am meant to be conscious as much as possible and develop my consciousness in such a way that Galexis will ultimately work with me while I remain completely present. That is not now, however, and I am satisfied with that. I am willing to allow my destiny to continue unfolding with the beauty and magic that it already has. I truly feel that this is the lifetime I complete my personal mission of self realization, end the cycle of births and deaths, and return Home to God/Goddess/All That Is. My destiny work, Galexis says, must be the work of my conscious self. In the meantime, I am thrilled by the information, the vibrations of love and healing that flow through me every time I channel, and the sense of purpose and meaning my life has now.

I am grateful for the opportunity to channel for you, too, as it is no accident that you are reading this. Please, enjoy Galexis and let them lift you, inspire you, and help you in your great work, in your going-home experience. Thank you for being a part of the Galexis mission as you change yourself and thus, your (and my) world.

If you are interested in the process known as channeling yourself, I suggest you read the book “Opening to Channel” by Sanaya Roman.